Mumbai: In another attempt to curb Eknath Shinde’s influence and interfere in his affairs, the state government has removed Ajay Ashar, the deputy chief minister’s close aide, from the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA).
The government has appointed three leaders, each from the three political partners in the Mahayuti, as the deputy chairpersons on the body.
Ashar was appointed as the deputy chairman on December 1, 2022 by the previous government headed by Shinde.
The reorganisation of MITRA, an institution set up on the lines of NITI Aayog, will have three new deputy chairpersons: Dilip Walse Patil, Rana Jagjitsinh Patil and Rajesh Kshirsagar. Walse Patil is the senior leader of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP who served as the minister for finance and planning besides the home during the previous governments.
Rana Patil is the BJP MLA who was minister of state during the Congress-NCP rule. Rajesh Kshirsagar, a Shiv Sena leader, is the executive chairman of the state planning board who, in the previous set, was deputy chairman along with Ajay Ashar, who is a known figure in the real estate sector.
MITRA chief executive officer (CEO) Praveen Pardeshi is the member secretary of the state body, which is headed by the Chief Minister. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will be the deputy chairman of MITRA. Besides this, the state chief secretary, secretaries of the finance and planning departments and six experts will be the members.
MITRA works as the think tank on state planning issues.
MITRA was established by the then Shinde-led government in November 2022 with a target to achieve comprehensive development of the state. The state body expects participation of private sector and non-government organisations. The state entity works as a think tank to provide strategic, technical, and functional direction for the development of the state.
