Overview
- As the government marks its first anniversary on December 5, political stability holds even as BJP, Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP continue to quarrel, with guardian ministers yet to be named for Nashik and Raigad and local body contests turning bitter.
- Costly welfare pledges weigh on the treasury, with the Ladki Bahin scheme projected at about ₹40,000 crore this year, prompting cuts to other spending and delayed contractor payments alongside a budgeted revenue deficit of ₹45,892 crore and fiscal deficit of ₹1,36,234 crore.
- Infrastructure and investment are the showcase, with Mumbai Metro 3 and the Mumbai–Nagpur Expressway fully operational and ₹1,64,875 crore in FDI reported for 2024–25, equal to 40% of India’s total per state officials.
- The year featured high-profile tests, including minister Dhananjay Munde’s resignation after a sarpanch’s murder case, Fadnavis’s public clean chit to Ajit Pawar over a Pune land deal, and a five-day Maratha quota protest in Mumbai eased after partial concessions.
- Rural distress persists despite a ₹31,268-crore relief package for weather-hit farmers, with over 800 farmer suicides reported; the government cites 3 lakh farm solar connections and a planned US$3 billion NABARD-backed push to complete 200 irrigation projects.