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By:

Anusreeta Dutta

26 April 2026 at 1:22:24 pm

One Maharashtra, Unequal Priorities

Six decades after statehood, constitutional safeguards remain necessary to bridge the gap between western Maharashtra and the regions left behind. Maharashtra is often referred to as India’s economic engine. The state, which is home to Mumbai’s financial ecosystem and Pune’s industrial corridor, contributes about 14 percent to the GDP of India. There is a long-standing dispute behind this achievement that has affected state politics for decades. Is every district in Maharashtra thriving at...

One Maharashtra, Unequal Priorities

Six decades after statehood, constitutional safeguards remain necessary to bridge the gap between western Maharashtra and the regions left behind. Maharashtra is often referred to as India’s economic engine. The state, which is home to Mumbai’s financial ecosystem and Pune’s industrial corridor, contributes about 14 percent to the GDP of India. There is a long-standing dispute behind this achievement that has affected state politics for decades. Is every district in Maharashtra thriving at the same pace? It is not just a political question. It is written into the Constitution proper. Unlike most states in India, Maharashtra has a unique constitutional provision under Article 371(2) which empowers the Governor to ensure that development funding and opportunities are equally shared between Vidarbha, Marathwada and the rest of Maharashtra. The clause was born out of fears that some areas would be forgotten once the state was established in 1960. Six decades later, the existence of this constitutional safeguard raises an uncomfortable question: why does Maharashtra need tools to balance regional development still? Regional Disparity The seeds of regional disparity were sown long before the birth of Maharashtra. Western Maharashtra had early investments in irrigation, cooperative sugar mills, educational institutions and transportation. The centres of industrial growth followed by agricultural commercialisation were Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and part of Nashik. Vidarbha and Marathwada chose the other. Agriculture was still heavily dependent on monsoon rains, industrialization was slow and irrigation coverage was less than the state averages. Regional studies in Maharashtra have repeatedly shown that irrigation intensity and agricultural yield are higher in western districts than in much of eastern Maharashtra. These differences subsequently led to calls for institutional safeguards. In contrast, in western Maharashtra, government moves are increasingly geared towards growth, not deficit reduction. The region’s success is built on industrial corridors, logistics infrastructure, urban mobility projects and advanced manufacturing clusters. Pune has emerged as a hub for vehicles, computer technology, defence production and startups. Mumbai remains a major draw for investment in metro rail networks, coastal roadways, financial services infrastructure and international business zones. Agricultural practices in western Maharashtra are in a relatively advanced stage of development. Irrigation coverage is much better than many districts in the east, so the authorities can concentrate on raising productivity, export-oriented, value-added farming and agro-processing industries. Western Maharashtra’s policy, in a nutshell, is to make competitive regions more competitive. Eastern Maharashtra is very different. Here, the Governments have not only focused on accelerating growth but also on reducing the backlog of development. The main policy question is irrigation. For many decades official studies have consistently identified irrigation as the most important factor for regional disparities. Even with dedicated funds, the backlog of irrigation in Vidarbha and Marathwada kept growing, requiring repeated interventions by successive governments. To tackle this, region-specific irrigation corporations, such as Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) and Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation (GMIDC) were established with a specific mandate to speed up water infrastructure projects. The Union Government has sanctioned a special irrigation package for Vidarbha, Marathwada and draught prone areas of Maharashtra, with an objective to increase irrigation potential and improve water security of the farmers. Even today, a lot of public money is spent on irrigation projects in eastern Maharashtra. Government affidavits and parliamentary replies say crores of rupees are spent every year to make up for irrigation shortfalls and to finish long-pending projects. This emphasis reflects an important reality: while the western part of Maharashtra talks about competitiveness, the eastern part of Maharashtra continues to debate water access. Another area where there are divergent approaches is industrial policy. Market forces have played a major role in the industrial expansion of western Maharashtra, a process assisted by the existing infrastructure and urbanization. In contrast, Eastern Maharashtra has frequently depended on state-led interventions to draw investment to lagging regions. Projects such as the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN), logistics corridors, special industrial incentives and infrastructure subsidies were to divert industrial expansion away from the Mumbai-Pune region. Likewise, recent government announcements have earmarked Vidarbha to become a future hub for solar energy, semiconductors, aerospace manufacturing and logistics, with Marathwada being pitched for electric vehicle and electronics investments. Whereas in western Maharashtra, the policy tends to buttress pre-existing advantages, in eastern Maharashtra the industrial policy aims to generate such advantages from the beginning. Regional Equilibrium These divisions have persisted, leading to separate institutions of governance. Vidarbha and Marathwada have statutory development boards to monitor regional imbalances and recommend corrective actions. Their emergence is an indication of a broader acceptance that market forces alone have not been adequate to promote balanced growth in Maharashtra. The second capital of Maharashtra is also Nagpur. The same ideology. The state legislature meets every winter in eastern Maharashtra to ensure that the issues concerning the region remain in the political focus. The issues discussed generally are irrigation, agriculture, tribal welfare and regional development in these sessions. The controversy over regional equity, however, is still unresolved. According to critics, despite decades of special packages and focused strategies, many irrigation projects continue to face delays, cost overruns and implementation problems. Several big projects in Vidarbha remain incomplete despite years of cash pledges. There is now a growing body of policy thinking that suggests that Maharashtra may have to give up the very terminology of backlog elimination. In its own discussion on balanced regional development, the state attaches more importance to reforms in governance, diversification of the economy and speeding up growth, than to compensatory spending. The challenge is not just building canals and roadways anymore but building lasting economic ecosystems that can hold on to talent, draw investment and create jobs beyond the traditional Mumbai-Pune boom corridor. The real test for Maharashtra will be whether future policies can turn Vidarbha and Marathwada from regions requiring special support to regions capable of driving growth on their own. Till then Maharashtra’s development story will be two stories. (The author is a columnist and climate researcher with experience in political research analysis and energy policy. Views personal.)

Widow shows husband’s blood-stained clothes to CM

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis meets family members of Santosh Jagdale in Pune.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis meets family members of Santosh Jagdale in Pune.

Mumbai/Pune: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called on the grieving and still terrorized family members of two Punekars – Santosh Jagdale and his brother-in-law Kaustubh Ganbote at their homes this evening.

 

They were among the ill-fated 26 victims of the dastardly terror attacks in Pahalgam’s famed ‘Mini-Switzerland’ destination, chief access to which is by a bumpy pony-ride.

 

A grim Fadnavis and others arrived here and met both the bereaved families individually at their homes and offered his condolences to the surviving kin and other family members, as a large number of locals also quietly gathered on the roads outside amid tight police security.

 

The grieving Sangeeta Ganbote showed Fadnavis the blood-stained clothes last worn by her husband Kaustubh when he fell to the terror bullets.

 

Fadnavis, along with Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal and Pune Bharatiya Janata Party chief Dheeraj Ghate silently viewed the clothes with folded hands.

 

Trying to control her tears, Sangeeta Ganbote said in a choking voice that when they heard the first bullet, they were told it was probably some wild animal, but moments later there was heavy firing that scared them and other tourists.

 

“We had seen many check-posts and soldiers everywhere en route, but there was no security in Pahalgam,” she told the CM, who gave her a patient ear.

 

Visit to Jagdale

The CM also visited the Jagdale family where he and others offered their condolences to Santosh Jagdale’s wife Pragati and their daughter Asawari.

 

Tears welling up again, the mother-daughter recounted how a veritable mountain of tragedy crashed on their normal lives in that verdant green meadow on April 22 afternoon.

 

Yesterday, the Jagdale family had shared with the media how they were shattered on various fronts by the sudden loss of Santosh Jagdale.

 

“My father was such a nice and friendly person, easily mingling with even strangers… Yet he met with such a cruel fate… Everything happened before our eyes,” Asawari said, wiping her tears as Pragati held on to her.

 

Pragati Jagdale had appealed for financial help from the state government and a suitable job opportunity for Asawari, as the family attempted to bring their life back on track.

 

Possible help

After calling on the two families today, Fadnavis assured in a media interaction that the government will extend all possible assistance to the families/survivors of all the six deceased victims from Maharashtra, comprising two from Pune, three from Thane and one from Raigad.

 

Since the April 22 tragedy, both the families have been barraged with media-calls and visits from all over the country and even abroad.

 

Besides there has been an unending stream of condolence visits by leaders of local and state political parties, social and community heads plus shaken ordinary citizens dropping in to share the grief of the two families.

 

Nadda meets family members of victim

Pune: BJP president J P Nadda on Saturday met the family of Pahalgam terror attack victim Santosh Jagdale here.


The Union Minister met the Jagdale family at their residence in Karve Nagar and then headed to meet the kin of Kaustubh Ganbote, another city resident killed in the April 22 attack, in Kondhwa area.


Jagdale and Ganbote were among the 26 persons, mostly tourists, who were killed by terrorists at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam in Kashmir on Tuesday afternoon.


Earlier in the day, Nadda offered prayers at the famous Dagdusheth Ganapati temple in the city. Talking to reporters there, he said India will give a befitting reply to those responsible for the terror attack. -PTI


Face legal action: CM to overstaying Pakistanis

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday reiterated that Pakistani nationals who overstay after the revocation of their visas will face legal action, a crackdown launched post the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, died.


He made the statement at an event in Pune after he met the kin of two of the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The state has so far identified 5,000 Pakistani nationals, out of which a 1,000 who are here on short-term visas are to be deported, a minister said on Saturday.


Minister of state for Home Yogesh Kadam said there could be 4,000 long term visas belonging to those who have come to the state for work and other reasons.


“According to my estimate there could be 4,000 long term visas of which 1,000 are the SAARC visa, those who have come to the state for film work, medical ground, journalism, personal work,” Kadam said.

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