Maharashtra Cabinet clears 10 per cent ex-servicemen quota, expands drought relief; key takeaways

The Maharashtra Cabinet under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday approved 10 per cent parallel reservation for exservicemen in government jobs a statewide fodder development policy new posts for the forensic science laboratories and the Bombay High Courtrsquos Kolhapur circuit bench besides clearing several land and logisticsrelated decisionsFadnavis also said farmers whose crops have withered but whose areas did not meet the automated drought assessment criteria would also receive full drought relief subject to field verification Dev_FadnavisMaharashtra DevendraFadnavis CabinetDecision pictwittercom7MG7XQmD6fmdash CMO Maharashtra CMOMaharashtra September 29 2026Exservicemen to get 10 per cent parallel reservationThe Cabinet approved 10 per cent parallel reservation for exservicemen in state government recruitmentQualified exservicemen will be appointed to GroupC posts Personnel who leave the armed forces after four years of service will also be taken into government employment under a fixed policyThe General Administration Department will implement the decisionMaharashtra approves statewide fodder development policyThe Cabinet approved the Maharashtra Fodder Development Policy under which the Animal Husbandry Dairy Development and Fisheries Department will work towards ensuring adequate fodder for livestock across the stateThe policy will focus on districtwise fodder production identifying cultivable grasses and fodder trees promoting improved fodder crops and using both traditional and nontraditional sourcesThese measures will be linked to existing government schemes The policy also seeks to promote dairy and animal husbandry as allied agricultural activitiesForensic science directorate to get 2761 postsThe Home Department received approval for a revised strength of 2761 posts for the Directorate of Forensic Science LaboratoriesThe Cabinet also approved amendments to the Maharashtra Prisons Correctional Services Act 2025In a landrelated decision the Revenue Registration and Stamps Department approved the transfer of 2 hectares and 37 are of government land at Mouje Bela in Umred taluka of Nagpur district to Nagpur MHADA for affordable housing under a Smart Village projectProjectaffected families of the Surya project in Palghar will also get landrelated relief following the Cabinetrsquos acceptance of the redistribution of land at Nevade and Hanumannagar after 56 years Their names may be entered in the 712 extractThe Cabinet also renewed the lease of a plot at Versova in Andheri including 6110 square metres leased to the National Society for Clean Cities459 posts approved for Bombay High Courtrsquos Kolhapur benchThe Law and Judiciary Department approved 459 posts for the Bombay High Courtrsquos Kolhapur circuit bench along with the required expenditureThe posts comprise 20 GroupA 35 GroupB 276 GroupC and 128 GroupD positionsThe Cabinet also approved the establishment of a Civil Court Junior Division and a Judicial Magistrate First Class court at Waluj in Chhatrapati SambhajinagarMaharashtra Logistics Policy 2024 amendedThe Industry Department amended the Maharashtra Logistics Policy 2024Under the revised policy logistics parks and infrastructure in Zone 3 will receive a special capital incentive The cap on the number of logistics parks permitted per district has also been removedStampduty concessions will be 100 per cent in Zones 1 and 2 and 75 per cent in Zone 3The statelevel committees under the policy will also be restructuredFadnavis announces drought relief beyond Trigger1After the Cabinet meeting Fadnavis said an uneven monsoon with rainfall during the first two months followed by a dry spell had resulted in some talukas being left out of the standard Trigger1 assessment under the Drought Management Code 2016 despite crop damageHe said teams would inspect such fields and that full drought benefits would be provided as a special exemption where crops have withered even if the automated drought tests were not metGuidelines will be issued for the process while a drought subcommittee will meet regularly Districts that were left out of the first list will have to use alternative parameters and submit fresh proposalsA Government Resolution on water will prioritise drinking water and livestock requirements District Planning and Development Committees have also been directed to allocate maximum funds towards droughtrelated worksSSC and HSC examination fees in affected areas will be waived at the time of paymentRelief package for 265 droughthit talukasLast week the Relief and Rehabilitation Department had declared drought in 265 of Maharashtrarsquos 358 talukas for the 2026 kharif season following a report from the Commissioner of AgricultureDistrict collectors have been directed to complete geotagged croploss surveysThe relief package for the 265 talukas includes waiver of land revenue restructuring of farm loans and a stay on recovery along with powerbill relief for agricultural pumps above 75 HPOther measures include examinationfee relief relaxed norms for rural employment water tankers a ban on disconnecting pump power in scarcity villages foodgrain and fodder supply and waterconservation worksWith IANS inputs