Cabinet hikes hostel allowance for students, gives nod to Bhandara-Gadchiroli expressway project

Mumbai, Sep 16 (PTI) The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday approved a series of welfare and infrastructure measures, including a hike in allowances for students in government hostels, extension to a scheme meant to set up orange processing centres and construction of a 94-km expressway between Bhandara and Gadchiroli.

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.

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.

Similarly, the scheme to establish modern orange processing centres in Nagpur, Katol, Kalmeshwar (Nagpur district), Morshi (Amravati district) and Sangrampur (Buldhana district) was given a two-year extension. A revised plan of Rs 39.90 crore has been prepared to reduce post-harvest losses, with five secondary projects now prioritised.

In the infrastructure sector, the cabinet approved the revised alignment of the 94.24-km access-controlled Bhandara-Gadchiroli expressway, to be executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The Rs 931.15 crore project, including land acquisition costs, will cut the distance by 23 km and travel time by about 75 minutes.

The state's infrastructure sub-committee has been accorded cabinet committee status, meaning its approvals on projects worth Rs 25 crore and above will be final, expediting development work. PTI MR NP