CM Fadnavis aide to be govt firm ED?

Mumbai: If sources are to be believed, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shweta Shalini, who is a close aide of the chief minister and handles the party’s political activities, will be appointed as executive director of the company that was established for a government project aimed at transforming 1,000 villages with the help of corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding. The focus of the project will be on education, water, sanitation and medical facilities.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis cleared Ms Shalini’s name, but additional chief secretary Praveen Pardesi, who is in charge of the project, has opposed her appointment, according to a source close to the chief minister.

The government had set up a company under Section 25 of the Companies Act to ensure the smooth functioning of the project. Mr Fadnavis had announced the ambitious project last year and several big business houses agreed to pitch in via CSR in a meeting with the CM. The government will merge various schemes of the Central and state government and take help from CSR funding whenever required.

The government and corporations will appoint directors for the firm, and 1,000 volunteers were appointed for this project. The volunteer’s training has been completed and they are working in the villages.

This is the ambitious project of Mr Fadnavis and he wants a trusted person on the company. So, Along with Ms Shalini, a senior IAS officer also work as ED, the source told The Asian Age.