Maharashtra Governor’s inaugural Budget session speech pushes government's 'Focus Mumbai' plan

Mumbai: The newly-appointed Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais's speech during the inaugural session of the Budget session at Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan on Monday reflected the political focus of the Shinde-Fadnavis government. 

The speech mostly covered the ongoing developmental works in Mumbai, including matters related to health, housing, and culture. 

Infrastructure

Talking about the infrastructure, Bais mentioned projects such as metro line 11. He said, "My government has decided to implement metro line 11 from Wadala to CSMT." He added that the state government has decided to start new metro lines of 30 km in Mumbai. 

Bais also mentioned the Versova Bandra sea link project. He said the government is committed to expedite the project. 

Housing

Regarding housing projects, the Maharashtra Governor specifically mentioned BDD chawl redevelopment. He said that the government is committed to the proper implementation of urban poor housing under PM Modi's Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme. 

Health

Regarding health, the Governor mentioned the highly publicised 'Aapala Davakhana' scheme by the state government. He said that the comprehensive health care services will be provided through this scheme.

Culture

Regarding culture, the Governor's speech mentioned the Vishwa Marathi Sammelan recently concluded in Worli, Mumbai. He also said that all allied offices of the Marathi language department will be brought under one roof in Charni Road, Mumbai.  

Carefully drafted speech

The focus on four topics: infrastructure, health, housing and culture was significant in this speech. Shivsena’s (UBT) strength on ground comes from its works done in health related issues, cultural politics, and BMC's capacity to provide infrastructure. Those all points are carefully addressed through the speech. It showed how the Shinde - Fadnavis government used this opportunity to address the strongest points of the Thackeray camp.