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The Election Commission will soon announce the dates for the Assembly elections across 288 constituencies in Maharashtra. It will witness a major contest between the ruling Maha Yuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and the Opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Shiv Sena UBT, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and Congress. Ahead of the Assembly elections, the Eknath Shinde-led government, in recent weeks, has announced a series of welfare schemes across various sectors.
Non-agricultural tax abolished The Maharashtra Cabinet recently scrapped the non-agricultural tax over rural and urban regions in the state. This will ultimately benefit several housing societies in Mumbai and other cities built on tracts earmarked for agriculture earlier. Initially imposed during the British era, the non-agricultural tax was used to earn substantial revenue for the state government.
RajyaMata-Gomata Earlier this week, the state government declared the indigenous cow breeds as ‘Rajyamata-Gomata’, recognising their nutritional and historical importance. In a detailed notification, the decision reflected its commitment towards preserving the significance of desi cows, a key practice rooted in the Vedic period. The decision was reportedly taken amid concerns over their dwindling numbers.
Retirement benefits and special teacher posts In a Cabinet meeting, the state government also approved the creation of a total of 4,860 posts for 'Special Teachers' and increased the retirement benefits for employees. Post this, the limit for death-cum-retirement gratuity per individual has been raised to ₹20 lakh for state government employees. Marathi Classical Language Pride Day Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Cabinet as it accorded the classical language status to Marathi, the Eknath Shinde-led state Cabinet announced that October 3 will be celebrated in Maharashtra as 'Marathi Classical Language Pride Day'.
A resolution in this regard stated that Maharashtra tried for a long time to get the classical status for the Marathi language. “Efforts were made at many levels for the last decade. For this, a committee headed by Ranganath Pathare did a great job,” it stated.
Har Ghar Durga Maharashtra minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha recently announced the ‘Har Ghar Durga’ initiative of the state government, aimed at empowering women in Maharashtra. As part of this programme, free self-defence training shall be provided to all the young women, who are studying in state-run industrial technical institutions (ITI). Lodha noted that unlike temporary programmes, the 'Har Ghar Durga' training will be ongoing, with classes being conducted per week throughout the year.
Stamp duty rates revised On September 30, the Maharashtra Cabinet decided to revise the stamp duty rates for select property transactions, besides making announcements about the mega Dharavi redevelopment project. The stamp duty structure has been revised for the registration of documents required to award work contracts, and amalgamation of plots among others. Ladki Bahin Yojana extension A few weeks ago, the Maharashtra governmen t extended the ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ deadline until September 30.
The key policy, launched by the Eknath Shinde-led government, is aimed at providing financial assistance of ₹1,500 to underprivileged women every month. The scheme supports divorced, married and destitute women who are aged between 21-65 years. Krishi Swavalamban Yojana Recently, the state government decided to increase the financial criteria under its Krishi Swavalamban Yojana, which is targeted at Scheduled Caste and Neo-Buddhist farmers.
The scheme aims to increase the economic income of the farmers and provide them with sustainable irrigation facilities as well as maintain the moisture in the soil..
