In a first, the Maharashtra government on Monday proposed to construct a Rs 40-crore sugar museum in Pune.
Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar, on Monday, while presenting the Budget made the announcement. He informed the House that a sugar museum is being proposed at a cost of Rs 40 crore in Pune's Sakhar Sankul.
“It is proposed to set up a sugar museum at Sakhar Sankul located at Shivajinagar in Pune. The cost of the project would be Rs 40 crore,” Pawar said.
According to reports, the museum will show how the sugar industry in Maharashtra helped transform the rural economy and generate employment.
Meanwhile, in order to give boost to state tourism, Pawar said a hill station is proposed to be developed in Jawhar in tribal-dominated Palghar along with beach development works in the district.
Tabling the state budget for 2021-22, Pawar said the state had announced an agri tourism policy to give a boost to the rural economy, and a nature tourism policy would be announced soon.
He said the state's 'Beach Shack and Caravan Tourism Policy' has been announced to provide employment opportunities to people in coastal areas, and attract tourists.
He said the Mahabaleshwar, Pachgani and Lonar Sarovar development plan has been finalized and necessary funds are being made available, while a museum depicting the history of the state would also be set up.
Work was in progress on an international standard tourist complex on the 14-acre site of Worli Dairy complex in Mumbai, which was announced in last year's budget, and moves were on to transfer the site and prepare a detailed project report, he said.
Work has been undertaken to develop a jetty for tourism at Kashid in Raigad, a cruise terminal in Bhagwati Port in Ratnagiri, the deputy CM said. The outlay for the department is Rs 1,367 crore, while it is Rs 161 crore for the cultural affairs department.
(With inputs from PTI)
