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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.

From Waste to Dignity

Last week's article highlighted how exclusionary policies continue to undermine the livelihoods of waste pickers despite their vital contribution to urban waste management. Yet, there are also inspiring examples of how waste pickers have organised to secure recognition, protect their rights, and transform public perceptions. One of the earliest and most influential is the Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP).


Exclusion Costs

In 2019, the Bengaluru city administration expanded private contracting arrangements in the city's waste management sector. This reportedly deprived thousands of waste pickers of access to neighbourhoods where they had traditionally collected recyclable waste.


An estimated 8,000 waste pickers found their livelihoods severely affected after contractors restricted their entry into these localities. Many were pushed into greater economic insecurity despite having played a crucial role in the city's recycling ecosystem for years.


In Hyderabad, the 2021 municipal tender mandated door-to-door collection by mechanised vehicles. This effectively criminalised the manual collection that waste pickers had carried out for decades.


Such exclusionary practices not only threaten the survival of vulnerable workers. They also contradict the objectives of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, which explicitly call for the integration and formal recognition of waste pickers within municipal waste management systems.


Rather than treating waste pickers as competitors to modern waste management, municipalities should recognise them as indispensable environmental service providers. Integrating informal workers into formal collection systems through cooperatives, service contracts, and social protection measures would promote both environmental sustainability and social justice. It would also ensure that the transition to a circular economy does not come at the expense of those whose labour has long sustained urban recycling.


However, such integration and inclusion require legal mandates, enforcement mechanisms, and financial resources directed towards cooperatives rather than corporations.


Fortunately, there are successful examples that demonstrate how recognising and organising waste pickers benefits not only the workers themselves but also cities, citizens, and the environment. One such example is KKPKP, a pioneering movement that has inspired similar initiatives across India.


KKPKP: Collective Courage

In the early 1990s, waste pickers in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area, just like their counterparts in many other cities and towns, faced severe social stigma and were often treated with disrespect because of the work they did. Yet, they were not collecting waste because they chose a life among garbage. They were earning a livelihood by recovering valuable recyclable materials that had supported their families for generations.


A turning point came in 1993, when many waste pickers gathered to share their experiences, hardships, and frustrations. For the first time, they spoke openly about their anger and the injustice of being treated as invisible human beings. They realised that their strength lay not in standing alone but in standing together.


That gathering became a turning point. It was the moment when they decided to reclaim their dignity, assert their rights, and walk a new path with confidence and self-respect. The meeting gave them the confidence to unite, organise, and fight for dignity and recognition. Out of this collective awakening was born the Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP)—a cooperative movement built by waste pickers themselves.


The members of KKPKP are not merely people who collect waste. They are self-employed environmental workers whose efforts help keep cities cleaner, reduce landfill waste, and return valuable materials to the economy.


Their journey is not only a story of waste management. It is also a story of courage, unity, dignity, and the transformation of a marginalised community into a recognised force for environmental change.


In my next article, I will share more such success stories that demonstrate how inclusion and supportive public policy can improve both waste management outcomes and the lives of those who make them possible. Till then, have a great weekend!


(The writer is an environmentalist. Views personal.)

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