A sweeping set of cabinet decisions from Maharashtra on Tuesday, 29 September 2026 touches nearly every corner of the state's administrative machinery — from soldiers returning to civilian life, to families waiting 56 years for land justice, to a new circuit bench that will bring courts closer to litigants in Kolhapur. The Chief Minister's Office of Maharashtra released the day's summary across multiple policy domains, anchored by announcements from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

10% parallel reservation for ex-Agniveers — Maharashtra moves first

The sharpest decision of the day: Maharashtra will provide a 10% parallel reservation in state government jobs for former Agniveers — those who completed their four-year stint under the Union government's Agnipath scheme launched in 2022. The reservation applies to government, semi-government, and uniformed services recruitment, effectively opening a defined pipeline back into state employment for young men and women who served under the scheme's short-term contract model.

The Agnipath scheme has been a politically contested policy since its announcement, with critics questioning what happens to recruits after their four-year term ends. Maharashtra's move to carve out a 10% parallel quota — distinct from existing reserved categories — answers part of that question at the state level, and mirrors similar commitments made by several other BJP-governed states. Implementation notifications and actual recruitment advertisements will be the real test of whether the policy translates into jobs.

Surya project families get justice after 56 years, Palghar land redistributed

One of the most human stories in the cabinet bundle: families displaced by the Surya project will finally receive land justice after 56 years. The Revenue Department approved redistribution of lands in Nevale and Hanumannagar in Palghar — a long-pending grievance that has outlasted generations of claimants. Separately, government land at Mauze Bela, Nagpur has been allocated to MHADA for affordable housing construction.

In Bandra, the lease renewal of the National Society for Clean Cities land has been approved, while the Revenue Department also cleared the renewed tenancy arrangement.

Kolhapur Circuit Bench, Waluj civil court — judiciary gets an expansion

The Law and Justice Department approved the creation of 459 posts for the Kolhapur Circuit Bench, significantly expanding judicial capacity in western Maharashtra. A new civil court at Waluj — an industrial hub near Aurangabad — gets 16 posts sanctioned, bringing dispute resolution closer to one of the state's major manufacturing clusters.

Dairy and fodder get industry status; forensic lab structure cleared

In a significant policy signal for rural Maharashtra, the cabinet declared dairy farming and animal husbandry as industries, unlocking potential access to industrial incentives, credit, and infrastructure support for farmers in the sector. The Maharashtra Fodder Development Policy was formally announced, addressing a chronic pressure point for livestock-dependent households. The Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries Department also finalised a recruitment policy for uniformed services in those sectors.

On the law-enforcement side, the Home Department approved the organisational structure for the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories, a long-pending administrative step that will strengthen the state's forensic investigation capacity.

Prison reforms and the Mahaojgar Mela

Amendments to the Maharashtra Prisons Correctional Services Act, 2025 were cleared, with the standout provision being the mandatory creation of a Visitor Board in every prison in the state — a reform aimed at improving oversight and rehabilitation within the correctional system.

Beyond the cabinet, CM Fadnavis launched the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Maharojgar Mela in the Konkan and Nashik divisions, promising international employment opportunities for Maharashtra's youth. He also inaugurated the trailer of 'Prahar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam' and called for the Ganeshotsav festival to be recognised as a global heritage event, with 40,000 villages' Ganesha stories to be archived on the platform bappa.org.

From Agniveer quotas to 56-year-old land grievances to courts that finally come to litigants — Tuesday's Maharashtra cabinet compressed a state's worth of unfinished business into a single afternoon.