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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Fadnavis writes off Rs 48,000 crore

Mumbai: In a clear indication that the Maharashtra government is leaving no stone unturned to keep the state’s agrarian base happy, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has unleashed yet another massive populist measure. Hot on the heels of relaxing the eligibility criteria to ensure a blanket farm loan waiver, the Chief Minister announced a sweeping Rs 48,000 crore waiver on the pending electricity bills of farmers across the state. Addressing a ‘Krutadnyata Sohala’ (gratitude ceremony)...

Fadnavis writes off Rs 48,000 crore

Mumbai: In a clear indication that the Maharashtra government is leaving no stone unturned to keep the state’s agrarian base happy, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has unleashed yet another massive populist measure. Hot on the heels of relaxing the eligibility criteria to ensure a blanket farm loan waiver, the Chief Minister announced a sweeping Rs 48,000 crore waiver on the pending electricity bills of farmers across the state. Addressing a ‘Krutadnyata Sohala’ (gratitude ceremony) organized by the BJP Kisan Morcha at Mumbai’s Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan on Wednesday, Fadnavis declared that farmers using agricultural pumps of up to 7.5 horsepower will see their historical electricity dues completely wiped out. The announcement was met with the traditional sounding of the Tutari and thunderous applause from hundreds of farmers who had gathered from every corner of the state. The Chief Minister framed the mega-sop as a necessary step to “wipe the farmers’ slate clean,” enabling them to write a new chapter of prosperity. Calculated Pitch The timing and scale of the announcement underscore a government that is boldly embracing populist economics to solidify its political footprint in rural Maharashtra. While Fadnavis maintained that these decisions were taken purely in the interest of the farmers—pointing out that the original loan waiver was announced when no elections were in sight—the political undertones were unmistakable. Taking a sharp dig at the opposition, the Chief Minister accused rival parties of running “political shops” in the name of farmer agitations without understanding the government’s genuine intent. Asserting his grassroots connection, Fadnavis proudly claimed, “I do not make decisions sitting in my house. I am a farmer myself, a man of the soil.” He openly defended the government’s recent move to strip away the stringent conditions attached to the blanket farm loan waiver, signaling that his administration will not hesitate to clear bureaucratic hurdles if it means putting money directly into the hands of the rural voter. Balancing Sops Even as he rained freebies, the Chief Minister attempted to balance the populist optics with a dose of economic pragmatism. He acknowledged that handing out repeated loan waivers is a symptom of deep-rooted agrarian distress, not a permanent cure. Pointing to the Rs 95,000 crore in aid currently being pumped into the agricultural sector by the state and central governments, Fadnavis outlined his administration’s shift toward an investment-driven agricultural model. He championed the success of schemes like ‘Jalyukt Shivar’ and ‘Magel Tyala Shettale’ (farm ponds on demand), claiming these initiatives have already empowered farmers to harvest multiple crops a year. Addressing the core issue of farming costs, he noted that the government already subsidises power to the tune of Rs 25,000 crore annually. By coupling this with a push for solar pumps and solar agricultural feeders, he promised that 100 percent of the state’s farmers would receive uninterrupted daytime electricity by the end of the year. Infra Dream Looking beyond immediate financial relief, the Chief Minister laid out a grandiose vision to permanently drought-proof Maharashtra’s most vulnerable regions. A staggering Rs 6 lakh crore infrastructure pipeline is being planned to ensure the next generation never witnesses a drought. Fadnavis detailed ambitious river-linking projects, including the Wainganga-Nalganga link, to divert excess floodwaters to parched regions. The state plans to construct 24 new dams and raise the height of 16 existing ones to ensure not a single district in Vidarbha faces water scarcity. Furthermore, massive engineering feats are on the drawing board to divert 200 TMC of floodwater from Western Maharashtra to Marathwada, and lift 275 TMC of wasted water from the Ulhas basin to quench the thirst of North Maharashtra and Marathwada. By marrying immediate, massive debt relief with long-term infrastructure promises, the Fadnavis administration is aggressively cementing its pro-farmer narrative. As the Yashwantrao Chavan auditorium echoed with whistles and cheers, it became highly evident that the government’s strategy of pairing mega populist waivers with big-ticket rural dreams is striking a powerful chord with the state’s agrarian voters.

Dog’s murder shakes affluent residents

Mumbai: The residents of Raheja Complex in Madh Island, a plush colony, are in grief after the death of their beloved dog who is allegedly killed by yet unknown miscreants. They have approached the police to find out the ‘killer’.


In an unprecedented scenario, a team of state forensic department visited the society on Wednesday to look for clues of the murder and the murderer.


Mikey, an 11-year-old community dog was found dead and packed in a gunny bag. A housekeeping staff member spotted the gunny bag in an isolated area and informed the residents. This has created an outrage among the society members for whom the dog was like a family member.


Anchal Chadha, a resident, used to feed Mikey and other dogs in their locality. She said, “Mikey had come to the complex around eight years ago along with another dogs. He was abandoned by his owner and was traumatised. Slowly he started staying at the Cas building which is a part of Raheja complex.”


Residents claim that many members of the society were against feeding the dogs. They did not like dogs in the society.


Chadha said, “Mikey was missing for four days. We requested for a CCTV footage but were denied saying that the cameras were off at the time. We somehow convinced the main administrator and got the footage of the gate. We saw Mikey coming in but he never left the building.”


Blood Stains

After much enquiry and investigation by some of the residents, a housing staff member opened up about what had happened.


“He confessed that he cleaned the blood stains and the poop of the dog at the place where the dog was allegedly hit. We immediately called the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratory and filed an FIR”, Chadha said.


“There were other such cases where a dog died after falling from the third floor. They said it was an accident. Before that a dog ran away from the building during Diwali. We thought it was due to crackers. This all happened in this one society,” she said.


When asked why was Mikey targeted, she said, “It is because even after trying multiple times to remove the dog from the society, he wouldn’t leave. So that could possibly be the reason. Some of the society members always had problems with the dogs in the building. There used to be fights on the WhatsApp groups and in person regarding feeding of the dogs.”


Furious Activists

Animal rights activist Xavier Santiago has taken the case to the police. He said, “It is a case of animal cruelty. From what I hear from the sources is that there is a criminal conspiracy and the matter is under investigation. We are yet to find the culprit. But an FIR has been filed at the Malwani Police station.”


In a video, actor Manjari Fadnis shared her memories with the dog and called it an act of cruelty. She said, “The eye witness in the case told that Mikey was hit with a stick when he was sleeping.” She vowed to fight for Mikey and residents also said they will stage a protest against the act.


An animal lover Sarika Nerurkar said, “Cruelty towards animals should never be dismissed as a minor offence. Research has repeatedly shown links between animal abuse and patterns of violent or antisocial behaviour. By intervening early and holding offenders accountable, we are not only protecting innocent animals but also safeguarding our communities from future harm.”


The Chairman and Secretary of the society could not be contacted for their reactions.

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