Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Maharashtra has reportedly secured Rs 500 crore interest-free loan from the Shirdi Temple Trust. The cash-strapped government will reportedly use the loan to complete the long-pending Nilwande irrigation project which, when completed, will meet the drinking-water requirements of all talukas (tehsils) in Ahmednagar.

Times of India reported that in February 2018, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis decided to approve the loan proposal from Shirdi Temple Trust. Accordingly, on Saturday, December 1, orders were issued to release the initial couple of instalments for the sum. Reportedly, this is the first time that such a huge sum has been loaned to a state-owned project. In addition to the sum being interest-free, no time-limit has been stipulated for its repayment.

Speaking to TOI, a senior temple trust officer said, “The Saibaba Temple Trust and the Godavari-Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purpose. It will be a special case in the history of the temple trust.”

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The total cost of the Nilwande project is reported to be Rs 1,200 crores. Apart from Shirdi Temple Trust loaning Rs 500 crore, the water resources department has set aside Rs 300 crores in its budget for the project. The Maharashtra government is planning to set aside Rs 400 crores in its budget provision in the upcoming year.

According to the official, alongside addressing the water requirements of all talukas in Ahmednagar, the project will also benefit Shirdi, Rahuri, Kopargaon, Akole and Sangamner. “We have proposed to meet the demand of all tehsils in Ahmednagar district. Akole, Sangamner, Rahuri, Kopargaon and Shirdi are among the villages which will benefit once the project is complete,” added the official.

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