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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Maratha quota stir poised for revival

Manoj Jarange issues August ultimatum as CM cites record certificate distribution Mumbai: Maharashtra is bracing for renewed political turbulence as the Maratha quota agitation threatens to engulf the state once again. Prominent activist Manoj Jarange Patil has sounded a clarion call for a final, decisive protest beginning August 29, marking the third anniversary of the community’s relentless struggle. In stark contrast, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has stepped in to defuse the escalating...

Maratha quota stir poised for revival

Manoj Jarange issues August ultimatum as CM cites record certificate distribution Mumbai: Maharashtra is bracing for renewed political turbulence as the Maratha quota agitation threatens to engulf the state once again. Prominent activist Manoj Jarange Patil has sounded a clarion call for a final, decisive protest beginning August 29, marking the third anniversary of the community’s relentless struggle. In stark contrast, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has stepped in to defuse the escalating tensions, asserting that the government remains highly responsive to the community’s demands and that the pendency of caste certificates is virtually negligible. Addressing a massive press conference at Antarwali Sarati in the Jalna district of Marathwada, Jarange Patil expressed deep frustration with the state administration. He accused the government of deliberately deceiving the Maratha community and employing delaying tactics. According to the activist, the state has discovered approximately 58 lakh Kunbi caste records, yet the administration continues to withhold vital Kunbi certificates from eligible Maratha community members. Issuing a stern ultimatum, he demanded that caste certificates based on the Hyderabad gazette be issued to all rightful beneficiaries by August 28. Failing this, he warned, a massive mobilization will commence from every village across the state starting August 19. He passionately stated that the community has been sacrificing its blood for the youth for three years and will not back down until the issue reaches a logical conclusion. Robust Defence Countering these allegations, CM Fadnavis presented a robust defence of the Mahayuti government’s track record while speaking to the media in Nagpur. He emphasised that caste certificates are processed and issued promptly upon request. He firmly stated that everyone who has applied for a caste certificate has received it, adding that the number of pending cases is exceedingly low. Fadnavis dismissed the notion that certificates are being arbitrarily denied, reinforcing that the current administration has made and executed more pro-Maratha decisions than any previous government. He maintained a conciliatory tone, noting that the administration remains open to dialogue and is willing to find constructive solutions if any genuine grievances persist. Progress Report The state government’s claims are corroborated by the latest progress report from the Justice Sandeep Shinde committee, which was established to oversee the distribution of Maratha-Kunbi, Kunbi-Maratha, and Kunbi certificates. As of July 27, 2026, the data from the Divisional Commissionerate in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar paints a picture of swift administrative action in Marathwada. Out of a total of 311,609 applications received, a staggering 311,033 applicants have been successfully issued Kunbi certificates. Only 515 applications faced rejection, while a mere 61 remain pending across the division. Furthermore, officials noted that 72,012 certificates have been distributed in the region from September 2025 to the present date. A district-wise analysis of the Marathwada region highlights this extensive distribution network. In Beed district, the administration achieved a near-perfect clearance rate, distributing 206,789 certificates against 206,799 applications, with zero pending files currently. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar saw 25,211 certificates issued from 25,295 applications, leaving only 15 pending. Similarly, Jalna district processed 18,128 applications to distribute 18,053 certificates, with just 13 awaiting approval. Parbhani and Hingoli districts reported the distribution of 20,832 and 13,286 certificates, respectively, with negligible pendency. Nanded district cleared all its 4,841 applications with no backlog, while Latur and Dharashiv districts successfully distributed 2,751 and 19,281 certificates, respectively. Demands’ Charter Despite these administrative milestones, Jarange Patil has expanded his charter of demands, intensifying his critique of the state’s welfare mechanisms. He has now called for the creation of a dedicated Maratha welfare department, questioning why the Maratha community cannot have a separate ministry similar to the one existing for OBCs. He alleged that nine ministers in the current coalition are actively opposing this proposal, threatening to expose their names during the mega rally on August 29. Furthermore, he lashed out at the government over the systemic failure in implementing existing welfare schemes. He claimed that despite official resolutions granting Maratha students parity with OBC students, educational institutions are not enforcing these benefits at the school and college levels. He also accused the state of shutting down initiatives under the Sarathi institute and noted that flawed loan processes under the Annasaheb Patil Corporation are turning into bad debts, effectively ruining the CIBIL scores of young entrepreneurs. Capping off his grievances, Jarange Patil alleged a discriminatory bias in government recruitment, questioning the state administration over what he termed an “apartheid” against Maratha candidates.

Igniting India’s Orange Economy

The Union Budget places culture and creativity at the centre of the country’s next growth story.

India is attempting something unusual for an emerging economy by treating imagination as infrastructure. In the Union Budget for 2026–27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman put a conspicuous emphasis on what is now fashionably called the ‘Orange Economy’ - a grab-bag of industries built on creativity, intellectual property and digital distribution. The ambition is explicit. By 2030 the sector is expected to employ 2 million professionals, generating jobs while projecting India as a global creative hub rather than merely a back office of the world.


Creative Surge

The Orange Economy covers activities where ideas are the raw material and intellectual property the final product. Film, music, design, fashion, advertising, architecture, software, gaming, animation, publishing and digital media all fall under its capacious umbrella. Digital platforms like YouTube, Instagram Reels and streaming services have amplified its reach, allowing culture to travel faster than cargo. In India, initiatives such as the WAVES summit have sought to turn this diffuse energy into a coherent economic strategy, arguing that art and ideas are not decorative add-ons but engines of growth.


Globally, the case is persuasive. Creative industries generate about $2 trillion a year and employ roughly 50 million people, around 3.1 percent of the world’s workforce, according to UN estimates. By 2030 their share of global employment could rise to 10 percent. The United States, Britain and China dominate the field, exporting films, music, games and intellectual property at scale. America alone commands more than 20 percent of the market, thanks to Hollywood and technology platforms. India has no neat global ranking, but it is widely seen as a fast climber, buoyed by its media, entertainment, animation, gaming, visual-effects and digital-content industries.


At home, the numbers are already sizeable. India’s media and entertainment sector is valued at about Rs. 2.5 lakh crore ($29.4 billion), while live entertainment exceeds Rs. 10,000 crore. Together with gaming, digital content and cultural industries, the Orange Economy accounts for roughly 8 percent of employment and has delivered export growth of around 20 percent, with a target of $50 billion by 2029. Its scope is sprawling, from AVGC and e-sports to fashion, publishing, cultural tourism and heritage industries.


Special Focus

Sitharaman’s budgetary pitch was to institutionalise this sprawl. She announced a special focus on strengthening the creative economy, anchored in education and infrastructure. Mumbai’s Indian Institute of Creative Technologies is to be supported in setting up AVGC content-creator laboratories in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges. Funding includes Rs. 1.4 lakh crore for digital creators and creative ecosystems, alongside Rs. 250 crore for these labs, designed to funnel students into a national skills drive. Supporters argue that this will formalise what has until now been an informal, hustle-driven sector, accelerating innovation while giving young Indians a global stage.


The political framing has been set from the top. At the WAVES Summit in Mumbai in 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit as a declaration of creative intent. With representatives from 30 countries and creators from more than 100, the event was meant to showcase India’s artistic reach and technological ambition. Modi described WAVES as a confluence of global talent and pitched India as a natural home for creative start-ups, digital innovation, film and entertainment. His slogan - “create in India, create for the world” - was an invitation to collaborate as much as a claim to leadership.


Indian content already circulates in over 100 countries, carried by animation, music, gaming and streaming platforms. Modi’s larger hope is that WAVES becomes less an annual event than a permanent ecosystem, exporting twenty-first-century stories rooted in Indian culture but shaped by global technology.


The spillovers are tangible. The creative economy turbocharges tourism through culture- and heritage-led experiences. Revamping 15 historic sites with digital storytelling, interactive displays and modern infrastructure has drawn visitors and lifted local economies, from hotels to handicrafts. Live entertainment, music festivals and arts events have multiplied these effects, as noted in the Economic Survey for 2025–26. Cities, meanwhile, are discovering ‘concert economies,’ gaming hubs, design studios and AVGC labs, which generate cultural venues, digital infrastructure and start-ups. E-sports, streaming content and creative spaces now underpin urban services, accounting for about 8 percent of jobs and 20 percent of services exports. New institutions, such as the National Institute of Design (NID) in eastern India, are meant to deepen the skills pipeline.


None of this guarantees global dominance. Creative industries are fickle and tastes change quickly and intellectual-property protection remains uneven. But India’s strategic pivot is clear. If executed with care, India’s wager on creativity could yield dividends far beyond balance sheets. Unlike many growth strategies, the Orange Economy draws strength from assets the country already possesses in abundance including youthful talent, cultural depth and digital reach. It allows India to compete not by undercutting wages, but by shaping tastes.


By turning imagination into an industry, whether through Indian films dominating overseas streaming charts, indigenous games finding global audiences, or cultural festivals doubling as tourism magnets, India is positioning itself not merely as a producer for the world, but as one of its principal narrators.

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