Guardian Ministers (Maharashtra)
पालकमंत्री महाराष्ट्र

Website	www.maharashtra.gov.in
Committee	District Planning Committee
Style	The Honourable
Status	Head of District
Appointed by	Governor of Maharashtra
Nominated	Chief Minister
Advice	Chief Minister
Reports to	Governor Chief Minister Deputy Chief Minister State Cabinet Committee Members
Member of	Maharashtra Legislative Council Maharashtra Legislative Assembly StateCabinet Committee Members
Term length	At the confidence of the assembly 5 years and is subject to no term limits
Head of the State	C. P. Radhakrishnan, (Governor of Maharashtra)
Head of Government	Eknath Shinde, (Chief Minister)
Deputy Head of Government	Devendra Fadnavis, (Deputy Chief Minister) Ajit Pawar, (Deputy Chief Minister)
Seat of Committee	District Council Office District Collector's Office Division Commissioner's Office And All Government Office
Guardian Secretary	District Collector
Guardian Committee Members	President District Council Vice-President District Council Local Cabinet Minister's Local Minister of State's Local Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha Local Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha Local Member of Maharashtra Legislative Council Local Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Chief Executive Officer District Council District Superintendent of Police Department Chairman District Council Member of District Council Chairman of Panchayat Samiti Leader of the Opposition District Council Nominated Member of Ex. MPs, Ex. MLAs, Ex. MLCs Special Invite Member Government Officers in District

Guardian Ministers Maharashtra is a cabinet-level minister in India appointed by a state government (Government of Maharashtra) to oversee the development of a specific district within the state. In Maharashtra state, the Eknath Shinde government has 20 guardian ministers, including the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister. The maximum number of ministers that the government can appoint is 43.^[1][2]

In Pune, the responsibilities of the Guardian minister extend beyond the typical duties. The minister is also required to lead the committee responsible for ensuring all necessary facilities during the annual pilgrimage from Alandi and Dehu to Pandharpur. The Guardian Minister also closely monitors the preparations during the Ganesh Festival.^[3]

A guardian minister is a cabinet-level minister in India appointed by a state government to oversee the development of a specific district within the state. The guardian minister oversees the execution of various state government schemes and programs in the district and ensures that the district's administration is functioning efficiently. The position is typically held by a senior politician from the ruling party who acts as a liaison between the central government and the district administration, ensuring that the district receives the necessary resources and support to meet its development goals. The individual who hold this position is typically an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) or Cabinet minister who is designated to bring the personal attention of a minister to the development of that district.^[4]

If a district does not have representation in the state cabinet, an outsider can be appointed to serve as the guardian minister for that district. A minister may serve as the guardian minister for multiple districts.^[3]

Guardian minister refers to a designated MLA (member of the legislative assembly) in a state government in India who is assigned responsibility for overseeing the development of a particular district. The role of the guardian minister is to bring personal attention and support to the district, working with the district collector and other officials to address local needs and promote growth.

The guardian minister is also the ex-officio chairperson of the District Planning Committee (DPC), which is responsible for addressing issues of common interest between panchayats (local government bodies) and municipalities, such as infrastructure development, resource sharing and environmental protection. The exact role and responsibilities of the DPC may vary by state, with some states headed by elected representatives and others led by administrative officials.

Guardian ministers are also responsible for coordinating solutions to various issues, including garbage disposal and facilitating land acquisition for large-scale projects such as highways, airports, industrial zones, waste processing plants, and water supply and sewage treatment. They are also tasked with monitoring the joint budget of all local civic bodies within the district.^[4]

They are expected to ensure the passing of a common draft budget and review its implementation quarterly. The Guardian Minister also plays a crucial role in ensuring the effective implementation of funds sanctioned by the central and state governments for various Schemes.^[4][5]

The Guardian minister is seen as a way for a political leader or party to increase their control over a district, as the minister is positioned close to the citizens and is able to interact with them directly.^[3]

• Upon death
• Upon self resignation, or resignation or death of the Chief Minister
• Upon dismissal by the Governor for minister's unconstitutional acts per Article 75(2)
• Upon direction from the Judiciary for committing violation of law

Guardian Secretary is a senior bureaucrat appointed by the state government, following the appointment of the guardian minister. Their role involves holding Lok Adalats, which are forums for addressing the grievances of citizens. The Guardian secretary is also responsible for coordinating with various government departments to resolve issues and ensure the implementation of development projects.^[3]

Ahmednagar District
अहमदनगर जिल्हा

Website	ahmednagar.nic.in
District	Ahmednagar
Previously Known	--
Administrative Division	Nashik Division
Headquarters	Ahmednagar City
Formed	01 May 1960
Tehsils	Total = 14 Akole Jamkhed Karjat Kopargaon, Nagar Nevasa Parner Pathardi Rahata Rahuri Sangamner Shevgaon Shrigonda Shrirampur
Government Body	Ahmednagar Zilla Parishad
Currently Guardian Minister	Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (Cabinet Minister)
Currently Guardian Secretary	Siddharam Salimath (IAS) (Collector and District Magistrate)
Lok Sabha MPs	Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke (Ahmednagar) Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure (Shirdi)
Assembly MLAs	Kiran Lahamate (216 Akole Assembly) Balasaheb Thorat (217 Sangamner Assembly) Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (218 Shirdi Assembly) Ashutosh Ashokrao Kale (219 Kopargaon Assembly) Lahu Kanade (220 Shrirampur Assembly) Shankarrao Gadakh (221 Nevasa Assembly) Monika Rajiv Rajale (222 Shevgaon Assembly) Prajakt Tanpure (223 Rahuri Assembly) Vacant (224 Parner Assembly) Sangram Jagtap (225 Ahmednagar City Assembly) Babanrao Pachpute (226 Shrigonda Assembly) Rohit Rajendra Pawar (227 Karjat Jamkhed Assembly)
Area (km2)	17,048
Population (2011 Census)	4,543,159
% of state Population	4.04%
Municipal Corporation	Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation

Palghar District
पालघर जिल्हा

Website	palghar.gov.in/en/
District	Palghar
Administrative Division	Konkan Division
Headquarters	Palghar City
Formed	01 August 2014
Tehsils	Total = 08 Vasai Palghar Dahanu Talasari Vada Jawhar Mokhada Vikramgad
Government Body	Palghar Zilla Parishad
Currently Guardian Minister	Ravindra Chavan (Cabinet Minister)
Currently Guardian Secretary	Govind Maruti Bodke (IAS) (Collector and District Magistrate)
Lok Sabha MPs	Hemant Savara (22 Palghar Lok Sabha)
Assembly MLAs	Vinod Bhiva Nikole (128 Dahanu Assembly) Sunil Bhuasara (129 Vikramgad Assembly) Shrinivas Vanga (130 Palghar Assembly) Rajesh Raghunath Patil (131 Boisar Assembly) Kshitij Thakur (132 Nalasopara Assembly) Hitendra Thakur (133 Vasai Assembly)
Area (km2)	5,344
Population (2011 Census)	2,990,116
% of state Population	2.66%
Municipal Corporation	Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation

Raigad District
रायगड जिल्हा

Website	raigad.gov.in/en/
District	Raigad
Previously Known	Colaba District
Administrative Division	Konkan Division
Headquarters	Alibag City
Formed	01 May 1960
Tehsils	Total = 15 Alibag Panvel Murud Pen Uran Karjat Khalapur Mangaon Roha Sudhagad Pali Tala Mahad Mhasala Shrivardhan Poladpur
Government Body	Raigad Zilla Parishad Alibag
Currently Guardian Minister	Uday Samant (Cabinet Minister)
Currently Guardian Secretary	Kishan Narayanrao Jawale (IAS) (Collector and District Magistrate)
Lok Sabha MPs	Sunil Tatkare (Raigad) Shrirang Barne (Maval)
Assembly MLAs	Prashant Thakur (188 Panvel Assembly) Mahendra Thorve (189 Karjat Assembly) Mahesh Baldi (190 Uran Assembly) Ravisheth Patil (191 Pen Assembly) Mahendra Dalvi (192 Alibag Assembly) Aditi Sunil Tatkare (193 Shrivardhan Assembly) Bharatshet Gogawale (194 Mahad Assembly)
Area (km2)	7,152
Population (2011 Census)	2,634,200
% of state Population	2.34%
Municipal Corporation	Panvel Municipal Corporation

Ratnagiri District
रत्नागिरी जिल्हा

Website	ratnagiri.gov.in/en/
District	Ratnagiri
Administrative Division	Konkan Division
Headquarters	Ratnagiri City
Formed	01 May 1960
Tehsils	Total = 09 Mandangad Dapoli Khed Guhagar Chiplun Ratnagiri Sangmeshwar Lanja Rajapur
Government Body	Ratnagiri Zilla Parishad
Currently Guardian Minister	Uday Samant (Cabinet Minister)
Currently Guardian Secretary	Devender Singh (IAS) (Collector and District Magistrate)
Lok Sabha MPs	Narayan Rane (46 Ratnagiri–Sindhudurg Lok Sabha) Sunil Tatkare (32 Raigad Lok Sabha)
Assembly MLAs	Yogesh Kadam (263 Dapoli Assembly) Bhaskar Jadhav (263 Guhagar Assembly) Shekhar Govindrao Nikam (264 Chiplun Assembly) Uday Samant (265 Ratnagiri Assembly) Rajan Salvi (266 Rajapur Assembly)
Area (km2)	8,208
Population (2011 Census)	1,615,069
% of state Population	1.44%
Municipal Corporation	--

Sindhudurg District
सिंधुदुर्ग जिल्हा

Website	sindhudurg.gov.in/en/
District	Sindhudurg
Administrative Division	Konkan Division
Headquarters	Oros, Sindhudurg City
Formed	01 May 1960
Tehsils	Total = 08 Dodamarg Sawantwadi Vengurla Kudal Malvan Kankavli Devgad Vaibhavwadi
Government Body	Sindhudurg Zilla Parishad
Currently Guardian Minister	Ravindra Chavan (Cabinet Minister)
Currently Guardian Secretary	Kishor Tawade (IAS) (Collector and District Magistrate)
Lok Sabha MPs	Narayan Rane (46 Ratnagiri–Sindhudurg Lok Sabha)
Assembly MLAs	Nitesh Narayan Rane (268 Kankavli Assembly) Vaibhav Naik (269 Kudal Assembly) Deepak Vasant Kesarkar (270 Sawantwadi Assembly)
Area (km2)	5,207
Population (2011 Census)	849,651
% of state Population	0.76%
Municipal Corporation	--