Maharashtra approves ₹3,708 crore JICA-backed healthcare and medical education project

Maharashtra has cleared a major externally funded initiative to upgrade its public healthcare and medical education systems, with the state cabinet approving a ₹3,708 crore project backed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The project, titled “Strengthening Tertiary Health Care Delivery, Medical Education System and Nursing System in Maharashtra,” is aimed at improving infrastructure and equipping medical and nursing institutions with advanced facilities across the state.

As part of the plan, funds will be allocated to newly established government medical colleges in Wardha, Palghar, Ratnagiri, and Ahilyanagar.

Nursing colleges at GT Hospital and St George’s in Mumbai, along with institutions in Dhule, Solapur, Ambajogai, Akola, IGMC Nagpur, Ratnagiri, Palghar, and Dharashiv, will be upgraded. New nursing colleges are also set to be built in Baramati, Sangli in Miraj, and Kolhapur.

The project also includes provisions for supplying advanced medical equipment to government medical colleges in Ahilyanagar, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Hingoli, Jalna, Mumbai, Nashik, Parbhani, Satara, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Wardha, and other locations.

In addition, the plan proposes investments in human resource development and capacity building in hospital administration under the Indo-Japan Academic Exchange Program. An official said the initiative aims to provide affordable medical care to the state’s citizens.

Separately, the cabinet approved a broad reform package linked to the “Viksit Maharashtra 2047” vision, focusing on streamlining recruitment and expanding opportunities for job seekers.

Under the changes, the number of cadres under the Maharashtra Public Service Commission will rise to 102, with the combined examination framework expanded to include 18 new services and 93 additional cadres.

The government has also decided to remove the mandatory experience requirement for most direct recruitment positions, offering relief to fresh graduates entering the job market.

To improve transparency and speed, a “No Interview Policy” has been cleared for non-gazetted Group B and Group C posts.

A new portal, modeled on the Union Public Service Commission’s “Pratibha Setu,” will share details of candidates who reached the interview stage but were not selected in the final merit list with public and private sector employers.

The cabinet also categorized certain outdated roles as “Dying Cadres” and plans to create new positions requiring expertise in Artificial Intelligence.

The recruitment process will further adopt DigiLocker for instant, paperless verification of educational and caste certificates.