Mumbai: Revoking yet another 'political' decision made by the previous BJP-led government, Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday decided to cancel appointments of technical directors as special invitees in Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC) at the tahsil level.
It was alleged that the previous government had done it with a view to checkmating the Congress and NCP, who had dominance in market committees. The voters of these committees are mainly members of farmer societies, traders, and representatives of loaders and porters.
The special invitees were experts in the field of agriculture, agriculture processing, agriculture marketing, law, economics or commerce. With Tuesday's cabinet decision, the appointment of more than 300 technical directors as special invitees ("from the BJP list") will be scrapped. Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress will now instead appoint their supporters in the market committee in order to regain their hold.
Minister of Cooperation and Marketing Balasaheb Patil told FPJ, "The state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has given its approval."
The state government will promulgate an ordinance to amend the Maharashtra Agriculture Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act 1963 and later table the Bill in the Monsoon Session of the state legislature in February.
Fadnavis government, to control the cooperative sector, had amended the Maharashtra Agriculture Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act 1963. This empowered the state government to appoint a technical director as a special invitee in every Market Committee, depending on their turnover.
As per the Amendment, two technical directors each were appointed on the market committees as as special invitees whose income from fees levied and collection is Rs 2 crore.
Four technical directors as special invitees were appointed on the market committee whose income from fees levied and collection exceeds Rs 5 crore.
