Business
Mumbai: BMC spends over ₹2,000 crore on city’s beautification, durability in question during monsoon

Mumbai: The BMC has spent more than ₹2,000 crore on the city’s beautification but the question many are asking is would these efforts survive the notorious monsoon.
Former corporators and social activists said all this will be washed away with heavy rainfall. Activist Godfrey Pimenta said he has visited several foreign countries where local corporations undertake beautification that lasts for decades. “Their statues and other historical structures have an architectural meaning. In Mumbai, there’s no concept behind beautification. I am sure all these colours and lighting are temporary and won’t last long,” he said.
BMC has spent indiscriminately, says Congress
Congress group leader in the BMC, Ravi Raja said that the BMC has spent indiscriminately. “The lighting strips in Thane cost its civic body ₹80 but the BMC bought the same for ₹280. Besides the colours, which won’t survive the city’s rainfall, the lighting tied to poles would stop functioning. The beautification is being undertaken only to help contractors gain,” he alleged.
Senior officials said that the BMC has claimed 65% of beautification is complete but its durability is suspect. “We have never undertaken such beautification in the past, so we don’t know if it will survive the rainy months,” an official said on condition of anonymity.
Anil Kokil, Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator from Lalbaug, said, “In my area, people park cars and tempos in front of beautified areas. What use does it serve? Who will maintain it? After getting the payment, contractors run away. I am also sure it will be ruined during heavy rain,” he said.
Business
Maharashtra presents deficit budget, new tax burden on citizens

Mumbai: Finance Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar presented the state budget in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today. The public has expressed confidence in us in the assembly elections, so Mahayuti is committed to maintaining their trust. In this budget, special concessions and facilities have been given to the middle class. An attempt has been made to solve the problems of the people. With this resolve, Ajit Pawar has presented the budget for 2025-26, which is the first annual budget presented by the Mahayuti government.
Presenting the budget in the Assembly, Ajit Pawar said in his speech that Maharashtra will not stop, development will not be delayed, he also claimed that large-scale projects will be completed in the state, which will increase employment opportunities and boost the economy.
The state has set a target of an economy of one lakh trillion. Work on the Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is underway. Along with better industrial facilities in the state, employment opportunities and a technical center in the state and establishment of Maharashtra Technical Textile Mission for development work have also been implemented. It has also been assured in the budget that electricity rates will be reduced in the state. Electricity rates in the state will be lower than the rates of other provinces.
Ajit Pawar has also promised to complete many facilities and projects in the state budget. The work of Navi Mumbai airport is 85 percent complete, while work has started on Nagpur airport. Establishment of markets for agriculture has been ensured. Rs 3610 crore has been allocated for the transport department, out of which work has started on a 41 km long metro route in Mumbai.
A special project has been included in the budget for Mumbai, in which Rs 64,783 crore has been allocated for Versova to Madha, Versova to Bhayander Coastal Road, Malind to Goregaon, Thane to Borivali and Orange Gate to Marine Drive underground road to eliminate traffic problems in suburban areas. Thane to Navi Mumbai International Airport will be connected to the international airports of Thane, Dombivali, Kalyan and other important cities.
The work of the missing link at Khapoli-Khandala Ghat on Mumbai-Pune Highway will be completed by August 2025. Mumbai, Navi Mumbai Global Market will be established as well as Taluka Market Committee will be established across the state. Housing Scheme: Financial assistance of Rs 50,000 will be given for the house. Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will be ensured in the state. Under this scheme, assistance of Rs 50,000 will be provided to each person. Under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana, Rs 1.30 lakh has been allocated for domestic electricity and Rs 1,000 crore for power generation of more than 500 MW.
The state government has so far spent Rs 33,232 crore on Ladli Behan in the budget, while the Finance Ministry has allocated Rs 36,000 crore for it. A Hope Mall will be started in every district to establish savings banks and 10 malls will be set up in the first phase.
A 200-bed hospital will be built in Thane of Ratnagiri district, which will provide medical facilities to the citizens. The second phase of construction of metro route will be implemented in Pune. In the second phase, Rs 9894 crore has been allocated for two metro routes. Both the metro projects have been sent for approval from the Central Government. A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be installed in Sangameshwar. Apart from this, Maratha Shaurya Smarak will be built in Panipat. A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be built in Agra.
In this budget of the state government, a new tax has been imposed on the citizens. In this, a lump sum tax of 7% has been ensured on the purchase of cars. This tax has been imposed on electric cars and other things. This tax has been imposed on the purchase of cars worth more than 30 lakhs so that the common citizens do not face any problem. The state government has presented a budget of 7 lakh thousand crores. In this deficit budget, the burden of tax has been imposed on the citizens.
Business
Maharashtra Budget 2025: Dy CM Ajit Pawar Says Will Create 50 Lakh Jobs With ₹40 Lakh Crore Investment In 5 Years

Mumbai: The Maharashtra state budget for fiscal year 2025-26 is being presented by the state Deputy CM and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra State Assembly in Mumbai.
Jobs In Maharashtra
During the speech, the FM Pawar said that his government intends to create 50 lakh jobs for citizens of Maharashtra through a Rs 40 lakh crore investment over the next 5 years.
Pawar added that Maharashtra’s new Industrial Policy 2025 will soon be announced.
Special polices will also be announced in space, defence, electronics, MSME and circular economy.
Pawar also spoke about the introduction of new labour laws in the richest state.
In the speech, the FM said that he intends to build new business corridors in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, or MMR, and make it a Growth Hub.
Mumbai-Bengaluru Corridor
Highlighting CM Fadnavis’s trip to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Pawar said, MoUs signed with 63 companies at Davos Economic Summit, investment of a whopping Rs 15.72 lakh crores and estimated creation of 16 lakh jobs.”
The finance minister also updated the house on the status of the Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.
He said that land acquisition for the Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is underway and this project will help set up industries in drought-prone areas of the state.
Business
Mumbai Metropolitan Region To Be Developed As ‘Growth Hub’: Dy CM Ajit Pawar During Maharashtra Budget

Mumbai: Maharashtra state’s budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 is currently underway in the Maharashtra state assembly. The state’s finance and deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, while speaking in the budget, said that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region or MMR, will be developed as an international-class ‘Growth Hub’.
In order to achieve this, trade hubs will be set up in Bandra-Kurla, Kurla-Worli, Wadala, Goregaon, Navi Mumbai, Kharghar, Virar-Boisar.
The state government also aims to take the Maharashtra economy to USD 300 billion by 2030 and take it to new heights and reach the coveted trillion-dollar mark or USD 1.5 trillion by 2047.
The state of Maharashtra is the largest state economy within India.
The state FM also announced a major decision to exempt Port Development from property tax.
In his speech, Pawar said, “In the “Maharashtra Maritime Development Policy-2023”, port development has been exempted from property tax, non-agricultural tax, electricity duty, stamp duty, and industrial rates have been implemented for electricity. Passenger and port taxes have been exempted to promote passenger shipping and coastal tourism.”
At the beginning of the speech, Pawar highlighted the state election results. While speaking in the Maharashtra state assembly, he said, “The people gave an unprecedented majority to the Mahayuti in the November 2024 assembly elections. Heartfelt gratitude to all the people! This trust is a sense of responsibility and guarantees to uphold its honor.”
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