Aspirations in Numbers: Vidarbha’s Hopes Reflected in Spending Patterns

thenewsdirt
Jan 21
9 min read

Vidarbha has long been at the heart of debates over equitable development in Maharashtra. For decades, people in this region have aspired to catch up with the more prosperous western parts of the state and have even nurtured a separate statehood dream.

These aspirations can be traced through the region’s spending patterns from government budgets meant to address development backlogs to local demands for a fair share of resources.

Every allocation and expenditure carries weight beyond the numbers, signalling either progress or neglect. The financial ledgers of the State tell a story of hope, frustration, and determination in Vidarbha.

Balanced Development Promises and Pitfalls

When Vidarbha was merged into Maharashtra in the 1950s, leaders struck the Nagpur Pact with assurances of equitable development.

Decades later, this commitment took shape in statutory development boards constituted in 1994 under Article 371(2) of the Constitution.

These boards were tasked with identifying the development backlog in regions like Vidarbha and ensuring targeted funding to bridge the gap. To guide balanced growth, a formula was set for distributing state Plan funds, about 23% for Vidarbha, 19% for Marathwada, and the rest around 58% for the rest of Maharashtra. This formula made Vidarbha’s share of public spending a calculable entitlement reflecting its developmental needs.

In practice, however, the promised balance was hard to achieve. Over the years, committees periodically measured the backlog shortfalls in infrastructure and services compared to other regions, and the figures were stark.

By 1994, the total backlog across Maharashtra’s underdeveloped areas was estimated at over ₹15,000 crore, with Vidarbha accounting for a significant portion. Critical sectors like irrigation illustrated this lag. In 1994, a state commission officially acknowledged the severe irrigation backlog in Vidarbha, especially in districts like Amravati. Yet recognition did not immediately translate into sufficient action. Local leaders often pointed out that despite such studies, budgetary allocations remained inadequate to erase the deficit.

The development boards became a forum for highlighting these gaps and pressing for funds. As one board member noted, these bodies were the last constitutional platform for Vidarbha to voice its development concerns. Without them, the region would struggle to fulfil developmental gaps.

For a time, the system did attempt course correction. Between 2013 and 2020, with the development boards in place, Vidarbha actually received a higher share of plan expenditure than the formula required, about 27.97% of funds versus the 23% benchmark.

This was a deliberate push to tackle the accumulated backlog, and it outpaced even the prescribed allocation for the region. Officials touted this as evidence that they were serious about uplifting historically neglected areas.

However, these efforts were not institutionalised for the long term. In 2020, the statutory boards’ tenure lapsed without extension, raising alarms in Vidarbha. Leaders across party lines warned that letting the boards expire could derail progress.

A senior legislator from the region bluntly cautioned in the state assembly that by not reconstituting the boards, the government was creating a fresh imbalance and even a new backlog in development.

He criticised the tokenism of holding the winter legislative session in Nagpur without backing it up with real economic measures, calling it a mere eyewash.

Critics even accused the administration of undermining constitutional safeguards by failing to uphold Article 371(2)’s provisions for regional equity. The lapse of the boards marked a pivotal moment. It tested whether Vidarbha’s aspirations for fair treatment would still be reflected in spending patterns or fade amid political indifference.

Budget Allocations Perception vs Reality

Scrutiny of state and central budgets reveals the tug-of-war between official claims and local perceptions in Vidarbha.

On paper, Maharashtra’s government insists it has kept faith with the region. In late 2023, the finance authorities in Mumbai reported that Vidarbha and Marathwada were getting more funds than even the formula required, despite the absence of development boards.

From 2013–14 to 2020–21, Vidarbha’s allocation averaged nearly 28% of the state’s plan expenditure, exceeding its stipulated share.

Officials vowed that no injustice would be meted out to the region and that eliminating the historic backlog remained a priority. In short, the narrative from the government has been that Vidarbha’s needs are not only acknowledged but are being addressed with extra budgetary attention.

At ground level, however, these assurances meet with scepticism. Vidarbha-based activists and analysts often counter with examples where funding still falls short of aspirations. A striking case emerged in the 2023 state budget.

Maharashtra earmarked only ₹2,000 crore specifically to address Vidarbha’s enormous irrigation backlog, a backlog estimated to exceed ₹55,000 crore. The sum was so disproportionately low that it prompted the Bombay High Court to demand an explanation from the government on why crucial projects remained underfunded.

Incidents like this reinforce a common sentiment in Vidarbha that budgetary numbers frequently don’t match the rhetoric. Former officials note that expert committees have for years recommended higher targeted spending in backward regions like Vidarbha, yet implementation of those recommendations has been sluggish. Each under-allocation in vital sectors, be it irrigation, healthcare or education, is seen as a missed opportunity to honour the region’s long-standing hopes.

The disconnect is perhaps most vividly on display when looking at national budgets. In 2024, Vidarbha’s statehood proponents were dismayed at the Union Budget’s offerings for the region.

The budget did announce some projects, a new metro line for Nagpur, a river-cleaning initiative, and funds addressing the agrarian crisis, but the financial commitments were modest.

A mere ₹600 crore allocation for Vidarbha and Marathwada’s irrigation projects was met with derision by local leaders. One former Advocate General of Maharashtra branded the ₹600 crore sum a pittance given the scale of unmet needs. Another regional analyst pointed out that thousands of crores were being funnelled to certain other states due to political compulsions, while Vidarbha has got nothing literally by comparison. The subtext of these remarks was clear.

Vidarbha’s stakeholders feel their region is not a political priority in funding decisions. A senior lawyer from Nagpur went so far as to say there is nothing in this budget for Vidarbha, arguing that even as farmer distress and unemployment plague the region, the absence of targeted plans shows Maharashtra is biased against Vidarbha.

Such blunt words underscore the deep frustration among those who believe Vidarbha’s development is perpetually an afterthought in big-budget announcements.

The state government’s claims of generous allocations thus collide with locals’ lived reality and perceptions. For many in Vidarbha, the true measure of government intent lies not in headline statistics but in whether critical projects get completed and essential services reach their districts. Until that happens consistently, official figures alone may do little to change minds in the region.

Development Projects and Ongoing Aspirations

If spending patterns are the language of development, then projects on the ground are its visible script. In Vidarbha, that script has begun to show some positive lines in recent years. Take irrigation, the sector most synonymous with the region’s backlog.

After decades of lagging canals and dams, a concentrated push has markedly improved the situation.

As of mid-2025, the Maharashtra government reported that 758 out of 858 irrigation projects in Vidarbha have been completed, and another 87 are actively underway.

This construction drive has expanded irrigation to roughly 64% of the region’s arable land. Officials highlight that by June 2025, 94% of the historically identified irrigation backlog measured in hectares had been cleared in Vidarbha’s key drought-prone districts. This progress, funded by a mix of state grants, central schemes, and development loans, directly addresses one of Vidarbha’s core aspirations.

Water security for its farmers. Decades of pleas to complete long-pending projects like the giant Gosikhurd dam are finally yielding tangible results. Although some pockets, notably parts of Akola and Buldhana, still await full irrigation access, the overall trend suggests that a major gap is at last closing. In the context of Vidarbha’s struggle, it is a lifeline that could stabilise agriculture and rural incomes, and it illustrates how targeted spending can fulfil a regional hope.

Infrastructure and industry investments tell a more mixed tale. Vidarbha’s development backlog spanned roads, power, education, and jobs. On the transport front, connectivity improvements came late to this region.

For years, citizens watched as Western Maharashtra gained modern highways and expressways while Vidarbha’s roads remained potholed and narrow. The first high-speed corridor to truly benefit the region, the Nagpur–Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway, was inaugurated only in the 2020s, decades after the state’s first expressway was built in the west.

Its arrival has been transformative, cutting travel times and spurring hopes of logistical investment in districts like Nagpur and Wardha. However, public works records show that in the 2000s and 2010s, road upgrades in Vidarbha lagged behind, often deferred in favour of projects near the state capital.

The expressway’s delayed realisation reinforced a perception that Vidarbha was an afterthought in transportation planning, included only at a later stage of development. A similar pattern is evident in industrial growth. The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation set up dozens of industrial estates over the past few decades, but the lion’s share of major industries gravitated to Pune, Nashik, and other western centres.

Studies have shown that 60–70% of large industrial investments in the state flowed westward, especially into automotive and pharmaceutical hubs in those regions. Vidarbha, despite its ample land and surplus electricity, attracted far fewer big factories or corporate offices in the initial waves of liberalisation.

There were notable attempts to change this narrative, for instance, the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur was launched as a flagship project to make Nagpur a logistics and IT nucleus.

Yet, MIHAN suffered repeated delays and policy setbacks over the years. Government audits and media reports found that slow land acquisition, funding lapses, and a lack of follow-through kept the project from taking off as intended. While Pune’s IT parks and industrial zones rapidly expanded with active state support, Nagpur’s MIHAN struggled to fill its sprawling Special Economic Zone. Such uneven outcomes highlight that allocating funds is only part of the challenge.

Consistent policy support and timely execution are equally crucial to realising Vidarbha’s development aspirations.

The social sector mirrors these trends of gradual improvement mixed with historical under-investment. Vidarbha today hosts several universities and professional colleges, but locals recall how it waited longer for institutions that other regions got early on.

For example, an agricultural university in Vidarbha came years after one was established in western Maharashtra, hampering research tailored to local crops for a time. Government vocational training centres and skill development programs also rolled out more slowly in eastern districts, which in turn led many students to migrate west for opportunities.

Each of these lags in education and employment was a dent in the aspirations of Vidarbha’s youth. The state has been trying to plug these gaps, new skill hubs in Nagpur, better funding for colleges in smaller towns, but recovering lost ground is an ongoing process rather than an overnight fix.

Amidst these complexities, one constant is the resolve of Vidarbha’s people to seek their due. Every bridge built or scheme implemented is closely watched and measured against promises. And when progress seems too slow, public pressure mounts. Over the years, frustration with the pace of development has given rise to a resilient statehood movement. The logic voiced by its proponents is that only a separate Vidarbha state would have the autonomy and focus to direct resources properly to the region.

This sentiment was starkly articulated by a local entrepreneur during the 2024 budget discussions. Vidarbha has to carve its own future, and a separate state remains the only way out. It is a dramatic prescription, but it captures the depth of feeling behind the numbers and projects. To many, statehood is not just a political slogan but the ultimate contingency plan if spending patterns continue to disappoint.

Ultimately, the story of Vidarbha’s aspirations is being written as much in budget documents and project reports as in political rallies. Each percentage point of allocation, each crore of rupees invested in a dam or a road, signifies a step toward addressing the region’s sense of injustice.

There have been noteworthy strides in irrigation systems, highways are arriving, and funds have started to acknowledge backlogs, yet the journey is far from over.

Vidarbha’s experience shows that development is not just about economic indicators but about the trust that a region’s hopes will be met with tangible action.

As the state’s planners and politicians decide where the next rupee goes, Vidarbha’s citizens will be watching closely. Their expectations are clear and hard-earned, they want the decades of promises to finally translate into concrete improvements in their lives.

In the ledger of Maharashtra’s development, Vidarbha is determined not to remain a footnote, but to ensure that its aspirations, long deferred, are respected and realised in full.