On March 9, 2023, Devendra Fadnavis, then deputy chief minister and finance minister of the Mahayuti government, presented the Maharashtra budget 2023-24 in the Legislative Assembly. While presenting the budget, Devendraji described it as the Panchamrut budget due to its five focus areas, in line with the historic Amrit Kaal vision of the country. However, this budget itself was historic in many senses.
First of all, this budget reflected people’s high expectations to put the state economy back on track after two and a half years of massive manhandling by the Aghadi government, infamous for extortion from the businesses. The bankrupt Aghadi government had no clue how to generate revenues and run the state, other than accusing the central government of not granting aid. Fadnavis showed how the state government could plan the state’s progress by adopting the right policies and not whining about GST arrears and the aid packages from the central government.
Secondly, before preparing this budget, Devendraji sought opinions from several interest groups and scanned more than 40,000 responses from consultations with public forums, industry associations, and other forms of engagement to select some of the thrust areas of the budget. This underscored the state’s effort to reflect the views of people and industries in the budget, the first time in the history of Maharashtra.
It was also interesting the way the budget was presented by Devendra Fadnavis. Wearing no suit or carrying a briefcase, Devendraji simply presented the budget using a tablet phone. This breaking of the traditions symbolized the changes and adoption of technology in the functioning of the Maharashtra government.
Since the average person finds it a little difficult to understand the budget, Devendraji broke it up into five portions so that the average person from every section could readily understand how their problems were addressed and what steps should be taken by them. Although there was something for everyone in that budget, a deeper study will reveal its focus on infrastructure development, sustainable irrigation, minimizing the use of synthetic chemicals in agriculture, and antyodaya.
The Panchamruts of Maharashtra budget 2023-24
In his first Amrut, Devendraji made a total provision of Rs 29,163 crore for sustainable agriculture and the prosperity of farmers. His second Amrut for the state was a provision of Rs 43,036 crore, made for the comprehensive development of all sections of society, including women, tribals, backward classes, and OBCs. The third Amrut, consisted of an allocation of Rs 53,058 crore, made for infrastructure development through substantial capital investment. In the fourth Amrut, Devendraji allocated Rs 11,658 crore towards employment generation and development of skilled/employable young human resources. In the fifth and last Amrut, Devendraji made a provision of Rs 13,437 crore for environmentally friendly, sustainable agriculture.
Devendraji’s Panchamrut Budget sent a message that Maharashtra will work toward becoming a $1 trillion economy to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aim of making India a $5 trillion economy. As soon as he assumed control, Devendraji began aggressive development activities in all departments across the state. As soon as he took over the reins of power, Devendraji started rapid development work in all sectors across the state. After the Samruddhi Highway, now the Nagpur-Goa Shakti Peeth Highway, the expansion of the Mumbai, Nagpur, and Pune Metro and Neo Metro Project in Nashik, Jalyukt Shivar-2.0, and the annual subsidy of Rs. 6,000 from the central government and the state government to farmers, these decisions make it clear that the rope of power in the hands of Devendraji is the guarantee of Maharashtra’s prosperity.