Before the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is leading the coalition government in Maharashtra, has opened the treasury for Marathwada. On the completion of 75 years of the Marathwada Liberation War, the Chief Minister first held a cabinet meeting. After this he announced this package in the presence of both the Deputy CMs. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a special economic package of over Rs 45,000 crore for various projects, promising to turn Marathwada into a ‘drought-free’ region. It also includes some irrigation projects. Earlier, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde unveiled the plaques naming the new districts of Aurangabad and Osmanabad. Amidst the demand for Maratha reservation in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had announced the next cabinet meeting in Marathwada.
Opposition parties had targeted the grand preparations made in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) for the cabinet meeting in Marathwada. Congress had raised questions over the ministers staying in a five-star hotel. This is the second time that the cabinet meeting of Maharashtra government has been organized in Marathwada. Before Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis had held a meeting in the year 2016 and announced a relief package of Rs 49,800 crore. Fadnavis was then the Chief Minister of the state. On 15 September, Marathwada was freed from the rule of Nizam. In such a situation, this day is celebrated as Marathwada Liberation Day. The government had held a cabinet meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar a day before this special occasion.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde officially unveiled the plaques organized to change the names of ‘Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’ (Aurangabad) and ‘Dharashiv’ (Osmanabad) in the presence of both Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. Speaking to the media, Shinde, Fadnavis, Pawar announced decisions related to the package for eight districts of the Marathwada region – Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dharashiv, Beed, Latur, Jalna, Parbhani, Hingoli and Nanded. He criticized the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government of former CM Uddhav Thackeray for ‘ignoring’ the development of Marathwada.