Maharashtra cabinet decides to double honorarium for persons imprisoned during Emergency

The cabinet also decided to provide the honorarium to the spouses of the imprisoned persons, which means that the surviving spouses would be the beneficiaries of the pension benefits. These decisions have been approved under the revised "Gaurav Yojana," which aims to honour the contributions of individuals from Maharashtra.

Currently, an honorarium ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 is provided as a pension benefit to people imprisoned during the Emergency. As per the cabinet, the honorarium amount will be twofold.

The cabinet meeting chaired by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also approved MahaKrishi-AI policy 2025-2029, which pushed for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agricultural activities with a view that transformation can be achieved by using such emerging technologies in the agriculture sector.

Using AI, generative AI, drones, computer vision, robotics, and predictive analytics would help further projects in the state, such as Agri Stack, Mahaveda, CROPSAP, and Agmarknet.

Moreover, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) will get 29 hectares 52 R land at Mauje Jambutke in Nashik district for the tribal industrial cluster. Emerging entrepreneurs from the tribal community will be encouraged, promoting employment generation and economic growth.

The cabinet decision, taken under the revenue department's ambit, approved the waiver of stamp duty on land required for the joint project of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and M/s Raigad Pen Growth Centre Ltd.

This is the first significant project in the state through public-private partnership (PPP), which is expected to attract foreign investment.

Stamp duty will be waived on the transfer of land required for Maharashtra National Law University at Pahadi Goregaon in Mumbai. The university will have its building with academic facilities for thousands of students.

The cabinet also decided to waive stamp duty on the lease agreement between a special purpose vehicle (SPV) and other agencies in the Dharavi redevelopment project. Since it is a major project in the public interest, the rehabilitation and redevelopment plan will gain momentum, and it will facilitate its implementation.

Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) will be set up at the Gram Panchayat level under the central government's WINDS (Weather Information Network Data System) project. To this end, the cabinet has decided to extend the deadline for the Mahaveda project.

This project aims to provide accurate weather information to all the villages of the state. It is important for farmers to get weather-based agricultural advice and guidance.

The other cabinet decision includes the extension of loans from the Asian Development Bank and the New Development Bank for Mumbai Metro Route 2A, which connects Dahisar East to D N Nagar, and Route 2B, which connects DN Nagar to Mandale.

The Virar-Alibaug Multipurpose Transport Corridor project has been approved and will be taken up on a "Build, Operate and Transfer" (BOP) basis.

The cabinet also approved a change in the definition of non-resident Indian (NRI) for admission in courses in non-aided private professional educational institutions. This means that children and dependents of NRIs will be admitted to professional courses. This decision prompts an amendment to the Admission and Fee Regulation Act of 2015.