To make the State No.1 in all areas

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on the completion of two years of the Democratic Front government.

I have very mixed feelings in my mind. In the last two years, Maharashtra has faced a series of problems. Flooding, bomb blasts, chickungunya, bird flu - calamities struck one after another. The government had to pay its whole attention to face these disasters. Big amounts of money kept aside as development fund had to be spent for help and rehabilitation. We provided shelter to more than five lakh people during this year's and last year's excessive rains and arranged for food and water to be supplied to the victims. This year we managed the heavy rains in 33 districts to the satisfaction of the people. In the wake of the bomb blast in Mumbai West Suburban Railway and Malegaon, the people of Maharashtra showed amazing discipline. Efforts to create enmity among different communities were defeated by the citizens. The police force was admired for keeping law and order.

Our government's main aim was to keep Maharashtra in the No.1 position on the development front despite these negative happenings, especially since the State continued to remain the first choice for indigenous and foreign investors. During the last seven months alone we signed coordination agreements worth Rs.8,000 crores with important global companies. The Central government has approved the largest number of Special Economic Zones in the State. On the one hand we contributed the lion's share to industrial development and on the other, my dream of making Mumbai a world-class city is being fulfilled. Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Pune and Nashik have been included in the Jawaharlal Nehru City Reconstruction Plan.

Having established a lead on the economic front, my government focussed its whole attention on integrated social development.

In spite of doing remarkable work, farmers' suicides and shortage of electricity continued to cause mental agony. I personally have been trying my best to solve the problem of suicides. Banks have been ordered to release new loans immediately. Harsh legal action has been taken against illegal moneylenders. All these efforts, I believe, will definitely bring down suicide cases. In the next two years, the problem of power shortage will be resolved to a great extent.

Our attention is now focussed on making Maharashtra the No.1 State in all areas.