On PM Modi’s 75th birthday, Maharashtra showers 394 towns with special 'gifts'

On the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday, the Maharashtra government has announced a rather symbolic present, 394 “NaMo Gardens” across the state, one for each municipal council and nagar panchayat.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who also holds the urban development portfolio, approved funds of Rs 394 crore-Rs 1 crore each for every garden.

“It has been decided to develop a garden in all the municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the state under the unique and new Nagar Panchayat, Nagarpalika scheme. These parks will be named ‘NaMo Udyan’ and will be developed within a year,” Shinde said, calling it a “gift” from Maharashtra to the Prime Minister.


Adding a competitive touch, Shinde announced that once developed, these gardens would be judged at divisional level contests. Prizes worth Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore, and Rs 1 crore will be awarded as additional development funds to the top three councils or nagar panchayats from each division.

While the announcement comes with fanfare, it lands at a time when the state’s finances are under visible strain. The state budget presented in April by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar projected a debt of Rs 9.3 lakh crore, over 10% higher than the previous year’s Rs 8.39 lakh crore. This figure is almost three times what it was a decade ago.

The revenue deficit too has widened to nearly Rs 20,000 crore more than last year’s estimate of Rs 26,535 crore. This financial backdrop has already forced the state to tighten spending on essential public works like roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.

Balancing Optics and Economy

The public works department (PWD) has been told to halt sanctioning fresh projects, citing that allocations in the budget have already been overshot. Against this setting, the sanction of nearly Rs 400 crore for parks named after the Prime Minister has drawn attention, signalling the government’s effort to balance political optics with economic prudence.

Whether these NaMo gardens become cherished community spaces or remain symbols of political branding will only be seen a year from now, when the flowers are expected to bloom.