Revival of Water and Land Management Institute on the cards, says Maharashtra minister Sanjay Rathod

Sanjay Rathod. Pic/X

Maharashtra minister Sanjay Rathod on Monday said that the detailed project report on the revival of Water and Land Management Institute in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar will be approved by the state government and funds will be made available for the purpose, reported news agency PTI.

Talking to reporters after chairing a meeting on the subject, the state minister for soil and water conservation asserted Water and Land Management Institute has a special place in the hearts of Maharashtra's farmers.

"The state government will sanction the DPR on the revival of WLMI. Repairs and other infrastructure changes will be done. We had a meeting of former faculty members and their help has been sought. The DPR will be kept in the cabinet for sanction and necessary funds will be made available," Rathod said, reported PTI.

Former WLMI faculty member and water expert Pradeep Purandare told PTI the Water and Land Management Institute was in a fragile state with just one or two experts remaining, who too are slated to retire soon.

The revival of this institute is necessary, Purandare added.

Rathod also said "post factor" (retroactive) sanctions had been accorded to six projects of Water Conservation Corporation, which functions under his ministry. These will be in Thane, Raigad and Sindhudurg.

"The corporation has 14,354 small irrigation projects under its jurisdiction. Of these, 3509 are completed, resulting in irrigation of 10.7 lakh hectares of land. A total of 10,845 projects are under construction. Once completed, they will irrigate 2.97 lakh hectares of land," an official said, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has identified 139 religious sites, including 73 from across the country and 66 from within the state, to facilitate free pilgrimages for senior citizens above 60 years under the Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana, reported PTI.

A Government Resolution (GR) detailing this scheme was issued on Sunday, following its approval by the state Cabinet last week. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had announced the scheme in the legislative assembly, reported PTI.

Beneficiaries of this scheme will be selected by a lottery method from the applications received.

The pilgrimage destinations include prominent religious sites such as Vaishno Devi temple, Amarnath Caves, Golden Temple in Amritsar, Char Dham Yatra, Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Somnath Temple in Dwarka, and Jagannath Puri in Odisha.

Within Maharashtra, 15 religious locations in Mumbai are part of the scheme. These include Siddhivinayak temple, Chaityabhoomi (associated with B.R. Ambedkar), Vipassana pagoda, a synagogue, Mount Mary church in Bandra and St Andrews Church, besides the Jain Temple in Nashik, and Dikshabhoomi in Nagpur, where Ambedkar embraced Buddhism.

Eligible individuals with an annual income of up to Rs 2.5 lakh are entitled to Rs 30,000 to cover travel, accommodation, and food expenses, reported PTI.

Applicants above the age of 75 are allowed to take along a spouse or attendant. A 17-member committee, led by the social justice minister, has been established to monitor and review the scheme at the state level, reported PTI.

A seven-member panel, including the assistant commissioner of the social justice department as the member secretary, has been set up at the district level under the chairmanship of the guardian minister.

(With inputs from PTI)