The revised design of the Bhandara-Gadchiroli controlled access expressway project and its undertaking by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation was approved in the Cabinet meeting. Due to this project, the travel distance from Bhandara to Gadchiroli will be reduced by 23 km and the travel time will be reduced by one-and-a-half hours.

 

The Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg has been completed to reduce the travel distance and time between Nagpur and Mumbai. The final design of the Bhandara-Gadchiroli controlled access expressway has been approved as per the Government decision dated December 27, 2023 to strengthen the road transport network in Vidarbha. Now, under this highway, the revised design of the Nagpur Gondia Access Controlled Expressway from Savarkhanda Interchange to Konkanagad on State Highway 53 and the construction of the Access Controlled Expressway from Borgaon Interchange to Ranmochan on State Highway 

 

353D, totaling 94.241 kilometers, has been approved.

 

 This project has been approved to be undertaken by the State Road Development Corporation. It has also been approved to take up the land acquisition process for the project. A total provision of Rs. 931.15 crore has been approved for this purpose, including Rs. 534.46 crore and Rs. 396.69 crore for interest.

 

 

The Maharashtra Cabinet approved the extension of the plan to set up modern orange processing centers in Nagpur, Katol and Kalmeshwar (Nagpur district), Morshi (Amravati district) and Sangrampur (Buldhana district) by another two years, in a meeting held on Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

 

 

districts. About 25 to 30 per cent of orange fruit is lost after harvest. To avoid this loss, it was announced in the budget for 2023-24 that modern orange processing centers would be set up in Nagpur, Katol, Kalmeshwar, Morshi, Sangrampur and a fund of Rs 20 crore would be provided for it. Accordingly, a Government decision in this regard was taken on December 27, 2023. Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board is working as the nodal agency for this scheme. A plan of Rs 39.90 crore was prepared in the scheme for these centers. Now, approval has been given to amend this scheme. This scheme has been extended for two financial years, 2025-26 and 2026-27. Approval was given to cancel the project on orange by-products. Approval was given to transfer the amount of Rs 1.5 crore for this project to the secondary processing project. Also, an expenditure of Rs 1.58 crore was approved for the secondary project. Earlier, approval was given to set up 16 secondary projects. However, now, five secondary projects have been decided, namely Nagpur, Katol and Kalmeshwar (Nagpur district), Morshi (Amravati district) and Sangrampur (Buldhana district). Approval was also given to amend some provisions of the Government decision taken in this regard. Henceforth, to set up such a project, the beneficiaries will have to own or lease land for a period of at least 30 years. That land will be mortgaged to the Government. If more applications are received than the specified number of projects, the Marketing Board will select the beneficiaries who meet the criteria through lottery. 

 

 

The Cabinet also extended the Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Shetkari Bhavan Yojana, a scheme for farmer community halls, for another two years, with Rs 132.48 crore earmarked for the construction of 79 new farmer halls across market committees and repair of existing ones, it said. The Cabinet also cleared the Department of Cooperation and Marketing proposal for the construction of 79 new Shetkari Bhavans at various places.

 

The Maharashtra Cabinet, approved Maharashtra Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality Policy 2025 with an expenditure plan of Rs 3,268 crore. The policy proposes a slew of incentives and simplification of procedures for speedy clearances. The Cabinet’s decision comes when CM Fadnavis, at the recent WAVES summit, said the entertainment economy is the new engine of development for the state and the country. “With a 500-acre film city now being revamped into a next-generation global studio ecosystem, and a 120-acre media and entertainment city focused on animation, visual effects, and gaming, we will deliver on both these objectives with tangible results in the next few months,” he added. Fadnavis further noted that the entertainment economy is the new development engine for Maharashtra and India. “Our state is shaping the future of global storytelling. The state government is committed to nurturing this transformation. We create enabling policies to attract global partnerships,” he said. 

 

Financial assistance to Nilkanth Co-op Spinning Mill in Akola

 

The Cabinet has approved the Government financial assistance to The Nilkanth Cooperative Spinning Mill in Akola as a special matter. Nilkanth Cooperative Spinning Mill falls in Zone-1 i.e. cotton producing area in Vidarbha as per the provisions of the Integrated and Sustainable Textile Policy 2023-28. It was approved to select this spinning mill as a special matter in the ratio of 5:45:50 for Government financial assistance. This financial assistance will be given on the condition of repayment of the financial assistance given earlier to the spinning mill in a lump sum. 

 

 

The Maharashtra Cabinet on Tuesday approved a series of welfare and infrastructure measures, including a hike in allowances for students in Government hostels. In its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Cabinet cleared an increase in subsistence allowance for students in 443 hostels run for students from backward classes. A total of 43,858 students get lodging and food facilities in government-run hostels. While 23,208 boys reside in 230 hostels, 20,650 girls currently live in 213 hostels, an official release said. The revised rates, effective from September 1, raise the monthly allowance to Rs 1,500 at division level, Rs 1,300 at district level and Rs 1,000 at taluka level, while the hygiene allowance for girl students has been increased to Rs 150 per month. The move will benefit these students and cost the exchequer an additional Rs 80.97 crore annually, it said.