Mumbai, Jul 23 (Reporter) Reacting over presentation of the Union Budget by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde praised the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, saying that the Prime Minister has justified trust of crores of countrymen by giving relief to the common man by making major changes in the tax structure in Union Budget for 2024-25. He also congratulated Ms Sitharaman for presenting the Budget for the seventh consecutive time, in which emphasis is put on factors concerning poor, women, youth, farmers, provision of Rs 1.52 lakh crore for agriculture & allied sectors and the decision to provide digital public infrastructure to increase productivity of crops and foodgrains is to strengthen the agriculture sector as well as farmers, he said. He said that this budget is comprehensive as nine factors are mainly considered in this Budget namely productivity in agriculture sector, employment & skill development, manpower development & social justice, production & services, urban development, energy conservation, infrastructure, research & development, improvement of new generation, he said. He welcomed announcement of encouraging one crore farmers to switch to natural farming, saying it is the need of the hour and noted that the state government has also taken steps to promote natural farming in Maharashtra. The Chief Minister also welcomed announcement of the new tax structure in the Budget, expressing that it would provide relief to the common man. Due to this new tax structure, the number of taxpayers will also increase, he hoped and said that Maharashtra will remain a leader in tax collection, which is necessary for development. Shinde said that the provision of Rs 2.66 lakh crore for development of rural India will transform the villages. Commenting on a number of provisions being made in Budget for the youths, he said that a decision to create five million additional jobs will create a great opportunity for employment for the youth of Maharashtra. Youth will get internship opportunity in 500 leading companies of the country and about one crore youth will benefit from this in five years, he pointed. Under the new scheme announced for skill development, skill development training will be given to 20 lakh youths over a period of five years through the joint venture of the state government and the industry, he said. He also welcomed the decision to give double loans through Mudra Yojana, saying that it would empower the youths. The Chief Minister also welcomed the substantial provision of Rs 11 lakh crore made in the budget for creation of infrastructure. Apart from this, it has been decided to encourage private investments in infrastructure through government policies, he said and informed that Rs 26,000 crore will be spent on construction of roads across the country to strengthen the communication network. The decision to approve 12 industrial parks across the country under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme will give a boost to the industry, said Shinde. He also said that the decision to launch the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Phase-4 to build good quality roads in 25,000 villages across the country will be important for development of roads in rural areas of Maharashtra. The Chief Minister also said that solar energy will get a boost through PM Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana and the provisions and schemes in the Budget will add a lot to the development of Maharashtra, he added...////...