State Budget: Logistics Hub to be set up on 1,000 acres in Nagpur
   Date :10-Mar-2023

State Budget 
 
 
Staff Reporter
IN Maharashtra’s first budget in ‘Amrit Kaal’ (75th anniversary to centenary of Indian Independence), Finance Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a slew of announcements including about new projects, extension of benefits of various schemes, and funds to several projects in Nagpur and adjoining areas of Vidarbha region. Among the most significant announcements is setting up a Logistics Hub on 1,000 acres of land in Nagpur, apart from granting deemed university status to Laxminarayan Institute of Technology.
As per the Budget Speech of Fadnavis, a new State Logistics Policy for Maharashtra is being prepared, and the Government intends to create a Logistics Hub on 1,000 acres of land in Nagpur. The central location of Nagpur will come in handy for the same, for communication and transportation across the length and breadth of India.
During the Winter Session of State Legislature held in December 2015, the Government had proposed setting up a Logistics Hub in Nagpur region to encourage logistics business. The plan, then, was providing for exemption from Central Sales Tax on the resale of goods brought from outside the State and packed or repacked inside the hub. Later on, in the State Budget announced on March 18, 2016, the then Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had announced that a notification to this effect under the Central Sales Tax Act would be issued in this regard soon.
However, since then, nothing much had happened regarding the Logistics Hub. The Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Nagpur had prepared a study on potential of Nagpur as Logistics Hub. After more than seven years since the Winter Session of 2015, now Fadnavis has made an announcement of setting up the Logistics Hub on 1,000 acres of land in Nagpur. Another important announcement for Nagpur is that the International Agricultural Facility Centre will be established at College of Agriculture under Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth. The proposed centre at Nagpur will work for deployment and dissemination of the latest technology in agriculture and allied sectors. Budgetary outlay of Rs 227.46 crore will be made available for this centre.
Further, modern orange processing centres are proposed to be set up at Nagpur, Katol, and Kalmeshwar in Nagpur
district, Morshi in Amravati district, and also in Buldhana district. An outlay of Rs 20 crore has been proposed for
this purpose. Fadnavis also announced that plans for expansion of Nagpur International Airport was in progress, and stated that development works of airports at Belora in Amravati, and Shivni in Akola were being undertaken.He also announced Rs 100 crore for MIHAN project.
As part of the Government intention to create Circular Economy Parks at six places in Maharashtra, one will be set up at Nagpur, and the remaining at Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, and Ratnagiri. These parks will operate in accordance with the principles of ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ as envisioned by the Central Government. In view of the growing problem of mental illness and addiction, new de-addiction centres will be commissioned at Nagpur, Jalna, Bhiwandi, and Pune. As far as sports is concerned, an outlay of Rs 100 crore will be made available for the works at Divisional Sports Complex, Nagpur. A grant of Rs 10 crore will be provided to Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh, Nagpur, to mark its centenary year. In order to introduce the life of Sant Jaganade Maharaj to the young generation, Rs 6 crore will be provided for setting up of Shri Sant Jaganade Maharaj Art Gallery at Nagpur. Further, an amount of Rs 25 crore will be provided for development of his ‘Samadhi Sthal’ in Sudumbare in Maval taluka of Pune district. The Integrated Traffic Management System being implemented on Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Samruddhi Mahamarg, will be implemented in case of Nagpur-Chandrapur, Nagpur-Amravati, and Akola-Washim highways in Vidarbha region.
Rs 50 crore will be provided for setting up ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Theme Park’ at Ambegaon, Haweli taluka of Pune district. Public parks with audio-visual media facilities will be developed in Nagpur and Amravati in Vidarbha. The life story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be exhibited in these parks. An outlay of Rs 250 crore will be made available for this purpose.
Monsoon runoff from Wainganga basin will be diverted through Wainganga-Nalganga-Painganga inter-linking project to the drought-prone areas of Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal, Akola, Buldhana, and Washim districts in Vidarbha. After securing all necessary approvals in this regard, special funds will be raised for the project and works will be started soon, announced Fadnavis.
Nagpur Metro: Phase-II works of Rs 6,708 cr to be taken up
In the first phase of Nagpur Metro Rail Project, 40 km stretch was opened for traffic. Central Government has approved the Phase-II of expansion and work totalling 43.80 km will be taken up in the upcoming financial year 2023-24. The estimated cost of the work is Rs 6,708 crore.
The works of Wardha-Yavatmal-Nanded, Wadsa-Desaiganj-Gadchiroli, Nagpur-Nagbhid railway projects are in various stages. In rural under-developed areas of the State, the Government proposes to speed up the completion of railway projects by adopting the policy of giving 50 per cent State share, which was discontinued earlier. State Government will provide 50 per cent State share for four new railway lines namely Khamgaon-Jalna, Warora-Chimur-Kampa, Nanded-Bidar, and Phaltan-Pandharpur.
Special grants to RTMNU, MNLU, Gondwana varsity, deemed university status to LIT
State Government will make available Rs 500 crore in the financial year 2023-24 for providing special grants to reputed institutes including Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) Nagpur, Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), Gondwana University at Gadchiroli, Government Vidarbha Institute of Science at Amravati, Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute Pune, College of Engineering Pune, Punyashlok Ahilya Devi Holkar University at Solapur, Dr Homi Bhabha State University, and Mumbai University. Apart from these, Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT) at Nagpur will be conferred status of deemed university and necessary grants will be provided, announced the Finance Minister.