Maha polls: How did Sena-BJP tackle agri crisis?

Maharashtra faced three droughts in the past five years, the worst being last year, when more than 28,000 (64% of the total) villages were hit by scarcity of water

Maharashtra faced three droughts in the past five years, the worst being last year, when more than 28,000 (64% of the total) villages were hit by scarcity of water and fodder. In this backdrop, how will half of the 288 constituencies, which are dominated by rural areas, vote? Are people satisfied with the way the drought and agrarian crisis was tackled or is there distress among rural voters?

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In the first two years after assuming power, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was strictly against farm loan waiver and kept batting for ‘sustainable development’ of agriculture to make farmers self-reliant. He wanted firm steps to develop agriculture infrastructure by increasing irrigation potential and a robust mechanism to fight the drought. However, amid the pressure from farmers and the opposition, the state announced a waiver in June 2017. It claims ₹18,761 crore has been credited to the accounts of 44.04 lakh farmers in the past two years.

While taking the populist decision of loan waiver, the successive governments have not been able to take steps to counter the drought and minimise its impact. The state reels under a drought every two years, with three droughts in four years between 2010 and 2014, and three in the past five years. “The government took adequate relief measures after the drought was announced, but no steps were taken to prevent it. For years, no sustainable watershed management programmes have been undertaken. All Marathwada districts have been witnessing a drastic fall in the groundwater level, but no drives have been undertaken to ensure it rises. The forest cover in some districts of Marathwada is less than 1%. Borewells are operated illegally, allowing unlimited discharge of water. How will you tackle drought in such a backdrop,” asked Ashok Tangade of Jagar Pratishthan, which works in drought-affected Beed.

The Fadnavis government launched the Jal Yukt Shivar (JYS) in 2015 for the watershed development programme to develop the irrigation potential and water stock. The government has claimed to have implemented JYS in 22,590 villages and created a water stock of 26.90 lakh TCM and irrigation potential of 38.95 lakh hectares. The total amount spent on the scheme is ₹8,310 crore. However, Fadnavis’s pet project faced charges of irregularities in allotment of contracts. “More than 15,000 villages saw a reduction of groundwater level by 1-3m. The drop was seen in villages where the JYS was implemented. This shows the failure of the ambitious scheme,” alleged Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant.

Farm activists in Marathwada alleged corruption in allotment of cattle camps, which were given to organisations controlled by leaders of ruling parties. The administration in Beed has initiated action against some of the camps for faking the number of animals and making money. The government gives a grant of ₹100 and ₹50 per animal per day for their maintenance at camps during a drought. The farm production, too, has taken a hit. The growth rate fell to 0.4% in 2018-19, from 3.1% the previous year. The production of food grain in the kharif season in 2018-19 dropped by 11%, while the drop in rabi season was a whopping 63%.

Experts blame the government for its failed policies on agriculture. Kishore Tiwari, who recently resigned from the government taskforce Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission to join the Shiv Sena, said the government failed in structural and policy reforms. “The government only disbursed relief packages. No policy was formed in five years. The recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee were neglected. No efforts were taken towards reducing the input cost of farmers or monitoring the crop pattern to respond to climatic changes. The Centre’s policies such as import of pulses further harmed the farmers. The ruling BJP will have to pay a huge price in the 122 Assembly seats that are dominated by farmers,” he said.

The government, on the other hand, adopted a politically suitable approach, keeping the thrust on relief measures instead of sustainable development. The state has spent more than ₹6,000 crore towards drought relief; accounts of more than 60.49 lakh farmers have been credited with one or two four-monthly installments of the PM Sanman Nidhi, which ensures annual cash subsidy of ₹7,000. Farmers have received ₹3,300 crore as compensation for crop loss from insurance companies. A major part of the premium of ₹3,600 was paid by the Centre and state, while the farmers had to pay ₹400. Around 86% of the beneficiaries are from Marathwada, a majority being farmers from Beed district, one of the worst-affected.

The government had compensated cotton-growers ₹3,380 crore for the crop loss due to last year’s pest attack. This means, the state has deposited more than ₹30,000 crore into the accounts of lakhs of farmers.

A section of the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena leaders feel the direct benefit transfer has helped them woo farmers in their favour. “There are many families that have gotten a sizable amount of subsidy and relief benefits that they could not have earned through farming. They are happy with the steps taken by the state,” said a minister, pointing at their success in the Lok Sabha elections in the rural areas. Cooperation and relief and rehabilitation minister Subhash Deshmukh said the government has performed in an unprecedented manner to mitigate the drought. “Our government took no time to respond to the calamity or the challenges. From loan waiver to procurement of farm produce to drought-flood relief measures, we have always been with people. Established leaders from across the state and various parties are joining the BJP. This is indicative of the satisfaction in the minds of voters and people in rural areas,” he said.

Ruling party leaders also cited the government move of supplying water to scarcity-hit Latur using a special wagon in the summer of 2016. It helped the BJP successfully bag the municipal corporation in the civic elections next year. They also point at the Lok Sabha elections, in which the BJP-Shiv Sena combine bagged seven of the eight seats, despite the region reeling under severe drought during electioneering.

Manikrao Thakre, former Maharashtra Congress president and Vidarbha leader, said the government is relying on nationalist issues such as Article 370, as it has realised its failure in handling problems, including the agrarian crisis. “We will not let the ruling parties deviate from basic issues like drought. Last year, farmers saw crop loss due to the drought, and this year, banks have not been giving them farm loan. The prices of the farm produce are so low that farmers have not even been able to recover the input cost,” he said.

Prakash Pawar, a political analyst from western Maharashtra, said, “Cash credit in the account does not woo farmers anymore, as their real satisfaction comes from cultivation of good crop. The government failed to address the crisis and other issues in rural areas, while it concentrated on urban development.” Vidarbha-based farm activist Vijay Jawandhia said, “This is the first time since Independence that India has imported 30 lakh bales of cotton owing to crop shortfall, but no one is talking about it. Instead, people are happy discussing Kashmir and abrogation of Article 370.” Dr Madhukar Gumble of Kisaan Mitra, an NGO working for farmers, said, “Farmers are angry for various reasons, including not getting crop insurance payout. Drought can’t become a poll issue, as farmers feel the previous government too did nothing.”