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Maharashtra

From Reviving Mega Projects To Handling Financial And Water Crisis: Tough Decisions Ahead For Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis

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1 month ago

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Maharashtra’s 21st chief minister Devendra Fadnavis (54) is facing several challenges which will put pressure on his administrative skills in the extreme.

For starters he will have to revive two big ticket projects which were booted out by the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray government. One is the Rs 3 lakh crore oil refinery and petrochemical project which was first to come up  with investment from the Saudi oil major ARAMCO at Nanar and later shifted to Barsu in the Konkan belt. This mega project would have given a major boost to the state’s economy. But the MVA  government  led by Uddhav Thackeray vetoed it on environmental grounds. The other project is the Jaitapur  atomic power project which the French behemoth Areva was keen on implementing at a cost of Rs 1.12 trillion. With a capacity of 9,900 MW it was to be the biggest nuclear power plant in the world. The MVA said “nakko” (No)  to this venture too despite the enormous benefits that would have accrued from it. On the one hand the MVA was complaining about large projects going to Gujarat whereas it was putting the brakes on mega projects in Maharashtra itself.

Fadnavis’ task would be to revive both these projects. The opposition is certain to prod the local villagers into agitation. Here the new CM’s skills at negotiation will have to be used to take the locals on board. 

The state is facing a maha public debt of Rs 7.82 lakh crores of which the state has to repay Rs 2.75 lakh crores in the coming seven years. While the state ranks first in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) in terms of public debt is second only to Tamil Nadu. Populist schemes like Ladki Bahin, on which there is an outlay of over Rs 40,000 crores,  have majorly added to the financial burden of the state. It has a bloated and inefficient bureaucracy whose salary bill will shoot up to Rs 1.59 lakh crore in the next three months. The pension burden will be Rs 74,011 crores and interest payment is expected to rise to Rs 56,727 cr. Fadnavis will be required to take tough decisions to bring financial discipline.

Though Maharashtra is perceived as a developed state the fact is that only seven of its 36 districts contribute significantly to its GDP. The World Bank, which sanctioned a $ 188.28 million loan to the state early this week, noted that these seven districts contribute to over half the $ 500 billion state’s GDP. 

The other challenge will be to meet the acute water shortage in most parts of the state. Fadnavis had started implementing the revolutionary Jalyukt Shivar Yojana, but it was scrapped by the MVA government. The scheme aimed to provide for rainwater harvesting which was expected to rid 5,000 villages of water scarcity each year. Several questions have been raised regarding the success of this ambitious programme which was expected to drought proof Maharashtra. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi, the programme has created 24,000 cubic metres of water storage with an irrigation potential of 3.4 million hectares. “That is just enough to provide 487 people with water for an entire year calculated as per the 135 per capita per day norm….” the Centre stated in a report.

Fadnavis needs to prioritise the completion of the Gosikhurd irrigation project in Vidarbha which has an annual irrigation potential of 2,50,800 hectares. It has been a work in progress for the past 40 years and its deadline was extended for the sixth time. It is now expected to be completed in June, 2026. This project can boost farm income substantially for millions of farmers and also put an end to the spate of farm suicides. Over 14,000 farmers have ended their lives and this constitutes 37.6 percent of farmer suicides in the country. The CM is from Vidarbha and hence he has an extra responsibility to ensure the speedy completion of the project.

Over 11,000 state government employees have got their jobs on the basis of fake scheduled tribe certificates. Despite a Supreme Court order the government has not taken criminal action against these employees who have deprived genuine ST candidates of jobs in the government. In fact the government has been treating these criminal employees with kid gloves. If Fadnavis is to provide a clean administration then it should file criminal cases for forgery against all these persons.

In Mumbai, an activist Kalmalakar Shenoy unearthed a Rs 40,000 Cr scam involving several builders and officials of MHADA. Under rule 33 (7) of the Development Control the state government had given additional incentives to builders to redevelop dilapidated buildings in Mumbai. They were to surrender a portion of the flats in the reconstructed buildings to MHADA. But hardly any of them did that and MHADA did precious little to recover the flats from them. Shenoy moved the Bombay high court which ruled in his favour. Shockingly the state government has gone in appeal against this judgement of the Bombay high court even though it is in favour of MHADA. Fadnavis should immediately withdraw the appeal, initiate criminal proceedings against the builders and MHADA officials concerned and recover the  Rs 40,000 crores pocketed by them. This is the least he can do to restore public confidence in the government.

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Maharashtra

Gaonthan land map certificate distribution program under “Swamitva” scheme was concluded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

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7 hours ago

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January 18, 2025

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Thane: Under the “Swamitva” scheme conceptualized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for demarcation and ownership of properties in the Gaonthan land area, the Gaonthan Land Map Certificate Distribution Program was organized today through video conferencing by Prime Minister Modi. The certificate distribution program for Thane district was organized locally at the Niyojan Bhavan of the District Magistrate Office in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

MP Naresh Mhaske, MLA Sanjay Kelkar, MLA Niranjan Davkhare, District Magistrate Ashok Shingare, Chief Executive Officer Rohan Ghuge, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Swamitva Scheme: A Movement for Rural Development

This scheme simplifies the process of demarcation and ownership of properties in rural areas. Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “Even today, many citizens in villages do not have concrete proof of their properties, which leads to land disputes, court cases and other problems. The ownership scheme launched by the Modi government is an important revolution in the development of rural India.”

He further said, “This scheme is not just a certificate of property, but a ‘self-respect card’ for the poor. Through this scheme, the lives of many families have changed and the doors of banks have opened for them for property loans.”

Use of drone and GIS technology

Modern technology is being widely used in the Swamitva scheme. Village land is surveyed through drones and maps are prepared with GIS technology. 2.19 crore property cards have been prepared in the country and maps of 15,327 villages have been finalized in Maharashtra.

Beneficiaries got relief

Referring to Baliram Manekar of Bhiwandi, who was present at the program, Shinde said, “Under the Swamitva scheme, he got the ownership of his land, after which he got a loan of 60 lakhs from the bank and he became self-reliant.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address

Addressing the program through video conferencing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The Swamitva scheme is proving to be effective in making people economically capable in rural areas. This scheme is achieving the goal of making the rural community self-reliant.”

Instructions of the Deputy Chief Minister

At the end of the program, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde instructed the officials that “Proper planning should be done to complete the scheme within the time limit and in the right manner. This scheme should not be just on paper, but should become a strong step towards the development of rural areas.”

Giving momentum to rural development

This scheme is helping in resolving village disputes by preparing property cards in rural areas. It is also providing guidance to the village panchayats for development plans.

The program concluded under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister Shinde. Officials of the District Officer Office, Land Records Department and District Council made tireless efforts for this successful event.

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Maharashtra

Integrated ticket system for urban traffic – Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

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8 hours ago

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January 18, 2025

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a dream of bringing the public transport system on a single mobility platform and efforts are underway to develop infrastructure in Mumbai in this direction. Through this, passengers will get the benefit of public transport facilities by walking only 300 to 500 meters. This is an ambitious project to provide fast and smooth transport service from one end to the other, said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The integrated ticket service system in Mumbai was discussed in the presence of Chief Minister Fadnavis and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav. Mitrache Chief Executive Officer Pravin Singh Pardeshi, Secretary of Chief Minister’s Office Dr. Shrikar Pardeshi, officials of Central, Western Railway and Mumbai Metro were present in this meeting.

Chief Minister Fadnavis said, “Local rail is the lifeline for Mumbai. The integrated service system will make connectivity fast and smooth for passengers and at the same time will lead to maximum use of public services and increase revenue. Efforts are being made to integrate this system with taxi and other services using technology.” Through this, passengers will easily get all the transport facilities on a single platform. It will be possible to simplify the traffic and save time of the passengers, as well as remove the obstacles in the traffic system.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said, “Currently 3,500 local services are operational in Mumbai. Railways will invest Rs 17,107 crore to start 300 more local services in the coming time. Rs 1.70 lakh crore has been invested in railway projects in Maharashtra. The central and state governments are committed to the overall development of Mumbai.”

The Maharashtra government is taking important steps towards implementing a unified ticketing system for urban traffic. This venture will be led by the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA). Its objective is to integrate and streamline the ticketing process for various public transport services. For this, technical assistance of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform will be taken.

Mumbai’s public transport service will be more smooth and efficient through the new integrated ticketing system.

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Maharashtra

If celebrities in Mumbai and sarpanches in villages are not safe, then what will happen to the common people?: Nana Patole

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8 hours ago

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January 18, 2025

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Mumbai: The law and order situation in Maharashtra has deteriorated at this time. While celebrities are not safe in Mumbai, sarpanches are unsafe in villages. In such a situation, what will be the condition of common citizens, this question has been raised by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole. While talking to the media in Nagpur, Patole fiercely targeted the state government.

Jungle Raj and attack on BJP government

Nana Patole said that a situation of jungle raj has arisen in Maharashtra. Today in Delhi, Maharashtra is being discussed in the name of jungle raj, which is very unfortunate. The BJP government has created an atmosphere of fear and terror in the state to remain in power. Law and order has completely collapsed. Criminals have no fear of the police. He alleged that 65% of the ministers in the cabinet have criminal background, due to which the situation has gone out of control.

Do not link the attack on Saif Ali Khan to caste issue

Referring to the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan, Patole said that it is wrong to see this incident from a caste perspective. There is no place for caste and religion discrimination in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Maharashtra. People of all castes and religions should get a safe environment here.

Murder of Sarpanch and issue of casteism

Referring to the murder of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh and the death of Somnath Suryavanshi in Parbhani due to police beating, Patole said that it is not right to link these incidents with casteism. The BJP government has promoted the Maratha-OBC dispute, leaving behind the basic issues of the state.

Question on ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme

Commenting on the ‘Ladki Behan’ scheme, Patole said that this scheme was started to get the support of sisters during the assembly elections. But now questions are being raised on the transparency of this scheme. He asked why did the BJP not investigate its flaws before the elections? Talking about taking back money from bogus beneficiaries shows the real face of the BJP government.

Question on Davos visit

Regarding the Davos visit of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, Patole said that instead of taking industrialists to Davos, the state should improve the situation in Maharashtra. The BJP government claims that Maharashtra ranks first in the field of industry, but the truth is that the state has lagged behind economically. The wastage of public money in the name of investment should be stopped.

Concern over the safety of common citizens

Expressing concern over the law and order of the state, Patole said that if celebrities and sarpanches are not safe, then what will happen to the safety of common citizens? The poor law and order situation and increasing crime raise questions on the functioning of the government.

Appeal to raise voice against the government

Instead of getting embroiled in caste disputes, the public should raise voice against the government. Patole called upon the people of the state to unite and oppose the BJP government.

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