Yearender 2021: Highlights of MVA govt’s performance

From (left to right): Uddhav Thackeray, overview of floods, Param Bir Singh

Maharashtra faced a challenging 2021 on many fronts. From the second wave of coronavirus to corruption scandals and natural calamities, the year was full of tribulations for the Uddhav Thackeray led-Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Not everything was doom and gloom though as the state government managed to pass quite a few tests. Here's a look at the challenges the MVA government faced in its second year and how it performed on each.

Two years in office amid political turmoil:

Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray

In what can be called a significant win for the MVA government, it completed two years in office on November 28. Headed by Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, the coalition of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena was not always on the same pedestal, and with the leading opposition party in the state, BJP, keeping the pressure up, the victory silenced those who questioned the coalition's sustainability.

Second wave of Covid-19:

A BMC jumbo centre in Mumbai. Pic/Satej Shinde

Since March 2020, Maharashtra and Mumbai have been at the epicentre of the pandemic. During the second wave in March 2021, Mumbai registered 88,710 cases, 475 per cent higher than February. Its positivity rate too hit 20-24 per cent, which was witnessing an average of 8-9 per cent in the earlier months.

To deal with the second wave, the BMC applied a multi-pronged approach by setting up decentralised war rooms, jumbo centres, increasing the number of beds, and setting up dashboards to monitor bed management.

The city's handling of the second wave was praised by the Supreme Court, as it asked Delhi to emulate the ‘Mumbai model'. On September 4, Mumbai reached a milestone when it completed one crore vaccination of Covid-19 doses. Maharashtra also fully vaccinated three crore citizens in October.

Natural calamities and floods:

The state government announced a package of Rs 11,500 crore for those affected by floods

Apart from Covid-19, the state also witnessed floods and landslides, which left around 251 people dead and over 100 missing. As the state recorded the highest rainfall in July in 40 years, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Raigad, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri were some of the most affected regions. Around 34 teams of the National Disaster Response Force were deployed for rescue missions. The state government also announced a package of Rs 11,500 crore for those affected. Of the relief fund, Rs 1,500 crore will be allocated towards ex-gratia, Rs 3,000 crore for redevelopment and Rs 7,000 crore for various long-term flood-mitigation schemes.

Corruption scandals and high-profile cases:

Sachin Waze and Param Bir Singh

It wasn't smooth sailing for the Thackeray-led alliance as questions were raised regarding the propriety of his government. Former Maharashtra home minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh was arrested in November by Enforcement Directorate for his alleged role in the Rs 100-crore money laundering case. In another embarrassment for the government, State Forest Minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rathod resigned from his post as his name was linked to the death of a 23-year-old woman in Pune in March.

Former Mumbai cop Sachin Waze was also arrested for his alleged role in the Mansukh Hiran murder case and also allegedly planting a bomb near Antilia (industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house). The cop, who had returned to the service after a 16-year suspension, was dismissed again. The reinstatement decision was taken under then Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh, who himself was named in various extortion cases. The former top cop, who had not reported to work since May after his transfer, appeared before the courts in November. After a Mumbai judge cancelled the proclamation order declaring Singh as an absconder, the Supreme Court granted him protection from arrest.

Also Read: Yearender 2021: 5 unsung heroes from Mumbai who warmed the hearts with their acts of kindness