Maharashtra: Eknath Shinde government to set up state advisory board to bring reform in education, health and agricultural sectors

@vivekbhavsar

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is planning to constitute Maharashtra State Advisory Board to bring reforms in Education, Health and Agricultural sectors. Experts from various sectors will be members of the board.

The Planning Commission which was set up in the year 1950 by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was scrapped in 2014 after the formation of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog. It was set up by the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. State Planning Boards working at the state level were also scrapped at the same time.

The Planning Commission had played a role to guide the government over various sectors. The same role was replicated at the state and district level. At the district level, the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC) was established which was later renamed as the District Planning Committee (DPC).

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The district plan is discussed in the DPC meetings whereas state plans are discussed at State Planning Boards. However, on one hand, DPC is still functional whereas State Planning Boards remained only to rehabilitate discontented leaders as Deputy Chairman of the board.

Now, the Shinde – Fadnavis government is planning to set up a State Advisory Board. According to Shiv Sena (Shinde group), some experts and retired bureaucrats will be appointed to the board and they will suggest to the government which schemes should be implemented.

This board will work in the agriculture, health and education sectors, said a Sena leader while speaking to thenews21 on conditions of anonymity. He added that the Shinde government is planning to strengthen all Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the state in such a way that they can collect samples and give reports to patients at their own level. There will be a need to send samples to the Taluka level. He said this is just an example, the government has many more important plans.

The board members will also suggest reforms in other sectors, the leader added.

Meanwhile, Ratnakar Mahajan, former deputy chairman of the Maharashtra State Planning Board says that the proposed board will not have much power. The board will be set up by a Government Resolution (GR) and not by the Bill passed by the State Legislature. He said it will not be a council but just a board.

For Council, secretaries of various departments must be a member, whereas for the board, it is not necessary and some consultant will run the board, said an official from the Planning department.