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Pune: Maharashtra made a strong pitch for enhanced financial support at the pre-Union Budget meeting held on Friday, laying out proposals ranging from energy storage expansion to infrastructure development. State minister Aditi Tatkare represented Maharashtra at the meeting held in Jailsalmer, Rajasthan, and headed by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Tatkare sought an increase in battery energy storage system capacity from 500 MWh to 9,000 MWh to meet the state's energy storage target and pushed for modernisation of law enforcement through digital forensic labs and cyber security projects worth Rs 837.
86 crore. She sought enhanced allocation under Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment, particularly for untied works, and requested for streamlining funds disbursement timelines to provide qualifying states with a minimum one-year utilisation window. "Urban development remains our key focus as Maharashtra's urbanisation is set to cross 50% in the upcoming census," Tatkare said.
Among the proposals tabled for Maharashtra are establishing Kisan Vishesh Sahayata Nidhi for farmers affected by trade policies and enhanced funding for Jal Jeevan Mission. The state pitched for including its river-linking projects — Wainganga-Nalganga and Damanganga-Godavari — under National Interlinking of Rivers Scheme. Special assistance was sought for capital investment schemes with streamlined fund disbursement allowing states at least one year for utilisation.
"These proposals reflect Maharashtra's commitment to balanced growth," Tatkare said at the meeting. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .
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