Maharashtra: CM Devendra Fadnavis retains crucial Home department

CM Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde (right) Nagpur for the assembly session. While they shared the dais on Saturday, Pawar gave the customary press conference a skip as he was in Beed district. Pic/PTI

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday allocated portfolios to his council of ministers, retaining the crucial Home department with him. He will also handle Energy, Law and Judiciary, General Administration Department and Information and Publicity departments, an official statement said. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was allocated Urban Development, Housing and Public Works Department (public enterprises), while deputy CM Ajit Pawar got Finance and Planning, State Excise.

Speaking in the House during the winter session of the state legislature on Saturday, the CM reiterated a resolve to take development to all corners of the state so that the regional imbalance is removed. He said his government has a roadmap ready for the next five years.

He said the state was already working in the ongoing projects in irrigation, river linking, industry, infrastructure and energy. He added that the Samruddhi expressway connectivity has shifted the industry magnet to Sambhaji Nagar and Jalana, Amaravati and elsewhere in Marathwada and eastern Vidarbha where the investors were interested more than ever. "We have a vision for all-round development," he said.

He promised that Mumbai's civic public transport BEST undertaking will be given financial assistance by the state government and parent body BMC. "BEST is Mumbai's lifeline. It serves lakhs of Mumbaikars daily. The Shinde government had taken a decision to buy new buses for BEST. We will also make efforts to run it properly. The state will help BEST, and we will also ask BMC to help it (financially)," he said.

Fadnavis said the state's flagship schemes will not face any fund shortage. "We have made enough provision for free power for farmers, Ladki Bahin Yojana and other important schemes," he said. He said the bill which proposed to take action against the frontal organisations that were deemed unlawful in view of supporting the Maoist activities, was referred to the 21-member all party legislators' joint panel without any demand from the Opposition.

"The Anti-Naxal Operation unit had recommended the new act. But rumours were spread early this year when the bill was tabled. We sent it to the joint panel so that those who say that we muzzle the voice of democracy also have their opinions sent to the joint committee," he said.

When asked, he said 40 (urban naxal) frontal organisations that participated in Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo were identified by the Congress-NCP and UPA governments. "I have said this with evidence," he said. Earlier in the day, Fadnavis reiterated that many of these organisations had participated in a meeting in Kathmandu where a deep state conspiracy was hatched to create anarchy over electronic voting machines in India, and Maharashtra in particular.

Shinde shared the dais with Fadnavis, but Pawar skipped the customary press conference because he was in Beed district to review a situation that has arisen after the murder of a sarpanch.

With inputs from Agencies