BMC Polls: Interest-free Loans, Concessions For Women; BIG Promises In MahaYuti Manifesto

BMC Elections: The MahaYuti alliance released its manifesto on Sunday for the upcoming BMC elections in Mumbai, promising technology-based governance. The manifesto includes promises of a 50 percent fare reduction for women on BEST buses and freeing the city from Bangladeshi migrants with the help of AI.

What did Maharashtra CM Fadnavis say while releasing the manifesto? 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who released the document, said the BJP-Shiv Sena-RPI(A) alliance would integrate Japanese technology with local administration to tackle long-standing civic problems and deliver services to citizens' mobile phones.

"The city has witnessed 25 years of inefficiency in civic governance, and now I want to tell the people to give us a chance to bring transparency to civic administration," Fadnavis said. 

"Our goal is a corruption-free municipal corporation," he added, outlining an AI-powered platform to bring municipal initiatives and building approvals to your mobile phones and ensure transparency in the real estate sector.

What does the MahaYuti manifesto promise?

The manifesto emphasizes the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reduce corruption, expedite clearances, and improve service delivery. Fadnavis also promised AI labs in all municipal schools to equip students with future-ready skills. Transportation and women's safety featured prominently in the manifesto. Fadnavis said the alliance aims to increase the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) fleet from approximately 5,000 to 10,000 buses, switch to electric vehicles, and provide a 50 percent fare reduction for women commuters.

He said new midi and mini services would improve last-mile connectivity around metro and railway stations. "We will free Mumbai from Bangladeshis and Rohingyas," Fadnavis added. With the help of IIT, we will develop an AI tool to identify Bangladeshi migrants," he said. He added that ₹17,000 crore has been pledged for a climate action plan, under which a circular economy will be created.

Speaking about the Dharavi redevelopment project, Fadnavis said that an ecosystem will be created to ensure the upgradation of small businesses in the area, and even ineligible residents will be included. The manifesto also mentions a flood-free Mumbai plan, promising that the city will be made free of waterlogging within five years through measures adopted by using Japanese technologies and collaborating with institutions like IIT and VJTI. Fadnavis said that a research group from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will study the city's topography, and the plan includes building four new underground floodwater tanks and repairing existing drainage lines.