Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Government Issues 244 Resolutions Hours Before Poll Announcement

Mumbai: On Tuesday, Mantralaya was abuzz with activity as it became evident that the Election Commission of India (ECI) would announce the state assembly poll schedule later in the day. The state administration spared no time to rush to the state government headquarters to issue orders of the pending decisions taken by the state cabinet.

By the time the ECI's media briefing started, over 117 Government Resolutions (GRs) had been uploaded on the state government’s website. By late evening, this figure had risen to 244. The list of the decisions was quite long and it includes administrative approvals for local level development schemes to some major schemes at the state level. The approvals also covered various proposals from government-run medical colleges and institutes, as well as financial aid for villages and towns impacted by floods and heavy monsoon rainfall etc.

Prominent of those were addition of 95 pilgrim centres in Maharashtra and 15 centers in India added to Mukhya Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojana - the scheme of state-sponsored pilgrimage to citizens.

One of the crucial decisions made was the appointment of a committee to work on sub-classification of different castes that avail benefits of reservation under the category for the Scheduled Castes (SCs). This move follows a Supreme Court judgment issued on August 1, which granted states the authority to implement such sub-classifications. The state has decided to appoint a committee headed by retired High Court justice AM Badar to study the SC judgement, preparation of a list in detail of the SCs in Maharashtra, compilation of the sub-classification exercise being carried out by the other states and to evolve a process of sub-classification of the castes in the state. Indira Aswar, registrar of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI), Pune, will assist Badar. The committee has been asked to submit its report within a month.

A state decision on Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-Urban) 2.0 has also been issued. Phase one of the scheme based on the concept of housing for all is slated to end by December this year. But the Centre has decided to launch phase 2 of the programme which will make available one crore housing units for the urban poor. It will be implemented in the next five years.

Among the other decisions taken were reconstitution of the state Literature and Cultural Board and the Vishwakosh Nirmiti Mahamandal. The boards will be headed by Dr Sadanand More and Prof Ravindra Shobhane respectively.