Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde led the state’s solemn observance of Maharashtra Martyrs’ Memorial Day on November 21, offering floral tributes at the iconic Hutatma Smarak near Flora Fountain in south Mumbai. The ceremony commemorated the supreme sacrifice of 106 martyrs who laid down their lives during the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, ultimately ensuring Mumbai’s integration into the newly formed linguistic state on May 1, 1960.

Accompanied by senior cabinet colleagues including Housing Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, the leaders stood in silence before the eternal flame that symbolises unwavering resolve for linguistic and cultural identity. Speaking to the media immediately after the wreath-laying ceremony, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde underscored that the present government’s relentless development push over the past three-and-a-half years is the most fitting tribute to those who lost their lives for Maharashtra’s unity and progress.

Shinde emphasised that the Mahayuti government has prioritised transformation of basic infrastructure, connectivity, and citizen-centric facilities across urban and rural Maharashtra. He asserted that every policy decision and infrastructure project is guided by the spirit of the martyrs’ sacrifice, ensuring that the state not only preserves its hard-won unity but emerges as India’s undisputed growth engine in the decades ahead.

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In a related development that dominated discussions on the occasion, Chief Minister Fadnavis highlighted the state’s ambitious industrial and logistics roadmap, pointing to the recent foundation stone laying of the XSIO Industrial and Logistics Park along the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg. He revealed that the state cabinet has already approved the alignment for a dedicated high-speed access corridor linking the expressway directly to the upcoming Vadhavan Port, one of the largest greenfield port projects in the world, located in Palghar district.

Fadnavis declared that the newly notified Maharashtra Logistics Policy, combined with seamless multi-modal connectivity, will dramatically slash transportation costs and position Nagpur as the undisputed logistics capital of India. The policy offers attractive incentives for private players to develop warehousing, cold-chain, and last-mile infrastructure, while the Vadhavan-Samruddhi linkage will unlock unprecedented industrial potential across the Vidarbha-Marathwada-Mumbai corridor, cementing Maharashtra’s leadership in the nation’s journey toward a five-trillion-dollar economy.

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