New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to help farmers who have faced losses due to heavy rains that lashed the state recently.
Fadnavis said he handed over a memorandum to the prime minister and briefed him about the flood situation in the state in the aftermath of heavy rains.
"I have submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister on my behalf, and that of the two deputy chief ministers. We have apprised him about the flood situation in Maharashtra, the extent of damage and requested him to help the state through the mechanism of NDRF to the full extent," he said.
"The prime minister asked the state government to send a proposal in this regard which will be considered constructively," the chief minister told reporters here.
During his meeting with the prime minister, Fadnavis made a presentation on the development of a defence corridor in Maharashtra which would benefit the economy and lead to job creation.
Fadnavis said the Modi was scheduled to visit Maharashtra on October 8-9 for the inauguration of the International Fintech Festival along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. During the visit, Modi is also scheduled to inaugurate the Navi Mumbai International Airport and the Metro-3 projects.
He said the state government has sent a proposal to the Centre to name the Navi Mumbai airport after D B Patil.
The chief minister also called on Vice President C P Radhakrishnan at his official residence here.
Asked about the BJP's promise of a loan waiver to farmers, Fadnavis said that a committee has been formed to examine the issue and the focus of the government was on how to make the step more effective.
"We will certainly fulfil the assurance of loan waiver given by us in the manifesto. A committee has been set up in this regard and it will decide on the loan waiver. A loan waiver cannot be done time and again, so the focus will be on how to make it more effective," Fadnavis said.
He said the loans taken for the kharif crop will have to be repaid next year. "The immediate concern of the farmers is help in their accounts. So it will be our priority to extend this help," he said.
On the proposed defence corridor, Fadnavis said he presented three possible projects to the prime minister.
The chief minister said the corridor could come up in Pune-Ahilyanagar-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar region, Nashik-Dhule region or Nagpur-Wardha-Amravati region.
He said the state has already witnessed investments worth Rs 60,000 crore in the defence manufacturing sector and the defence corridor could attract investments to the tune of Rs 3-5 lakh crore.
Fadnavis said he also discussed with the prime minister on making Gadchiroli the steel producing hub of the country.
"In Gadchiroli, we have asked the prime minister to allot mines to Gadchiroli Mining Corporation, so that we can make the cheapest steel in India if we develop in a proper manner," he said.
Fadnavis said Gadchiroli had the potential to manufacture steel at costs less than that in China. "We can also venture into the area of Green Steel. The prime minister has taken a constructive view of the matter," he said.
"We have to develop Gadhiroli as a steel hub, Gadchiroli can address the steel needs of the entire country," he said.