Maha forms panel to draft policy on tenants' rehabilitation

Maharashtra government today set up a cabinet sub-committee headed by Housing Minister Prakash Mehta to draft a policy on rehabilitation of original tenants as well as those are unauthorisedly staying in transit camps.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet here.
An official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said the government plans to provide homes to tenants currently living in transit camps in the same place. Similarly, it wants to rehabilitate people, who are unauthorisedly staying in transit camps under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
The committee will comprise Transport Minister Diwakar Raote and Education Minister Vinod Tawde along with Ministers of State Vidya Thakur, Ravindra Waikar and Ravindra Chavan.

The panel will also prepare a policy on the steps to be taken at the government level as per assurances given in the Legislature on court orders regarding sale and purchase of tenements under the Slum Rehabilitation policy.
The cabinet also decided that the government will pay the interest on five-year loan taken by cotton co-operative mills from financial institutions and National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC).

It was also was decided that interest on equity capital provided by the government will not be ploughed back in the capital base of the mills.
As many as 130 cotton mills have been given government financial assistance. Last year in February, the government had provided equity capital to 80 per cent cotton mills in cotton-producing districts, while 20 per cent was given to low-yielding districts.

The government provided financial assistance since there was recession and wide gap in the prices of cotton and yarn, due to which cotton mills were facing financial trouble.
In another decision, the cabinet increased the number of members in the state backward commission from six to eight.