No mention of reservation in CM’s I-Day speech in Mumbai

The CM said Maharashtra had been successful in creating eight lakh jobs in the organised sector in the last year, according to a report by Employment Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

Steering clear of the contentious reservation issue, which has now become a political challenge for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in his Independence Day speech on Wednesday instead focused on the state’s achievements over the last four years.

Devendra Fadnavis hoisted the national flag at the state secretariat in Nariman Point. (Bhushan Koyande)

Fadnavis hoisted the national flag at the state secretariat in Nariman Point. In his address, he highlighted the work done by his government in crucial sectors such as agriculture, irrigation, housing and investment, etc. The CM said Maharashtra had been successful in creating eight lakh jobs in the organised sector in the last year, according to a report by Employment Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). “Of the total foreign investment in the past two years, 42% to 47% has come to Maharashtra. This is because the state is taking steps in this direction by adopting initiatives such as Ease of Doing Business,” said Fadnavis.

The CM said his government’s flagship scheme, Jalyukt Shivar or Drought-Free Villages, made nearly 16,000 villages free of water scarcity by focusing on water conservation. “Our next target is to make another 25,000 villages drought-free,” he said.

Fadnavis said for the state to continue to do well, it needs to retain its “progressive character”, adding the government will not allow any discrimination in the name of religion and caste.