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Tag: Ajit Pawar

  • Bring petrol, diesel under GST: Ajit Pawar urges Centre

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday demanded that petrol and diesel be brought under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and said the move would benefit the state governments as well as the Centre.

    He also assured the Maharashtra government’s support on this move if it is implemented.

    Speaking in the state Legislative Assembly while replying to a debate on the budget, Pawar, who is the Finance Minister, said, “The central government should bring petrol and diesel under the purview of GST. The move will be beneficial to the state governments and the Centre.”

    He said he has restored the state legislators’ salaries, which was cut by 30 per cent during the COVID-19 lockdown last year, and increased the MLA fund from Rs three crore to Rs four crore.

    Pawar, who had presented the state budget on Monday, said he has amended the proposal to increase the excise duty on branded and non-branded country liquor to all kinds of country liquor.

    “The increase will be 220 per cent of the manufacturing cost or Rs 187 per proof litre, whichever is higher,” he said.

    The budget proposals and the Appropriation Bill were passed by a voice vote on Wednesday.

    Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, during his speech on the budget demands, said, “Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray often recalls what was spoken behind closed doors, but why doesn’the speak about what he promised to the farmers.”

    He alleged that the Jalyukt Shivar, a micro-irrigation scheme launched by his BJP-led government was scrapped by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) dispensation “out of political vengeance”.

    “This government did not respond to any queries regarding the scheme asked by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG),” he said.

  • Maharashtra budget offers sops for women and farmers amid negative growth

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI: In the backdrop of 8% negative growth, Maharashtra Finance Minister Ajit Pawar tabled the state’s annual budget with the deficit of Rs 23,643 crore.

    However, Pawar announced a discount of 1% on stamp duty and registration of a property if it is in a woman’s name.Pawar said that the state was passing through a difficult phase.

    “But this state belongs to warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj; it will come out unscathed from the Covid-19-induced crisis.”

    Pawar announced various sops for women on the International Women’s Day. This was Ajit Pawar’s second annual budget of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

    “If a property is purchased in the name of a woman or is transferred in a woman’s name, then the government has decided to give 1% discount on stamp duty and registration. This move will empower women. Besides, the government will give free travel passes for girl students travelling by government-owned buses. We have also decided to set up a separate state-level women reserve force,” Pawar said, adding that the decision will add Rs 1,000-crore burden on the state exchequer. 

    The Finance Minister increased the excise duty on Liquor. The rate of VAT has been also increased on the sale of liquor from the existing 60 to 65%. The state is estimated to get additional revenue of Rs 1,800 crore, Pawar said.

    He said agriculture was the only sector that witnessed positive growth in a pandemic year. To boost this sector, the government has waived interest on crop loans of farmers up to Rs 2 lakh on the loan amount.

    CM Uddhav Thackeray termed the budget as inclusive.

    “This budget will again put the state on the path of not only recovery but boost the sectors that helped the state in the crisis time. We have focused on agriculture, health and infrastructure projects,” he said.

    BJP MLA Devendra Fadnavis said: “The government has included the BMC projects amount in the budget and it did not disclose how much money they received from the Centre for their various schemes.” 

  • Maharashtra budget: Sops for women, package for healthcare sector

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Finance Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday presented a budget with Rs 10,226 crore revenue deficit and an annual plan of Rs 1,30,000 crore for 2021-22.

    Presenting the budget in the assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Pawar announced a slew of sops for women on the occasion of International Women’s day, including one percent stamp duty waiver if the transfer of house property or registration of sale deed is made in women’s name.

    The shortfall of revenue to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore due to the stamp duty waiver will be met by increasing excise duty and VAT on liquor which will add Rs 1,800 crore to the government coffers.

    Other sops include free travel for girl students in state transport buses in rural areas and provision for a women- only battalion of the State Reserve Police Force.

    The total budget will increase by 8.3 percent to Rs 4,37,961 crore in 2021-22, revenue receipts are estimated to increase by 6.2 percent toRs 3,68,987 crore and tax revenue is estimated to jump by 4.5 percent to Rs 2,85,534 crore.

    Non-tax revenue including grants will increase by 12.4 percent to Rs 83,453 crore while capital receipts are expected to go up 21 per cent to Rs 69,001 crore, the minister said.

    The government is expected to borrow Rs 75,635 crore. Revenue expenditure will increase by 6.2 percent to Rs 3,79,212 crore.

    The government will limit capital expenditure to Rs 2,10,368 crore.

    The coronavirus pandemic had an unprecedented impact on the state’s economy, said Pawar, informing that the tax revenue as per the revised estimates for 2020-21 is expected to be Rs 2,18,263 crore.

    Focus of the budget was on civil aviation, roads and transport, railways, metro and irrigation.

    Farmers will get zero interest loan upto Rs 3 lakh on timely payment of loans.

    There will be a special schemeproviding relief to farmers on pending electricity dues and another scheme for strengthening the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee infrastructure.

    The Chief Minister’s Employment Generation Scheme will be scaled up to provide eight to ten lakh jobs in the next five years, the minister said.

    Airports at Shirdi, Amravati, Solapur, Sindhdurg and Akola will be developed.

    There will be a unified development control and promotion regulation for major cities in the state.

    The government will take a Rs 15,000 crore loan to complete long-pending irrigation projects.

    With the COVID-19 pandemic putting a huge strain on healthcare sector in the state, Pawar announced a Rs 12,500 crore package for health-related institutions.

    New medical colleges will be set up in Sindhudurg, Osmanabad, Nashik, Raigad and Satara district in the public-private-partnership mode, he said.

    “The state will complete the Mumbai coastal road before 2024 while connecting the Navha Sheva-Shivadi under-construction road with the Worli-Bandra Sea Link,” he said.

    The state will also construct 235-km Pune- Ahmednagar-Nashik railway track, the minister announced.

    A new ring-road costing Rs 24,000 crore will be built in the limits of Pune Municipal Corporation, the country’s largest civic body in terms of area.

    Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis criticised the budget saying it only attempted to appropriate the Centre’s ongoing schemes rather than introducing fresh projects, and did not prvide much relief to farmers.

    Chief Minister Uddhav Thackery called it a “progressive budget” which caters to all sections of society despite the challenging times and 8 per centdecline in the state’s GDP due to the pandemic.

  • Strict action will be taken against Sharjeel Usmani: Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said that strict action will be taken against former Aligarh Muslim University student leader Sharjeel Usmani, who is accused of hurting religious sentiments with his comments made at Elgar Parishad in Pune in January this year.

    There is no reason to back anyone who poses a threat to national security, Pawar said, adding that all should take sensible positions on crucial issues.

    Pawar made the remarks in the state Legislative Council.

    “Strict action will be taken against Sharjeel Usmani and those who have committed the crime. Nobody will be spared. You also should not have two positions on the country and state’s social security,” he said, without naming any party.

    The Maharashtra BJP has been demanding action against Usmani.

    In an apparent reference to Republic TV editor-in- chief Arnab Goswami, Pawar said, “Allegations were levelled against a so-called journalist.

    He was also arrested on the charges of abetting suicide. There are allegations of disclosing serious and confidential information regarding the countrys security on WhatsApp.

    This journalist had expressed joy after the country’s soldiers were martyred in the Pulwama terror attack.”

    “When this journalist, who had posed threat to the country’s and social security, was arrested in connection with some other offence, several people opposed his arrest.

    Some of us (legislature members) even staged hunger strike outside Mantralaya. There were less people for hunger strike. But such agitations were also staged,” he added.

    Opposition parties like the Congress had last month accused Goswami of leaking information related to national security after purported WhatsApp chats between him and former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) head Partho Dasgupta in connection with the Balakot air strike went viral on social media.

    Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam and three others were detained in November last year for protesting outside Mantralaya (the state secretariat) without taking permission from authorities.

    The protest outside Mantralaya in south Mumbai was held to denounce Goswami’ arrest in a 2018 abetment to suicide case by the Raigad police.

    “There is no reason to back anyone who poses a threat to national security. We all should take sensible positions on such issues.

    This is my clear view and it is the view of our Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) too,” Pawar added.

    During his address, Pawar also said that the MVA government – of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress – is committed to all-round development of Maharashtra, and assured that there will be no injustice meted to any of the state’s regions in allocation of development funds.

    Pawar, who handles the finance portfolio, said the government did not slash fund allocations for key departments like public health, medical education, police and food and civil supplies during the COVID-19 crisis.

    “The state government took an important decision of reducing stamp duty to give momentum to the state’s economy and revive the construction sector…This helped realise the commoners’ dream of buying homes,” he added.

    Stating that the threat of COVID-19 still persists, Pawar urged the people to maintain proper physical distance, wear masks and wash hands regularly.

    He asked the opposition parties to cooperate with the government in the fight against coronavirus.

    Pawar added that the Centre is yet to give the GST dues of Rs 32,000 crore to Maharashtra, and expressed hope that it will clear the same immediately.

    Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Council Pravin Darekar congratulated the deputy chief minister for giving detailed replies to questions raised by the members of the House.

  • Maharashtra Deputy CM orders probe into tree plantation drive during Fadnavis regime

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has ordered to constitute a committee to probe the tree plantation drive of the previous Devendra Fadnavis government.

    “The previous government had undertaken a tree plantation drive aiming to plant 33 crore trees from 2014 to 2019. The then government spent Rs 2,429 crores on this drive,” sources said.

    The issue was raised by Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole during a discussion at the state Assembly on a starred question about tree plantation during Fadanvis’s regime.

    However, a committee will be formed by March 31 and will be given six months to complete its probe on the tree plantation drive, sources said. 

  • Maharashtra will not disconnect power supply of farmers who default on bill payments

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said the state government has decided to immediately stop the drive of disconnecting power supply of farmers who failed to clear their dues.

    He also told the House that a resolution has been issued in this regard.

    Pawar made the announcement in the state Assembly after Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Members of Legislative Assembly held a protest in the House against Maharashtra government over the issue of power connections of farmers being disconnected due to pending bills.

    Pawar said the final decisions with regard to the issue will be taken after members of the House are satisfied with the discussion.  

  • Maharashtra schools may close again after over 550 students test covid positive in two days

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI:  The Maharashtra education department has asked the district authorities to take a call over shutting down schools from March 1 following a sudden rise in Covid cases among students. Schools and Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said it was up to the local authorities to decide whether to keep schools open in view of Covid 19 cases in their areas. 

    “In rural Maharashtra, primary schools were recently allowed to start classes. Since in the last few days Covid 19 cases are surging, the local authorities should take the call of shutting the schools keeping the safety of the students and teachers as top priority. Wherever the cases are rising, the authorities should disinfect those premises,” Gaikwad told the media.

    At Latur’s MIDC boys’ hostel, 325 students were detected Covid positive on Wednesday, while 229 students from Washim district tested positive on Thursday. Many students and teachers are kept in isolation across the state.The rising Covid cases have also led the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government to curtail the Assembly budget session from March 1 to 10 against the earlier schedule of March 1 to 28. The state’s budget will be presented on March 8 by Finance Minister Ajit Pawar.

    The opposition has criticised the government for cutting short the session. Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Devendra Fadnavis alleged that the Covid situation was an excuse for the Uddhav Thackeray government to curtail the session as it was not interested in discussing public issues. The state continued to report over 8,000 cases for the second consecutive day, which pushed its overall infection count to 21,29,821. There were 8,702 cases on Thursday.

    This figure was 8,807 on Wednesday. With 56 deaths reported during the day, the state’s fatality count went up to 51,993. A total of 3,744 patients were discharged during the day after recovery. The number of active cases is now 64,260, the official said. Since Wednesday, Mumbai, Akola, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik divisions have been witnessing a spike in single-day infection count. 

    Mumbai city reported 1,145 cases on Thursday, which took its cumulative figure to 3,22,844. Five persons died due to the infection in the metropolis, which pushed the toll to 11,463. With 864 new cases, Nagpur ranked second in the state in terms of daily cases 

  • Maharashtra Dy CM warns of action against people found without masks

    By PTI
    PUNE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said he has instructed administrations in the state to take strict action against people who are found without masks in public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Speaking to reporters at Shivneri Fort after an event, Pawar said district administrations have been authorised to assess the situation in their respective districts and impose a lockdown from 6 am to 6 pm, if the situation demands.

    “I am going to chair a meeting on February 21 in Pune to discuss measures to contain the viral spread,” the deputy chief minister said. A spike in COVID-19 cases witnessed in some districts of the state is a matter of concern, he said.

    “In some cases, the local administrations of such districts have been authorised to impose lockdowns from 6 am to 6 pm if the situation demands,” he said.

    Moreover, local authorities have been asked to take strict action against those who do not wear masks in public, Pawar said.

    Speaking at an event organised to celebrate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary at the fort, Pawar said he is thankful to people of the state for responding to the government’s appeal to celebrate Shiv Jayanti and other festivals in a simple manner in the last one year.

    “If Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had been there, he too would not have taken any decision that could endanger the lives of people,” he said.

    He also stated that the chief minister had announced Rs 23.50 crore funds for the development of Shivneri Fort and the same has been handed over now.

    When asked about Puja Chavan death case in Pune, in which allegations have been levelled against a minister from the Shiv Sena, Pawar said the Sena can talk about the issue with more authority.

    “I have already clarified that a detailed inquiry is being carried out in the case and no one will be shielded.

    We should give time to the police to conduct the probe. I am sure that there will not be any political interference,” he added.

  • Maharashtra minister being linked to woman’s death not missing: Ajit Pawar

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday dismissed the opposition’s claims that state forest minister Sanjay Rathod, whose name is being linked to the death of a woman in Pune, has been missing.

    Talking to reporters here, Pawar said he spoke to Rathod, who is also the guardian minister of Yavatmal, on Thursday about the COVID-19 situation in the district located in the state’s Vidarbha region.

    Some social media posts and the BJP have claimed that the 23-year-old woman, who died after falling from a building in Hadapsar area of Pune on February 8, was in a relationship with a cabinet minister in the state.

    On Wednesday, former state power minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bavankule alleged that the person under scanner is state forest minister Sanjay Rathod “who is still missing and nobody in the state government knows his whereabouts”.

    When asked about such claims on Thursday, Pawar said, “Who said he (Rathod) has disappeared? I spoke to him today itself that we may have to take a decision to impose (stricter) lockdown there (in Yavatmal) as the situation has become serious there.”

    Bawankule on Wednesday alleged the state government was trying to suppress the case of the woman’s death.

    According to Pune’s Wanwadi police who have registered a case of accidental death, there was no suicide note.

    Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the three- party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, has already promised a detailed probe into the case and action against the guilty.

     

  • Rise in COVID cases in some parts of Maharashtra ‘alarming’; may take harsh steps: Dy CM Ajit Pawar

    Some districts in Vidarbha region in east Maharashtra, especially Amravati and Nagpur, and Nashik in north Maharashtra have seen the number of new cases rising over the last few days.