Shinde govt reverses three MVA decisions

Mumbai: The state government on Thursday reversed key decisions by the Maha Vikas Aghadi including reintroducing the pension scheme for those jailed during the Emergency years, and allowing voters to elect sarpanches, presidents of semi-urban and rural local bodies.

The state cabinet, which is currently limited to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, approved a proposal from the urban development department to re-start a pension scheme for those jailed during the Emergency years, from August 01. Those jailed for more than one month will receive a monthly pension of Rs10,000; their spouse will get Rs5,000 after their demise. For those imprisoned for less than one month, the state will pay a pension of Rs5,000 per month and Rs2,500 per month to their spouse after their demise. “The scheme was discontinued by the MVA government probably under pressure from the Congress,” Fadnavis told reporters.

The cabinet also approved a proposal to allow voters to directly elect the heads of gram panchayats, nagar parishads and nagar panchayats, rather than having elected representatives choose them. The Fadnavis-led government had brought this change in 2018, but the MVA government reversed the decision in 2020. The earlier rule that no-confidence motions against the presidents of nagar parishads and nagar panchayats cannot be moved within one year has now been extended to 2.5 years.

The cabinet also approved a marketing department proposal to allow farmers to directly elect their representatives in the agricultural produce marketing committees (APMC) by amending the provisions of the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing Regulation Act, 1963. The amendments will allow any adult farmer who has sold his produce at the APMC thrice in five years to vote. The proposal has been approved to enable genuine farmers holding 7/12 extract of their land to elect the APMC members. In several gram panchayats, members who are not active farmers hold the power to elect the members.