Mumbai, March 9 (NationPress) In a significant development, Pune district has achieved the top position in the overall allocation within the District Annual Plan (DAP) for the financial year 2026-27. Meanwhile, Nagpur, which is the home district of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has experienced the most considerable rise in funding.

The Maharashtra Budget unveiled by Fadnavis last Friday indicates that Nagpur has shown consistent improvements in funding allocations over the last three years. For the upcoming fiscal year, Pune, Nagpur, and the Mumbai suburban districts are the only districts to exceed the Rs 1,000 crore threshold in budget provisions.

During his budget address, the Chief Minister stated that a total of Rs 21,867 crore has been allocated under the District Annual Plan for 2026-27, which is an increase from Rs 20,165 crore in 2025-26, marking a rise of Rs 1,702 crore.

Allocations under the District Annual Plan are determined based on specific criteria, including population, geographical area, and tribal density. The annual plans receive approval from the District Planning Committees, led by District Guardian Ministers, before being forwarded to the state government.

Notably, during Ajit Pawar's tenure as Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister, there were concerted efforts to ensure better allocations for Pune. This year, Pune stands out with an allocation of Rs 1,300 crore, albeit with a modest increase of Rs 66 crore compared to the previous year.

In contrast, Nagpur's allocation for the next fiscal year has been set at Rs 1,021.90 crore, up from Rs 884 crore in the current year, reflecting an increase of Rs 137 crore. Analyzing the trend over the last three years from 2024-25 to 2026-27, Nagpur's budget has surged by Rs 338 crore, while Pune's increase stands at Rs 231 crore.

Sources within the Planning Department emphasize that the allocation process strictly adheres to demographic and geographic parameters, devoid of political influences.

The comprehensive district-wise data from the official budget documents reveals that Pune's allocation for 2026-27 is set at Rs 1,300 crore, up from Rs 1,234 crore in 2025-26. Following Pune, Mumbai Suburbs has received Rs 1,105 crore (2-26-27), an increase from Rs 1,066 crore (2025-26). However, Nagpur's allocation stands out with a rise from Rs 884 crore to Rs 1,021 crore, while Nashik's allocation increased to Rs 817 crore from Rs 724 crore. Thane's allocation is now Rs 860 crore, up from Rs 815 crore in the current fiscal.

Other district allocations under the DAP for the upcoming year include:

Ahilyanagar: Rs 761 crore (2026-27) compared to Rs 683 crore (2025-26), Solapur: Rs 698 crore (Rs 640 crore), Jalgaon: Rs 627 crore (Rs 578 crore), Amravati: Rs 605 crore (Rs 527 crore), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Rs 602 crore (Rs 556 crore), Satara: Rs 582 crore (Rs 540 crore), and Mumbai City: Rs 555 crore (Rs 528 crore).

Kolhapur: Rs 550 crore (Rs 523 crore), Beed: Rs 536 crore (Rs 483 crore), Raigad: Rs 517 crore (Rs 481 crore), Nanded: Rs 514 crore (Rs 491 crore), Sangli: Rs 457 crore (Rs 436 crore), Yavatmal: Rs 452 crore (Rs 411 crore), and Ratnagiri: Rs 439 crore (Rs 406 crore).

Chandrapur: Rs 430 crore in 2026-27 (Rs 390 crore in 2025-26), Buldhana: Rs 414 crore (Rs 378 crore), Latur: Rs 405 crore (Rs 386 crore), Dharashiv: Rs 405 crore (Rs 378 crore), Jalna: Rs 398 crore (Rs 376 crore), and the Maoist-affected Gadchiroli: Rs 390 crore (Rs 341 crore).

Wardha: Rs 343 crore (Rs 293 crore), Parbhani: Rs 332 crore (Rs 298 crore), Palghar: Rs 322 crore (Rs 296 crore), Sindhudurg: Rs 307 crore (Rs 282 crore), Dhule: Rs 290 crore (Rs 271 crore), Washim: Rs 283 crore (Rs 260 crore), Hingoli: Rs 267 crore (Rs 246 crore), Akola: Rs 263 crore (Rs 225 crore), Gondia: Rs 260 crore (Rs 245 crore), Bhandara: Rs 250 crore (Rs 233 crore), and Nandurbar: Rs 188 crore (Rs 176 crore).

Fadnavis presented a substantial budget of Rs 7,69,467 crore for 2026-27, reflecting a revenue deficit of Rs 40,552 crore and a fiscal deficit of Rs 1,50,491 crore.

In his address to the Assembly, the Chief Minister shared that the government predicts revenue receipts of Rs 6,16,099 crore against a revenue expenditure of Rs 6,56,651 crore. He emphasized that the government succeeded in maintaining the revenue deficit below 1 percent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and the fiscal deficit below 3 percent of the GSDP.

According to revised estimates, revenue receipts for 2025-26 are expected at Rs 6,01,789 crore, compared to a previous budget estimate of Rs 5,60,964 crore. In contrast, the revised estimate for revenue expenditure has been projected at Rs 7,55,920 crore, compared to the budget estimate of Rs 7,00,020 crore for 2025-26.

Sanjay Jog can be reached at sanjay.j@ians.in