Mumbai/UNI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asserted that the priority of the government is to provide basic facilities to the people of the state and that the government stands firmly with the people along with Baliraja (farmers), official sources said on Monday.

The Chief Minister addressed a press conference last night at the Sahyadri guest house in preparation for the monsoon session of the legislature.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil, Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde, Forest, Cultural Affairs, and Fisheries Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil, School Education and Marathi Language Minister Deepak Kesarkar, and relevant dignitaries were also present on this occasion.

Speaking further, Shinde said that, keeping in mind that the general public has expectations from the monsoon session, decisions will be taken in the interest of the general public.

In order to realise the concept of a public welfare state, the government has been implementing various initiatives in the last year, and the ambitious initiative 'Shasan Aaplya Dari' (Government at your doorstep) is making the benefits of the schemes accessible to the masses. 70 lakh people have benefited so far from this initiative, he further said.

Emphasis is placed on strengthening the health system in the state, and Rs 86 crore has been distributed to the needy through the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

All the people of the state will get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. 'Bala Saheb Apala Dawakhana' has been started in seven hundred places in the state, he added.

Encouraging the birth of girl children through the 'Lake Ladki' scheme, a 50 percent discount on ST travel for women, and free ST travel for senior citizens above 75 years of age have also been significantly successful.

Along with the empowerment of basic facilities, many infrastructure projects are being launched for the rapid development of the state.

He added that the government is trying to bring the maximum number of projects to the state and is getting full support from the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.