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By:

Akhilesh Sinha

25 June 2025 at 2:53:54 pm

Beyond the Waiver Reflex

As Tamil Nadu approaches a high-stakes election, its farm policy will test whether voters favour a blend of immediate relief and long-term reform over familiar short-term populism CM MK Stalin uses a handloom during an early morning outreach campaign ahead of the state Assembly elections in Ramanathapuram. Pic: PTI New Delhi: India’s farm policy is generally trapped in a loop. Each crisis, whether drought or flood has shown state governments usually reaching out for the same palliative...

Beyond the Waiver Reflex

As Tamil Nadu approaches a high-stakes election, its farm policy will test whether voters favour a blend of immediate relief and long-term reform over familiar short-term populism CM MK Stalin uses a handloom during an early morning outreach campaign ahead of the state Assembly elections in Ramanathapuram. Pic: PTI New Delhi: India’s farm policy is generally trapped in a loop. Each crisis, whether drought or flood has shown state governments usually reaching out for the same palliative instruments – be it loan waivers, raising procurement or subsidising inputs. However, these are measures that do not solve the problem, The underlying system of fragmented holdings, fickle markets and water stress remains brittle. What distinguishes Tamil Nadu’s recent approach in recent years - particularly under Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s tenure as Chief Minister - is not that it broke from this cycle, but that it tried to bend it. That matters all the more in a poll-bound state. As Tamil Nadu edges toward its next electoral test, farm policy is poised to become more than a ledger of promises. It is a referendum on whether voters reward immediate relief or longer-term repair - or, as this model suggests, a calibrated mix of both. Take the Rs. 12,110 crore crop loan waiver of 2021. The waiver came in the wake of the economic dislocation caused by COVID-19 and the destruction wrought by cyclones Cyclone Nivar and Cyclone Burevi. It functioned as a stabiliser during systemic shock. Crucially, it was paired with measures designed to reduce the likelihood of such distress recurring. Among the most consequential was the notification of the Cauvery delta as a Special Protected Agricultural Zone. Covering eight districts, the policy imposed restrictions on non-agricultural activities, effectively redrawing the boundary between industrial expansion and fertile land. In a country where urbanisation often consumes prime farmland, this was an explicit political choice: preservation over encroachment. Revival and Expansion Water management - Tamil Nadu’s perennial Achilles’ heel - was tackled through a blend of revival and expansion. The Kudimaramath scheme, rooted in traditional community-led tank restoration, was scaled up significantly, with thousands of works completed. Alongside this decentralised effort, the state pushed forward with the Athikadavu-Avinashi project, a large-scale attempt to divert surplus water from the Bhavani River to drought-prone regions. River-linking proposals and negotiated land acquisitions aimed to extend irrigation benefits further. The logic was that resilience begins with water security. Yet improving production is only half the battle. Farmers’ incomes depend less on what they grow than on what they earn. Here, too, Tamil Nadu attempted incremental correction. Procurement under price-support schemes was expanded beyond staples to include pulses and copra. The state set relatively generous support prices for paddy and sugarcane, seeking to inject a degree of predictability into an otherwise erratic market. Such measures cannot eliminate volatility, but they can soften its edges. Mitigating Ecological Risk Diversification has formed another layer of the strategy. India’s long-standing bias towards water-intensive monocropping has heightened ecological risk. Incentives were therefore introduced to promote millets and horticulture - crops better suited to changing climatic conditions. By integrating millets into the public distribution system in cities such as Chennai and Coimbatore, the state attempted something more ambitious: aligning production incentives with consumption patterns. It is a subtle but important shift. Lowering the cost of cultivation was another priority. Subsidised solar pump sets hinted at a convergence between agriculture and renewable energy, while assurances of continuous three-phase electricity addressed a mundane but critical constraint on farm productivity. These are not headline-grabbing reforms, but they shape the everyday economics of farming. Beyond the farm gate, attention turned to value addition. Plans for Mega Food Parks in districts such as Dindigul, Krishnagiri and Salem sought to integrate farmers into processing-led supply chains, reducing post-harvest losses and capturing greater value. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University released dozens of new crop varieties and hybrids, spanning cereals, pulses and horticulture. Such investments in research and development rarely yield immediate political dividends, but they underpin long-term productivity. Institutional reform, too, has been part of the picture. Proposals for a State Agricultural Commission suggest a move towards continuous policy calibration rather than episodic intervention. Efforts to strengthen Farmer Producer Organisations through financial support, federated structures and tax relief reflect an understanding that aggregation is essential in modern agricultural markets. The contrast with the broader Indian pattern is instructive. Agriculture is often treated as a sector requiring periodic rescue rather than systemic redesign. Tamil Nadu’s approach, imperfect and incomplete though it is, hints at a different framing: farming as an economic system that must be made more resilient, diversified and knowledge-driven. The emphasis shifts from producing more to earning better. Under subsequent administrations, including that of M. K. Stalin, improvements in irrigation and output have continued, though the translation into higher farm incomes remains uneven. Tamil Nadu does not offer a ready-made template for India. Its geography, politics and institutional capacity are distinct. But its experience illustrates that where political intent aligns short-term relief with long-term restructuring, the contours of a more stable agrarian system begin to emerge. Over to the voters now.

Singing diva passes into eternity

Mumbai: Veteran playback singer Asha Bhosle - of the legendary Mangeshkar clan - passed away following cardiac complications and multi-organ failure at the Breach Candy Hospital on Sunday morning, her son Anand Bhosle announced.

 

She was 92. She is survived by her children and grandchildren, as well as her siblings Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Khadikar, and other family members, many of whom are associated with the entertainment industry. Her elder son Hemant Bhosle succumbed to cancer in 2015 while a daughter Varsha died by suicide in 2012.

 

Decorated with the Padma Vibhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Maharashtra Bhushan Award, besides two National Awards and numerous other domestic and international honours, Bhosle’s last rites will be performed on Monday afternoon at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park crematorium.

 

Her mortal remains will be kept for public darshan at her Lower Parel residence for three hours before being taken in a procession to the crematorium. She will be accorded a funeral with full state honours, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

 

Singing Record

In a singing career spanning over seven decades, Ashatai - as she was reverentially known - recorded more than 12,000 songs in Hindi, Marathi and nearly two dozen other Indian and foreign languages.

 

Born on September 8, 1933 in a remote hamlet of Goar in Sangli, Ashatai began her singing career at the age of 10 with the Marathi song “Chala Chala Nav Bala” from the film ‘Majha Bal’ (1943), to support her family, alongside her elder sister, the late Lata Mangeshkar who died in February 2022.

 

When barely 16, she defied her family to elope and marry 31-year-old Ganpatrao Bhosle, her personal secretary, but the alliance ended in separation in 1960. Later she married legendary music director R. D. who passed away in January 1994.

 

After singing many songs in Marathi for five years, Asha got her first break in Hindi cinema with the song “Sawan Aaya” from the film ‘Chunariya’ (1948), as part of a trio, followed by her first solo number ‘Raat Ki Rani’ (1949). Over the decades, she continued to experiment with her voice and musical styles, building an extraordinary and enduring legacy.

 

Distinct Identity

Initially overshadowed by Lata Mangeshkar’s ethereal voice, Asha crooned on to carve out a distinct identity helped by her husky voice with a nasal timbre, versatility, expressive and wide-ranging vocal style - capable of traversing silky melodies to powerful crescendos, disco, pop, rock, classical and adapting effortlessly to diverse genres.

 

Her repertoire ranged from soft songs, romantic melodies, peppy cabaret numbers to disco, rock, pop to exhilarating qawwalis, soulful ghazals, divine bhajans and classical compositions. She remained a favourite of masters of the baton like O.P. Nayyar, R. D. Burman, and worked extensively with Ghulam Mohammed, S. D. Burman, Ravi, Shankar-Jaikishen, Madan Mohan, Kalyanji-Anandji, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, and the younger crop of Anu Malik, Jatin-Lalit, A. R. Rahman, and others.

 

Ashatai went on to explore private albums, fusion projects and international collaborations with leading artists, constantly reinventing herself to remain relevant across changing musical eras. Her prolific output and sheer body of musical works earned her a place in the Guinness World Records (2011).

 

News of her passing triggered a tsunami of grief with tributes from across the country with top ruling and opposition political leaders, Union and state ministers, film personalities, corporate figures and millions of fans, mourning the loss of a voice that defined generations of Indian music.

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