In the past two years, Deepak Kesarkar has donned many hats as Guardian Minister of the metropolis of Mumbai, a legislator from the largely rural and agrarian region of Sawantwadi-Vengurla in Sindhudurg, a key leader of the Shiv Sena post the split and a minister for school education.
The roles have been diverse and the targets have been varied—from incorporating the CBSE syllabus in the state board curriculum and signing an employment contract with the German state of Baden-Württemberg to working on giving subsidies for mango processing. In the midst of ‘corner sabhas’ in his constituency, he talks about the reforms he has worked on and his vision for bringing employment to the youth of Maharashtra and prosperity to Sindhudurg.
Q. Sindhudurg is the first ‘tourism district’ in India and it’s potential still needs to be tapped. What is your development plan for Sindhudurg?
A: Development in Sindhudurg must be in tandem with preserving its natural resources. My thought process is that I want to double the per capita income of my people by working with this natural wealth and protecting the environment. That’s how we came up with the Chanda te Banda scheme. Sindhudurg has the most beautiful and abundant natural resources that are unmatched by any other region in our state. We have white sand beaches, a large part of Maharashtra’s 700 km coastline, the best fish, rich ecological diversity in our forests and we are the leading producers of cashew and coconut and next only to Ratnagiri in Alfonso mango cultivation. We have gorgeous corals which makes scuba diving a memorable activity. In fact, we are the leading district in Maharashtra for water sports and scuba diving. Our region needs a push in agriculture, sustainable tourism, food processing, all while preserving our natural environment.
Q. What is your vision for Maharashtra?
A. For me, one of the biggest challenges facing our state is lack of employment opportunities for our youth and making the youth employment-ready. Towards this, I have signed a contract with Baden-Württemberg in Germany, the sister-state of Maharashtra for several years now. Under this, four lakh youth will be trained and will get employment in Germany. The salaries that these young men and women will get are also much higher than what they’d get here. For instance, a person who will be paid Rs 20000 in Maharashtra, will earn Rs 3 lakh in Germany. Even if we send one lakh people, can you imagine how big the remittance economy will be. . We have signed contracts in the sectors of industries, start-ups and education. It’s the first such state-to-state agreement. We’ve also done a contract with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to provide training employment after Class 12
Q. Which ministry would you like to work with next?
A. A ministry that gives me an opportunity to bring prosperity to Konkan. And there are several that are connected—salt pans or fisheries are very nuanced subjects and departments which are best understood by a person from Konkan. Horticulture is closely connected with this region just as agriculture, tourism and environment also are connected with Sindhudurg.
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