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The Maharashtra government has cleared the Mukhya Mantri Baliraja Shet-Panand Raste Yojana to develop all-weather, motorable farm-to-field roads across rural districts. The programme shifts fully to mechanised construction to avoid delays seen earlier under manual work through MGNREGA. It also includes waivers on survey fees, measurement charges, police bandobast, and royalty on soil, sand, murum and stones. Roads will be built through cluster-based tendering, paired with mandatory tree plantation. A high-level committee will oversee the implementation across districts to improve year-round connectivity for farmers.
The Maharashtra cabinet recently approved the Mukhya Mantri Baliraja Shet-Panand Raste Yojana, a scheme designed to build all-weather, motorable roads connecting farms to nearby villages and markets. The approval came after repeated concerns from farmers who have faced difficulties in transporting produce during monsoon months due to muddy, damaged or inaccessible pathways. Advertisement
The new programme replaces the earlier dependence on manual labour under MGNREGA, which often resulted in slow progress and inconsistent road quality in several regions. The state has shifted entirely to mechanised construction to ensure quicker execution and uniform standards across districts. Officials noted that mechanisation was introduced to minimise seasonal delays and give farmers consistent access throughout the year.
To support faster implementation, the government has exempted survey fees, measurement charges and police bandobast fees for the upcoming works. Royalty on essential road-building materials such as soil, sand, murum and stones has also been waived. These measures are meant to reduce procedural bottlenecks and encourage smoother ground-level execution.
The scheme will follow a cluster-based tendering approach, with roadwork executed in 25-kilometre packages. This structure is expected to speed up contracting and reduce fragmentation in development. Alongside construction, tree plantation on both sides of every road has been made compulsory as part of the final design requirement.
The implementation will be monitored by a high-level committee led by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. He mentioned that farmers have repeatedly highlighted how poor road connectivity disrupts sowing, harvesting and transportation cycles, particularly during heavy rains. The state intends to cover all districts under this programme, ensuring that the benefits extend uniformly across rural Maharashtra.
Past cabinet discussions had also emphasised the need for dependable infrastructure around agricultural zones, and the latest approval aligns with ongoing efforts to strengthen rural connectivity in the state. With the new scheme, the government aims to give farmers better access to villages, markets and essential services, ultimately improving operational efficiency across agricultural communities.
Source PTI
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