Shirdi Trust has come to Maharashtra Government’s rescue as the trust has advanced loan of Rs. 500 crore to complete pending irrigation projects in the state. As reported by Times of India, the Shirdi Trust has given Rs. 500 crore interest-free loan for completion of pending works of the Nilwande irrigation project. The irrigation project is essential for the parched areas of most tehsils in Ahmednagar district.
The BJP government had approached the Saibaba Temple Trust of Shirdi, one of the richest temple trusts in India. No time-frame has been fixed for the repayment of the interest-free loan. The trust and the Godawari-Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding for the same. Shirdi is one of the villages which will benefit from completion of the project.
Earlier, too, Saibaba Temple Trust at Shirdi had come to the rescue of state government. In June this year, the trust donated Rs. 71 crore for upgradation and modernisation of four medical colleges in Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Aurangabad and Nagpur. The trust had also donated Rs. 5 crore for relief work when the devastating floods hit Kerala in August this year.