Two Maoist-affected districts, Gadchiroli and Gondiya in Vidarbha, will soon get a special fund of Rs580 crore for development projects.
The state home department plans to implement irrigation and educational projects, along with some key infrastructural works, in an effort to win back the support of locals.
Home minister RR Patil on Wednesday said the planning commission had approved the Union home ministry’s proposal of additional funding for Maoist-affected districts in four states.
“The Union home ministry has granted almost all the funds we had demanded. We believe that developmental work in such areas will help eradicate the violence and disruption. We plan to build bridges, and undertake dairy development and irrigation projects,” Patil said.
“The bridges on rivers like Pranhita and Godavari will facilitate smooth flow of road traffic in border regions of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
The proposal was put up before the planning commission after a team from the Union home department visited Gadchiroli and Gondiya a few weeks ago.
“During the meeting of home ministers of Maoist-affected states with Union home minister P Chidambaram last month, the proposal was given a green signal. Chidambaram was impressed by the work the Maharashtra home department has done in the affected areas,” an official from the state home department said.
