Fadnavis Says Rapid Development Poised to Make Gadchiroli the ‘Gateway to South India’

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said that Gadchiroli is on the verge of becoming the “Gateway to South India”, owing to rapid development undertaken in the district under the BJP government.

Fadnavis was speaking at a public meeting organised ahead of municipal elections.

He said Gadchiroli, once labelled among the most backward districts of Maharashtra, is now witnessing large-scale transformation.

“The district was earlier ridiculed as a place where children had to be sent elsewhere for education. That conspiracy has ended and Gadchiroli now stands at the forefront of the state’s development agenda,” he said.

Under central schemes such as Smart City and Atal Amrit, the state has received Rs 50,000 crore for urban development, with Gadchiroli securing Rs 700–800 crore for projects including underground drainage, drinking-water systems and cement-concrete roads.

Responding to public demand, Fadnavis approved the proposal for an outer ring road to ease traffic congestion in Gadchiroli town.

Highlighting connectivity initiatives, the Chief Minister announced that construction of a new airport in Gadchiroli will commence within the next three to four months, a key step toward positioning the district as a transit hub for southern states.

Addressing social-welfare concerns, Fadnavis assured citizens that the Ladki Bahin scheme would continue. He dismissed rumours about its discontinuation, stating, “As long as Devabhau is the Chief Minister, the scheme will not stop.”

He added that the government aims to transform beneficiaries into “Lakhpati Didis” by promoting self-help groups and small enterprises to help women earn more than Rs 1 lakh annually.

Fadnavis urged voters to support BJP candidates in the upcoming municipal elections, including Pranoti Nimborkar for mayor, Lata Sundarkar for the Wada municipal seat and Rupesh Punekar for Armori.

Local MLA Dr. Milind Narote announced that Gadchiroli is expected to attract investments worth Rs 3 lakh crore, positioning it as an upcoming steel hub.

He added that local residents will receive first preference in employment opportunities generated through new industries. The government, he said, will ensure full protection of the district’s water, land and forest resources during the development process.

Gondwana University has partnered with Curtin University (Australia) to introduce advanced mining-engineering programmes.

Plans are also in place to upgrade the government medical college with super-speciality services, reducing the need for patients to travel to cities like Nagpur or Hyderabad for treatment.