Maha Budget proposes African safari at Gorewada, airport at Gadchiroli, new terminal at Amravati

Nagpur: The third budget presented by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on Friday has not made any significant allocation for Vidarbha. The government has proposed Rs100 crore for the African safari at Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoo.
The proposal for an airport in the backward Gadchiroli district was hailed by all. A new terminal, night landing facility, and extension of runway works will be started at Amravati airport too.
Finance minister Ajit Pawar also announced that the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi superhighway would be extended till Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli, and 77% of the work is complete. The Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT) will be provided a grant of Rs10 crore for development. NU officials said they had demanded Rs50 crore for the prestigious institution.
Pawar also announced the intention to conduct the country’s first experiment to display wildlife from the African continent. For this, the African safari proposed at Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoo at a cost of Rs100 crore.
“Under a special programme, 24,614 irrigation wells would be constructed in six districts of Nagpur division, while works on 43,902 has been undertaken under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. To introduce the work of our freedom fighters, revolutionaries and great social reformers of Maharashtra to the new generation, a ‘heritage walk’ will be organized in the city,” Pawar said.
The political class representing the region in the assembly gave mixed reactions. Expectedly, the ruling dispensation hailed the financial plan while the opposition benches flayed chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Pawar for continuing their neglect of Vidarbha.
Since cotton and soybean cultivation is significant in Vidarbha and Marathwada, Pawar proposed Rs1,000 crore over the next three years for a special action plan to increase productivity of all the farmers and value-chain development. It was decided to establish a postgraduate institute at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Super Specialty Institute at Indora, along with mobile laboratories in Vidarbha to increase the productivity of indigenous cows and buffaloes.
The decision to grant Rs1 crore each for schools in villages of saints is seen as a big boost for increasing education levels. Plans to open a wild animal rescue centre at Chandrapur were also welcomed by wildlife activists and environmentalists. It was also proposed to start a tiger safari in a 171-hectare forest area adjacent to Chandrapur.
For Gadchiroli, a speciality hospital has been planned specifically for police personnel who are posted in the Naxal-affected district. It will be set up on the lines of army hospitals to make it possible to perform all types of treatment and surgery in the district.
According to Pawar, women and neo-natal hospitals will be established in all the districts. Accordingly, 100-bedded women’s hospitals will be set up at Yavatmal, Buldhana, Wardha, and Bhandara. Construction and upgrading work of the women’s hospital at Akola would be undertaken.
“Skill upgradation centre will be set up in Gadchiroli district with the help of private participation, which will impart skill development training to 5,000 students every year. While Rs30 crore will be provided by the government, remaining funds will be raised through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund,” Pawar said.