Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a state-wide initiative to develop gardens in all municipal councils and nagar panchayats under a special scheme. Named ‘Namo Gardens’, each garden will receive funding of Rs 1 crore, with a total of 394 gardens set to be completed across the state within a year.
Speaking on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday, Deputy CM Shinde said the project is intended as a gift from Maharashtra to the Prime Minister.
As part of the initiative, a divisional-level competition will be held to encourage innovation and beautification in these gardens. Three municipal councils or nagar panchayats from each division will be recognised with awards.
The winners of the Namo Gardens competition will receive additional development funds: Rs 5 crore for first place, Rs 3 crore for second place, and Rs 1 crore for third place. The prize money will be provided to the respective local self-government institutions to further enhance their gardens.
This move is expected to strengthen local governance efforts in urban beautification and promote community engagement across the state.
Maharashtra govt will create corpus fund to cover treatments costing over Rs 5 lakh: Fadnavis
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said his government will create a corpus fund to cover organ transplants and other treatments costing more than Rs 5 lakh.
It will also expand the scope of health insurance schemes, Fadnavis said at a meeting of the State Health Assurance Society`s governing council.
The CM approved the inclusion of 2,399 procedures under the unified Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Aarogya Yojana (MJPJAY), up from the current 1,356.
Fadnavis said nine high-cost treatments, including heart, lung, kidney and bone marrow transplants, would be covered through the new fund.
He directed officials to map empanelled hospitals taluka-wise and ensure patients in underserved areas have access to the scheme.
Private hospitals would be invited to set up 30-bed facilities in such regions, the CM said.
Fadnavis also asked the health department to increase the number of `Aarogya Mitras` in rural areas and to develop an AI-based mobile app with chatbot support to provide information on hospitals, treatments and benefits under the schemes, an official release said.
The meeting also decided to include 25 primary health centre-level treatments in the list, cover all rural and urban PHCs, and standardise treatment rates.
