Minister Shambhuraj Desai Takes Charge of Tourism, Mining, and Ex-Servicemen Welfare Departments

Promoting Local Development through Tourism Focused on Forts – Minister Shambhuraj Desai in a Review Meeting
Integrated Mining Block Management System to Be Implemented
Welfare Schemes for Soldiers and Their Families through the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Department

Mumbai : Maharashtra, blessed with natural wealth, has preserved its historical and cultural heritage through its forts. Efforts must be accelerated to enhance this heritage through tourism, which will also promote local development, instructed Shambhuraj Desai, Minister of Tourism, Mining, and Ex-Servicemen Welfare, to the concerned officials.

Today, Minister Shambhuraj Desai assumed charge of the Tourism, Mining, and Ex-Servicemen Welfare Departments at the Mantralaya. During a meeting with senior officials from these departments, he conducted a detailed review of all three sectors. Present at the meeting were Pankaj Bhoyar, Minister of State for Mining; Anshu Sinha, Principal Secretary of the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Department; Jayshree Bhoj, Secretary of the Tourism Department; Lakshmikant Dhoke, Joint Secretary of the Mining Department; Dr. V.N. Patil, Tourism Director; Manojkumar Suryavanshi, Managing Director of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation; Deputy Director of the Directorate of Geology and Mining Mr. Kadu; Deputy Secretary of Ex-Servicemen Welfare Chandrakant More; Colonel Deepak Dhonge, Director of Ex-Servicemen Welfare; and Varsha Laddha, Managing Director of MESCO, among others.

The Minister emphasized that appropriate planning and new regulations should be drafted to promote tourism growth and attract more visitors in the future. He suggested appointing an agency to brand the Tourism Department for effective promotion and publicity.

Developing Nashik as a Tourist Hub

Minister Desai directed that Nashik district should be developed as a center of tourist attraction. While Lord Ram’s birthplace was Ayodhya, much of his life, according to history, was spent in Nashik. Funds have been approved under the Central Special Assistance Scheme for the “Ram-Kal-Path” project, and a theme park narrating the story of Ram should be created, he suggested. He also reviewed tourism policies, schemes, and departmental positions.

Efficient Mining Transport and Revenue Growth

While reviewing the Mining Department, Minister Desai proposed implementing an Integrated Mining Block Management Computerized System to simplify the control of vehicles transporting minerals. This system will help curb illegal mineral transportation and boost revenue.

Ex-Servicemen Welfare Initiatives

The Minister assured that all necessary efforts would be made for the welfare and rehabilitation of war widows, parents of martyrs, ex-servicemen, and their dependent families. He directed that while recruiting contractual manpower in the Soldiers Welfare Department, priority should be given to active and retired soldiers. He also suggested that under the Maharashtra Ex-Servicemen Corporation (MESCO), ex-servicemen should be offered employment not only as security personnel but also in clerical and technical positions.

Additionally, he reviewed the functioning of the Pre-Military Training Institutes at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and the Girls’ Pre-Military Training Institute in Nashik.