Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde’s all events on Tuesday were cancelled or postponed due to his health concerns. However, the officials said that the CM will be back to work on Wednesday. A cabinet meeting was also postponed due to Mr. Shinde’s absence.
It was supposed to be the last cabinet meeting of the Shinde government before the model code of conduct came into force in the state. The Shinde cabinet has approved more than 100 proposals in the last three cabinet meetings, including 40 decisions approved in the last week’s cabinet meeting. The same trend was expected to continue, but Tuesday’s meeting was cancelled at the last minute.
According to officials, Mr. Shinde has been advised complete rest and he is recuperating at his official residence ‘Varsha’ in Mumbai. “Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has undergone eye surgery. So the doctor has advised him to take rest and special care. In the wake of the doctor’s advice, the CM has decided to take a break by cancelling the promotion program of Ladki Bahin Yojana under the Women Empowerment Campaign in Shirdi and the foundation laying ceremony of Onion Mahabank in Rahuri and all other scheduled programs today. However, the media is requested not to make any other arguments in this regard,” CM’s office said in a statement.
However, sources said that Mr. Shinde experienced low blood pressure as a result of overexertion. He has been attending back to meetings and events across the state.
Mr. Shinde was also scheduled to visit Solapur, where he was to participate in an event “Vachanpoorti” (Promise Fulfillment) at 12:30 pm. He was scheduled to depart from Mumbai airport at 11:30 am. Deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar attended the event in his absence. Mr. Fadnavis also attended the function at Shirdi while Ajit Pawar skipped it due to his Jansanman Yatra scheduled earlier in Kolhapur district.
Speaking at the Solapur event, Mr Fadnavis assured that the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme will not be discontinued after the election and the government will credit installments of Rs 1,500 each for the month of October and November in advance. He termed it as a ‘bhau beej’ in advance.
Under the ‘Mukhyamantri Mazi Ladki Bahin Yojana’, the state government credits financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month in the bank accounts of eligible women. The state government has allocated Rs 46,000 crore to implement the scheme.
Targeting the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, Mr Fadnavis said women should beware of some “step brothers” trying to stall welfare schemes. He claimed that Anil Wadpalliwar, the official election in-charge of state Congress president Nana Patole, and Congress leader Sunil Kedar approached the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court seeking stay on the ‘Ladki Bahin’ (beloved sister), ‘Lek Ladki’ (beloved daughter) schemes and 50 per cent discount on bus tickets for women, claiming these initiatives are a waste of money. “As long as your real brothers are sitting in Mumbai (Mahayuti alliance), we will never allow the discontinuation of these initiatives,” he said.
