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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.

WR promises new infra

CPRO says better travel experience on the card

Mumbai: The Western Railway has decided to utilise the space vacated after demolishing the illegal structures at Garib Nagar in Bandra (East) for creating better infrastructure such as an integrated Railway Complex and facility for more cars.


“This demolition will also reduce the traffic congestion and chaos that people experienced before. The new infrastructure will be built to enhance the travel experience for the people,” said Western Railway Chief Public Relation Office Vineet Abhishek. “We disposed of most of the rubble that got collected due to demolition. I cannot say much about the use of this space, but we are planning to build an integrated Railway Complex,” he told reporters.


Abhishek said the Western Railways have been successful in demolishing all the illegal structures on its land in Garib Nagar. “Almost 100 per cent of the illegal structures have been demolished and removed. We ensured that the ground floor doesn’t get damaged. Our staff are manually removing the houses. The entire work is likely to be over by Saturday,” he said.


Abhishek acknowledged that the Supreme Court’s order helped their demolition drive. “The Supreme Court had put a special leave petition. This was the second time that this happened. On April 19, the Bombay High Court gave a judgment in our favour. The Supreme Court also agreed with the judgment. This gives a message that the action that we are taking is absolutely right, and their judgment only strengthened us.”


Around 100 structures built at the demolition spot were legal, and the Western Railway has taken utmost care of safeguarding those structures. “The Bombay High Court had ordered that these 100 legal structures cannot be demolished. The ground floor of these structures will not be demolished and will be kept as it is. Structures built upon the upper floors of these 100 legal structures are illegal. We will remove them as well,” Abhishek said.


One of the dwellers Ramzan Shaikh said most of the dwellers whose structures were demolished found it difficult to get houses. “Some got houses for rent, but most of them are without homes. People here are from the 70’s and 80’s. There has been no proper survey done. We haven’t had a bath in four days. There is no aid from the government, and we have become completely homeless.”


When asked about the stone pelting, Shaikh said, “The stone pelting happened because they were demolishing a mosque.”

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