Saralnama
The Maharashtra government has appointed Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil as chairman of the cabinet committee on Maratha community issues, replacing senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil, who remains a member. The committee, expanded to 12 members, includes ministers from BJP, NCP, and Shiv Sena, such as sports minister Manikrao Kokate, who was recently divested of the agriculture portfolio. The panel is tasked with overseeing state initiatives for the Maratha community, including legal matters related to reservation from the OBC category, coordination with state counsels in court cases, and consultation with groups advocating for Maratha reservation. It also works with the Justice (retd) Sandeep Shinde committee on OBC certificates and monitors welfare schemes. Vikhe Patil, who joined BJP before the 2019 elections and has a Congress background, is expected to coordinate with senior leaders like Chandrakant Patil, Ashish Shelar, and Girish Mahajan. The committee’s role includes streamlining caste certificate issuance and reviewing implementation of welfare programs for the community, which largely consists of farmers. (Updated 23 Aug 2025, 04:51 IST; source: link)