CM Eknath Shinde scraps appointments, stays development funds approved by MVA

Interestingly, most of the appointments on government-run corporations, boards and committees are political in nature as people affiliated with the ruling parties are appointed as their heads.

Mumbai: Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Monday cancelled the appointment of all the government-run corporations, boards and committees. Shinde also stayed funds for development approved since April last year by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government but tenders are yet to be issued. issued the orders to this effect on Monday.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil (2L) and Chhagan Bhujbal (3R) meet with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to demand an immediate help for the flood-affected victims due to heavy rains and flood in the State, in Mumbai on Monday. (ANI)

Interestingly, most of the appointments on government-run corporations, boards and committees are political in nature as people affiliated with the ruling parties are appointed as their heads.

The order issued by chief secretary Manukumar Srivastava on Monday said, “Following the orders of the chief minister, you have been informed that all the appointments on government-run corporations, boards, committees, authorities have been cancelled with immediate effect.”

In a separate order, Srivastava said, “Following the orders of the chief minister, you have been informed that the funds approved for development works, including those related to annual district plan, state-level schemes, tribal schemes and special group schemes have been stayed in the all the cases where tenders have yet to be issued.”

The stay is likely to impact development works worth over ₹13,000 crore, the officials said.

The orders were issued hours after a delegation of opposition leaders comprising Congress and NCP separately met Shinde on Monday and urged him not to stay the development works and projects undertaken by the MVA government.

The NCP’s delegation, led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, also demanded speedy disbursement of compensation and assistance to farmers, traders and citizens who suffered losses due to heavy rainfall and floods in various districts of the state.

“All decisions taken in haste and approved after the MVA government was in minority have been stayed. No stay was ordered on development works,” Shinde told the media outside Vidhan Bhavan after the meeting.

The Shinde-led faction and BJP government have reversed many decisions taken by the previous government that include giving the voting rights to the farmers to elect members of the APMC (Agriculture Produce Market Committee) markets, electing sarpanch (village heads) and municipal council presidents directly from the people and pension to the people who were jailed during the Emergency imposed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi back in 1975.