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By:

Shoumojit Banerjee

27 August 2024 at 9:57:52 am

Classroom of Courage

In drought-scarred Maharashtra, a couple’s experiment in democratic schooling is turning child beggars into model citizens In the parched stretches of Maharashtra, from Solapur to the drought-hit villages of Marathwada, a modest social experiment has quietly unfolded for nearly two decades. It is neither a grand government scheme nor a corporate-backed charity. Since 2007, the Ajit Foundation, founded by Mahesh and Vinaya Nimbalkar, has worked with children living at the sharpest edges of...

Classroom of Courage

In drought-scarred Maharashtra, a couple’s experiment in democratic schooling is turning child beggars into model citizens In the parched stretches of Maharashtra, from Solapur to the drought-hit villages of Marathwada, a modest social experiment has quietly unfolded for nearly two decades. It is neither a grand government scheme nor a corporate-backed charity. Since 2007, the Ajit Foundation, founded by Mahesh and Vinaya Nimbalkar, has worked with children living at the sharpest edges of society in Maharashtra. The foundation has become a home for out-of-school children, those who have never enrolled, the children of migrant labourers and single parents, and those who scavenge at garbage dumps or drift between odd jobs. To call their foundation an “NGO” is to miss the point. Vinaya Nimbalkar describes it as a “democratic laboratory”, where education is not merely instruction but an initiation into citizenship. The couple were once government schoolteachers with the Solapur Zilla Parishad, leading stable lives. Yet what they witnessed unsettled them: children who had never held a pencil, begging at traffic signals or sorting refuse for a living. Prompted by this reality, the Nimbalkars resigned their jobs to work full-time for the education of such children. Leap of Faith They began modestly, teaching children in migrant settlements in Solapur and using their own salaries to pay small honorariums to activists. Funds soon ran dry, and volunteers drifted away. Forced out of their home because of their commitment to the cause, they started a one-room school where Vinaya, Mahesh, their infant son Srijan and forty children aged six to fourteen lived together as an unlikely family. The experiment later moved to Barshi in the Solapur district with support from Anandvan. Rural hardship, financial uncertainty and the pandemic repeatedly tested their resolve. At one stage, they assumed educational guardianship of nearly 200 children from families that survived by collecting scrap on the village outskirts. Eventually, the foundation relocated to Talegaon Dabhade near Pune, where it now runs a residential hostel. Twenty-five children currently live and study there. The numbers may seem modest, but the ambition is not. Democracy in Practice What distinguishes the Ajit Foundation is not only who it serves but also how it operates. Within its walls, democracy is practised through a Children’s Gram Panchayat and a miniature Municipal Council elected by the children themselves. Young candidates canvass, hold meetings and present their budgets. Children maintain accounts and share decisions about chores, activities and certain disciplinary matters. In a country where democratic culture is often reduced to voting, the foundation’s approach is quietly radical. It treats children from marginalised backgrounds as citizens in formation. The right to choose — whether to focus on sport, cooking, mathematics or cultural activities — is respected. “We try never to take away what is their own,” says Vinaya Nimbalkar. Rather than forcing every child into a uniform academic mould, individual abilities are encouraged. A boy skilled in daily calculations may not be pushed into hours of bookish study; a girl who excels in cooking may lead the kitchen team. For children who have known only precarity, standing for election, managing a budget or speaking at a meeting can be transformative. On International Women’s Day, the foundation seeks visibility not just for praise but for partnership. If you are inspired by their mission, consider supporting or collaborating—your involvement can help extend opportunities to more children in need.

Surplus ethanol leaves the industry uneasy

THE ETHANOL CONUNDRUM - Part - 1


Entrepreneurs unhappy as expansion plans stall

Kolhapur: An ambitious government programme that once drew enthusiastic participation from industry is now threatening to trip up the very sector it sought to promote. India’s ethanol manufacturing industry is grappling with a paradox: despite strong policy backing, assured pricing and generous financial incentives, producers are staring at excess capacity and inadequate procurement orders.


The Centre’s push to blend ethanol with petrol — initially pegged at 30 per cent — was accompanied by long-term financial support, low-interest loans and firm purchase guarantees. The policy certainty encouraged rapid capacity addition, with manufacturers investing heavily and ramping up production. However, supply has now far outstripped demand, leaving the industry anxious about how to absorb the surplus.


Unless addressed urgently, industry insiders warn, the situation could echo the collapse witnessed during the UPA years under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, when policy uncertainty led to a near-decimation of the ethanol sector.


The ethanol blending programme was conceived against the backdrop of rising foreign exchange outgo on fuel imports, increasing pollution from fossil fuels, and mounting surplus sugar stocks during crushing seasons. In 2018, the Centre unveiled the National Bio-Energy Policy, setting targets of 10 per cent ethanol blending by 2022 and 20 per cent by the end of 2025.


Sugar Stability

A robust floor price for ethanol brought stability to the sugar sector, with surplus sugar diverted towards ethanol production. The 10 per cent blending target was achieved well ahead of schedule. The government expanded the scope to include ethanol production from grains, bringing the food processing sector into the fold.


To promote grain-based ethanol — from cereals, mixed grains and maize — the Centre rolled out long-term credit and interest subvention schemes. Before the scheme’s deadline in 2024, over 196 entrepreneurs came forward, leading to a rapid build-up of ethanol plants and a sharp rise in production. But procurement orders issued by oil marketing companies (OMCs) have now left many of these investors worried.


At present, India’s installed ethanol production capacity stands at about 19.9 billion litres (1,990 crore litres). With several projects nearing completion, capacity is expected to touch 22 billion litres by the end of December. In contrast, achieving 20 per cent blending requires only about 13.5 billion litres of ethanol.


Accordingly, OMCs have issued procurement orders for around 14.82 billion litres — barely 50 per cent of the available capacity. This effectively leaves half the ethanol produced without buyers. Some plants have received orders for just 30 per cent of their capacity, forcing producers to consider shutting operations for over 45 days, and in some cases up to three months.


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