Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who has already activated the war room with the appointment of an IAS officer as the director general to monitor the implementation of a slew of infrastructure projects, will soon set up an advisory committee on the lines of NITI Aayog under his chairmanship. The committee will consist of experts from various fields and it will guide the state government on the effective and timely implementation of various projects, especially in agriculture, education, health and social sector. The government will very soon announce the nature of the advisory committee, its mandate and its members.
The proposed committee will also be in addition to the Maharashtra State Planning Board which is also an advisory panel that makes observations and recommendations to the state government on various sectors of the state economy.
A senior officer from the Chief Minister’s Office told the Free Press Journal, ‘’ The proposed advisory committee’s focus will be to craft a state’s development policy and make recommendations for its implementation so that the state achieves higher and inclusive growth. Agriculture, health, education, women and child development, and rural development will get the committee’s attention as they are important sectors to spur growth. The committee will suggest measures to increase jobs and income of the people from the state.’’ He said the CM will hold periodical meetings to discuss issues relating to the policies and implementation of several schemes.
Another officer said that the committee will make recommendations on boosting the growth of the gross state domestic product as Maharashtra has been at the top among other states. The state’s economy grew by 12.1% in 2021-22 against minus 8% in 2020-21.
‘’Maharashtra has allocated 16.3% of its total expenditure for education in 2022-23. This is higher than the average allocation (15.2%) for education by all states (as per 2021-22 Budget Estimates). On health, the state’s allocation is 4.6% of its total expenditure on health, which is significantly lower than the average allocation for health by states (6%). The state has allocated 6% of its total expenditure towards agriculture and allied activities. This is marginally lower than the average allocation for agriculture by states (6.2%)," an officer said.
He said that Maharashtra has allocated 4.6% of its expenditure towards rural development. This is lower than the average allocation for rural development by states (5.7%). On roads and bridges, its allocation of 5.7% of its total expenditure is higher than the average allocation by states (4.7%). “Against this backdrop, the advisory committee’s role is crucial to recommend to the government the judicious use of funds on the sectors. Besides, the committee will put in place a road map for higher expenditure in the subsequent years,’’ he added.
