The Maharashtra government has made an important contribution in taking welfare schemes, launched by the Centre and the state, to people without any political bias, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Tuesday.
He said the state contributes 40 per cent to the Centrally-sponsored schemes and the Maharashtra government, through its administrative machinery, has ensured that these schemes reached the taluka and village level.
Thackeray said all the schemes are diligently implemented to benefit the last man in the queue.
In an online event, Thackeray, along with Prime minister Narendra Modi, interacted with beneficiaries of government schemes.
Modi, who was in Shimla to address the Garib Kalyan Sammelan marking the 8th anniversary of the BJP-led Central government, interacted via video link with beneficiaries of different government schemes across the country.
A statement by the Chief Minister's secretariat said five lakh houses have been built in Maharashtra under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna while five lakh more houses are being built under this scheme. For this purpose, Thackeray said, Rs 3,500 crore was made available.
Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 19 lakh families have been provided with tap water connections and Rs 1,900 crore has been made available for this scheme, the CMO said.
The meeting was also attended by Bhagwat Karad, the Minister of State in the Union Finance Ministry.
Thackeray also urged the Centre to restore the 2 per cent interest subvention facility for farmers which was withdrawn last year, saying the measure was required to protect the interest of cultivators.
He made the same demand on Monday as well.
In a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Thackeray said a circular of the farm ministry and NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) earlier this year stated that the 2 per cent interest subvention scheme for short-term crop loan has been modified and it has been conveyed that the benefits of the subsidy will not be available from fiscal 2022-23.
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