Poll-bound Maharashtra received special attention in the Union Budget on Thursday — it was gifted with its first IIM (Indian Institute of Management) and AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences).
Soon after the announcement on IIM, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani took to twitter to congratulate the Central government. “5 new IIMs in Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab n Himachal Pradesh. Congratulations @PMOIndia @arunjaitley,” she tweeted.
Positive responseThe IIM announcement drew a positive response from the twitteratti. A Pune-based IT professional Amit Paranjape tweeted, “thanks..IIM in Pune / Maharashtra is a long standing requirement!”
Maharashtra BJP treasurer Shaina NC also tweeted, “Very glad to see an IIM in Maharashtra, this was long due for our industrious state.”
Political parties have for long been demanding an IIM for the State.
The AIIMS will be set up in the State’s backward Vidarbha region, which is infamous for its high rate of farmers’ suicides.
Boost for industryUnion Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also announced a slew of proposals for industrial development in the State, which is likely to vote in October. Mr. Jaitley allotted Rs. 100 crore for a National Industrial Corridor with its headquarters in Pune. Special Economic Zones (SEZs) would be developed in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust near Mumbai, along with Kandla in Gujarat. These are part of a “comprehensive policy to be announced to promote Indian ship building industry,” Mr. Jaitley said.
The budget also proposed to accord the status of Institutes of National Importance on Pune’s prestigious Film & Television Institute (FTII) and the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata. Pune has also been awarded with a new Nascent agri-biotech cluster, along with Kolkata. The existing cluster in Mohali will be scaled up.
Virtual classroomsMr. Jaitley also announced his plan to introduce virtual classrooms in school education. The Sena was quick to link it with its successful implementation in the Mumbai municipality, which is currently run by the party. “I am glad that virtual classrooms, first successfully implemented in the country as a pilot project by the BMC, will now be used nationwide for students,” tweeted Aaditya Thackeray, son of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. The Budget allotted Rs. 100 crore for setting up virtual classrooms and online courses.
A perspective plan for the Bengaluru Mumbai economic corridor (BMEC) and Vizag-Chennai corridor will be completed with provision for 20 new industrial clusters, according to the Budget.
