Vidarbha’s Manchester will prosper, the region will regain its past glory

Media Coverage | 28-02-2024

Prof Dr R B Bhandvalkar Yavatmal

India has the largest area of about 37 per cent of the world under cotton cultivation. Similarly, of the total cotton yield in Maharashtra, 52 per cent comes from Vidarbha.

Furthermore, of the total cotton yield in Vidarbha,  contribution of Yavatmal district is 23 per cent, earning the region a sobriquet ‘Varhad has a golden border’.

In fact, hopes of economic development have been rekindled with proposed Wardha-Yavatmal-Nanded railway route.

Similarly, large tracts of land are under cotton cultivation in various  districts adjoining Yavatmal. These include Amravati, Akola, Washim, Wardha, Chandrapur, Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli. Hence cotton is considered as an important crop in the agricultural economy of the region.

During the British period,  around the year 1900, cotton was being cultivated on an average 5,98,000 acres of land. Agriculture was carried out through advance methods. Around 16,000 carts laden with cotton would be taken to Dhamangaon. Meanwhile, Mumbai-Nagpur railway route was inaugurated in 1866.

Its main objective was to carry raw material from Vidarbha to Mumbai’s ports and then send it to England. This was the reason the trains had maximum stoppages between Nagpur and Bhusawal to collect huge quantities of cotton.  During the British era,  Wardha, Hinganghat, Arvi, Wani, Yavatmal, Dhamangaon,Badnera, Akola and Khamgaon were the major markets in Vidarbha. Hence the railways had laid its network to collect cotton from this region.

New railway route will

provide  new market

The upcoming Wardha-Yavatmal-Nanded railway route would play a pivotal role in the development of the region. If the farm produce, through this railway, is  transported to Mumbai, Nagpur and Hyderabad, the district will regain its past glory and prosperity will again be at its doorstep. Similarly, an increase in production of cereals will encourage cultivation of millets. This will also give a boost to the ever stagnant agriculture sector, industries and co-operative sector.

The Wardha-Yavatmal-Nanded project is now moving in the direction of completion. This has been made possible  due to the consistent and untiring efforts of the  chairman of Editorial Board of Lokmat Media Group and former member of Rajya Sabha, Dr Vijay Darda who  pursued the matter in right earnest with Central and State governments.

With the completion of the project ginning and pressing units, handloom paper, sugar and edible oil industries in Wardha, Yavatmal, Parbhani, Jalna and Nanded  districts will be benefited

Vegetables are grown on large scale in Kalamb, Deoli and Darwha, which would get a new market through the new railway line. Similarly. the population dependent on agriculture sector can be diverted to industry and service sector that would bring overall economic development. Thus, the new railway route would give a new dimension to the development of the district.

Yavatmal most poor district

As per the NITI Aayog report of 2021, around 23.54 per cent people of Yavatmal district are poor,  which number is highest in the country, This has made it the the most poor district. Unfortunately, Yavatmal district has also earned the dubious distinction of being a  place with highest number of suicides.

In reality, human development is meaningless in absence of agriculture.

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