Senior bureaucrat and former municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi is likely to be appointed as the chief economic advisor to Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, according to sources familiar with the matter. The move is being seen as a strategic decision, particularly at a time when the state is grappling with a growing fiscal deficit, pressure from populist schemes, and the financial demands of large infrastructure projects.
Pardeshi, an IAS officer of the 1985 batch, has previously worked closely with Fadnavis during his earlier term as chief minister, when he served as additional chief secretary. It has been indicated that this prior administrative relationship has contributed to the current proposal for his appointment. Simultaneously, Pardeshi has been recently appointed as the chairperson of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee, the civic body responsible for overseeing the preservation of Mumbai’s architectural and cultural heritage. He is also currently heading MITRA (Maharashtra Institution of Transformation) as its chief executive officer—a state-level think tank established along the lines of NITI Aayog. It has been suggested that he will continue in this role even after his formal appointment as chief economic advisor.
Throughout his career, Pardeshi has held multiple key administrative positions in Maharashtra. He has served as state forest secretary, secretary to former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, and additional chief secretary to Fadnavis. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Pardeshi was posted as municipal commissioner, but was transferred to the urban development department following reported differences with his superiors. A decision was later taken by him to proceed on deputation to the United Nations.
In 2021, after not being considered for the post of state chief secretary, Pardeshi had chosen to take voluntary retirement from the Indian Administrative Service. He was subsequently appointed as member (administration) at the National Capacity Building Commission, and later as CEO of MITRA in 2023. His role at MITRA is expected to remain central, with sources indicating that it will continue to serve as his administrative base. Additionally, Pardeshi is expected to play a leading role at MRSAC (Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre), an agency that supplies critical data to support government decision-making.
In his new advisory role, Pardeshi is expected to lead the formulation of a long-term economic roadmap titled Vision 2047. Responsibilities are said to include policy guidance on taxation, labour, land reforms, and fiscal matters, along with quarterly presentations to the state cabinet. His inputs are also expected to influence policies on agriculture, industrial shifts, and the promotion of green energy, particularly in the electric vehicle sector. Coordination with international institutions and strategies to manage the state’s fiscal and revenue deficits are also expected to form part of his brief.
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