District Planning Committee Meeting Held Under the Chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar

Draft plan of ₹1,032 crore approved; demand for additional ₹700 crore to be submitted

Pune, Feb 2026 : The District Planning Committee (DPC) has approved the draft plan for the Pune District Annual Plan for the year 2026–27 with a proposed financial outlay of ₹1,032.88 crore. The plan places major emphasis on rural and transport development, non-conventional energy and power, Green Maharashtra initiatives, urban and health infrastructure, women and child empowerment, dynamic governance, skill-based employment generation, educational infrastructure enhancement, and the promotion of sports and arts. This information was shared by Deputy Chief Minister and Guardian Minister of the district Sunetra Ajit Pawar.

She guided the meeting via video conferencing from the Jhumber Hall at the Vidhan Bhavan. Present at the meeting were Agriculture Minister Dattatraya Bharane; Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal; Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council Dr Neelam Gorhe; MLAs Amit Gorkhe, Bhimrao Tapkir, Rahul Kul, Siddharth Shirole, Bapusaheb Pathare, Babaji Kale, Shankar Mandekar, Hemant Rasane, Sunil Shelke and Shankar Jagtap; Pune Mayor Manjusha Nagpure; Divisional Commissioner Dr Chandrakant Pulkundwar; Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar; PMRDA CEO Yogesh Mhase; Pune Municipal Corporation Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B. P.; Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Joint Commissioner Shashikant Mahavarkar; District Collector Jitendra Dudi; Zilla Parishad CEO Chandrakant Waghmare; Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill; Chief Engineer (PWD) Rajendra Rahane; Superintending Engineer Bharatkumar Baviskar; and District Planning Officer Kiran Indalkar.

Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant (Dada) Patil; MPs Supriya Sule and Dr Amol Kolhe; MLA Sharad Sonawane; Guardian Secretary V. Radha; Secretary to the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Rajesh Deshmukh; and Pune City Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar participated via video conferencing.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawar said the proposed draft plan for 2026–27 allocates ₹135 crore for rural development, ₹115 crore for transport development, ₹116.25 crore for urban infrastructure, ₹80 crore for non-conventional energy and power, ₹56.86 crore for tourism development, ₹40 crore for Green Maharashtra initiatives, ₹110.71 crore for health infrastructure development, ₹29.44 crore for women and child empowerment, ₹78.50 crore for dynamic administration, ₹10.5 crore for skill-based employment generation, ₹100 crore for strengthening educational infrastructure, and ₹10.1 crore for the development of sports and arts.

Although the government has fixed a financial ceiling of ₹1,032.88 crore for 2026–27, demands totaling ₹3,128 crore have been received from various departments. After scrutiny, only essential and priority projects required for the district’s overall development are being included. Following this process, a demand for an additional ₹700 crore will be submitted to the government.

She instructed that the District Planning Committee should focus on implementing larger, impactful projects that benefit a maximum number of citizens rather than fragmented small works. Priority should be given to the development of extremely backward and remote areas. Fixed timelines should be set and strictly followed for administrative approvals, tendering processes and implementation.

The meeting also reviewed the expenditure of ₹1,589.46 crore for 2025–26, including ₹1,379 crore under the General Plan, ₹145 crore under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan, and ₹65.46 crore under the Tribal Sub-Plan. Emphasising disciplined and timely utilisation of funds, Deputy Chief Minister Pawar said it is everyone’s responsibility to complete ongoing projects with quality, discipline and adherence to timelines, in line with the principles laid down by the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. She added that a detailed in-person review meeting will be held in April.

District Collector Jitendra Dudi presented a review of expenditure for 2025–26 and outlined the priorities in the proposed 2026–27 draft plan, including boosting agricultural growth rates and per capita farm income through allied agricultural sectors, fair pricing, healthy competition, open markets, water and soil conservation works, and measures to enhance groundwater storage.

Ministers, MPs and MLAs present at the meeting offered suggestions on various development works. Heads of implementing agencies were also present.

Tribute to Late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar

A tribute was paid to the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at the District Planning Committee meeting held at the Vidhan Bhavan, with Deputy Chief Minister and Guardian Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar presiding.

Speaking on the occasion, Chandrakant (Dada) Patil said Ajit Pawar was a leader known for his in-depth working style and forward-looking vision, and made an immense contribution to the state’s progress. Agriculture Minister Dattatraya Bharane said the state and Pune district have suffered an irreplaceable loss with his demise, and urged everyone to work together to carry forward his vision of development under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar.

Dr Neelam Gorhe recalled Ajit Pawar’s role as Deputy Chief Minister, Guardian Minister and Leader of the Opposition, highlighting his commitment to resolving public issues and guiding infrastructure projects with clarity and precision. Madhuri Misal demanded that the international-standard cricket stadium in Kolhapur and the Jhumber Hall at Pune Vidhan Bhavan be named after Ajit Pawar, noting that both initiatives were conceived during his tenure.