Archive · 10 Sep 2026
Maharashtra Clears ₹1,800 Crore for Nashik Kumbh Mela Works
The Maharashtra government has approved ₹1,800 crore for preparing for the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela.
The money will help pay for approved event-related work.
This may include roads, ghats, sanitation, traffic management, drinking water and devotee safety arrangements.
The money must be kept in a special bank account operated by the Nashik divisional commissioner.
Projects must receive administrative and technical approval before the money is used.
Officials must follow financial rules set by the Finance Department.
They must also provide documents showing how the money was spent.
The rules come after police reportedly uncovered an alleged ₹305 crore scam involving fake Kumbh Mela work orders.
The Maharashtra government sanctioned ₹1,800 crore for works linked to the upcoming Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela.
The amount is the remaining portion of a ₹3,000 crore supplementary demand approved during the legislature’s Monsoon Session.
Funds may be used only for approved Kumbh Mela objectives and works with administrative and technical approval.
The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority and Nashik divisional commissioner are responsible for compliance and fund oversight.
Officials must submit utilisation certificates immediately after spending; reports differ on whether an earlier allocation was ₹1,200 crore or ₹1,220 crore.
- Who
- The Government of Maharashtra, the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority and Nashik divisional officials.
- What
- Sanctioning ₹1,800 crore for approved works related to the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela, subject to spending controls.
- When
- Thursday, September 10; the year is not specified in the reports. The allocation is identified under the 2026-27 period.
- Where
- Nashik and Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra; the report was datelined Mumbai.
- Why
- To fund planning, infrastructure and civic works for the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela.
- Sanctioned amount
- ₹1,800 crore
- Supplementary demand
- ₹3,000 crore approved during the legislature’s Monsoon Session
- Potential uses
- Roads, ghats, sanitation, traffic management, drinking water and devotee safety arrangements
- Spending restriction
- Funds may be used only for works covered by the approved objectives of the Kumbh Mela
- Required approvals
- Administrative and technical approval from competent authorities
- Oversight
- The Nashik divisional commissioner, who chairs the Kumbh Mela Authority, is the chief controlling officer
- Accountability
- Utilisation certificates must be submitted immediately after expenditure
- Earlier allocation discrepancy
- One report lists ₹1,220 crore as an earlier release, while another lists ₹1,200 crore
