A pledge for prosperous, developed Maharashtra

The Mahayuti government has presented the budget for 2025-26 based on the four points of agriculture, industry, infrastructure and employment. The Mahayuti government through this budget has taken one more step towards realizing the dream of developed Maharashtra along with a developed India. The State budget has now reached Rs 7 lakh crore.

The budget of any state is an organized plan for the future development of that state. While planning this it is important to achieve a balance between the state’s income and the expenditure on development schemes. The state government has to fight on various fronts like balancing the revenue and expenditure, making necessary provisions for all-round development by increasing the revenue in the state treasury and ensuring a strict implementation of these development plans. Appropriate distribution of available revenue is a big challenge.

We are moving forward with determination to realize the idea of a Viksit Bharat 2047 because of the visionary policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The state budget underlines the fact that Maharashtra is following in the footsteps of the central government in this journey.

The state budget presents the vision of sustainable development in many ways like development of infrastructure, adding pace to the progress of the agricultural sector, a helping hand to various sections of society, creation of new employment opportunities by promoting industrial investment and expansion of infrastructure facilities like the metro for the growing population of cities.

This budget shows that the state government is committed to the development of the agricultural sector along with boosting industrial development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while celebrating the centenary of independence, has taken a pledge to establish India on the global stage as an economic superpower.

This budget has assured that Maharashtra will be at the forefront among all the states in accomplishing this aim of the Modi government. In the concept of welfare state, the government extending a helping hand to marginalized sections of society is considered necessary. Therefore, the schemes started for various communities in the last two and half years will continue in future as well.

The budget expresses a unique vision of using advanced research in the field of information technology for development. In the last two and half years it is repeatedly seen that the state government has successfully accomplished the challenge of taking the schemes like ‘Lakhpati didi’ launched by the Modi government to the grassroots level. The state government has been successful in keeping the fiscal deficit at 2.7 percent in this budget. This deficit was 2.9 percent last year. Achieving a balance between revenue income and revenue expenditure is challenging for any government. The Mahayuti government has achieved this balance. Maharashtra is leading in GST tax collection.

Our collection is more than 7 percent (more than 1.5 lakh crore) compared to the national tax collection. Therefore, this balanced budget has assured that Maharashtra will remain a leader in all sectors of the economy in future. Various infrastructure facilities are made available on a priority basis in urban areas. In comparison, rural, remote areas remain deprived because of the unavailability of even basic facilities like roads.

To eliminate the disparity in the sector of infrastructure development in rural areas, Fadnavis government has taken an important decision to connect 3,582 villages with a population of 1,000 to the state and national highways through cement concrete roads under the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana (3). Approximately 14,000 kilometers of roads will be constructed under this. This decision is encouraging for the development of rural Maharashtra in many ways.

This budget has announced the scheme of using ‘AI’ in the agricultural sector. The steps can be taken to increase agricultural production as well as providing a suitable market for agricultural produce by using artificial intelligence in the field of agriculture. By taking notice of the new developments in the field of information public relations, this government has shown the vision of using it for the development of the common man.

Apart from this, the decision of developing Agro Logistic Hubs along the Samruddhi Mahamarg will greatly benefit the farmers of Vidarbha and Marathwada. Besides this, the Shaktipeeth Mahamarg will be extremely useful in promoting the industrial development of Marathwada. Another noteworthy point of this budget is that the Mahayuti government has taken a decision to develop Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) as an international standard ‘growth hub’. Accordingly, trade centers of international standards will be constructed in seven locations, which are Bandra-Kurla Complex, Kurla-Worli, Wadala, Goregaon, Navi Mumbai, Kharghar and Virar-Boisar.

The state government’s planning to strengthen the economy of Mumbai Metropolitan Region by keeping in mind the next 25 years is enough to prove its holistic approach towards development. The Mahayuti government’s approach to give highest priority to the infrastructure development sector is evident through various projects like Thane to Navi Mumbai international airport elevated road, the third airport for Mumbai near Vadhvan port, the construction of a 54 km elevated road between Pune-Shirur.

The Modi government has started many ambitious projects like expressways, national highways, airports, flyovers across the country in the last 11 years. Many of these projects are now nearing completion. From 2014 to 2019, the Fadnavis government has launched metro services in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. The metro services in these major cities will be further expanded in the coming days. In the next few years, these infrastructure projects will be completed and a common man will enjoy its benefits in the form of development. And that is why I say, Maharashtra will not stop now, development will not be delayed anymore….

 

(Article Pre-Published in Times of India Online – March 17, 2025) 

Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson