Mumbai: The State government’s ad campaign to mark its third year in power has turned controversial, with questions being raised on the authenticity of claims made in the advertisements. The promotions showcase citizens who are purportedly beneficiaries of government schemes.
The latest ‘ Mi Labharthi ’ (I’m a beneficiary) ad to come under the scanner features Bidal vilalge in Man tehsil, Satara district. A miracle of the Jalyukata Shivar scheme , a video uploaded on YouTube by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, celebrates the village’s successful implementation of the water scheme.
Jaykumar Gore, the Congress MLA from Man, isn’t impressed. “Bidal village is included in Jalyukta Shivar scheme for 2017-18, or in this financial year. A plan for implementing the scheme is not yet ready, then how can the State government claim credit for work already completed?”
Interestingly, the village had won an award in the Aamir Khan-led Pani Foundation’s Water Cup competition for its work, and not under the Jalyukta Shivar scheme. On Friday, the issue was raised at a meeting of the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC), and Minister of State for Irrigation Vijay Shivtare has sought detailed information from officers responsible.
Another advertisement claims Harisal in Amravati district is India’s first digital village. The village falls in the tribal-dominated Melghat region, where malnutrition has been a long-standing problem. Anil Shidore, a senior Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader working in Melghat for the last 20 years, said, “I have recently visited the village and I don’t understand why are they 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.”
Beneficiaries in denial
Earlier, two people shown as beneficiaries made claims to the contrary: an advertisement claimed that a Jalyukta Shivar scheme grant of ₹2.3 lakh turned around the life of Shantaram Katke, a resident of Bhivari village in Purandar tehsil, Pune district; another showed Raisa Shaikh of Pune too gained immensely after being allotted a Maha e-Seva Kendra agency.
A Maharashtra Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) officer said objections are being raised for the sake of it, despite government clarifications. “Jalyukta Shivar is a wide concept. Farmers in Bidal have initiated works of water conservation with the support of government machinery. Villagers have implemented the scheme with active support from the government.”
