MUMBAI, May 7 -- The state government will spend Rs.4,820 crore on the restoration, conservation and development of major religious sites across Maharashtra. The decision was taken at a meeting of the council of ministers in Ahilyanagar on Tuesday. The state will also set up a body to oversee the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela to be held in 2027. It will be set up on the lines of the Prayagraj Authority of the Uttar Pradesh government. Religious sites that will get a makeover include the Shri Tuljabhavani Temple in Dharashiv, for which the state government has approved Rs.1,865 crore. The Mahalaxmi Temple in Kolhapur will be restored at a cost of Rs.1,445 crore and the Shri Renuka Mata Shakti Peeth Mandir, at Mahurgad in Nanded, will be developed at a cost of Rs.829 crore. The decision to spend Rs.5,503 crore on religious sites comes at a time when the state government is struggling with a financial crunch. Full report on P6...