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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.

Leaking Credibility

The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak could hardly have come at a worse time for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state and the centre. Coming barely weeks after the political fallout over the NEET controversy and amid lingering questions over the management of public examinations, another test has been derailed by allegations that its question paper was compromised before candidates entered the examination hall.

 

The incident reinforces an increasingly damaging perception that governments which promise efficiency are struggling to protect one of the state’s most basic responsibilities of conducting fair examinations.

 

For millions of young Indians, competitive examinations are gateways to employment, dignity and social mobility. When those gateways are corrupted by organised rackets or administrative negligence, it amounts to an erosion of public trust.

 

The BJP has built its political brand on efficient governance. It has repeatedly contrasted itself with its predecessors by promising a government that is technologically adept, administratively competent and intolerant of corruption. That narrative becomes increasingly difficult to sustain when examination after examination is either leaked or postponed.

 

Governance is judged not merely by grand infrastructure projects or international diplomacy but by the state’s ability to conduct ordinary public functions without inviting scandal. The Maharashtra leak is particularly troubling because it suggests that lessons from previous disasters have not been learnt. The NEET controversy should have triggered an overhaul of examination security and institutional accountability. Instead, another leak has emerged within weeks.

 

Equally damaging is the government’s perception management. Repeated promises of stern action lose credibility when the same failures recur with alarming frequency. Public confidence is not rebuilt through press conferences but through demonstrable institutional reform.

India has lived through examination scandals before. The infamous Vyapam recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh exposed how deeply organised networks could infiltrate public recruitment. Numerous recruitment examinations - from police constable tests to teacher recruitment - have periodically collapsed under allegations of leaks.

 

What makes the present situation politically more perilous for the BJP is the cumulative effect. The opposition no longer needs to manufacture a narrative. The pattern is becoming self-evident. Every fresh controversy reinforces the previous one, allowing critics to portray the government as incapable of protecting even the integrity of examinations. In politics, perception often becomes reality.

 

The greatest victims remain the students who prepare for months, often years, sacrificing employment opportunities, family life and financial stability. Many come from modest households where a government job represents economic security for an entire family. Every cancellation imposes additional costs. A government may survive one leaked examination. It cannot indefinitely survive the steady leakage of credibility. Governments speak frequently about India’s demographic dividend. But that dividend risks becoming a demographic grievance if merit itself appears negotiable.

 

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