Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar issued a stern warning to the bureaucracy, emphasizing the importance of senior officials’ presence during crucial legislative discussions. The Speaker highlighted the absence of secretary-level officers in the officers’ gallery during the budget discussion, with only four ministers present in the House. Nationalist Congress Party leader Dilip Walse Patil raised concerns about administrative absenteeism, stressing the need for officials’ active participation in debates.
Speaker Narwekar supported Walse Patil’s stance, stating that the presence of senior IAS officers is mandatory during legislative sessions. He warned that disciplinary action could be taken against Additional Chief Secretary level officers if they fail to attend important discussions. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the Assembly about the government’s plans to establish a cold storage chain for agricultural produce and reduce electricity rates for the agriculture and dairy industries.
In response to queries about electricity rates for the dairy processing sector, the Chief Minister explained the necessity of chillers in dairy collection centers. He announced that the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission had approved special concessions for the sector, with new power tariffs effective from July 1, 2026. Fadnavis detailed the reduced tariffs for the Low Tension and High Tension Commercial Categories, aiming to provide relief to farmers and promote fair prices for agricultural produce.
Fadnavis also discussed the government’s efforts to expand cold storage facilities, exploring a hybrid model of solar and conventional energy to lower costs. Updates on the Solar Agriculture Feeder Scheme were shared, with completed power generation benefiting a significant number of farmers. The government aims to generate additional power to provide daytime electricity to a majority of the state’s farmers by the end of the year.
