Maharashtra Cabinet approves Rs 644.63 crore international agriculture facility centre in Nagpur

Nagpur has received a major share of the latest Maharashtra Cabinet decisions. The state government has approved an international agriculture facility centre in the city at a cost of Rs 644.63 crore. The Bidgaon-Tarodi (Khurd)-Pandhurna Nagar Panchayat has also been given 1 hectare 86 are of land to build its administrative building.

The decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting in Mumbai chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In all, 12 key decisions concerning agriculture, transport, education, the judiciary, cooperative institutions and public welfare were cleared.

The proposed centre will come up in Nagpur's Dabha area, on land belonging to the agriculture college of Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth. The Cabinet approved the blueprint of the project, which involves an investment of Rs 644.63 crore. It has been described as an important step towards strengthening farming infrastructure and facilities in the area. The land given to the nagar panchayat will allow it to have an administrative headquarters, and local civic administration is expected to be strengthened.

For motorists, the Cabinet approved the Maharashtra Traffic Police Challan Waiver Scheme-2026. Under it, a one-time rebate of up to 20 per cent will be available on the fine amount of pending traffic e-challans. The scheme will let motorists pay old fines at a reduced rate.

The monthly subsistence allowance for hostel students from Other Backward Classes, Vimukta Jati, Nomadic Tribes and Special Backward Classes has been raised to more than double. Students in divisional-level hostels will get Rs 1,500 a month and those in district-level hostels Rs 1,300. The internship allowance for final-year veterinary students of the Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University has also been increased. The aim is for students to provide veterinary services in villages, benefiting farmers and livestock owners.

Among the other decisions are three gram nyayalayas (village courts) at Talasari, Mokhada and Vikramgad in Palghar district, for which 15 posts were sanctioned. A senior-level regular civil court will be set up at Mukhed in Nanded district, replacing a joint court approved earlier. Land in Gondia city given through auction or lease for residential use will be converted to Class-1 without charge.

Stamp duty has been waived on the purchase of Ram Mansion by the Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple Trust, Mumbai, so that the temple complex can be developed and facilities for devotees increased. Changes to the rules of the Hyderabad (Sind) National Collegiate University in Mumbai were approved, relating to the chancellor's term, age limit and eligibility for reappointment of the vice-chancellor.

In the cooperative sector, administrators will not be appointed to 18 Class-A cooperative institutions whose terms have ended and whose elections were postponed because of drought conditions. Amendments to the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960 and to the election rules were approved for this. Five members will be nominated to the committees of cooperative institutions with annual turnover above Rs 500 crore: a government officer not below the rank of assistant registrar, and four people with experience of the institution's working. The government officer will have no voting right. The four experienced members can vote but cannot contest elections for office-bearer posts. The provision will not apply to district central cooperative banks.