Maha cabinet clears Rs 3k worth of tenders for water grid plan

The Maharashtra cabinet on Monday cleared 37 proposals, including issuing tenders worth Rs 3,122 crore for water grid projects in Osmanabad and Latur.

It also sanctioned the formation of a sub-committee to oversee plans to construct a memorial for former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Mumbai.

As per a cabinet decision, Mumbai will get 16 new commercial courts.

The cabinet decided to make available Rs 25 crore to improve facilities at Sushrusha Citizens' Cooperative Hospital in Vikhroli.

A new quota will be established in government colleges for MBBS course aimed at those signing a bond agreeing to work with the state government for a longer period.

Presently, students have to spend a year in rural areas of the state as internship.

Another decision cleared by the state cabinet on Monday stipulated that no individual can avail more than one flat if he/she has already been benefited under a different government scheme.

Earlier, the restriction was that the person could not avail a second flat in the same district or region specified by the state.

The cabinet also decided to implement the 'State of Maharashtra's Agribusiness and Rural Transformation (SMART)' project assisted by the World Bank.

Four irrigation projects in Jalgaon district and one in Thane's Shahapur were given improved administrative approval.

In a move aimed at farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha, the state cabinet decided to waive off farm loans availed from out of jurisdiction money-lenders, with officials claiming the amount may run into about Rs 100 crore.

Farmers till now could avail the benefit of waivers of loans taken from banks or government-approved sources.

The cabinet also decided to implement the Chief Minister Awas Yojana for patients affected by leprosy.

A decision to establish Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) for Divyang individuals was also taken, as well as centres for excellence in mental asylums in Thane, Pune and Nagpur to develop curriculum related to mental health.