To implement a district-led development plan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has launched the Institutional Capacity Building Project. The project was launched during the Governing Body Meeting of Maharashtra Institution for Transformation – MITRA, held in Mumbai today. The project, to be undertaken under the Maharashtra Strengthening Institutional Capabilities in Districts for Enabling Growth Project or MahaSTRIDE initiative will be supported by the World Bank with a contribution of one thousand and 562 crore rupees.

Addressing the meeting, Mr Shinde said MITRA must focus on the development of agriculture, health, education, environment, infrastructure, and energy sectors to fulfil the state’s aim of becoming a trillion-dollar economy. He added that issues related to climate change, the introduction of new agri techniques and the promotion of organic farming must also be looked into for the welfare of farmers and the general public as well.

During the meeting, MITRA’s CEO Praveen Pardeshi informed that the World Bank has also agreed to provide financial aid of two thousand and 240 crore rupees to prevent flooding in the Krishna-Bhima basin. The project, to be implemented under the Maharashtra Resilience Development Program, at a total cost of three thousand and 200 crore rupees will prove beneficial for the citizens of Sangli and Kolhapur districts. Stating that roads and infrastructure development are being fast-tracked across Maharashtra, Mr Shinde asked MITRA to ensure that besides metros, industries are set up in Marathwada and Vidarbha region too. To increase Maharashtra’s growth rate to 17.55 per cent by 2028, MITRA has signed MoUs with Gokhale Institute, IIM Nagpur, IIT Mumbai and Mumbai School of Economics to help them as knowledge partners while Piramal Foundation will support in training.