MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today, March 9,  presented the state budget in the legislative assembly. This is the prime budget of the Shinde-led govt and is based on the principles of ‘Panchamrut’ with 5 focus points covering welfare for farmers, women, youth, employment, and environment.

Maharastra budget presentation comes a day after the Economic Survey of the state was tabled in the assembly which projected the state to grow at a rate of 6.8%.

Following are the Top announcements in the Maharashtra Budget:

 Annual cash benefit of Rs.6,000 for the farmers of Maharashtra. The scheme will be on the lines of the Union Government's PM KISAN Yojna and will cost Rs.6,900 crore to the state government.

The government also announced the 4th comprehensive women's policy under which a girl from the BPL family will receive Rs.75,000 from the state government till she attains the age of 18.

The government will conduct e-panchnama with the help of drones and satellites to assess the damage due to natural calamities such as unseasonal rains. The governemnt announced an insurance cover of Rs.5 lakh for fisherfolks. It has also  announced Rs.1,800 cash benefits for farmers of 14 suicide-hit districts.

Fadnavis also announced 50% off discounts for women using the state's public transport system for travel within the state.

The government has also introduced the Led-Ladki programme, which would provide education grants to holders of yellow and orange ration cards.

To improve the lives of working women in Maharashtra, 50 new dormitories will be built. Fadnavis announced raising the pay for Anganwadi employees from Rs. 8,300 to Rs. 10,000 and for Anganwadi assistants from Rs. 4,425 to Rs. 5,500 per month.

Under the Mahatma Phule Jivandayee Yojna, Maharashtra increased the medical insurance coverage provided to BPL households from Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh. The Mahatma Phule Janarogya Yojana's free medical care has also risen from Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh.

The Modi Awas Yojana will be put into action to build 1 million affordable houses over the course of the next three years for a total of Rs. 12,000 crore. Out of the total, 300,000 homes will be constructed in 2023–2024. In Maharashtra, a welfare board for taxi and autorickshaw drivers will also be set up.

A 1,000-acre tract near Nagpur will be used by the Maharashtra government to build a logistics hub. Moreover, Fadnavis stated that 46 km of metro lines are currently operational and that 50 km will do so this year. The project has a 337 km total planned length in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area.

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