The Maharashtra cabinet has cleared a new scheme to build all-weather, motorable approach roads connecting agricultural fields across rural areas of the state. According to an official statement, the decision was made during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday.

Under the Mukhya Mantri Baliraja Shet-Panand Raste Yojana, road construction can now be fully mechanised, removing earlier MGNREGA-related restrictions that relied heavily on manual labour and slowed progress in many regions. The scheme aims to provide durable, all-season farm-to-field roads in rural Maharashtra.

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who will lead the monitoring committee, noted that farmers often struggle with broken or unusable roads during the monsoon, disrupting sowing, harvesting and transport. The initiative allows 100% mechanised work to speed up construction and improve quality, with no dependence on manual labour.

Other key features include waived survey and measurement fees, exemption from police bandobast charges, and no royalty on soil, sand, murum and stones used for road building. The project also requires tree plantation along both sides of the roads and adopts cluster-based tendering in 25-km packages to fast-track work. The scheme will be implemented across all districts of Maharashtra and overseen by a high-level committee led by the revenue minister.