Maharashtra Cabinet clears aid for Pahalgam terror victims

Mumbai, April 29 (IANS) Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, took 12 key decisions including providing financial aid of Rs 50 lakh to the families of the victims of Pahalgam terror attack, Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy, 2025, Shipbuilding and ship repair facilities (Shipyard) and ship recycling policy, Aggregator Policy for app based vehicles and revised crop insurance policy for farmers.

Fadnavis told reporters that the Cabinet took decisions to provide Rs 50 lakh to the families of those killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Earlier, the Cabinet paid tribute to the victims.

The Chief Minister said that the state government will pay attention to the education and employment of the children of the families of those killed in the terrorist attack.

He said that the government will provide jobs to the direct heirs of those among the deceased. He also announced to provide a job to the daughter of Santosh Jagdale from Pune, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Cabinet, in a bid to promote electric vehicles, has released the Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy, 2025 and also the Aggregator Policy for app-based vehicles.

The Cabinet also approved the Shipbuilding and ship repair facilities (Shipyard) and the ship recycling policy.

The Chief Minister said the policy will promote these facilities in the state, which has three major ports and about 18 to 20 minor ports. The government sources said Maharashtra will become a major player in this sector after Gujarat.

In the wake of strong criticism from ruling and opposition parties about massive irregularities in the existing Rs 1 crop insurance schemes, the Chief Minister said the Cabinet approved a revised crop insurance policy which will benefit the deserving farmers and not the insurance companies.

Further, the Cabinet has approved the construction of a six-lane elevated road and also made the existing Hadapsar to Yavat state road six-lane with the cost of Rs 5262.36 crore.

The Cabinet also cleared the establishment of Maha InvIT (Infrastructure Investment Trust) under the Public Works Department, and approved revised expenditure worth Rs 488.53 crore for remaining works and dam leakage prevention work at Temghar Project in Pune district.

The Cabinet has cleared the amendment to the Maharashtra Begging Prohibition Rules, 1964, under the Mumbai Begging Prohibition Act, 1951. As per the amendment, the daily allowance for persons in begging houses has been increased from Rs 5 to Rs 40. This is the first amendment the government has proposed after the enactment of the law since 1964.

Moreover, the Cabinet approved the implementation of the revised guidelines issued by the Central government for the years 2021-22 to 2025-26 Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for students belonging to OBC, EBC and DNT categories under the umbrella scheme PM-YASASVI.

The Cabinet cleared the implementation of special programmes for the development of the Gowari community members of the Special Backward Category on the lines of the schemes being implemented by the Tribal Development Department for the Scheduled Tribes.

The Cabinet also approved to increase the limit of the personal loan interest repayment scheme of Other Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation and Vasantrao Naik Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes Development Corporation from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh.

--IANS

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