MUMBAI: Maharashtra government on Friday announced new sops aimed at wooing the agitating Maratha community, after its leaders expressed displeasure over the slow pace of implementation of promises made to them.
Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, who also heads the committee set up for dialogue with the Maratha community leaders, declared that the government shall pay half of the tuition fees of Maratha students pursuing medical and dental education and getting benefits under the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj EBC Scholarship scheme floated by the government.
The community leaders, who recently reviewed the status of implementation of promises made to them, had on Thursday submitted a set of 15 new demands including the resolution of Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute. They had also demanded immediate implementation of the quota for the community and KG-to-PG free education.
However, Patil said that most of the demands originally raised by the community during a series of Maratha Kranti Morcha last year have been fulfilled through weekly follow-up meetings. The minister also added that some elements are trying to politicise the issue and hence, adding new demands every time.
The coordination committee of Marathas has given a 15-day ultimatum to the government for resolution of their pending demands. Referring to the ultimatum, Patil said that only about one per cent of mischievous elements from the community are creating trouble, while the rest of them are happy with the measures taken.