BJP comes out with vision document, stresses on power, industry, irrigation

Maharashtra BJP president Devendra Fandavis said: “The cooperative movement, the foundation of which was laid in the 1960s, has turned into the ruling Congress and NCP leaders’ private limited business and that has hampered the progress of the state.” He promised a competent fee regulatory authority to end “private players’ monopoly” in the education sector. At present, there is  no such regulatory body in  the sector.

Highlighting the agenda of power, roads and water, Fadnavis said: “It is unfortunate that even after 54 years the state is not load-shedding free due to shortage of power. The frequent closure of power plants lead to higher cost management. If we streamline and upgrade power plants to ensure higher generation, the electricity cost in Maharashtra would be reduced by almost 50 per cent — from Rs 9 to Rs 4.50, making it withstand the industrial competition from neighbouring states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which sell power at cheaper rates.”

The BJP vision document says almost 55 to 60 per cent of the population still relies on agriculture and that water crisis has led to both agrarian and industrial crises in the state.

According to Fadnavis who drafted the document, “Apart from completing the irrigation projects languishing for the last two decades, we will also lay stress on river-linking and smaller and economically-viable water conservation projects districts wise to maximise the state’s irrigation potential.”

He added: “The agrarian state has never given a thought to introducing ‘soil health cards’. Unless the soil is subjected to its health test, how does one arrive at what components are lacking? How does one set the production of food grains target?”
Fadnavis said the irrigation potential of the state had increased by only 0.01 per cent in the last 10 years, “which is shocking”. “And we have made a shameful record with 40,000 farmers committing suicides. Corruption has made the subsidies and loans to farmers under the drip irrigation scheme redundant. As a result, the farmers who cannot pay bribe to the agents are deprived of loans and have to go to private moneylenders. The BJP will promote drip irrigation and do away with middlemen and agents,” he said.

Talking about the industrial sector, Fadnavis said, “We will abolish draconian laws like the local body tax or octroi and have an industry-friendly alternative. Foreign Direct Investment in retail sector will not be encouraged, to safeguard the small traders’ rights and interests.”

He said the unemployment issue could be addressed by promoting industry-oriented education to match the demand and supply of skilled workers.

“Once the power and water problems are addressed, it would boost industries that would generate newer avenues of employment. The industries are moving out of state because of power and water crises. Almost 3 lakh people lost jobs because of closure of small scale sectors in the last 15 years,” said Fadnavis.

The vision document also talks of effective policing to generate a respect and fear of law to check crime against women in the state.