The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government’s blitzkrieg of advertisements marking the completion of three years in office, which showcase citizens saying ‘Mi Labharthi’ (I am a beneficiary) of government schemes, has come under the scanner as claims have been raised over their authenticity.
The latest among them pertains to Bidal village in Satara’s Man tehsil, which has been advertised as a successful example for the implementation of the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan toward making Maharashtra drought-free by 2019. The title of the video, uploaded on YouTube by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis says, ‘A miracle of the Jalyukt Shivar scheme.’
“Bidal village was included in the Jalyukt Shivar scheme in 2017-18, which is this ongoing year. A plan for the implementation of scheme is not yet ready. In such a case, how can the State government claim credit for already completed work?” asked local MLA Jaykumar Gore. In fact, the village won an award fromthe Aamir Khan-led Pani Foundation’s Water Cup competition for its work. On Friday, the issue was raised in a meeting of the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC), following which Minister of State for Irrigation Vijay Shivtare sought detailed information from officials.
Another advertisement claims that Harisal in Amaravati’s Melghat region,where malnutrition is known to persist, is India’s first digital village. Anil Shidore, a senior leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) asked, “I have recently visited the village and I do not understand why they are calling it a digital village. Is it because the village has internet? Yes, internet is available but malnutrition and open defecation are still major problems. Does this mean the village has become a digital one?”
Before this, questions were also raised about advertisements that showed Shantaram Katke of the Bhivari village in Pune’s Purandar tehsil as a beneficiary whose life was turned around after he received ₹2.3 lakh under the Jalyukt Shivar, and Pune’s Raisa Shaikh, who is said to have similarly benefited by the allotment of a Maha e-Seva Kendra agency — bothhave claimed contrary to what the government ads said.
While Mr. Fadnavis did not respond to queries, a senior official from the Maharashtra Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) said,“Jalyukt Shivar is a wide concept. Farmers in Bidal have initiated works of water conservation with the support of government machinery. The villagers have implemented the scheme with active support from government.”