Maharashtra politics: With Ajit Pawar in, Cabinet bins ordinance NCP resented

(From left) Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar at an event. File Pic/Sameer Markande

With the participation of Ajit Pawar-led NCP splinter, the Eknath Shinde-led Cabinet on Friday withdrew an ordinance that took away the right of a cooperative member to vote and contest elections for failure to participate in the affairs of the society. "The ordinance has been withdrawn because, if the provision remained, the members of cooperatives would have faced more difficulties and there would have been a possibility of frequent legal battles," the chief minister's office (CMO) said.

The provision was made during the BJP-Sena government of 2014-19, but was removed in March 2022 by the MVA government in which the NCP was in charge of the Cooperation Department. A year after coming to power, the BJP-Shinde Sena sarkar brought back the provision in June 2023. However, months later, it was once again removed as the newest member of the ruling coalition - Ajit-led NCP splinter - is averse to it.

In the expanded Cabinet, NCP's Dilip Walse Patil is the Cooperation minister and he had urged the Assembly, in the recently concluded legislative session, not to take up the ordinance. It was decided to send it back to the Cabinet. The amendment had come into force on June 7 this year, about a month before the NCP rebels joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government. The NCP-dominated cooperative lobby had strongly resented the move that would have barred inactive members from voting and contesting polls.

What was the provision?

The provision would have declared inactive a member, who did not attend the cooperative society's annual general meeting for five consecutive years, and taken away his/her right to vote and contest elections. It was, however, not applicable to housing and commercial cooperative societies.

It was supposed to impact only those controlled politically and those that bring big dividends. The provision was seen as the BJP's move to weaken the dominance of the NCP and the Congress over the sugar, dairy, agriculture and credit societies. Little wonder, then, this lobby had expressed a serious concern over the provision.

Roads to tribal hamlets

All tribal villages and hamlets in 17 districts of the state will get pucca roads, with connection to the main roads at the cost of Rs 5,000 crore, according to the proposal cleared by the Cabinet on Friday.

Under the project, named after Birsa Munda - a revered tribal activist and freedom fighter - 6,838 kilometres of roads will be built. The Tribal Welfare Department will set up a special committee for the project to be undertaken by the Public Works Department.

According to the CMO's statement, the roads that operate for eight months, but are rendered useless in the monsoon will be constructed in a manner that they last throughout the year. The primary health centres and residential schools for tribal people will be linked permanently with main roads because many deaths had been reported due to accessibility constraints that deny the underprivileged population advanced healthcare, it added.

Rs 100 festival ration packs

For upcoming festivals, 1.66 crore ration card holders will get ration packs containing 1 kg each of rava, chana dal, and sugar, and 1 litre of edible oil, just for Rs 100, the statement said. ‘Anandacha Shidha' will be available from September 19 for Gauri Ganpati and from November 12 for Diwali. The government will spend Rs 827 crore on the scheme, which was implemented last year as well.

Stipend hike

Meanwhile, the stipend of government industrial technical institutes' (ITI) students has been increased after 40 years, to R500 per month from R40. The stipend was fixed in 1983. The Cabinet has abolished the Maharashtra Casinos (Control and Tax) Act 1976, because it had not been implemented in 47 years.

The Cabinet has allowed Mumbai Press Club to redevelop the facility and has also given a concession in the redevelopment premium. It approved the revenue department's proposal as a special case.

The judicial officers of the secondary courts in the state will be given a revised pension with retrospective effect from January 2016. The decision has been taken as per the Supreme Court's directives, said the CMO's statement.

July 2
Day this year Ajit Pawar joined BJP-Shinde Sena govt