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Govt to withdraw cases filed for violating Covid norms
Maharashtra government has decided to withdraw cases filed against people for violating Covid restrictions during the pandemic in a state cabinet meeting held on Wednesday
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Mumbai Maharashtra government has decided to withdraw cases filed against people for violating Covid restrictions during the pandemic in a state cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.
It includes the cases filed against organisers of Ganesh Chaturthi and Dahi Handi. The decision comes as a relief for many students who aspire to study abroad as they are facing hardship in securing no-objection certificates for visas due to cases against them.
The state cabinet also decided to withdraw social and political cases filed against people until March this year. Besides, the state government took several other populist decisions such as giving an incentive of ₹50,000 to the farmers for repaying their loans on regular basis for two consecutive years, reducing power tariff by ₹1 per unit for the farmers under the drip irrigation scheme, among others.
The offenders of Covid restrictions were booked under section 188 for disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant. People were booked for violations of lockdown curbs, curfew, prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more people and not wearing masks, among others.
There are around 10,000 cases filed across the state for violating Covid restrictions, the officials said.
“We have decided to withdraw all the minor cases registered during the pandemic. The cases filed against organisers of pandals during Ganesh Chaturthi and Dahi Handi festivals will also be withdrawn. The cases will be withdrawn after examination,” the chief minister said after the cabinet meeting at Mantralaya, state headquarters on Wednesday.
The cases arising out of agitation should not have resulted in the loss of life and the loss of private and public property should not exceed the amount of ₹5 lakh, the officials said.
The state cabinet further decided to provide incentives of ₹50,000 to all the farmers that repay farm loans on a regular basis by widening the scope of the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule loan waiver scheme declared by the previous MVA government.
“The erstwhile government had made the farmers ineligible for the incentive who have got financial assistance from the state for floods but we have decided to provide the incentive to all the farmers. The decision will benefit 14 lakh farmers,” Shinde said.
The decision will bring a burden of ₹6,000 crore on the state exchequer.
The Shinde-Fadnavis also decided to reduce the power tariff by ₹1 for the farmers getting power supply for agriculture pumps from the lift irrigation schemes. The farmers will have to pay ₹1.16 per unit for the power supply. The scheme was started by the previous MVA government that ended in 2021. The Shinde government decided to extend it for two years with retrospective effect until 2023, the officials informed.
“We have decided to give a concession of ₹1 per unit to the farmers under the lift irrigation scheme. The state government will provide ₹351 crore as a grant to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MahaVitaran) against the concession,” the chief minister said.
The state government also decided to provide several concessions to the people who are landless and are eligible under the rural housing scheme. “The beneficiaries of the decision will be charged with ₹1,000 as stamp duty for the property instead of charging stamp duty as per ready reckoner rates. They will also be given a 50% discount on the measurement fees of the plot,” the chief minister said.
