Nagpur: The prolonged delay in reconstituting statutory development boards for Vidarbha, Marathwada and the rest of Maharashtra triggered a sharp political exchange in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. Congress MLA Sulabha Khodke questioned why the constitutionally mandated bodies have remained defunct for more than six years despite repeated assurances from successive govts.Raising the issue through a written calling attention motion during the ongoing monsoon session in Mumbai, Khodke argued that the absence of the boards since April 30, 2020, has undermined institutional mechanisms designed to address regional imbalances and monitor developmental backlogs in Vidarbha and Marathwada.Statutory development boards were established under Article 371 (2) of the Constitution, which grants the governor special responsibility to ensure equitable allocation of development funds, educational opportunities, employment across Maharashtra’s regions. Separate boards for Vidarbha, Marathwada and rest of Maharashtra were constituted in 1994 to track regional disparities and recommend corrective measures.Khodke also pointed to the continued functioning of board offices despite expiry of their tenure, noting more than 3 crore is spent annually on administrative and staff expenses. According to her, appointments of officials such as Dr Vijay Bhakare for Vidarbha and Anil Ramod for Marathwada have not compensated for the absence of fully constituted boards.Responding on behalf of govt, CM Devendra Fadnavis said the process of reconstitution is underway. He informed the House the governor has already forwarded a proposal to Centre and that follow-up is being pursued. According to govt, funds are currently distributed under a fixed formula, with 23.03% allocated to Vidarbha, 18.75% to Marathwada and 58.23% to rest of Maharashtra. Seeking to counter opposition claims of neglect, the CM highlighted economic indicators from past 5 years. He said 13.42 lakh micro, small and medium enterprises were registered in Vidarbha and 8.12 lakh in Marathwada, generating an estimated 57.88 lakh and 39.13 lakh employment opportunities, respectively.
