Buzz Over Maharashtra Cabinet Reshuffle As CM Fadnavis Seeks Central Nod for Key Projects In Delhi Meetings

The state political circles were abuzz with rumours of a cabinet reshuffle after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Friday, met senior Union Ministers in New Delhi to secure approvals and grants for some crucial projects. Fadnavis met Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, JP Nadda and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He also held meetings with NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam and member Rajiv Gauba, among others.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA claimed as many as eight Maharashtra portfolios will get new ministers, including Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar, who could be replaced with Sudhir Mungantiwar. Raut’s claim was linked with Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s statement on agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate, who has recently been caught in a series of controversies. However, Shrikant Shinde, the MP son of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, denied any such plans.

Meanwhile, the CM discussed with Sitharaman five projects for which Maharashtra is seeking funds from global financial institutions. The state needs over $3.5 billion as per a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). Sitharaman appreciated Maharashtra’s fiscal prudence and directed the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) to approve the multi-year pipeline for the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana ($⁠1 billion from the Asian Development Bank) to connect villages with over 1,000 population to the core road network for last-mile connectivity (see box for other projects).

In the meeting with Nadda, the CM discussed a proposed fertiliser manufacturing plant in Nagpur district. The 12.7 lakh-tonne capacity project will be a joint venture involving GAIL, the fertilisers department and the state government. The state has requested a subsidy and the Centre’s support for the Rs10,000 crore project.

During his meeting with Chouhan, the CM requested a push for a Rs22,490 crore project to build 14,000km of cement roads in rural areas, with maintenance-free standards for 25 years. The state is looking for financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank. 

At the NITI Aayog meeting, Fadnavis discussed several tech-driven and sustainable initiatives, including AI-based NCD (non-communicable disease) screening, Rs4,300 crore bamboo-based industrial cluster, Marathwada water grid, Daman Ganga-Godavari river-linking project and skill development initiatives connecting ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) with private industry.

NITI Aayog officials lauded the state’s fiscal prudence – maintaining the limit of borrowings at 18% against the permitted 25% under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM), the CMO stated.

The meetings with Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh were courtesy calls where issues related to the state’s ongoing Central collaborations were discussed, the CMO stated.