Mumbai, Jan 26 (PTI) Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Sunday said 2.46 crore women have been provided a collective assistance of Rs 21,000 crore under the government's Ladki Bahin scheme.

Addressing the Republic Day function at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai, the governor also said Maharashtra stands first in the country in attracting the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

"I appeal to all to resolve to form a new and strong Maharashtra. We must all work together to make our dream of one trillion dollar economy, a reality," he said.

Under the state government's flagship Ladki Bahin scheme, touted to have played a major role in the BJP-led Mahayuti's win the assembly polls last year, the eligible women are provided Rs 1,500 per month.

The governor said nearly 2.46 crore women have been given the benefit of about Rs 21,000 crore from July to December 2024 under the scheme, implemented for their economic independence, ameliorating their health and strengthening their decision-making role.

Also, financial assistance of more than Rs 2,800 crore has been credited to the bank accounts of over 68 lakh cotton and soybean farmers for the Kharif season of 2023, he noted, while also mentioning about welfare initiatives for the third gender and the Matang community.

"It is a matter of great pride that Maharashtra remains the most preferred destination for FDI and stands first in the nation in attracting FDI," he said.

Under the Pumped Storage Projects policy, MoUs have been signed for 38 projects through the Public Private Partnership, to help generate 55,970 MW of electricity and attract an investment of Rs 2.95 lakh crore, he said.

In addition, employment generation of 90,390 is expected, Radhakrishnan added.

He further said the Navi Mumbai International Airport is coming up as the largest greenfield airport in the country with an annual capacity of at least 90 million passengers and 2.6 million tons of cargo.

There are plans to commence the domestic flight services from this airport by April 2025, he added.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed all departments to prepare a roadmap to expedite public welfare initiatives within the next 100 days, the governor said.

To ensure government services reach the common man, directions have been given to make online and mobile platforms available, he said.

On the occasion, the governor paid tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule, Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Veer Savarkar and other social reformers.

It has been decided to install a 60-foot-high statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort, Malvan in Sindhudurg district, he said.

Notably, a 35-foot statue of the Maratha warrior king collapsed at the fort in August last year, just months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled it.

Radhakrishan said Artificial Intelligence is being harnessed to accelerate government work. A cyber security project has been launched at Mahape for curbing crimes and assist the police in investigations.

A bill related to prison reforms and enhancement of infrastructure has been submitted for approval of the President of India, he said.

To encourage sports, the cash prize for medal winners of the Olympic competition has been raised 4 to 5 times and for medal winners at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and other world level competitions up to 10 times, he said.

To encourage the culture of reading among students, the 'Maha Vaachan Utsav' has been launched. To foster constitutional values among students, a plan has been prepared to distribute the preamble of the Constitution to them, he added.

The governor also said nearly 67,000 affordable houses were being constructed through CIDCO's 'Housing for All' initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

A total of 1,99,739 individual and 8,695 tribal community forest rights claims have been accepted till last December-end, he said.

Tribal tourism is being given a boost by preserving the cultural heritage of Nashik and Palghar districts, he added.

"My government has given administrative approval to river linking projects, including Wainganga-Nalganga, Nar-Girna-Par, Damanganga-Godavari, Ekdare-Godavari and Damanganga-Vaitarna-Godavari to divert the water from water-rich areas to the water deficient areas," he said.

The Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan-phase- II has been started in 5,819 villages, under which 1,47,495 works have been given approval as per the village plan, he added.

Radhakrishnan also referred to the Marathi language being accorded 'classical' language status.

"My government is taking steps to ensure that the rich Marathi language will be continuously used in all the government affairs and other works of Maharashtra," the governor said.

On other schemes in rural areas, he said the subsidy has been revised to Rs 20 lakh for gram panchayats with a population of up to 2,000 and Rs 25 lakh to those with a population of above 2,000 for the construction the gram panchayat buildings.

On welfare initiatives for various communities, he said approval has also been given to establish corporations (sub-companies) for Nabhik, Sonar, Teli, Bari, Lonari, Lad Shakhiya Vani, Shimpi, Lohar, Gawli and Vani communities.

Also, green signal has been given to the formation of separate corporations for carpenter and weaver communities and to implement special programs for the development of Gowari community, the governor said. PTI MR GK