Eknath Shinde cabinet approves 40 sops and projects before Maharashtra polls

MUMBAI: With barely a few days to go before the assembly elections are announced, the state cabinet is on a populist-decision-taking and proposal-clearing spree. Last week, it took 36 decisions while in a previous meeting, 35 proposals were given the green signal. On Monday, the cabinet took 40 decisions, most of which were aimed at pleasing some section or the other of society.
The decisions encompass big ticket infrastructure projects in Mumbai and Thane such as a ring metro for Thane city, a Thane-Borivali tunnel running underneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and a tunnel linking Orange Gate to Marine Lines in South Mumbai. On the social front, kotwals and gram rozgar sevaks will get an increased remuneration while 14 lakh state government employees can look forward to an increase of ₹6 lakh in their gratuity limit. On Monday morning, the state government also disbursed ₹2,400 crore as compensation to 49.50 lakh soybean and cotton farmers.
Monday’s 40 decisions come at a time when the state exchequer is already reeling under the burden of out-of-budget announcements and schemes. The cost of the Ladki Bahin Yojna and other sops is expected to be ₹90,000 crore.
The tunnel from Orange Gate to Marine Drive will be constructed by MMRDA to connect the Atal Setu and Eastern Freeway with the coastal road. The state cabinet has given MMRDA an interest-free loan for this, which will cost the exchequer ₹9,158 crore. The cabinet also approved the revised estimate of ₹12,220 crore for the 29-km metro Thane ring metro, with 20 elevated stations and two underground stations.
The Thane-Borivali tunnel project, which has been pushed by CM Eknath Shinde for many years, will link Thane city directly with the western suburbs and will pass underneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The 11.85-km tunnel will cost ₹18,800 crore.
Besides approving infrastructure projects, the Mahayuti government took some politically expedient decisions to woo various sections of society. It approved a 10% hike in the remuneration of 12,796 kotwals or local-level government workers in rural areas, who get 15,000 per month currently. Around 26,600 gram rozgar sevaks will get a fixed remuneration of ₹8,000 per month along with 2% incentives.
The cabinet also approved ₹795 crore to increase the daily allowance of over 53,000 home guards from ₹570 to ₹1,083. To woo over 14 lakh government employees, the limit of the gratuity paid to government employees at the time of retirement will go up from ₹14 lakh to ₹20 lakh.
The cabinet approved the formation of a corporation for the Arya Vaishya community with a seed capital of ₹50 crore and another corporation for the Sonar (goldsmith) community titled Sant Narhari Maharaj Economic Development Corporation with a seed capital of ₹50 crore. To woo the Banjara community, the Vasantrao Naik Research and Training Institute (VARTI) has been approved with a provision of ₹50 crore.. Along with the Banjara community, youths from some nomadic tribes will benefit from this institute.
The government on Monday morning disbursed ₹2,399 crores to 49.50 lakh soybean and cotton farmers as compensation for crop loss. The administration is working to link the identities and bank details of farmers, and in the coming days, the number of beneficiaries is expected to reach 96 lakhs and the total amount ₹4,194 crore.
To woo farmers belonging to the scheduled caste and neo-Buddhist community, the cabinet has removed the income limit of 1.5 lakh per annum—farmers earning more than this were not entitled to several benefits. Farmers from these communities will also get a subsidy of ₹4 lakh for a well instead of ₹2.5 lakh. The amount for repairs has been doubled from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh, and the amount for plastic surfacing of farm ponds will be ₹2 lakh instead of ₹1 lakh. The cabinet also approved ₹98 crore to set up pomegranate and custard apple estates at Nashik and Beed respectively.
JSW Infra gets green signal for port at Murbe
A greenfield multipurpose port at Murbe in Palghar for JSW Infra has also got the nod from the state cabinet. This will be in the vicinity of Vadhvan Port and on the Palghar coastline. “The JSW port will handle dry bulk cargo,” said Manik Gursal, chief officer of the Maharashtra Maritime Board. “Some area will have to be reclaimed, for which we will seek environmental clearance. The port will be functional by around 2030.”
JSW had put in an application before Vadhavan Port was launched, and the Maharashtra Maritime Board had processed the proposal. A global tender was floated by the MMB using the so-called Swiss Challenge method. “We extended the tender date thrice and finally decided to choose JSW Infra, as not a single company came forward to match JSW’s offer,” said Gursal. JSW Infra did not comment.
A government press release said that the port would be built at a cost of ₹4,259 crore and provide employment for 2,500 persons. It added that the resettlement of affected fishermen had been studied, and reports would be taken from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute and Central Water and Power Research Station.
Murbe is 40 km away from Vadhavan Port and is connected to NH-8 via the four-lane Boisar road. The proposed port is close to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation area, the Tarapur industrial belt and the industrial areas of Vapi and Silvassa.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority chairperson Unmesh Wagh said that the Murbe port should not be regarded as competition for Vadhavan Port. “In fact, more ports should be constructed in Maharashtra,” he said. “This will generate more employment and there will be a modal shift from rail and road to sea.”
Vadhavan Port will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), a Special Purpose Vehicle formed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) with a shareholding of 74% and 26%, respectively.
Other cabinet decisions
*MMRDA has been given the task of redeveloping the slums in Kamraj Nagar and Ramabai Nagar in Ghatkopar East. This decision was taken as the Slum Rehabilitation Authority and the BMC were unable to do the job. The state government has granted concessions in land lease rents—MMRDA will pay 25% of the ready reckoner price, an amount that will be paid only when the project is completed and if MMRDA earns a profit.
*To give a boost to sports, the state has given a 37-acre plot at a token rent of one rupee per year for 30 years to the National Centre for Excellence to develop sports facilities on the Sports Authority of India grounds at Akurli Malad and Vadhavan.
*The state cabinet has allotted a 9.18-hectare plot to the Institute of Chemical Technology at Thane for strengthening its existing infrastructure.
*Residents of Kalbadevi and Girgaum displaced due to the Metro 3 project have to be provided with alternative houses as part of the rehabilitation scheme. MMRC The state will now charge the Mumbai Metro Railway Corporation a concessional stamp duty of ₹1,000 per tenement.