President lauds the late Vasantrao Naik

President Pranab Mukherjee praised former chief minister Vasantrao Naik and said his views and guidance helped the central government formulate schemes that were later implemented in the country.

President Pranab Mukherjee praised former chief minister Vasantrao Naik and said his views and guidance helped the central government formulate schemes that were later implemented in the country.

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Pranab Mukherjee pays his respect to former CM the late Vasantrao Naik.

Mukherjee was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony of the year- long birth centenary celebration of Naik, who was longest-serving chief minister of the state. In the function held at TIFR auditorium in Colaba, Mukherjee said that Naik had the courage to tell the Centre that five-year plans had no flexibility in implementation.

He said the planning commission made changes to bring flexibility in the five year plan after Naik’s remarks.

“Naik headed a stable government in the era when the country was going through political turbulence...Frequent elections were a routine phenomenon at the centre, but Naik ruled a stable government for 11 years and provided economic and political stability,” he said.

The president said the rural employment guarantee scheme launched by Naik was later adopted by the centre. Mukherjee also unveiled a postal cover in the memory of Naik. Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said that Naik was truly a leader with vision for the agricultural development.

He said that Naik tried to make the state self- sufficient in agriculture but ensured that the assurance was fulfilled in two years. Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, said his political success was due to the guidance of Naik.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan announced various schemes in the memory of Vasantrao Naik as part of the centenary celebration.