Maharashtra govt raises departments to 45 for efficiency

Mumbai, June 9 (IANS) In a major move to boost administrative efficiency and bring synergy to governance, the Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday approved the restructuring of various ministerial departments. With this decision, the number of existing administrative departments will increase from 33 to 45 by elevating sub-departments into independent departments.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has anchored this policy on the concepts of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and ‘Ease of Living’. The restructuring aims to speed up decision-making, ensure the swift implementation of welfare schemes, and facilitate effective coordination with regional agencies.

Previously, the Mantralaya operated with 33 administrative departments, many of which housed two or three sub-departments. Even with multiple sub-departments, the establishment remained under a single department head, leading to significant hurdles in human resource distribution.

Given that these sub-departments handle distinct operations under independent secretaries, the Cabinet decided to streamline them to improve operational efficiency. The newly formed departments will be equipped with independent establishments, cash branches, and registry branches.

The restructuring will not involve the creation of new posts. Instead, the currently sanctioned and vacant positions of officers and staff within the respective departments will be distributed among the newly created departments on a proportional basis.

The official notification regarding the division and creation of these new administrative departments will be issued by the Administrative Reforms, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Reforms sub-department.

Further, the State Cabinet also approved an amendment to the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, for the academic year 2026–27. This amendment pertains to granting final approvals to new colleges, as well as permitting new faculties, courses, subjects, and additional divisions during expansions.

As per the revised provisions of the Act, the deadline for starting and granting permissions for new colleges or institutions has been set for June 30, 2026. This proposed extension under the 2016 Act will also apply to the Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University in Ramtek, the release said.

Moreover, to ensure consistency and harmony with the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act, the Cabinet has also approved amendments to the Maharashtra Goods and Services Tax (MGST) Act, 2017. The Government of India recently amended various sections of the CGST Act, 2017, based on recommendations made during the 56th meeting of the GST Council. To keep state laws aligned with these central provisions, the state cabinet has approved the draft of the proposed amendments to the MGST Act, 2017, the release said.

The Cabinet has also approved an amendment to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Act, 1961, effectively increasing the borrowing powers of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). The state government has already approved and guaranteed a loan of Rs 6,000 crore from HUDCO for MIDC to fund land acquisition for the Purandar Airport project, where land acquisition is currently progressing rapidly.

Furthermore, large-scale land acquisition is underway across the state for setting up various industrial areas, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and essential infrastructure. The expansion of MIDC’s borrowing limit was deemed necessary to ensure fair compensation to farmers and to secure additional financial resources required for these upcoming industrial and infrastructure projects, said the release.

--IANS

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