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

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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.

Maharashtra

Mumbai cyber fraud: 7 arrested for trying to withdraw Rs 10 lakh from bank, accused wanted in 84 cyber cases in police custody

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Mumbai: Cyber ​​Police has claimed to have arrested 7 people involved in cyber fraud while withdrawing Rs 10 lakh from a bank account. Cyber ​​Police received information that Salman Pathan from Overseas Bank Borivali branch in Mumbai was going to withdraw money from his Mewal Bank account. When his associates came to India Overseas Bank and tried to withdraw Rs 10 lakh, the police took two people into custody. They were interrogated. The two were trying to withdraw Rs 10 lakh from the bank through cheques. According to information, the police raided Salman Pathan’s KGN office and detained four people from here. When the seven accused were interrogated, it was revealed that fraud was being committed through fake accounts and money was being withdrawn from banks. A case was registered in this matter and seven accused Salman Habib Pathan (37), Sajid Naushad Kotwal (43), Chirag Ketan (31), Syed Wajahat (41), Rakesh Ramashankar Mishra (42), Rashtit Rajand (35) and Aryan Ritesh Thakkar (18) have been arrested. Cash of Rs 10 lakh, 16 mobile phones, 31 seals of various companies, 23 SIM cards of various companies, a total of 22 bank accounts, 7 Indian Overseas Bank accounts, a cash counting machine, documents for opening bank accounts, Aadhaar cards of 11 people, statement opening tabs of various bank accounts. During the interrogation of the accused, it was found that more than 84 cases were registered against them across the country. The Cyber ​​Cell has appealed not to fall into the trap of cyber fraudsters and not to disclose the details of their bank accounts. At the same time, while talking on social media, be careful not to disclose your personal details because they are exploited to cheat people. Cyber ​​DCP Bajrang Bansode said that the police received information about cyber fraud in this case and the police have arrested the accused wanted in cyber cases and their interrogation is ongoing. Cash worth Rs 10 lakh has also been seized from their possession. Along with this, the police have also seized other items including the documents of the accused.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: 8-year-old’s parents found a clue from a T-shirt, missing child from Jogeshwari handed over to parents safely, a great feat by Mumbai Police

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Mumbai: Police traced the parents of a missing child who was a special child and was unable to give his name and address. The police traced the parents of the child from the T-cert. Mumbai On July 30, 2026, under the jurisdiction of Jogeshwari Police Station, the prompt action of Police Naik Misal led to the successful tracing of the parents of the boy. The missing child was recovered during patrolling. On July 30, 2026, at around 4 pm, in front of the ‘Yule Chai’ shop, Subhash Road, Jogeshwari (East), Mumbai, during a foot patrol, Police Naik Misal found a boy, aged about 7 to 8 years, crying and wandering alone. On initial questioning and asking for his name and address, it was found that the boy could not speak. He was only able to utter the words “Abba” (father) and “Amma” (mother). Police Naik Maisel examined the boy’s T-shirt closely and found the inscription Mumbai Municipal Corporation Hindi School, Jogeshwari East, Mumbai. He immediately visited the said municipal school and contacted a teacher there, Laksh Kumar Nandeshwar. The teacher said that the boy was not attending classes in that particular school at the time, the T-shirt was issued to him at the time of admission. Although the boy was not currently admitted there, the information available in the school’s admission records shows that he is currently studying in ‘Suppan Special English Medium School’. On contacting the school, a teacher named Neha Tendulkar identified the boy and provided details about his parents. The parents have been identified as Riaz Ahmed Akbar Ali Ansari. The child’s name is Muhammad Shahbaz Ansari Age: 8 years The child is reported to be unable to speak or read properly. Parent’s statement The boy had left his house in Bandra Plot in Meghwari area around 3:00 pm and his parents were looking for him.

The boy’s parents were immediately summoned to Jogeshwari police station. After this, the child was safely handed over to them. This information was given by Iqbal Shakilgar, Senior Police Inspector, Jogeshwari police station.

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Maharashtra

BMC focuses on providing high-quality and comprehensive facilities for tourists: Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide

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Mumbai: is a major tourist destination for both domestic and international tourists and visitors. The Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is laying special emphasis on providing high-quality and comprehensive amenities such as cleanliness, beautification, safety measures, signage, public toilets, drinking water facilities, and digital information systems at various tourist destinations across the city. Various initiatives are being taken to showcase Mumbai’s cultural, historical and heritage assets to tourists in a more effective manner. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that the BMC aims to enhance Mumbai’s tourism potential and ensure a high-quality, satisfying experience for both local residents and tourists from across the country and the world. He also assured that all necessary steps will be taken regarding the guidance and facilities of tourists. A joint meeting on ‘Mumbai Tourism’ was held today (July 31, 2026) at the BMC headquarters, which included the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and the Collector of Mumbai City. The meeting was attended by Mumbai City District Collector Aanchal Goyal, Additional Collector Bappa Saheb Thorat, BMC Deputy Commissioner (Commissioner’s Office) Shri Prashant Gaikwad, District Planning Officer Sanjay Kumar Shinde, MTDC General Manager Chandrashekhar Jaiswal, and Head of Business Development Department Mansi Kothare among others. Initially, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) General Manager Mr. Chandrashekhar Jaiswal presented information about Mumbai tourism through a digital presentation.

Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that providing basic amenities and services to the residents of Mumbai is the primary duty of the Municipal Corporation. Along with this, the Corporation is also undertaking tourism-related activities and promotional efforts. Mumbai has immense potential and strength in the tourism sector. The Municipal Corporation is taking various steps to attract tourists and promote tourism and these efforts will be further enhanced through collaboration and coordination with MTDC. Maximum efforts will be made to develop additional tourist destinations in the city. Ms. Bhide also suggested that MTDC should develop a dedicated website to provide reliable information to tourists and citizens.

MTDC General Manager Chandrashekhar Jaiswal said that the Maharashtra government is committed to promoting and developing tourism across the state. The primary objectives of MTDC include enhancing tourism infrastructure, formulating strategic plans, and implementing sustainable tourism initiatives. A bustling city like Mumbai has a rich heritage of tourist attractions. It is important for local self-government bodies, especially municipal corporations, to take the initiative in promoting eco-tourism and adventure tourism. Jaiswal stressed that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) should take the lead in this regard and extend its positive support.

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