‘BJP govt neglected rural development’

State rural development minister Hasan Mushrif on Tuesday said the previous government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) neglected rural development and focussed

State rural development minister Hasan Mushrif on Tuesday said the previous government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) neglected rural development and focussed only on urban areas, and alleged this had resulted in bad condition of roads in rural areas. He said, “The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will focus on striking a balance between both rural and urban areas when it comes to development.”

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“The priority of the previous government was urban areas which has impacted the development in rural areas. They took up many big infrastructure projects for urban areas, but nothing for rural areas. As a result, rural roads are in a very bad shape. The condition of primary schools and public health also needs improvement,” Mushrif said.

He said, “The development of rural areas will be on our priority list. The development of the country is possible only when a balance is maintained between urban and rural areas.”

Mushrif added that his department may lose funds in this financial year. “We have two months to utilise the funds which may not be possible, and hence we have urged the finance department to extend the deadline,” he said.

Mushrif also opposed the move, mooted by the previous government, to elect sarpanch of gram panchayat and president of nagar parishad directly.