Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appointed his close aide Thane-based developer Ajay Ashar as a vice president of the Maharashtra Planning Commission.
The Maharashtra government issued a notification with the appointment to the state planning commission called Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA). MITRA has been given the cabinet ministry status, thus Ajay Ashar will also enjoy the facilities and services given to cabinet ministers in Maharashtra.
CM Eknath Shinde and developer Ajay Ashar hail from the same place and share a very close relationship.
Interestingly, during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Ashar was a close acolyte of Shinde. He was the urban development minister and was also under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) scanner. BJP had criticised the closeness and proximity between the two and alleged that he de-facto run the urban development department
Apart from Ajay Ashar, Dr Rajesh Kshirsagar has also been appointed as a vice president of the MITRA.
According to the notification, Ajay Ashar has extensive experience in construction, social, civil and medical sectors while Rajesh Kshirsagar is currently the Executive Chairman of the State Planning Board and has rural area working experience.
On the occasion of India’s Jubilee year, the central government had asked the states to develop NITI Aayog-like institutions on the state level.
MITRA will play a major role in the development of Maharashtra and will aim to turn its economy into one trillion dollars by 2027 and 3.5 trillion dollars by 2047.
Maharashtra has a unique importance for the economy of India as the financial capital of India, Mumbai, is in the state.
MITRA has been established in Maharashtra on the lines of NITI Aayog to achieve rapid and comprehensive development of the state through the participation of the private sector and non-governmental organizations.