Maha Govt launching schemes to promote Marathi: Governor

Mumbai, May 1: Maharashtra Government is launching new schemes for promotion of Marathi, Governor K Sankaranarayanan said today (May 1).

"The State Government is introducing a number of new schemes for promotion of Marathi. Efforts are also being made to give Marathi the status of a classical language," he said, at a function held at Shivaji Park here on the occasion of the 51st anniversary of the formation of the State of Maharashtra.

"I congratulate the people of Maharashtra and those from Maharashtra living elsewhere on this occasion," he said.

There is a rich collection of rare photographs and documentaries of historic importance pertaining to the last 75 years and the Government has taken up the work of photo digitisation and video restoration in order to preserve this visual heritage for posterity, he said.

The Governor paid tributes to the martyrs who dreamt of creating ''Samyukta Maharashtra'' and sacrificed their lives towards its fulfilment.

The first Chief Minister of Samyukta Maharashtra, late Y B Chavan, was a visionary, he said.

"Chavan had envisioned creation of a peaceful, stable and progressive state, and it is reassuring to see his dream coming into reality," he added.

During the last few months, Maharashtra's performance in the sports arena has been excellent and performance of state's sportspersons in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games was encouraging, he said.

Lauding the government's role in promoting investment, the Governor said, "I am glad to mention that despite competition offered by other states, Maharashtra has remained the most preferred destination for foreign investment."

The year 2011 has been declared as the ''Year of Tourism'' and in order to attract national and international tourists to the state, various festivals, exhibitions and seminars have been organised, he said.

The Government has decided to develop Soil Fertility Index to improve the quality of soil in all villages in the State under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. This will benefit 12.94 lakh farmers during 2010-11, Sankaranarayanan said.

An extensive awareness campaign has been launched against the practice of child labour to rescue such children and bring them to the mainstream of formal education, he said adding that steps are being taken to make Maharashtra self-sufficient in power production by December 2012.

Recently, the Government decided to reserve 50 per cent seats in Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, Nagar Parishads, Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis and Gram Panchayats for women, Sankaranarayanan said.

The decision has reaffirmed the commitment of the government to empower the women of the state, he added.

PTI