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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.

‘End defamation of Lohagad Fort’

Prominent mountaineering institute urges CM to take steps over digital defamation

Mumbai: A prominent mountaineering institute has taken strong objection to the vilification of the historic Lohagad Fort in Pune – now a UNESCO World Heritage (2025) along with 12 Maratha forts – which shot into limelight last month for an alleged murder.


Pune-based Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh (AMGM) has shot off a memorandum to the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking an end to the ‘digital defamation’ of Lohagad Fort which stands as a symbol of valour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.


It has referred to the shocking alleged murder incident of June 18 of a Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal which was ostensibly masterminded by his fiancée Siya Goyal and her purported boyfriend Chetan Chaudhary, both arrested and currently under judicial custody.


The gruesome incident has taken social media by a storm with a disturbing trend in which this 2000-year-old World Heritage Monument and the site of the alleged killing is now blatantly referred to as ‘Siya Point’.


Disturbing Trend

The AMGM claimed that besides the social media, it is reportedly ‘rechristened’ on certain digital mapping platforms, urging thrill-seekers to visit the site -- “which is a disturbing trend”.


In the past few weeks, a commanding cliff in the Lohagad Fort has been repeatedly touted as ‘Siya Point’, sparking curiosity among the masses. However, the AMGM lamented that turning the site of a tragedy into a public attraction is deeply unfortunate and sets a dangerous precedent for other heritage monuments all over India by creating new macabre tourist landmarks.


“Linking the identity of the historic fort to an isolated crime, assigning new names to locations within the fort, circulating memes, reels, jokes and sensational digital content, amounts to disrespecting both history and public sentiments. It must be immediately stopped,” an agitated AMGM President Umesh Zirpe told ‘The Perfect Voice’.


Trekkers’ Pilgrimage

In the presentation to the CM, the AMGM said that Lohagad Fort represents the history of Swarajya and is like a pilgrimage for trekkers, historians and lakhs of devotees of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.


Zirpe, along with AMGM Executive Yadav and Secretary Dr. Rahul Warange raised another concern that has repeatedly drawn flak from various quarters – the rampant commercial exploitation of forts for pre-wedding shoots, fashion photography, music videos, reels by social media influencers or other promotional advertising, disregarding their historical significance, cultural sanctity or environmental sensitivity.


They pointed out globally, there are prohibitions or stringent regulations on commercial filming and photography at such World Heritage Sites, and the same must be made applicable to monuments in India and Maharashtra.


“While individual visitors/tourists should be allowed to click personal photos/videos, all other commercial activities must be curbed or regulated through a robust policy, mandatory prior permissions, adhering to a strict code of conduct and punitive measures against violators,” suggested the AMGM.

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