Mumbai, Jul 23 (IANS): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reaffirmed the trust of crores of countrymen by giving relief through major changes in the tax structure.

“The new tax structure is a relief to the common man and employees and I welcome it. Due to this new tax structure, the number of taxpayers will also increase. Maharashtra will remain a leader in tax collection which is necessary for development,” he remarked.

Shinde said that while emphasising on the poor, women, youth and farmers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has made a provision of Rs 1.52 lakh crore for agriculture and allied sectors.

The digital public infrastructure, which aims to increase productivity in the agriculture sector, will further strengthen the farm sector and ultimately make growers financially sound.

He added that the FM’s proposal to encourage one crore farmers to take up natural farming is the need of the hour.

According to him, the state government has also taken steps to promote natural farming in Maharashtra.

He said that the provision of Rs 2.66 lakh crore for the development of rural India will transform villages.

“It is always said that our country belongs to the youth. Its reflection has been seen in today's budget and a large number of provisions have been made for the youth. The budget has also decided to create 50 lakh additional employment opportunities which will benefit the youth of Maharashtra also,” said CM Shinde.

On the allocation of Rs 11.11 lakh crore on infrastructure development, CM Shinde hoped that Maharashtra would get support for its ongoing infrastructure development projects and also those in the pipeline.

“Maharashtra is the leader in infrastructure development in the country. The FM’s proposal for the allocation of Rs 26,000 crore for road development and the development of 12 industrial parks will also be crucial for the state,” he noted.

CM Shinde said the FM’s proposal to launch the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Phase 4 to build good quality roads for 25,000 villages across the country will be important for the development of roads in rural areas of Maharashtra.