Tough decisions needed to maintain state’s No. 1 status: CM

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday claimed that it would be difficult for Maharashtra to grow and maintain its numero uno status as an industrially progressive state if tough decisions were not taken

Echoing finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s recent statement that harsh decisions need to be taken to boost the Indian economy, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday claimed that it would be difficult for Maharashtra to grow and maintain its numero uno status as an industrially progressive state if tough decisions were not taken.

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The CM pointed out that even though generation of electricity costs Rs4 per unit, it was supplied to farmers at a rate of 25 paise, while industries were charged close to Rs 6.

“A lot of companies have been forced to shut shop or are moving out of the state because of this discrepancy. If we have to maintain Maharashtra’s status as the number one state in the country we will have to take some tough decisions in the near future,” Chavan said. He was speaking at a symposium, 'Maharashtra - Past, Present and Future', organised to mark the birth centenary of Yashwantrao Chavan, Maharashtra's first chief minister.

The CM also claimed that it is difficult to take tough decisions in the era of coalition politics.

Chavan also said that the state was working on policies which would increase investment and employment in the state. He claimed that the recently unveiled textile policy had the capacity to get over Rs 40,000 crore as investment in the state and could generate 11 lakh jobs.