Thacke‘ray’ of hope for farmers

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said his government will ensure concrete assistance to the state's farmers and will work towards creating an atmosphere in which none feels terrorised.

Thackeray, who was sworn in the CM here hours earlier, chaired the first meeting of his cabinet at Sahyadri Guest House in south Mumbai.

He said the first decision of the cabinet was to approve Rs 20 crore fund for conserving Raigad Fort, which was the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

"We can paint a better picture if we know the reality. We have sought inputs. Farmers have not got anything, but only assurances. We want to provide concrete help to farmers," he told reporters after the meeting.

"We want to ensure an atmosphere in the state wherein nobody will feel terrorised," he said.

At the media briefing, Thackeray was accompanied by his cabinet colleagues Chhagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil, Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut.