Mumbai: The state legislative assembly on Wednesday passed the bill for supplementary budgetary demands worth a steep Rs 57,509.7 crore. This will add to the financial strain of the state, which not only faces its highest-ever debt projection at Rs 9.3 lakh crore but also its steepest revenue deficit at Rs 45,890.9 crore for 2025-26. But finance minister Ajit Pawar, who moved the bill, said there was nothing to fear as state govt was well within the fiscal norms under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) limit.Pawar said that state govt would try to get more funds from the Centre this year, more than the Rs 9,000 crore received last year. Responding to criticism that he was biased in allocating funds and was depriving opposition MLAs of funds, Pawar said that he wasn’t the “owner of the govt alone” and that all three partners — BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena — were part of govt. “So people must not teach me how to run the department. I was finance minister in the erstwhile MVA govt too, and I know how to take everyone along. We will try to get more funds from the Centre. We are getting interest-free loans from the centre for a period of 50 years too,” he said.Pawar added: “We need to create new revenue sources. For now, we are not violating any fiscal norms or rules and are below the 3% limit. I won’t go beyond the powers given to me by the legislature and cabinet.” Supplementary demands are additional funds sought by govt beyond allocations made in the budget, which was tabled in March. The current demands account for 8.2% of the total expenditure projected in the state budget.Maharashtra will soon have rural and urban local body polls, including high-profile municipal corporations like BMC, which will see a prestige war between the govt and the Opposition. As a result, the demands are mainly aimed at urban and rural infrastructure projects like Metro rail, support for municipal bodies, road and irrigation schemes, and the Simhastha Kumbh Mela. Also, allocations have been suggested for welfare schemes, including the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Health Scheme, Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana, schemes for the elderly, payment for female anganwadi workers, and scholarships for backward students.The urban development department, which controls the state’s 29 municipal corporations, was allocated the highest share in the supplementary demands at Rs 15,465.1 crore. The public works department, which faced agitations from contractors over unpaid dues, was allocated Rs 9,068.4 crore. Other departments with large allocations include public health (Rs 6,952 crore), rural development (Rs 4,733.1 crore), and social justice (Rs 3,798.9 crore).
