Ajit Pawar

The allotment of cabinet berths is the prerogative of head of every ruling party in a coalition, Pawar, who is also an NCP leader, told reporters in Baramati town of Pune.

The announcement was made following a meeting of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award's selection committee presided over by Thackeray, with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Cultural Affairs Minister Amit Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister of State Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar, and other top officials attending.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government announced a scheme worth Rs 2,000 crore for strengthening Agricultural Produce Market Committees in state.

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said he had written four letters to chief minister on the rise in incidents of crime against women in COVID-19 care centres and sought standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curb them.

A meeting has been convened by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Tuesday to take stock of the situation, Pawar said.

Some districts in Vidarbha region in east Maharashtra, especially Amravati and Nagpur, and Nashik in north Maharashtra have seen the number of new cases rising over the last few days.

Ajit Pawar, while addressing the media after the annual general meeting of districts under Pune division ahead of the state budget, said he had visited the institute after the fire in the presence of senior officials, including the collector.

The Budget session of the state legislature is scheduled to begin on March 1.

Talking to reporters, Ajit Pawar, without naming the BJP, said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s decision to shift the car depot project from Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg have "hurt a lot of people” and that is why the Centre took an "extreme step”.

Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who has tested positive for COVID-19, said he had no symptoms but has been admitted to the hospital on the advice of doctors.

Speaking to reporters here after holding a meeting with the key leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on the issue, Thackeray said that the assistance will be provided by Diwali.

The two had famously come together on November 23 last year when Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister and Pawar as his deputy in a hush-hush early morning ceremony.

Pawar, who is also finance minister, said huge manpower is busy in surveying, tracing, testing, taking preventive measures and providing relief during the pandemic by risking their lives.

While some of the leaders gathered at Mantralaya (state secretariat), others, including Uddhav Thackeray himself, took part in the meeting through video conference, an official in the Chief Minister's Office said.

The advance payment is for the months of April, May and June, he said.

The current lockdown, imposed to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, will be in force till May 3.

Pawar's remark comes a day after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that some industrial and commercial activities will resume from April 20, in keeping with the norms put in place to fight the pandemic.

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, also decided to set up two committees to recommend steps for the economic revival of the state.

The state government has decided to allow restaurants and eateries to keep only their kitchens open, to ease the burden on people during the curfew, Pawar said.

In his reply to budget demands, Pawar, who holds the finance portfolio, also commented on BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar's startling revelation in the house on March 12 it was his party that ditched the one-time ally Shiv Sena last year and that it was a mistake.