The Maharashtra state government owes around ₹96,000 crore to approximately 3 lakh contractors engaged in various government projects. The backlog of payments has arisen due to a cash crunch caused by increased expenditure on populist schemes and lower-than-expected revenue collection. Following a previous protest, the government had cleared ₹20,000 crore in dues last year, but the outstanding amount has only grown since then. The Maharashtra State Contractors’ Association has issued a letter to the government, highlighting that the pending dues have escalated from ₹89,000 crore to ₹96,400 crore over the past one and a half years. Major departments with significant outstanding payments include the Jal Jeevan Mission, which accounts for ₹35,000 crore, and the state public works department, which is owed ₹29,000 crore. If the government does not initiate payments by April 7, contractors have threatened to cease all work, further impacting development projects across the state.