The Maharashtra state cabinet has announced the allocation of ₹1500 crore to provide relief to farmers who experienced losses due to heavy rainfall last year. This decision was made during the cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The state government had previously resolved to provide such relief in earlier meetings and also categorized "incessant rains" as a natural calamity to facilitate the provision of relief to farmers. Recently, the central government revised the rates for the relief, and accordingly, the state government adjusted the rates and allocated the funds.
Chief Minister Shinde expressed his commitment to the welfare of the people and stated that the relief package allocated will benefit 27.36 lakh farmers, whose crops on 15.96 lakh hectares were affected by the incessant rains. Furthermore, the cabinet decided to increase the remuneration of Gram Sevaks, who are appointed on a contractual basis, from ₹6000 to ₹16,000 per month. This increase in salary is applicable to the 17,100 filled positions out of the total 18,675 regular posts of Gram Sevaks across the state's 27,921 gram panchayats. The decision to raise the salaries of contractual Gram Sevaks was prompted by recent revisions in the salaries of Krishi Sevaks, Gram Sevaks, and Shikshan Sevaks. Chief Minister Shinde emphasized that the salaries had not been revised since 2012 and this step was taken to prioritize the well-being of the people.
In addition, the cabinet resolved to enhance the sustenance grant for SC/ST students in line with the rates set by the central government. This decision applies to all deemed universities and private colleges in the state. The revised allowances for students residing in hostels will range from ₹4,000 to ₹13,000, while for students not staying in hostels, the range will be from ₹2,500 to ₹7,000.
The cabinet also approved an increase in the scholarship amounts for students in 5th and 8th grades to ₹5,000 and ₹7,500, respectively. The removal of the annual family income limit below ₹20,000 is expected to benefit more students in accessing scholarships.
Among other notable decisions, the state government plans to establish a veterinary lab in Latur, set up four new family courts in Pune, grant a two-year extension to special and fast track courts, initiate a scheme for developing rehabilitation homes for patients recovering from mental illnesses, raise the family income limit for eligibility for land allocation for the families of freedom fighters, and establish additional district collector offices in Chimur and Shirdi.
