MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated three schemes of power department, including the one that aims at providing power to farmers during the day-time.
Another scheme for installing 1 lakh solar powered agriculture pumps too got a Cabinet nod on Tuesday.
The ‘Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana’, which aims at providing solar water pumps to farmers in areas difficult to cover under regular power supply scheme, the High Voltage Distribution Scheme (HVDS) to provide appropriate voltage supply and the electric vehicle charging stations were the schemes inaugurated by Fadnavis at a function in the Mantralaya.
“Under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana, 7.50 lakh farmers will get electricity during daytime. By providing electricity to the farmers at lower tariff, the burden of subsidy on the industrial consumers will also be reduced,” Fadnavis said, after he inaugurated the scheme.
The CM said the farmer-centric schemes would enrich lives of farmers, while schemes for the appropriate voltage supply and electric vehicles charging centre would help the industry as well as the environment and also boost employment potential of the state.
Meanwhile, the state government also approved scheme for redevelopment of Dharavi slums spread over 576 acre. Even after five extensions and two tenders since 2007, the scheme had not been able to take off. The government has now granted a special project status to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) and it will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle model.
The government expects investment of Rs 20,000 crore in the project that shall rehabilitate about one lakh structures, housing minister Prakash Mehta said. The project will take seven years to complete and the Railways has in-principle agreed to allocate 90 acre for the project, he added.