On the floor of the Vidhan Sabha on Monday, March 10, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar presented his 11th budget, which included a strategic plan aimed at bolstering social welfare, industry, agriculture, and infrastructure.
He thanked the “Ladki Bahini” and attributed the government’s comeback to power to their assistance and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in a brief lyric that opened his budget speech.
The budget for Maharashtra places a high priority on agriculture and includes significant investment to increase farmers’ income and productivity. One such initiative is a prototype AI farming project that will benefit 50,000 farmers across 1 lakh acres. The Gosikhurd National Project, which is expected to be completed by June 2026, and an irrigation project for Rs 19,300 crore for the Tapi River Valley further demonstrate the state’s dedication to improving its water resources.
Additionally, Rs 8,200 crore has been set aside for the recycling of urban wastewater to assist industry and agriculture and encourage sustainable water management.
The budget of Maharashtra allots Rs 64,000 crore for the infrastructure of Mumbai, which includes a third airport that is planned close to Vadhvan Port and connected to the Samruddhi Highway and Bullet Train. By 2030, the Rs 76,220 crore deep-sea Vadhvan Port project hopes to treble cargo capacity and establish Maharashtra’s supremacy in the maritime industry. 500,000 employment would be created and connectivity would be improved via road development, particularly the Thane coastline road.
In addition to a ‘One District, One Product’ campaign to increase exports, Maharashtra’s next Industrial Policy 2025 calls for investments totalling Rs 20 lakh crore and the creation of 5 million employment. 10,000 acres are set aside for infrastructure under a new logistics program, resulting in the creation of 500,000 employees. Mumbai’s economy will grow from USD 140 billion to USD 300 billion thanks to seven commercial hubs, to reach a state economy of USD 1.5 trillion by 2047.
The budget for Maharashtra promotes sustainability by allocating Rs 50.55 crore to the Lek Ladki initiative, which benefits 113,000 women, and a Rs 1,594 crore, 200 MW solar project in Sangli. For transparency, welfare programs will now employ direct bank payments, and government offices that do well will be rewarded through a 100-day action plan that encourages efficiency.
Source: Swarajya
