The State Cabinet on Monday cleared 37 proposals, including the one to issue tenders worth ₹3,122 crore for water grid in Osmanabad and Latur districts. This was possibly the second-last meeting before the announcement of the Assembly polls.
The State sanctioned the formation of a cabinet sub-committee to construct a monument to former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Mumbai. The city will get 16 new commercial courts. Shurshusha citizen cooperative hospital in Vikhroli has been allocated ₹25 crore to provide affordable healthcare.
The State will offer a new quota in MBBS admission in government medical colleges to those who are willing to work for a longer period in rural areas after the course is over. Aspiring candidates will have to sign a bond with the government.
The government will introduce the Maharashtra Designation of Certain Seats in Government and Municipal Corporations Medical Colleges Bill for the same. As per the decision, those seeking reservation under this quota for degree courses, will have to work in government services for five years and 10% seats will be reserved for them. For postgraduate courses, 20% seats will be kept reserved and the candidates will have to work for seven years.
The government hopes the scheme will help clear dearth of medical officers in government services.
At present, students have to spend at least a year in rural areas as an internship.
An important policy cleared by the cabinet said no individual can avail of more than one flat if that person has already benefited from a government scheme. Earlier, the restriction was that the person could not have the second flat in the same district. Among the decisions to benefit the farming and irrigation sector is to implementate the ‘State of Maharashtra’s Agribusiness and Rural Transformation (SMART)’ project assisted by the World Bank. Four irrigation projects in Jalgaon district and one in Thane’s Shahapur were given improved administrative approval. A decision which would bring cheer to farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha, the cabinet has decided to waive farm loans obtained from out-of- the-jurisdiction money lenders.
The amount may run into around ₹100 crore. These farmers till now were able to avail of the benefit of the farm loan waiver scheme.
The State Cabinet has also decided to implement the CM Awas Yojana for leprosy patients. A decision to establish industrial training institutes for Divyang individuals was also made. A centre for excellence will be set up in mental asylums of Thane, Pune and Nagpur to develop a curriculum related to mental health.