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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.

Silent Moves

R. Praggnanandhaa’s stunning victory at the Norway Chess tournament is more than just another glittering addition to India’s growing collection of chess triumphs. It is a reminder that excellence in Indian sport often flourishes far from cricketing floodlights.


By becoming the first Indian ever to win the prestigious Norway Chess tournament, the 20-year-old grandmaster achieved something that had eluded even the great Viswanathan Anand. He did so in emphatic fashion after recovering from a poor start, winning four classical games in succession, defeating some of the world’s finest players and twice overcoming Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian titan, on his home turf. Few victories in Indian sport this year can match its difficulty or significance.


Contrast this with a cricketer struck a match-winning six in a key IPL playoff. Television studios would have erupted and advertising campaigns would have flowed while social media would have convulsed into celebration. Praggnanandhaa’s conquest of one of the strongest chess tournaments in the world has received wholesome admiration, but has little of the national frenzy reserved for cricket’s carnival.


This is not an argument against the IPL. The league is a remarkable commercial success that has transformed cricketing economics. The problem is that India’s sporting imagination has become dangerously parochial. In a nation of 1.4 billion people, too much attention, money and airtime is still lavished on a single game.


Chess offers a revealing contrast. India today is experiencing a golden age that would have seemed fanciful a generation ago. Anand opened the door and a remarkable cohort has marched through it. D. Gukesh became the youngest world champion. Arjun Erigaisi has entered the game’s elite ranks and now, Praggnanandhaa continues to challenge the very best. Among women, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh have kept India among the world’s strongest chess nations.


And yet these champions, while certainly lauded, remain curiously under-celebrated as opposed to cricket stars. The same phenomenon, to a lesser or greater degree, can be observed in athletics, shooting and table tennis. Athletes often labour for years with modest sponsorship, uncertain funding and limited public recognition. They become household names only during Olympic cycles, before slipping once more into relative obscurity. Their success is celebrated episodically.


Chess rewards patience over spectacle and intellect over celebrity. Its heroes spend countless hours studying openings, analysing positions and enduring lonely defeats. The game’s virtues are not television-friendly. Chess players do not command billion-dollar broadcasting deals but rely on sheer talent and an extraordinary capacity for concentration.


India’s recent chess renaissance reflects something encouraging about modern India. It demonstrates that world-class achievement can emerge from coaching networks, digital learning and institutional persistence rather than from lavish leagues alone.


Praggnanandhaa’s victory in Oslo is far more than a personal milestone. It is evidence that India can dominate global arenas beyond cricket. The country need not love cricket less. But it ought to learn to celebrate other forms of greatness more.

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