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Devendra Fadnavis (44) is the newly elected Chief Minister of one of India's largest states, Maharashtra, and the first person from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to hold this post. He is a law graduate and holds an MBA degree as well. He is married to Amruta Ranade Fadnavis, a senior bank manager and the couple have a five-year-old daughter. Mr. Fadnavis wrote this piece exclusively for ndtv.com)
On being elected the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, everyone has been asking me on what my plans are for the state and how I plan to tackle the challenges that the state faces. It is indeed a huge challenge and we have a vision with which we will drive our state to regain its past glory and its number 1 position. Helping fulfill the aspirations of 11 crore 20 lakh people is my primary goal.
I will focus on restoring governance. Governance deficit, policy paralysis, decision paralysis and implementation paralysis has cost Maharashtra dear. We will establish a government which is transparent and efficient. I believe in being assertive rather than unfound aggression. I may be soft spoken but when it comes to administration I will be firm and ruthless. When I met Honourable PM Shri. Modiji a day before my swearing in, he gave me a "Guru Mantra". He asked me not to worry about saving the government rather focus my energies on working for the people, for their well-being. When this will happen, people will themselves work to ensure my government stays in power for long. I do not indulge in crass politics/political games, I believe in directly connecting with the people, working with a strong conviction and delivering to promises.
One of the most frequently asked questions is how I am going to tackle corruption. People ask me if I am going to take action and send those who have engaged in corruption to jail. My answer is, there is going to be action but I am not going to name anyone after becoming Chief Minister as that can be used as a defense in court. There will be an appropriate investigation as recommended by the Madhav Chitale Committee in connection with the irrigation scam and we are going to take other steps as well. There will be zero-tolerance for corruption. We will not target individuals. If an individual is probed, it will be a part of policy. If a probe is needed, a fair, quick and efficient probe will be done. We will create a framework where in cases of corruption where the preliminary inquiry has prima facie evidence will not be delayed for sanction of further action. There is no need for any discretion in fighting corruption. My actions will speak more than my words.
Maharashtra also has the notorious distinction of being the state with highest farmer deaths due to suicides - 60,000 till date. We need to change this. We will strive to give every farmer easy access to electricity and water. We will connect farmers directly to the customer with better roads and technology infrastructure. Soil testing labs will be set up in every
taluka and seed testing labs will be set up in every district.
One of the things that is on top of my mind is Right to Service. This means service guarantee through the provisions of law. Timelines for citizen service delivery will be defined and monitored.
One of the areas I am going to focus on is education. Only 0.14% of Maharashtra's GDP is spent on education. I believe that budgetary provisions on education is not an expense but a fundamental investment in producing talented and skilled manpower. We will create adequate classrooms, provide potable drinking water in every school, create separate toilets for girls and set up centralized kitchens for midday meals.
We will increase the number of ITIs and improve infrastructure and intake capacity of the existing ones. A full-fledged university will be set up in every district in due course and virtual classrooms will connect the most remote parts of the state using VSAT connectivity. NAAC certification will be made mandatory for all educational institutions.
The health situation in the state is also alarming. We will ensure that every district has a medical college and a specified location to handle emergency services. We will also ensure that there are trained paramedics in remote and far flung areas of the state. Generic drugs will have to be made available everywhere and we will adopt "Lek Ladki" program, on similar lines as implemented by Madhya Pradesh to stop female foeticide.
Safety of women and security of citizens will be my priority. Crime prosecution rate in the state is very low. The police department will be bifurcated into an investigation wing and a law-and-order wing. We aim to take the criminal prosecution rate to 50% in three years. Forensic laboratories will be established in every district and crime records will be digitised. The judiciary will be revamped, completely digitised and technology will be used in all aspects. Fast-track courts will also be increased. Women's security will be a priority and every district will have a women's police station.
Maharashtra needs a fundamental shift in its investment and industrial policy. We will have a dedicated focus on creating sector-wise attractive sops for industries to be setup across the state. Overall process of doing business to be simplified, entrepreneurs to be encouraged and an overall positive mood to be inculcated within the sector.
In order to help fulfill the aspirations of a resurgent Maharashtra, our power sector needs improvement, reforms and increased efficiency. My government will focus on key aspects within generation, transmission and distribution to ensure we achieve this goal. Our main objective is to have a load-shedding-free Maharashtra.
However, we need to look at our finances as well. I have been briefed about the financial situation in the state by the Finance Secretary. Some decisions were taken just before the polls and the financial implication of these decisions are a loan of Rs. 52,000 crore. The revenue deficit will be Rs. 26,000 crore. This will take the government towards bankruptcy. Unnecessary and non-starter sops that were given before polls will be removed.
Mumbai is dying and it needs to be revived. Priority areas will be housing and transport system improvement. An officer of the rank of Chief Secretary will be asked to oversee coordination between 17 key agencies created for Mumbai/MMR development. We will strive to bring down maximum travel time to one hour. The key infrastructure projects we are focusing on are the Navi Mumbai Airport Project, Coastal Road, Trans-harbour Sea Link and a mesh of elevated corridors.
People have also asked me about moral policing in Mumbai. I do not believe in moral policing. Everyone has a liberty but that liberty ends where another person's liberty starts. If this thin line is adhered too there will be no need for moral policing.
Most importantly, unless our systems scale, we will never be able to effectively and efficiently govern. So you can be rest assured that my government will stress on improved systems and processes and technology intervention to model a unique e-Governence ecosystem for the state. A system which delivers on time, is visible to people and is adapting to change.
We are at a very important time in history and by our collective work we will build a strong, progressive and empowered Maharashtra. I want the entire state to participate in this process and hence we will create framework for citizens connect which will be launched shortly. I feel humbled at the responsibility bestowed upon me by my party and I look forward to serve the people of Maharashtra with the help of my team here in Maharashtra, under the able guidance from my party senior leadership including my inspiration, our beloved Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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