In Delhi, Fadnavis Pitches ₹10,000 Crore Fertiliser Plant for Vidarbha
The proposed project, a joint venture between GAIL, the department of fertilizers, and the state government, will have an annual production capacity of 12.7 lakh tonnes.
During a meeting with Union health minister JP Nadda in Delhi, Fadnavis—who is on a two-day visit to the national capital—requested central subsidy and policy clearance. "This will be a transformative project for Vidarbha," the CM said, highlighting its dual impact on rural employment and fertiliser availability.
Nadda responded by instructing the state to submit a cabinet proposal. Fertilizers secretary Ratak Kumar Mishra was also present at the meeting.
Fadnavis' visit included a series of high-level meetings to accelerate approvals for major infrastructure and environmental projects. In a meeting with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he sought clearance from the ministry of economic affairs for five international funding proposals.
These included ₹8,651 crore from the Asian Development Bank to connect villages with concrete roads, ₹4,326 crore for coastal protection, and another ₹4,326 crore to treat municipal wastewater for industrial reuse.
Two additional proposals, routed through the World Bank, were also discussed.
Sitharaman, acknowledging Maharashtra's financial discipline, assured full cooperation. "Maharashtra has maintained strong economic indicators on every front," she said.
Finance secretary Anuradha Thakur, chief economic advisor to the CM Praveen Pardeshi, and principal secretary Ashwini Bhide attended the meeting.
Fadnavis also pushed for a ₹22,490 crore rural road network project covering 14,000 km under the ministry of rural development. These 25-year maintenance-free roads, supported by ADB funding, are expected to ease transportation for farmers. Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan praised the plan and lauded the state's performance in housing schemes.
"The central govt has sanctioned a record 30 lakh homes for the state," he noted.
At NITI Aayog, Fadnavis discussed projects worth ₹4,326 crore each, including the use of artificial intelligence for non-communicable disease (NCD) screening and bamboo-based industrial clusters. He also presented progress updates on the ₹8,651 crore Marathwada Water Grid, the Damanganga-Godavari river-link project, and a skill development plan linking ITIs with private industry. The commission assured timely clearances.
"Despite the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) limit of 25%, Maharashtra has stayed within 18%," said CEO BVR Subrahmanyam, commending the state's fiscal prudence.
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