The Marathwada Water Grid initiative, spearheaded by former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, represents a transformative approach to addressing the chronic water scarcity that has plagued the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. This ambitious plan aims to create a comprehensive water distribution network that ensures reliable access to water for farmers and rural communities.
By integrating multiple water sources and enhancing infrastructure, the Water Grid is designed to provide a sustainable and efficient solution to the ongoing agricultural challenges faced by farmers in the area. Fadnavis's vision is not only to improve water security but also to bolster agricultural productivity and livelihoods, ultimately aiming to reduce distress among farmers and enhance their resilience to climatic variations.
#MaharashtraElection #MaharashtraElection2024 #MarathwadaWaterGrid #DevendraFadnavis #WaterSecurity #MaharashtraFarmers #SustainableAgriculture #WaterManagement #FarmerSupport #IrrigationSolutions #AgriculturalReform #RuralDevelopment #ClimateResilience #WaterInfrastructure #MaharashtraDevelopment #FarmersFirst #InnovativeSolutions
By integrating multiple water sources and enhancing infrastructure, the Water Grid is designed to provide a sustainable and efficient solution to the ongoing agricultural challenges faced by farmers in the area. Fadnavis's vision is not only to improve water security but also to bolster agricultural productivity and livelihoods, ultimately aiming to reduce distress among farmers and enhance their resilience to climatic variations.
#MaharashtraElection #MaharashtraElection2024 #MarathwadaWaterGrid #DevendraFadnavis #WaterSecurity #MaharashtraFarmers #SustainableAgriculture #WaterManagement #FarmerSupport #IrrigationSolutions #AgriculturalReform #RuralDevelopment #ClimateResilience #WaterInfrastructure #MaharashtraDevelopment #FarmersFirst #InnovativeSolutions
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00:00Marathwada, a drought-prone region in Maharashtra, has long faced a severe water crisis due to
00:05erratic rainfall and limited infrastructure. This scarcity deeply affects daily life and
00:11economic stability, hitting farmers the hardest. With Maharashtra accounting for 38% of India's
00:19farmer suicides from 1995 to 2013, the Marathwada Water Grid Project, led by Devendra Parnavas,
00:27offers hope as a sustainable water distribution solution for the region.
00:32Now to discuss this further, we are being joined by Rashmi Samal, political analyst and author
00:37from Mumbai. Thank you so much for joining us, Rashmi. Thank you, thank you so much for having
00:42me. So without further ado, I'm straight off going to jump into the questions. Rashmi, what
00:48has been the tangible impact of the Marathwada Water Grid Project, which has been spearheaded
00:54by Devendra Parnavas, on the lives of farmers in the region? And also, could it become a model
01:00for other drought-prone areas in India? Well, I think first of all, you know, when you talk about
01:07farmer suicides, which I think is a problem that all of Bharat faces, different regions have faced
01:15due to a number of reasons from, you know, debt to water scarcity to, you know, natural disasters.
01:23So we've always seen farmers at the receiving end of financial inequity leading to suicide.
01:31And I think 38% is a very, you know, it's a statistic. If you talk about it from a very
01:37realistic perspective, then between 2003 and 2014, it's been 10 farmers every day committing suicide.
01:45It's been that acute, the problem. So you are trying to tell us that probably the reported
01:51numbers are not up to where the reality lies, right? No, not really. But I think it puts in a
02:00pinpoint, right, when you talk about 10 farmers dying each day, as vis-a-vis 38%, I think it
02:06makes the problem more real, more tangible that how problematic it is really. And you know,
02:12you see farm, you know, you see political parties trying to leverage farmers as a vote, you know,
02:18vote base. But then all they do ever is try to waive off loans and come up with short term
02:24problems. They try to plug the problem in the short run by giving a short term solution. But
02:30you know, end of the day, the farmers of this country, they want self respect, they want to be
02:34able to earn their own bread, make their ends meet and put in the hard work and you know, get the
02:39work done. They don't want dole outs. Absolutely. And when we also look at farmers from other
02:45countries and how they're flourishing vis-a-vis a farmer in India, where once upon a time, I think
02:51they were the ones who were providing food for everybody to the time when they're looking out
02:55for you know, as you called it the dole outs. It's a stark difference. Absolutely. And I think
03:02this is great because before every election, you see political parties coming out with guarantees
03:09as to okay, we will do this, we will do that. And you know, in the process, try to bankrupt the
03:14state treasury. Because these are all temporary dole outs, which do not fix the economy in the
03:19long run. But you know, try to pacify the people of their immediate problems. You can't blame the
03:24people because people are in acute problem. And if the political parties only give such
03:28short plug solutions and other political parties try to compete in that space by you know,
03:33competing on guarantees, then it's a bad economic model, the country will not flourish.
03:38So I think this is also very fundamental, crucial and pretty pathbreaking in the way that for the
03:44very first time before an election, we have a party come forward, we have a leader come forward
03:50and say that, okay, this was a huge problem in my state. And instead of, of course, he's done a lot
03:56of, you know, short term things to fix the problem during his tenure, they did that water rail to
04:01Latur, they did all of these things to, you know, immediately fix the problem. But also, you know,
04:06we have a leader who's done something to fix the problem permanently and create a water grid.
04:13And I think this water grid is extremely futuristic in the way that it allows reverse
04:18flow of water depending on you know, where the, which taluka has more water and then there are
04:24these collection points every 10 kilometers. It is fundamentally answering problems because
04:30water systems were extremely primitive back in the day, you know, of the few successive
04:36governments that we've had over the past, you know, six, seven decades.
04:41Also, when India boasts of probably having the brightest of scientists across the world,
04:47who are doing fantastic job across again, internationally,
04:52but in India itself, we have not been able to use it to the, you know, max.
04:57Absolutely. And I think we also have a heritage of excellent water conservation. If you go to
05:02cities like Udaipur, if you go to, you know, these cities in Rajasthan, they're not
05:07naturally abundant with water, but all of these lakes were created to create civilizations around
05:13them. And, you know, some of the forts, they're exceptional in the way that you don't know where
05:17the water comes from, but perennially, there's water in these forts. So I think we have that,
05:23you know, history of great water conservation methods, even in the driest, most arid of regions.
05:30And Marathwada is, you know, successively better than these regions in Rajasthan. But the fact that
05:37we haven't been able to address this problem was a failure of successive political parties and
05:43successive governments who only chose to, you know, treat the people of this country and the state of
05:49Maharashtra and the region of Marathwada as, you know, few people as a water group, not as
05:55people with livelihoods, people with a life, people with a future. So here you're fixing the
06:02problem for future. And I think it's the same, right? Any region will flourish if you give them
06:09the basic necessities, if you give them food, water, shelter, electricity, and then comes a
06:15step above, if you give them excellent education and healthcare, the region flourishes even more.
06:22Absolutely. You're not just fixing the problem, but it is also kind of preparing
06:27a space for them where they can grow from here on.
06:31Absolutely. They can grow from here on. Their children can stop migrating out of this region
06:38because, you know, Marathwada is also a region where you see massive immigration when it comes
06:43to the youth because they don't see a future for themselves there. So you ensure that there's
06:48continuity of that community in that region, preservation of culture, and the creation of
06:54perhaps another hub of economy in the entire state. So it's a long term goal because the
07:02minute you fix basic infrastructure, the minute you fix basic necessities, it also creates space
07:09for the people to flourish in all aspects of their life. It also adds to general health of
07:18the region's life expectancy. We're talking about basic things because we know that
07:24water causes some of the gravest of illnesses. If there's any lack of it or if there's
07:31some sort of, you know, there is no way that you can lead a good, you know,
07:39or you can have a good standard of living without a basic necessity as water.
07:44Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think with other states, you mentioned, you know, can other
07:51states and other regions in Bharat take precedent and take, you know, some inspiration from this?
07:56Absolutely. Because I think currently, if you see, we have some regions reporting
08:02excessive rainfall, excessive water that, you know, you have to open the flood, the dam,
08:07the floodgates and dams and, you know, release the water into the ocean. We have some regions
08:12where that's going on. Then we have regions which are acutely suffering from drought and, you know,
08:17they have been successively having problems. So it's a diverse country with diverse, you know,
08:23land makeup and diverse climatic conditions. So if we manage to build a grid where this exchange
08:31can happen of water and, you know, there's no wastage and we help the country grow in a way by,
08:38you know, making sure that the sharing of resources happens well, then I mean,
08:44we are in the future. We have reached the stage, you know, where we are number one economy,
08:50you know, number five, if I can call it loosely, it will probably be more of a
08:56Bhaichara. I have a little more, please, you can have some use, you know, not be deprived of the
09:01basics that you need. Okay. Another thing, Rashmi, now Padnavis's leadership during 2016 water crisis
09:08in Latur, now with efforts like how you spoke about like the water train gained widespread
09:14attention. Now, how do you see his initiative, like this crisis management and of course,
09:20a water grid as well reflecting his commitment to tackling Marathwada's longstanding water issues?
09:27I think he's extremely sensitive to the people and their problems and that he's delivered in
09:33the long run instead of just waiving loans and, you know, running water trains every time the
09:37problem gets worse, because that's something you can simply do, right? You can run a train from
09:42here to there, every time the problem gets absolutely worse and take away the brownie
09:47points. But to build a grid at the back of it to simultaneously ensure that you're doing something
09:53in the short run and in the long run, it speaks of a visionary leader who, you know, whose heart
09:59truly bleeds for his people. It doesn't talk of any, you know, a shallow leader who's only after
10:06power or only after, you know, preserving his seat in the legislature. Now, you know, because
10:12the problem with such long term projects is that they are never really, they never become election
10:19points, because people see these projects in the works for such a long time, that it never hits
10:26as a voting point for people. Like if you look at it from an electoral perspective, as a political
10:31analyst, I feel like such big projects which go on for years altogether, which actually fix
10:36problems, they never sort of become a voting point in vis-a-vis an immediate relief, like, okay,
10:44we're waiving your loans, or we're giving you a monthly rollout of so much and so on. So it takes
10:50a real leader to take such steps, knowing that... And you know, it might just not come back to you
10:57within the long term, it might just go and somebody else just might say, oh, this has
11:01happened in our term, which does happen in a country like ours, especially when elections are
11:06around the corner. Absolutely. So when elections are around the corner, there's always
11:11sort of this grab for, you know, the credit for all of these projects. And also, I think people
11:17really, right, we haven't seen these long term projects really turn into electoral advantage.
11:25In some cases they do, in some cases they don't. So it's always a coin toss in that way. And a
11:30project like this, I think the whole project is somewhere priced around 40,000 crores. And I think
11:35the first phase is almost 10% of that amount. And you know, there's 60% contribution from the
11:43government, which is pretty huge and 40% sort of private, you know, investment through debt and
11:49equity. So it's a huge investment that's going in, even for a government to, you know, put in
11:55that kind of resources into a place. So that shows that there is a long term commitment to actual
12:01betterment of the people and that, you know, the former chief minister and the current deputy
12:07chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, actually like bleeds for the, his heart bleeds for the people,
12:13people of Marathwada. And I think that is important. And I think as an electorate,
12:19as well, like not just in Maharashtra, but pan India, we need to look out for leaders
12:24who would fix the problem, rather than throw some money at it, or, you know, come up with a bandaid
12:31to hide the problem, you know, all of these short term... If I can use a simile, probably we need
12:37leaders like mothers, who are really interested in the growth of their child, rather than, you
12:43know, somebody visiting, just comes in with gifts, and then goes off and doesn't really look back to
12:48see what's happening. You don't need cool aunties who come in and, you know, spoil the child.
12:57You need a mother, you need a, you know, you need somebody who would nurture the,
13:02you know, region, like a parent, like discipline it when necessary. And look out for long term
13:10development, instead of, you know, trying to solve the problem with a small chocolate or,
13:15you know, we don't need that bandaid fixing anymore. Of course, when the problem gets
13:20really bad, we do need relief measures like the train that was run and all of these things. Of
13:26course, I do understand, you know, when a new leader takes charge, and he sees that farmers
13:32are actively dying. Yeah, it's okay to waive the loans, but also it is necessary to come up with
13:39a long term problem to fix the problem, solution, instead of just waiving the loans,
13:46year in and year out. And you've seen this happen for decades. I mean, waiving of loans is a
13:52solution that's been repeated for decades for more than, you know, six decades. And politicians
13:58didn't think that, okay, let us waive the loans for now, but also come up with a problem so that
14:03we return the self respect of farmers and that this problem doesn't exist in the first place.
14:08And I think probably a regular farmer, or maybe even not very well educated, you know, those
14:16places that are not very well educated, they'll be more than happy with Oh, thank God, this is
14:20happening right now, without really thinking about that we are we are completely entitled to
14:26be for this for wherever we are living for that place to be grown for that place to be invested
14:32in talking about this, and you also just spoke about funding. So in terms of funding,
14:37Fudnavist has secured substantial support, both from the central government and the international
14:42bodies like you also mentioned. So how crucial do you think is this development is this level of
14:48investment? And do you think this will ensure the project's timely completion and also the
14:53sustainability? I think so. I think every project now as we live in a globalized world is about,
15:01you know, that kind of capital that moves around freely in the world, you need access to that kind
15:06of capital. You also need access to that kind of open technology. We've lost a lot of the science
15:13that made, you know, water conservation possible in the state of Rajasthan. So that is still a
15:19work in progress. So we do need real time solutions, the science of which is available
15:24to us readily, which, you know, unfortunately, in at the current stage happens to be available
15:31internationally and not domestically. So we need to have strategic partnerships happen on, you know,
15:38on an international scale, I think. And I think, you know, the former chief minister, he's actually
15:45made these trips, he does take international trips on a regular basis where he's secured
15:51funding. I remember reading about this trip he took to Japan where he, you know, substantially
15:56ensured it perhaps is not connected to this particular project, but substantial exchange of,
16:02you know, technology, information, inventions, and, you know, ensuring that there is that flow
16:10of capital. So I think we need leaders who are capable of that. Very often, I think there's
16:16always a saying that politics is the last resort of scoundrels. But if enough good people don't do
16:23it, then scoundrels rule the mart. So I think that is something Indians have also experienced that
16:28we've had the worst of the lot, actually come to power. And what it does is that they sure know how
16:35to wiggle their way out to power using a number of techniques, and you know, by hoodwinking the people.
16:42But once they do get to power, there's not much they can do, because they do not have the kind of
16:47exposure or the kind of know how to actually bring all of these things back. And they're actively
16:54only invested in getting elected again by, you know, coming up with another hoodwinking scheme.
16:59So I think this shows also how future leadership of this country should be like. And I think
17:06Prime Minister Modi set up an excellent examples and state leaders following suit is exceptionally
17:13great that, you know, they're also tapping into this international capital market. And they're
17:19also looking into exchange of information, exchange of technology. That is exceptionally,
17:24I think, important. Like they say, the mark of a true king is also the kind of advisors he keeps.
17:34Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think you should always be open to these kinds of collaborations.
17:41And you know, you always learn something from others. And I think that openness to dialogue,
17:47that capacity to actually convert dialogue and that curiosity about Bharat into active
17:53investments, I think that is also something key. Because if you look at a lot of these countries,
17:57even, you know, even Canada, which is at sort of, you know, the Trudeau government,
18:02which is at war with India, if you look at the people or the opposition of Canada,
18:07they're actually invested in the Indian markets, because it's the most profitable in the current
18:11day and age. So we do have something to offer to the world in terms of a better return on
18:18investment. You different countries have different apparatuses, even, you know,
18:24France has a pension fund, and that they roll out, the government has a pension fund,
18:29and this pension fund is invested in different projects with great returns across the world.
18:34Yeah, India happens to be on the growth run right now. And you know, the sort of GDP growth,
18:40the kind of stability that we've shown post COVID and post the sort of wars that have broken out in
18:46different parts of the world has been exceptional. And we do offer an amazing return on investment.
18:58I think it's up to the state leadership to really leverage upon that to have the awareness that
19:04these things exist across the world, and that we need to bring it to our stage, we need to
19:09benefit regions like Marathwada with it, and have that, you know, sense of local to global
19:15and global to local on a much more mature level. Not just, you know, restricted to small displace
19:23of local to global that is, you know, export of, you know, culture and everything that that's just
19:29the beginning. But I think when when the sense of ownership is not just your house or not just
19:34your party, but it extends to your state and your country, and how you're representing it
19:41internationally and what you're doing to make it grow.
19:45Absolutely, absolutely. I think that then becomes fundamentally important. I think it remains to be
19:51seen how the people of Marathwada will pick because I think it's a very swing region that's
19:58voted differently, many of the times, but I think it will be a testament and I think it's a call to
20:04action for them also to sort of lead the way for the entire country and set an example as to how
20:10you should vote, you should vote for people with long term solutions to your problems, people who
20:14will ensure that the problem is fixed and not just temporarily, you know, bandaged. So I think that
20:22is the call of the hour. And we will see I think it's important to notice this because Indian
20:28voters sometimes surprise, sometimes they take the most mature decisions, most unexpected decisions.
20:35So I think truly Bharat is truly a vibrant democracy because, you know, you judge the
20:41voters a certain way and then they come out completely, you know, astounding the country
20:47world and all analysts in the way that they pick. Yeah, I think there is a lot of political
20:54maturity in the people. Yeah. And information dissemination helps in taking that maturity in
21:01the right direction, because very often there is no discussion and debate as well on these
21:07schemes and these finer things that go into action. And these discussions, I think end of
21:12the day also help to direct that maturity in a more constructive way than not. Absolutely.
21:19Now, Rashmi, let's talk about some challenges. Now, given the water grid's aim to connect
21:24Marathwada to water rich regions, what are the political and logistical challenges that
21:30Fadnavis, you know, the government might be facing in implementing this ambitious project?
21:36Also, could it lead to broader regional development? I think political continuity is one major
21:42problem that this project faces, because when there is no political continuity of a particular
21:48party, very often we see other political parties coming and completely trampling those projects.
21:53Yeah, because then it becomes an ego match. They don't want the people if the people remember one
21:58project sufficiently and associated sufficiently with one particular leader, then, you know,
22:04it becomes the mission life and mission of other political parties. If there is no political
22:08continuity to actually stall these projects or completely derail these projects, or, you know,
22:16completely delay them in a way that they never materialize. So I think political continuity is
22:20one of the largest challenges that it faces, because it's a long term project, started in
22:252019. But I think, you know, phase one is supposed to complete and then there are multiple phases
22:30that need to go in for the problem to actually cease to exist. And I think that is one major
22:39challenge, political continuity, and other political parties sort of getting in the way of
22:44this progress and taking it upon their ego. The second sort of challenge I see to the completion
22:51of this project really is the sort of narrative building that goes around water, right? So many
22:57of the fights, you know, between different states, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu for that matter, and all the
23:04states have been based on water. And very often these fights are politically manufactured,
23:11and then planted in these regions, in these communities, and then they take a life of their
23:16own. So I think that is also, you know, that, that political mischief, not political mischief, but,
23:23you know, I think mischief is a very positive word to associate with something that is so destructive.
23:29But hampering of projects by using, you know, tactics like these, wherein you try to,
23:38you know, sabotage active projects by spreading false narratives around them. I think that is also
23:45one major problem which this project might see in the long run, if political continuity is,
23:54what do you say, is ensured. So it's like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place.
23:59If you do come to power, then there is the whole narrative war that you have to face, which might
24:03start political instability in the region, by, you know, these manufactured narratives in the
24:10minds of the people who live around and who will be affected with this water sharing, you know,
24:14the regions which will contribute to this project. And then if there's no political continuity,
24:19then you do face a possible demise of the entire project and the collapse, because if the ego
24:25matches that different political parties do take on. So I think there's this active problem that
24:30politicians need to maneuver politically for, you know, to make sure that a project really
24:35materializes and goes forward without much issues. But I think it's always an uphill task.
24:43Absolutely. To finish, Rashmi, do talk a little about, you know, how could this
24:48lead to broader regional development?
24:51Well, I definitely do feel that when there is water, you know, when there's security,
24:56water security, and the basic necessity is just fulfilled, you know, not many people,
25:02you know, lesser people are going to want to lead the region. The life expectancy is going to
25:07increase. The farmers, you know, their income is going to grow. And then they can also, you know,
25:14I just feel like farming as general will grow, because the more the money the farmer makes,
25:19the more can he invest into, you know, futuristic ways of farming or, you know,
25:25developing the region or educating his children the way that they want to. And I think when
25:31there's water, when there's, you know, when there are roads and when there's overall prosperity,
25:37then, you know, businesses do flock these regions, because we are a constantly expanding,
25:44you know, region and this region, you know, it borders different states. So there's a lot of
25:48cooperation that comes in from other cities as well. There's proximity to other large cities
25:53of neighbouring states. So I think there's going to be a lot of flocking from those regions as
25:59well, because we're actively all states are actively all cities are actively looking,
26:02all companies are actively looking for newer horizons to touch. So I think there will be
26:07an overall, you know, development. And water, I think is it's the pulse of every society. There's
26:14no water people run over. There was an active water problem in Bangalore. And there were many
26:21companies which took the active decision to leave the city and to set up, you know, headquarters
26:26elsewhere. And I think water is one problem, which, you know, which, which it's one issue,
26:33which can solve many problems and create many more. So I think solving that will just, you know,
26:39increase the standard of living and bring investment in an unprecedented way to the region
26:45and actually propel it into the future that's been sort of taken away from it by successive
26:50political parties and governments. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having joined us today.
26:57So that was Rashmi Samanth, political analyst and author speaking to us. Thank you so much.
27:03Thank you. Thank you so much. Wonderful being on your show.