Mumbai, Aug 15 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said his government's priority is to work for the common man and it is committed to extending the reservation benefits to the Other Backward Classes, Maratha and Dhangar communities.

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Speaking on the country's 76th Independence Day after hoisting the national flag at the state secretariat as the CM for the first time, Shinde said several parts of the state have witnessed floods due to heavy rainfall.

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“We started working from day one and our priority is to work for the common man, farmers, the working class,” he said.

“The government is committed to extending the benefits of reservation to the OBCs, Maratha and Dhangar (shepherd) communities,” he added.

The CM said 15 lakh hectares of land in 28 districts of the state has been affected due to floods. The assistance to the affected people has been doubled, he said.

“To find a permanent solution to the floods, we are undertaking a programme of deepening and desilting of rivers in a scientific manner,” he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)