Rane racing against time to beat EC code

Ever since the Parliament has been dissolved, the alliance government has taken a series of populist decisions without considering their financial implications. During the last four cabinet meetings, the government has taken decision on a record number of 45 proposals, most of which directly benefit alarger section of the society.

Interestingly, along with the populist decisions, Rane has also cleared proposals which have created discontent among the elected representatives, particularly the members of the municipal corporation and councils.

8220;Certainly, he has taken populist decisions with an eye on the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha as well as assembly. But, even senior leaders of the BJP and Shiv Sena were irked by Rane8217;s proposal to disqualify elected representatives for their alleged involvement in illegal and unauthorised constructions,8221; the Minister added.

However, the Minister said, the decision of the government to amend the Bombay Police Act to provide for stringent punishment and hike in fines for minor as well as major offences will be welcomed by the people. Even for serious offences, the fine was just Rs 50. Now the minimum fine has been increased to Rs 500.

Among the other things, the alliance government decided to grant free education to the girl students of the IndustrialTraining Institutes and agriculture colleges. Another decision, to allow the homeopathy doctors to prescribe allopathic medicines, will benefit a record number of 29,000 homeopathic doctors. Similarly, the Baliraja Scheme for small and marginal farmers, has now been extended to all the farmers in the state irrespective of their annual income.

Despite strong opposition from the Urban Development Department, the alliance government took a policy decision to regularise all the illegal and unauthorised constructions in the rural parts of Maharashtra.

The government has also granted permission for seven leading industrial houses to set up power projects in the areas of the Maharashtra State Industrial Development Corporation; has set up an autonomous Tourism Development Corporation for Sindhudurg district, the home town of Rane; approved all the pending irrigation projects and permitted setting up of agriculture colleges on non-grant basis.

Along with the Chief Minister, most of the cabinet members have alsolaunched a massive drive to approve their pending projects. As usual, the first to go off the blocks is Public Works Minister Nitin Gadkari. Since the dissolution of the parliament, Gadkari has been laying foundation stone for a project or inaugurating a completed project almost every day.

Gadkari8217;s emphasis is on completion of projects in a time bound period rather than laying foundation stones. Gadkari is followed by Irrigation Minister Eknath Khadse and Health Minister Daulatrao Aher. While Khadse is concentrating on his home constituency, Muktainagar in Jalgaon district, Aher is busy implementing the Rs 750 crore World Bank aided health project.

Khadse has prepared a comprehensive booklet on the achievements of the irrigation department, particularly after the alliance government came to power in March 1995. Khadse has compared the performance of the alliance government with the erstwhile Congress rule.

Significantly, Shiv Sena ministers have been found lagging behind in such activities as they arebusy preparing for the Lok Sabha elections.