Maharashtra Budget: On Friday, June 28, 4 months before the assembly elections in Maharashtra, the NDA’s Eknath Shinde government presented its last budget. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has announced several schemes for women and farmers in the budget.
This includes waiver of electricity bills of farmers and a bonus of Rs 5000 per hectare for farming. This includes giving 3 free gas cylinders every year to poor families and Rs 1500 cash every month to women between the ages of 21 and 60.
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The state government has announced a 3% reduction in VAT (from 24 to 21%) to provide relief to the common people. This will reduce petrol prices by 65 paise and diesel prices by Rs 2. However, this will benefit only the people of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane.
Assembly elections are due in the state in October this year. There is a coalition government of BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP in the state. Its term ends on 8 November 2024. Elections are likely to be held in October 2024.
Read in detail about schemes for farmers, women, girl students and families…
Schemes for farmers…
All the farmers of the state will be given a bonus of Rs 5000 per hectare for cotton and soybean cultivation.
Dairy farmers will be given a bonus of Rs 5 per liter even after July 1, 2024.
The families of farmers killed in animal attacks will be given a compensation of Rs 25 lakh instead of Rs 20 lakh.
The outstanding electricity bills of 44 lakh farmers of the state will be waived.
Assistance of Rs 15 thousand 245 crore 76 lakh from July, 2022 for crop damage due to natural disaster.
Help of Rs 2,253 crore to 24 lakh 47 thousand farmers affected by unseasonal rains in November-December, 2023.
Schemes for women and families…
Under the CM Anna Chhatra Yojana, all families will be given three gas cylinders free in a year. 52 lakh 16 thousand 412 families will be the beneficiaries of this scheme.
Announcement of Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Behan Yojana on the lines of Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Minister Ladli Bahana Scheme. Under this, all women between 21 and 60 years will be given Rs 1500 every month. This scheme will be implemented from July 2024. For this, a fund of about 46 thousand crores will be allocated every year.
10 thousand women in 17 cities will be given financial assistance to buy pink e-rickshaws. A fund of Rs 80 crore has been allocated for this.
from OBC and economically weaker sections will get 100% subsidy in education fees and examination fees for all professional degree-diploma courses including engineering, architecture, pharmacy, medicine and agriculture from the academic year 2024-25. This scheme is for those girls whose family’s annual income is up to Rs 8 lakh.Under the ‘I Yojana’, women small entrepreneurs in the tourism sector will be given the facility to repay loan interest up to Rs 15 lakh. This will create 10 thousand jobs.
For the Varkari community…
A proposal will be sent to UNESCO to nominate the Wari (journey) of Pandharpur as a World Heritage site.
20 thousand rupees will be given to each dindi of the main palanquin going to the Pandharpur wari. Fund of 36 crore 71 lakh rupees for ‘Nirmal Wari’.
Through the Chief Minister’s Medical Aid Desk, health check-up of all Warkaris will be conducted on both the main Palkhi routes from Dehu-Alandi to Pandharpur and free medicines will be provided.
Who are the people of the Varkari community?
The Varkari community is a major religious community of Maharashtra, who are especially devotees of Lord Vitthal (Vithoba). This community is mainly known for the annual Pandharpur Yatra, called Wari. In the Pandharpur Yatra, Varkari devotees walk on foot to reach the Pandharpur temple, which is the main temple of Lord Vitthal.
The last five years in Maharashtra have been full of turmoil
Elections were held in 2019 for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra. BJP became the largest party in the state with 106 MLAs. The Shiv Sena and BJP alliance could not reach a consensus over the post of Chief Minister.
Shiv Sena with 56 MLAs formed the government by forming Mahavikas Aghadi along with Congress with 44 MLAs and NCP with 53 MLAs. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister.
In May 2022, Urban Development Minister in the Maharashtra government and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde rebelled along with 39 MLAs. He joined the BJP. On 30 June 2022, Eknath Shinde took oath as the 20th Chief Minister of Maharashtra. With this, the Shiv Sena party split into two factions. One faction was formed by the Shinde faction and the other by the Uddhav faction.
On 17 February 2023, the Election Commission ordered that the party name ‘Shiv Sena’ and the party symbol ‘bow and arrow’ would remain with the Eknath Shinde faction.
