Think of the Maharashtrians working outside state: Pawar

PUNE: Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, on Saturday, said that Maharashtrians should be proud of their roots, but at the same time they should also think of the Maharashtrians working and living outside the state.
Pawar was delivering a speech after inaugurating the 10th Women's Literary Meet organised by Suvarnajoyti Women's Forum at Balgandharva Rang Mandir."People in Maharashtra should be proud of being Marathis', but at the same time they should remember that boys and girls from here also go to other parts of the country for jobs, and their security is important. We are responsible for their security," he said without making any direct reference to Maharastra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) campaign against North Indians.
It was also the first time when Pawar spoke publicly about the cancer that he's been battling, and thanked Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw for suggesting corrective treatment to tackle the disease. "Doctors had told me that I had six months of time left. However, Kiran suggested a different treatment and medicine, despite doctors opposing the same I opted it and overcome the disease," he said, adding that Kiran has helped save thousands of lives through her work in Biocon.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was felicitated at the women literary meet. In her speech she said that there was no need to worry because of the current recession. "There are good times and bad times. We should accept the recession like a challenge and win over it," she said, adding that women have played a pivotal role in every walk of life and have contributed to the country's development.
Pawar also spoke about women's empowerment and said that there is a need to raise the level of literacy among women to fifty per cent. "We need to include rural women in the main flow of development. Women should get their share of development," he said.