Mumbai: The state government has appointed retired IAS officer Praveen Pardeshi as chief economic advisor to the Chief Minister. With the Minister of State (MoS) rank, he will be in the driver’s seat to reshape the state’s economy.
As per a government resolution (GR) issued late on Saturday, he will provide advice on policy matters and devise a mechanism to use the state’s financial capabilities. Pardeshi is a 1985 batch officer who served as the principal and additional chief secretary to CM Devendra Fadnavis between 2014 and 2019. This time, he will lead the department of finance and statistics.
His administrative office will be that of MITRA (the Maharashtra Institution of Transformation), a think tank set up on the lines of the NITI Aayog. He will also be a de facto leader of MRSAC (Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre), which provides a crucial database to the state. Sources said his appointment is crucial, considering the state is facing a severe financial crunch, coupled with the burden of populist schemes and countless infrastructure projects.
Pardeshi will work on Vision 2047 for the long-term economic policy, and offer advice on taxation, labour, land, and fiscal policies of the state, with a presentation before the state cabinet every three months. He will also evaluate policies on agriculture and industrial changes, besides green energy for e-vehicles. He will also coordinate with international institutions on behalf of Maharashtra. Among other responsibilities, he will also suggest measures to reduce the fiscal as well as revenue deficit that the state is reeling under.
