Dattatray Bharane Orders Speed Up of Rs 64 Crore SMART Projects in Solapur District
On July 14, 2026, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane directed officials to ensure the timely completion of all sub-projects under the Balasaheb Thackeray Agribusiness and Rural Transformation (SMART) Project in Solapur district. Speaking during an online review meeting, the minister ordered the immediate resolution of technical, administrative, and financial bottlenecks faced by local Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to prevent any delays.
The review meeting chaired by Minister Bharane was attended by MLA Uttamrao Jankar, SMART Project Director Pradeep Chandran, and Agriculture Department Deputy Secretary Ganesh Kachare. Representatives from 25 community-based organisations (CBOs) participating in the project also joined the session.
During the meeting, Minister Bharane emphasised that officials must closely monitor the progress of all ongoing works. He instructed the administration to clear pending tasks related to construction, the installation of machinery, audits, subsidy disbursements, and statutory approvals.
To keep the implementation on track, the minister urged all concerned departments to work in close coordination. He announced that a follow-up review meeting will be conducted on July 30 to assess the progress made on these directives.
Providing an update on the ground situation, Project Director Pradeep Chandran informed the meeting that final approval has been granted to 25 sub-projects undertaken by CBOs in Solapur district. These sub-projects have a total approved cost of Rs 64.10 crore, supported by Rs 38.42 crore in government assistance.
Chandran detailed the funding flow, stating that the first instalment of the subsidy has been successfully released to all 25 organisations. Furthermore, 14 organisations have received their second instalment, and four have progressed to receive their third.
To date, subsidies worth Rs 26.36 crore have been disbursed, of which Rs 20.82 crore has been utilised. Total works worth Rs 41.93 crore—comprising government subsidies, beneficiary contributions, and institutional loans—have already been completed in the district.
