Maharashtra expects Rs 13,000-Rs 15,000 crore interest-free infra funds from Centre: Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis

“The state government expects Rs 13,000 to Rs 15,000 crore interest-free infrastructure funds,” Fadnavis said, adding that the state’s share in the annual budget has been satisfactory.

While a detailed sector-wise budget provision will give a clear picture, preliminary information shows that Maharashtra has received Rs 1,000 crore for roads, Rs 400 crore for Vidarbha Marathwada irrigation projects, Rs 600 crore for environment-related projects, Rs 1,206 crore for Pune Metro, Rs 246 crore for Mula-Mutha river cleaning, Rs 2,000 crore for the bullet train project, Rs 500 crore for Mumbai Metro, Rs 163 crore for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project, Rs 215 crore for green mobility, Rs 118 crore for Nagpur Metro and Rs 224 for Nagnadhi cleaning in Nagpur.

“The allocation will be higher as there are several welfare schemes where separate state-wise provisions are not announced,” Fadnavis said. “But it is there in fine print,” he added.

With the Budget including a provision for organic farming, covering 1 crore farmers, Maharashtra’s share will be almost 25 per cent as organic farming is growing in the state and the state and Centre have already worked out a plan to make organic farming a reality in phases.

Secondly, to promote the cooperative sector, the Centre has decided to strengthen primary agriculture credit societies (PACS). The societies play an important role in the rural economy at the village levels and gram panchayat levels. Of the total 1 lakh PACS in India, 21,000 are in Maharashtra so the state will derive maximum benefit from the PACS schemes in the Budget.