Maharashtra Budget 2026-27 LIVE: Devendra Fadnavis to present Budget on March 6

In the area of women’s welfare, the State has established mechanisms such as fast-track courts, ‘Bharosa’ cells as well as more than 1.19 lakh complaint redressal committees in government and private institutions to address issues related to crimes against women and workplace harassment.

According to the survey, 50,350 crimes against women were reported in the State in 2025, compared with 46,320 in 2024 and 47,029 in 2023, highlighting the need for continued efforts to strengthen women’s safety and support systems.

The report said the state government continues to implement multiple social welfare and development schemes to improve health, education, nutrition and social security outcomes across Maharashtra. -- PTI

Maharashtra has over 1.04 lakh primary schools with enrolment of about 1.45 crore students, while secondary and higher secondary schools number 29,641 with 63.6 lakh students, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26 tabled in the State legislature on Thursday (March 5, 2026).

The survey said the number of schools imparting primary and upper primary education has partially risen from 1,04,499 schools in 2023-24 to 1,04,526 in 2024-25, though percentage of schools in rural areas has declined from 75.2 in 2023-24 to 75.1 in 2024-25.

Primary schools per thousand children in the age group was 10.1 in 2023-24, which has come down to 10 in 2024-25.

Percentage of girls’ enrolment was 47.7 in 2023-24 and in 2024-25 it is 47.8, the economic survey said, adding the pupil teacher ratio, which was 31.1 in 2023-24, has now dipped to 30:1.

It said the government is implementing several programmes for child welfare and nutrition, including the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, which operates through 1,10,664 anganwadis across 553 child development projects in the State.

The scheme provides services such as supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check-ups, referral services and pre-school education for children below six years as well as pregnant and lactating women.

The survey also noted that the share of the child budget in the total state budget increased from 12.9% in 2024-25 (revised estimates) to 13.3% in 2025-26 (budget estimates). -- PTI

The number of motor vehicles on road in Maharashtra increased by 40 lakh or 8.2% in 2025, said the Economic Survey 2025-26 tabled in the legislative Assembly ahead of the State budget.

The total number of motor vehicles stood at 5.28 crore as of January 1, 2026, compared to 4.88 crore at the beginning of the last year.

There were 41,000 vehicles per one lakh population in the State as of January 1.

There were 3.78 crore motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, accounting for the largest share of registered vehicles. Light motor vehicles (cars, jeeps, station wagons and taxis) numbered 77.10 lakh.

The State also has 12.96 lakh auto-rickshaws, 15.93 lakh tractors, 5.20 lakh trailers, 2.01 lakh buses and 26,002 ambulances as of January 2026, as per the survey data.

The number of vehicles per kilometre of road length in the state stood at 153, while the vehicle density per lakh population was 41,000, the survey said. -- PTI

The survey also estimates that per capita State income will rise to ₹3,47,903 in 2025-26 from ₹3,17,800 in 2024-25. Meanwhile, the State’s fiscal deficit is projected at 2.7% of GSDP and debt stock at 18.3% of GSDP for the year. 

Maharashtra continues to hold a dominant economic position nationally, accounting for the highest share of India’s GDP at 14.3% among States. It also ranks first in FDI inflows, start-ups, GST collections, bank deposits and bank credit, according to the survey. The state also ranks first in foreign tourist visits and has received national gold awards under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, including for Ratnagiri’s Alphonso mango in agriculture. 

Meanwhile, social indicators show Maharashtra performing better than the national average on several parameters such as infant mortality rate, maternal mortality ratio and total fertility rate, as per data cited in the survey. The Economic Survey provides an overview of the state’s economic performance, sectoral trends and key development indicators ahead of the presentation of the State budget. -- ANI

Maharashtra’s economy is expected to grow at 7.9% in 2025-26, up from 7.3% in 2024-25, according to the Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2025-26 tabled in the State Assembly on Thursday (March 5, 2026). 

The survey projects steady expansion driven mainly by the services and industrial sectors, while the state continues to maintain its position as one of the country’s largest economic contributors.

As per advance estimates, the services sector is expected to grow by 9% in 2025-26, compared with 8.3% in 2024-25, while the industry sector is projected to grow by 5.7%, up from 4.3% in the previous year. However, agriculture and allied activities are expected to grow by 3.4%, lower than the 9.1% growth recorded in 2024-25. -- ANI

Maharashtra will become a trillion dollar economy within five years if it does not face any droughts in that period, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday (February 26, 2026). He was responding to the discussion on the Governor’s opening address in the Legislative Assembly during the ongoing Budget Session. From the debate over the three-language policy, to the accusations over the MOUs signed in Davos, to Tipu Sultan controversy, to Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute and Marathi medium schools, he spoke on several issues.

The heads of various Maharashtra government development corporations on Thursday (February 19, 2026) made a strong pitch for Maharashtra’s ongoing infrastructural development, adding that new projects being developed would go a long way in propelling the State’s economy to reach $1 trillion in size by 2030.