‘Nabard’s Fund Allocation To Vidabha Region Biased’

Nagpur: A fresh political flashpoint has erupted over the allocation of Rs500 crore by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) for rural roads and bridges, with the Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) alleging that the Maharashtra govt has meted out a ‘blatant regional imbalance' in favour of western Maharashtra.VRAS alleged that the Rs500 crore Nabard funds sanctioned as loans for 148 public works dept projects, Vidarbha has once again been handed a ‘meagre share.' In a strongly worded statement, the outfit said, "Even after 70 years, injustice towards Vidarbha continues unabated."The group expressed dismay that the CM, who hails from Vidarbha, ‘failed to secure a fair deal for his own region', alleging instead that decision-making remains skewed. "Western Maharashtra continues to receive preferential treatment, underlining how insignificant Vidarbha's position has become," it said.Data cited by the committee shows that of the total Rs500 crore allocated across 27 dists, five dists in western Maharashtra alone received Rs237 crore — nearly half the outlay. Satara emerged as the biggest beneficiary, drawing Rs150 crore, or 33% of the total funds. Pune received Rs20.86 crore, Kolhapur Rs26.19 crore, Sangli Rs17.21 crore and Ahilyanagar Rs23.35 crore.In contrast, Vidarbha's 11 districts were allotted Rs116 crore, while eight districts in Marathwada received Rs55 crore, as claimed by VRAS. The committee pointed out that an equal distribution would have meant Rs18.51 crore per district. "Except for Amravati, which received Rs23.18 crore, no other district in Vidarbha even got the average share," it said.Calling the allocation pattern ‘shocking and unfortunate', the group added, "Instead of addressing the backlog, Vidarbha is repeatedly being handed a begging bowl."The committee further alleged that the current ruling alliance, like previous govts, is operating under the dominance of western Maharashtra. It also flagged the ‘silence of public representatives' from Vidarbha, Marathwada and Konkan as a matter of concern. The staunch statehood outfit also gave a memorandum to collector Kumar Ashirwad on Wednesday addressing their concerns.The statement was jointly issued by former MLA Wamanrao Chatap, senior member Prakash Pohare, Vidarbha Mahila Aghadi president Ranjana Mamarde, economist Srinivas Khandewale, youth leader Mukesh Masurkar, regional leaders Arun Kedar and BR Rajput, along with other office-bearers, all of whom condemned the govt and demanded corrective action.
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