Maharashtra's Fiscal Dance: Ajit Pawar's Budget Balances Growth and Debt

The politics of Maharashtra are undergoing a sea change with the fiscal policies of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. His latest 2025-26 budget reflects his focus on financial prudence, reducing expenditure on populist programmes to tackle the rising debt and fiscal deficit in the state. The budget provisions ₹36,000 crore for the Ladki Bahin programme, a decline from earlier plans, and excluding other major programmes such as Anandacha Shidha and Teertha Darshan Yojana. The decision triggers controversy between fiscal responsibility and social welfare, with Pawar walking a tight rope between the state's financial difficulties and political equilibrium.

 

Source: The Economic Times