Mumbai:
Promising a transparent administration, Maharashtra’s new Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said his government will bring in a legislation for better delivery of services to the people.
44-year-old Fadnavis, who was sworn in as Chief Minister of the first BJP government in the state, got down to work immediately and has instructed Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya to have a draft of the Right to Service Bill ready within a month.
“I have directed the Chief Secretary to prepare a draft of the legislation, a form of citizen’s charter, to provide better services to the people who can take legal recourse if they don’t get them,” he told reporters at a meet the press programme shortly after taking oath.
He said the decision was taken at the first meeting of the Council of Ministers. Portfolios will be allocated to the seven Cabinet and two Ministers of State tomorrow.
“People of Maharshtra have high expectations from us and it is a big responsibility. We will provide an efficient and transparent administration with focus on development,” he said.
“The state government’s financial condition is not that good. If all the assurances given by the erstwhile (Congress-NCP) government are to be implemented, the government would have to spend Rs 52,000 crore,” Fadnavis said.
The Chief Minister said the decisions taken by the previous Congress-NCP government just before the model code of conduct for election kicked in will be reviewed.
“It will take time to bring the administration back on the track but we will do it. We will bring Maharashtra to the number one position,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of Shiv Sena joining the new government, Fadnavis said,” There was a positive talk between Amit Shah and Uddhav Thckeray today.”
On the presence of godmen at the swearing-in ceremony, Fadnavis said, “They belonged to all religions. There is a thin line between belief and superstition. We are against superstition.”
He also assured to look into the grievances of the media, particularly incidents of attack on journalists, and said there will be a regular media briefing after state cabinet meetings, a practice discontinued during the tenure of Vilasrao Deshmukh as Chief Minister.
Fadnavis sworn in
Devendra Fadnavis was today sworn in as Chief Minister of the first BJP government in Maharashtra at a grand ceremony where Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray made a last-minute appearance, raising the possibility of a rapprochement between the saffron parties.
44-year-old Fadnavis, a third time MLA and the second Brahmin to occupy the top post in the state, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at the Wankhede Stadium in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, several Union ministers and veterans L K Advani and MM Joshi among others.
Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states including Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan), Anandiben Patel (Gujarat), Manohar Parrikar (Goa), Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh) and Manohar Lal Khattar (Haryana) and those governed by allies including Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) and Parkash Singh Badal (Punjab) also attended the event.
Top industrialists along with other eminent personalities, including from Bollywood, and Fadnavis’ banker wife Amruta, were present at the packed venue when seven Cabinet Ministers and two Ministers of State also took oath.
Former ally Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, whose party had decided to boycott the event citing “constant humiliation†by BJP ahead of government formation, attended the event along with his wife after a last-minute call by BJP President Amit Shah.
Thackeray’s presence indicated a possible rapprochement between the two estranged Hindutva parties which fell apart just ahead of the Assembly polls following failure of seat sharing talks.
All eyes were on Modi and Uddhav, who shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
With 121 BJP MLAs in a House of 288, Fadnavis is heading a minority government that has been asked to prove majority in two weeks. Sharad Pawar’s NCP with 41 MLAs has already declared unconditional outside support to the new government.
