Stamp Duty payments to go online in Mah

 

 

 

IN A bid to streamline Stamp Duty and registration processes, the Maharashtra Government on Monday introduced a new system that allows citizens to pay stamp duty and obtain e-stamp certificates online from the comfort of their homes. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule tabled the Maharashtra Stamp (Amendment) Bill, which enables this digital transformation, in the legislative council and was approved. He explained that since 2004, citizens have had to visit licenced vendors to purchase physical stamp papers, and franking services were only available at specific centres. He said that even after paying e-challans during registration, people had to furnish printed receipts at Government offices. With the new reforms, a seamless, fully digital system will replace these steps, he said. Bawankule said under the new system, citizens can pay stamp duty online anytime and anywhere, and e-stamp certificates will be issued immediately.

 

“The processing fee remains fixed at Rs 500, with no additional charges. Importantly, the option to purchase traditional physical stamp papers will remain open, and there is no obligation to switch to the digital method,” he said. The Minister described the reform as a historic shift in Maharashtra’s approach to Stamp Duty administration, and it reflects the Government’s commitment to transparency, public convenience, and digital governance. A significant aspect of the reform addresses the confusion many citizens face regarding the amount of Stamp Duty required for specific documents. The Minister said that to determine the applicable duty, applicants had to make submissions on plain paper, which has now been replaced by a direct submission on a Rs 1,000 stamp paper. If a person ends up paying more than the required amount in Stamp Duty, the excess will be refunded within 45 days, and said that if a lesser amount is paid, the balance payment should be made promptly, he said.

 

 

MAHARASHTRA Minister Sanjay Shirsat said that the State Government aims to accommodate 25,000 students in new hostels to be set up by the Social Justice Department. Speaking in the Legislative Council, the State Minister for Social Justice said that the Department plans to open around 125 hostels in different parts of the State, and a provision of Rs 1,500 crore has been allocated for this. He said, “New hostels equipped with modern facilities will be established wherever there is demand. The Social Justice Department is working to develop model hostels.” Shirsat also announced that the admission process for hostels would not be handled at the Mantralaya level but would be delegated to the Commissionerate of Social Justice to simplify and decentralise the procedure. The Minister was replying to a starred question by Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve regarding the poor conditions at a hostel under the Social Justice Department in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. He said the District Collector has been directed to take action against persons responsible for the hostel’s condition. Shirsat said the department will frame guidelines to prioritise admissions at hostels near colleges, ensuring easier access.

 

 

THE Maharashtra Government presented a bill to regulate private placement agencies engaged in the business of placement activities for job seekers and thereby ensure transparency, safeguard the interests of the job seekers and protect them from exploitation and fraudulent practices. The Act is called as Maharashtra Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2025. The bill has been tabled considering the enhanced participation of private placement agencies in the placement of job seekers especially when the private agencies have long complemented the traditional employment market and are considered as a catalyst for new forms of Human Resource management services which can be contributors to better job opportunity conditions.