Maha Budget: Congress Unhappy, Seeks Relief From Fuel Price Hike

The Congress has sought relief for the public from the sky-rocketing electricity bills amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Congress Party has expressed its disapproval of the Maharashtra government’s budget, which was presented on Monday, 8 March. Image used for representational purposes. 

(Image: The Quint)

The Congress Party has expressed its disapproval of the Maharashtra government’s budget, which was presented on Monday, 8 March.

“'The government has just presented the budget, but there are two days left to pass,” a statement made by Congress state president Nana Patole, is indicative of an estrangement within the MVA government.

The Congress, which is part of the ruling dispensation in Maharashtra, has demanded relief for the public from the high prices of petrol and diesel. At the same time, the party has also sought relief for the public from the sky-rocketing electricity bills amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patole has informed that a meeting of party MLAs was conducted in this regard on Sunday, and that they would like the government to consider their demand.

Further, the chatter is that the Congress wants to elect the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, but the Shiv Sena and the NCP are not in favour of it. This, too, could be a possible factor behind the tension that is seemingly bubbling within the Maharashtra government.

10 Highlights From the Maharashtra Budget

1. Finance Minister Ajit Pawar presented a budget with a deficit of Rs 9,500 crore.

2. Loans to farmers who borrow up to Rs 3 lakh for agricultural purposes and pay interest on time will be given the same at zero percent interest.

3. It has been decided that farmers will be given 33 percent relief on electricity bills. If by March 2022, farmers have paid 50 percent electricity bill, then 33 percent (66 percent of the total) will be waived. For this, the government has made a provision of Rs 30,411 crore.

4. Rs 7,500 crore will be spent on reforming healthcare facilities in the next four years.

5. Purchase of houses in the name of women will get a relief of 1 percent on stamp duty. The government will bear a burden of approximately Rs 1,000 crore from this scheme.

6. Female students in rural areas will not have to pay any anything to use the State Transport Buses of the government to go to school. The government will provide 1,500 CNG and hybrid buses for this scheme.

7. The state government has also announced the inclusion of the first female contingent in the SRPF.

8. Two major projects of Mumbai – Mumbai Coastal Road 2024 and Mumbai Trans Harbor Link – are targeted to be completed by 2022.

9. International airport has been proposed in Pune. Also, a provision of Rs 250 crore has been made for the construction of a new administrative building under the Mega Building Project in Nagpur.

10. The government has made a provision of Rs 101 crore for the care and preservation of the ancient temples of the state.

Fadnavis Reacts to the Budget

The Maharashtra government's budget has been dubbed “disappointing” by the Leader of Opposition and former CM Devendra Fadnavis.

Fadnavis said that the government could not announce a new plan. This budget has done the work of watering the hopes of farmers and the general public.

Fadnavis has also accused the Congress of resorting to theatrics.