Rs 3,871 cr supplementary demands tabled in Maha Legislature

Maharashtra Government today tabled supplementary demandsof Rs 3,871 crore in the State Legislature, on the opening day of the budget session. While Rs 1,229 crore have been allocated forpayment of interest on market loans taken by the state government, Rs 965 crore will be used as repayment to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The BJP-led government is facing a fund crunch after expenditure on the farm loan waiverscheme and on account of compensating local bodiesfor revenue losses, an official said. Departments wereaskednot to raise supplementary demandsin the budget session unless of utmost importance, he said. In the winter session of the state legislature at Nagpur in December, the governmenthad raised demands worth Rs 24,402 crore, of which Rs 15,000 crore were allocatedfor the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari SanmanYojana, the farmers' loan waiver scheme. Meanwhile, ordinances tabled in the Legislative Assembly today include an ordinance to amend the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayat and Industrial Township Act 1965. It states that a proposal for removal of directly elected president shouldn't bemoved within two and a half years from the date of election of president. There is also a proposal to empower directly-elected presidents of these local bodieswith discretionary powers to help undertake development work in a better way. As per the ordinance to amend the Maharashtra Village Panchayat Act,candidateswho win will have to submit caste validity certificatewithin six months of being elected, failing which the electionwould be deemedto have been terminated retrospectively. In such cases, the victorious candidate will be disqualifiedfrom being a member or sarpanch, as the case may be. Another ordinance, to amend the Pandharpur Temples Act, provides for setting up an advisory council to guide the temple committee in discharge of dutiesand functions to ensure that requisite infrastructural facilities can be provided to devotees of Lord Vithal and Rukmini.

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