Community turns against rape survivor, system fails her

A Beed gang rape survivor's decade-long fight for justice faced a setback as the High Court overturned her attackers’ conviction, even as she continues to battle social ostracism. Beed, Maharashtra: “I was walking through my village when I suddenly saw one of the convicts from my case, roaming free,” said Meena (name changed), a gang rape survivor from Maharashtra’s Beed district. “There had been rumours that all four had been released. But I didn’t believe it until I saw it myself.”The shock wasn’t just in seeing them. “No one informed us about the High Court [Bombay HC, Aurangabad bench] proceedings in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, which overturned the lower court’s conviction, setting all four men free.”“When I asked if we needed to attend the hearings, the public prosecutor had told us there was no need. They said they would handle it, but this is what the result is,” she recalled. Meena’s case began on January 1, 2015. That afternoon, she was travelling back to her home in Beed from her maternal village. She boarded a shared jeep headed toward Padalsinghi Square, planning to change vehicles. But midway, the jeep took a sudden turn. “I was the only passenger,” she said. “The driver picked up a few men. They took me to a field and raped me.” According to Meena’s statement in the first information report, the assault continued for several hours, including at her home, until early morning.By the time daylight came on January 2, her clothes were torn, her phone had been taken, and she had no way to contact anyone. She travelled 25 kilometres in an autorickshaw to reach the Gevrai taluka police station. She waited there for hours until the police eventually contacted her husband. “He was shocked. We both broke down,” she said, adding that police kept her waiting at the station until a case was filed. The FIR was registered later that evening, and within 24 hours, all four accused—residents of nearby Lamani tribal hamlets—were arrested. The day after filing her complaint, the police called her to an identity parade at Beed Prison, where she identified the accused. According to Meena’s statement in the first information report, the assault continued for several hours, including at her home, until early morning (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)PerseveranceAlmost immediately, Meena began facing immense pressure from local leaders and community members to take back the case, who suggested a compromise. “They wanted me to settle, to let it go,” she said. However, with the help of her husband and local women’s rights activist Manisha Tokale, she pursued the case through public prosecutor Advocate Milind Waghirkar.As the trial neared its end in 2020, the accused’s families again offered an out-of-court settlement, but Meena refused. Eventually, the Beed Sessions Court convicted all four men and sentenced them to life imprisonment. But her decision to see the case through the court drew backlash from her village and the surrounding hamlets. Consequently, the gram panchayats of three neighbouring villages passed a resolution on August 15, 2020—Independence Day—calling for her social boycott. This was even before the Sessions Court passed its judgment in October 2020. After the verdict, the villagers’ attempts to ostracise her only intensified. An atrocity case was registered against Meena in November 2020. On December 26, 2020, villagers served Meena a notice to vacate her ancestral land, and she received a formal notice threatening legal action for alleged illegal land occupation under the Bombay Prevention of Fragmentation and Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1958. That same day, a dispute over her water connection led to a confrontation with a panchayat worker. Later that week, a group of around 400 villagers gathered outside the Beed District Superintendent of Police’s office and submitted a petition that labelled Meena a “threat” to the village. The application, signed by villagers from three hamlets, accused her of having an “ill character” and a habit of falsely accusing men of molestation and rape. It requested the SP to verify these claims and protect villagers from Meena’s alleged “terror”. Meena, too, went to the SP’s office to explain her side. “I tried to explain what was happening. Some journalists at the police station asked about my story,” she said. A journalist, according to Meena, got a copy of the “social boycott” resolution. This resolution was reportedly passed in August 2020, even though pandemic rules made such meetings illegal. After media reports highlighted the meeting’s illegality, the official resolution and its related documents purportedly vanished from the Gram Panchayat offices.This incident caught the attention of local activists, especially Tokale, a social worker who heads Jagar Pratishtan and Mahila Ustod Sanghatana in Beed. She contacted Meena to offer legal and emotional support.It is important to note that Meena did not find out about the August 15, 2020, resolution until late December, when villagers were intensifying their attacks on her. That's when Tokale and her legal team stepped in. They checked Meena’s property documents, drafted her response to the encroachment notice, and created a plan to protect her rights.Tokale also brought the issue to Neelam Gorhe, then Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Gorhe released a press note urging the Rural Development Minister to ensure Meena's safety. Gorhe had also called for the Rural Development Department to appoint an administrator over the three villages and investigate the resolution’s passage in violation of constitutional rights. Public pressure also led to Vyankatrao M Hundekar, Beed’s Women and Child Development Officer, visiting Meena's village and offering official support. The activist team also met with police, explaining that the atrocity case against Meena was retaliation, which led to no further action against her.Talking about the boycott and the events that followed, Advocate Siddharth Shinde of the Victim Support System (VSS) said that the resolutions against Meena were passed by three village panchayats and were signed by women sarpanches and panchayat members. “They accused Meena of having ‘poor character’ as if that alone could justify expelling her from her village,” he added.Shinde said, “Who gave them the authority to target her this way? It shows how deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes are, even when enforced through women representatives.”Villagers served Meena a notice to vacate her ancestral land (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)ReversalTen years on, Meena’s fight looks like it is far from over. “The convicts had appealed the sentence in the High Court at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar,” Tokale said. “And recently, we found out that she had lost the case.”The High Court’s decision, delivered in June 2025, came as a crushing blow, overturning the life sentences Meena had fought over five years to secure from the Sessions Court in Beed. The lawyers for the accused had argued that the case largely rested on the victim’s testimony, claiming her story was untruthful and unreliable. They pointed to inconsistencies, like the incident’s date falling on a weekly market day, and “improbabilities” in her account. They also contended that the identification parade was unreliable. They also argued that the victim’s husband’s testimony was unbelievable, independent witnesses (the panchas) did not support the prosecution, forensic reports did not corroborate the victim’s story, and the investigating officer’s testimony alone was insufficient to prove the charges. Based on these arguments and supporting judgments, the defence requested that the conviction and sentence be overturned.Public Prosecutor Advocate Milind Vaghirkar, however, countered this, stating, “We had presented the survivor’s statement, medical records, and all supporting documents. Her testimony remained consistent under cross-examination. There was no indication of falsehood or motive.”  A rare win for Beed, which has been pulled up for low conviction rates and declining law and order. As per the police department data compiled by the Criminal Investigation Department, in 2022, Beed registered a conviction rate of just 11.79%, a steep decline from 36.09% in 2018.Vaghirkar called the Sessions Court’s ruling one of the strongest he had seen in Beed, adding, “I don’t know how it fell apart in the High Court.” Advocate Sudarshan Salonkhe, representing the accused, said: “We argued that the victim’s testimony lacked credibility and that neither medical nor circumstantial evidence supported her version. If she is dissatisfied, she has the right to appeal to the Supreme Court.” This appeal is now Meena’s next possible step. Advocate Shinde explained she could apply to the Department of Law and Justice in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, citing safety concerns and the strength of ignored evidence, for a formal appeal to the Supreme Court. Shinde said: “It’s too early to say how far we’ll go, but she now understands her options.” This story was originally published as a part of Crime and Punishment project in collaboration with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.Cover Photo - Representative image/ AI-generated using Canva

In Maharashtra, cane-cutting women are the healthcare lifelines for migrant communities

In drought-hit Marathwada, women trained as Arogya Sakhis are providing first aid and medical support to thousands of migrant families left behind by the public health system.Beed, Maharashtra: “Many women use chumbal, the cloth we tie on our heads to carry sugarcane, as a sanitary pad during our periods,” Sadhana Waghmare (32), a cane-cutting labourer from Maharashtra’s Beed district said. “While on the field, we have no time or safe place to wash or change clothes in the fields, so we continue using the same cloth. This causes itching, swelling and infections. Earlier, we had no one to share this with. Now, because of the Arogya Sakhis, at least someone listens and suggests solutions.”Sadhana Waghmare, an Arogya Sakhi from Kathoda, showing her record book. She served more than 40 patients in remote migrant farms and returned around 20 patients in the 2024-25 season (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)In 2023, Waghmare was among 20 women trained under the Arogya Sakhi programme, a community health initiative for migrant cane-cutters in drought-prone Marathwada region. Every harvesting season, thousands of families migrate to work in the fields of western Maharashtra and beyond, with little access to healthcare.The programme – run by Society for Promotion Participative Ecosystem Management (SOPPECOM) and Anusandhan Trust Sathi – was born out of the Covid-19 pandemic, when SOPPECOM distributed notebooks to migrant workers to track their injuries, illnesses and health expenses during the lockdown.The data showed that basic health training for volunteers could help reduce medical emergencies.The migrant women cane cutting labour workers working in the western part of the Maharashtra state. They have to cut and tie the cane and carry on head to the tractor in harsh conditions (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)Arogya Sakhis are trained to offer first aid and distribute non-prescription medicines from standardised kits, with supplies provided by the Beed Zilla Parishad. The kits include essentials like paracetamol, oral rehydration salts, antiseptic lotion and cotton dressings.While the women work as volunteers, they receive a travel allowance of Rs 500 when applicable. To qualify, participants must have studied up to at least Class 7 and be literate. The initial seven-day training covered first aid, menstrual hygiene, and record-keeping, while subsequent batches received a condensed four-day version.Though many early trainees were cane-cutters with limited education, support from trainers in Pune helped them overcome unfamiliar medical vocabulary. Over time, they gained confidence and began offering health support not just at field sites but also in their home villages.By the second year, the programme’s impact was visible. Volunteers were also representing their communities in Jana Aarogya Samitis or village health communities with the help of local grassroots groups like Mahila Ustod Sanghatana helped coordinate this outreach. “There were no health services at the migration sites,” said district convener Manisha Tokale. “We realised that if even one woman in each group was trained, she could help others and connect them to care when needed.”The Arogya Sakhis are equipped with a medical kit with medicine, band aids, and other medical supplies (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)Cycle of neglectDuring the migration season, labourers shift in pairs called koyta, typically husband and wife, and are paid Rs 350 to Rs 400 per ton of sugarcane cut. They are expected to meet a daily target of two tons which helps them get Rs 800 a day per pair. And, taking even a single day off, including for medical reasons, invites a penalty of Rs 1,200 from contractors. As a result, many workers continue cutting cane while unwell.“These contractors are least bothered about the workers’ health or rights,” Ashok Tangade, president of the Beed District Child Welfare Committee said. “The government says India is free of bonded labour, but sectors like sugarcane and brick kilns still practice bandhua majdoori. The contractor, farm owner and sugar factory are all responsible for providing medical facilities, but they shirk these responsibilities completely.”As a result, Tangade said, labourers are squeezed from both ends: unable to afford medical care and punished if they try to access it. “They work through illness, risking long-term harm. They compromise on nutrition, healthcare, even their children’s education and vaccinations,” he added. These labourers belong to Marathwada,  a drought-prone region in central Maharashtra, comprising seven districts. The region lies in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats. With poor irrigation and limited industrial development, farming here is usually restricted to a single, rain-fed crop each year. As a result, thousands of families migrate annually to western Maharashtra and to other states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu for sugarcane-cutting work.This pattern of migration began after the 1972 drought and has continued for over five decades. In many villages, the children of cane-cutters grow up expecting to follow the same path.From Beed district alone, over 10 lakh people migrate for the harvest season each year. Of them, more than 3 lakh are women, according to civil society estimates. (Above)Arogya Sakhis with their kit (below)Sadhana Waghmare, an Arogya Sakhi from Kathoda, served up to three months returning from migration to her village (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)A voice in the systemOver time, Arogya Sakhis have become important intermediaries between migrant women and the public health system, not just by treating symptoms, but by helping women articulate their needs and push for better access to care.Volunteers like Waghmare and Kalpana Thorat have repeatedly raised the demand for sanitary pads at Jan Aarogya Samiti meetings, even if the response has been slow. “I have raised the sanitary pad issue with the Sarpanch before every migration season,” said Thorat, a cane-cutter from Pimpalwadi village. “He always promises, but we never receive anything. Even the ASHA worker in our Samiti could not help.”Despite this, Thorat said she felt empowered to speak up. “It is a major issue for migrant women. I am glad I was able to bring it up in front of the Samiti, which includes the Sarpanch, Community Health Officers, Primary Healthcare Centre nurses, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, and SHG members.”Her efforts are recognised by others in the community. “Every village should have someone like an Arogya Sakhi,” said Shahnaj Ajbuddin Sayyad, president of the self-help group in Pimpalwadi and a member of the Samiti. “I worked as a cane-cutter for 15 years. The ASHA worker gave us medicine sometimes, but her visits were irregular, and our work was unpredictable. With Arogya Sakhis we have a constant connection.”A booklet distributed to Arogya Sakhi, which introduces her to the human body structure and its functioning (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)Bridging language and distanceWaghmare recalled the difficulty of seeking care in unfamiliar places during migration. “In Karnataka, my younger daughter was suffering from Unhali, a condition where you need to urinate frequently in summer,” she said. “For the first four hours at the clinic, we couldn’t explain the issue to the doctor, we didn’t speak Kannada, and the doctor didn’t understand Marathi. A translator from a nearby village finally helped.”In another case, she said, an elderly woman from her village used to travel 10 km to Beed just to get medicine for fever. “Now, for the past two years, she doesn’t need to. She gets the medicines in the village itself,” Waghmare said.The effectiveness of the Arogya Sakhi training becomes most evident during emergencies. “One fellow labourer’s leg was cut by a metal sheet,” said Thorat. “I was able to stop the bleeding with the first-aid kit. He later got eight stitches from the doctor.” The illustrated manuals and labelled kits, she said, helped her identify the correct medicine for each condition.“The sharp sugarcane leaves and the koyta often cause hand injuries,” Thorat added. “The Band-Aid strips have been really useful. Paracetamol helps with period pain, otherwise, the contractors don’t allow rest during those days.”Her work has extended beyond the fields into her village. “Recently, my grandson got a cut on his foot. We were planning to take him to a private clinic, but by evening my son called me. I dressed the wound, and it saved us money,” said Shantabai Pakhare, a 50-year-old villager from Pimpalwadi. “Kalpana has helped us many times, especially when the PHC is closed at night.”The programme has also led to visible cost savings. “We used to spend Rs 25,000 during harvest season on medical expenses,” said Waghmare. “For the last two years, we’ve saved that money with the help of the Arogya Sakhi kit.”During one migration, she said, she provided medicine to four tolis, about 40 to 50 people. After returning home, another 20 people from her village also benefited from the same kit, which contains paracetamol, Flura, Dome, cotton bandages, wool, Gentian violet antiseptic lotion and other over-the-counter medicines. “I can now treat fever, diarrhoea, dehydration and minor injuries, and do basic bandaging,” she said. “This has helped both my own toli and others at the migration site.”Kalpana Thorat, Arogya Sevika and a Jana Arogya Samiti member of Pimpalwadi, Beed (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)ChangemakersArogya Sakhi training hasn’t just improved healthcare access, it has helped cane-cutting women emerge as local health leaders. Many are now pushing for systemic change.The Mahila Ustod Sanghatana demanded that cane-cutting workers be included in the Jan Aarogya Samiti during the October-April migration season, so healthcare support continues in their villages while they’re away. These demands were raised in women’s assemblies and later passed in Gram Sabhas.In 2021, SOPPECOM began documenting the Arogya Sakhis’ work. By 2022, it encouraged women to seek representation in the Samitis. In 2023-24, the key demands included Samiti membership and identity cards for migrant women.The Zilla Parishad initially resisted, citing budget constraints. But health advocates argued that representation would improve access to schemes, health camps and sanitation drives, and bring migrant women into the public health system.Identity cards, to be issued by local bodies, would formally recognise cane cutters and help them access aid during migration. Signature campaigns and follow-ups were carried out with the Chief Minister’s Office and the District Health Officer. Lists of trained volunteers linked to PHCs were submitted.Despite early pushback, 28 Arogya Sakhis in Beed and 24 in Hingoli now work at the Gram Panchayat level. According to SOPPECOM, each migrant family saves an estimated Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 per season on healthcare due to their work.Ahead of the 2024–25 season, the Beed Zilla Parishad organised refresher training and distributed new kits, which the Arogya Sakhis say lasted them beyond the migration period.“I’m hopeful that thousands of trained women can work as Fadavarchi ASHA and support the 3 lakh women who migrate from Beed,” said Manisha.Now, the administration is planning a new initiative: Arogya Mitra. Each migrant group will have a trained volunteer to coordinate with ASHA and Anganwadi workers. Training is expected to begin in August.Former Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Aditya Jivane said such women can offer first-line care, promote nutrition and immunisation, and help link remote camps to the health system. Cover Photo - Kalpana Thorat, Arogya Sakhi and Shantabai Pakhare showing the medical kit given to Arogya Sakhis (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)

Maharashtra's Saur Vahini scheme back on track, but still has a long way to go

Farmers in Kolhapur spend sleepless nights in fields irrigating their crops as erratic power supply and delays in substation solarisation project hit them hardKolhapur, Maharashtra: “There is enough water in our wells to irrigate crops. But what can we do if the power supply is so erratic? We have forgotten our daily routine and are following only the routine of power availability,” frets Kamdev Pujari (59), while waiting for the water to reach the farther end of his 10-acre sugarcane field around midnight. Pujari hails from Kumbhoj in Hatkanangale taluka of Kolhapur. “We have to work hard to irrigate every corner of the farm. We do not even have time to take care of our families,” adds Pujari, who broke his left hand in an accident some years ago after a dog chased his motorcycle during his midnight routine.  Across Maharashtra, power supply is available for agriculture connections on three nights (1 am to 9 am) and three days in a week for the last 23 years. Earlier, the supply was for 10 hours against the present eight hours for individual farmers. For cooperative irrigation societies, power should be available for 16 hours, but load shedding is cutting down their time too.Solar Installations by TATA Solar Power of 4.4 MW at Kumbhoj, Hatkanagale taluka, Kolhapur over 18 hectares of land under MKSVY (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters) “I keep everything ready on the porch itself, else I will end up disturbing the sleep of my wife, sons and grandchildren. I sleep there and wake up at 1 am to head to the field to water the crops." he says. After work, he rests in a hut in the field until daybreak. This has been his routine for the last 23 years. Kumbhoj received less rainfall this year, so by August farmers became dependent on power supply to pump water from the well. Unfortunately, load shedding proved a villain, making Pujari lose Rs 40,000 per acre of the crop.    Sachin Khot, an electric engineer by education, has 16 acres under sugarcane cultivation. He is also the secretary of a cooperative irrigation society at Rukadi in Hatkanangale block of Kolhapur. He claims that even the night supply is not continuous. “Power supply is disrupted several times, but we cannot call the electricity department or receive emergency help. As a result, we have to continuously change the irrigation cycle, which adversely affects the crop,” he complains. Babalu Makandar, former zilla parishad member from Hatkanangale, says farmers put their lives at risk to bring water to the fields. “If there is an issue, he has to check the fuses, check wires with testers, put his hands into dangerous fuse boxes (DPs) and join broken cables. Five years ago. Ananda Powar, then aged 55, died after coming into contact with a broken cable. Sanjay Namdev Dhavale, then 44, was electrocuted while starting his motor pump,” he adds.Breakdown of motor pumps is not uncommon, thanks to faulty or low-quality fuse boxes and electricity lines, low voltage, single phase and the altered amplitude of current that trips the pumps. Khot claims the farmers have to contribute to the repair as the department does not have funds for repair. “I have an automated drip irrigation system on my farmland, but I cannot sleep peacefully at night. I am fed up with this farmer’s life. I have decided that my only son will not pursue this job,” he adds.Nivrutti Koli, age 34 stands in his field and states that he has less land holding and requires less water to irrigate his entire field (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)The widening gapMaharashtra is a leading state in industries that needs uninterrupted power supply. The demand-supply gap has pushed unorganised farmers to cope with night supply since 2000. In March, Maharashtra state had the highest demand of 28,000 MW, with the peak time varying from 11 am to 9 pm.Maharashtra Electricity Consumers Federation president Prakash Hogade tells 101Reporters that individual farmers must get eight hours of uninterrupted power supply and cooperative irrigation societies should get 16 hours. There should not be load shedding in between. Making their demand clear, the Kolhapur district unit of the state irrigation federation organised a protest on September 1, where federation secretary Vikrant Patil and farmers reiterated the need for continuous power supply. If the farmers (mostly relatives) are using water from a common well, he cannot get any extra time to irrigate if his time slot is lost due to erratic power supply. Many times, electricity becomes the reason for disputes. As for irrigation societies, two motors are used for lifting water. If one of the motors is not running, then it becomes a problem as many times both the motors are on different DPs, a memorandum submitted to the irrigation department says.Kamdev Pujari, age 59 looking at his fields in the morning after doing the night shift of irrigation (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)To ease the situation, the Maharashtra government and its energy department has been trying its luck on solar projects. Accordingly, tenders have been invited from private companies to install solar projects with a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), for which they have identified substations across the state. A 1 MW installation will cost Rs 3 to 4 crore, and the bidder private company will run and maintain the project for the next 25 years as per the PPA. The government will facilitate land availability. Many village panchayats have reserved land, including gayran (grazing land), which can be used for the project. The private land can be leased at Rs 60,000 per acre for a year. If the panchayat allows the land, it will get a government incentive of Rs 5 lakh for up to three years. But they will not get the rent as the land belongs to the revenue department. Farmers who lease their private land for the project will benefit from a yearly rent of Rs 1.25 lakh per hectare. Kolhapur Cooperative Irrigation Federation organised a protest on 1st September to oppose the forced, uninformed load shedding that started on 15th August at the MSEB office, Tarabai Park, Kolhapur (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)Getting things on trackThe Maharashtra government first launched the Mukhyamantri Krushi Saur Vahini in June 2017, as a solution to the prolonged demand of farmers for daytime power supply. There are 45 lakh agricultural consumers in the state. Of them, 30% are targeted to get solar-based electricity under the scheme to irrigate during daytime by 2025. It sorted many issues and launched a second version of the project in April this year.An official statement from the Mahavitaran Energy Department states that 15 to 20 lakh farmers, which is 40 to 50% of the total agriculture related consumers, will benefit. So far, 550 MW of solar generation capacity has been commissioned under this scheme.It seems like a humongous task to commission the remaining 6,450 MW within two years.  According to a document, the private companies that win the tenders are struggling with finances as the government’s purchase rate in the PPA was too low, and price of components fluctuated a lot. Now, the purchase rate has been increased up to Rs 3.50 per unit.Both the COVID-19 outbreak and the change in government affected the scheme’s progress. But after the BJP grabbed power again, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis relaunched it. Permissions and registration were hurdles during the last few years, but now a single-window system for registration is available.The 11 kV/22 kV substations need to be able to transmit DC solar current to AC, but they were not equipped for it initially. To ensure better grid connectivity, the government has now infused Rs 682 crore. The land availability should be in the range of five to 10 km radius for the proposed solar substation. Land lease rent was low at Rs 30,000 per acre in the beginning, but it has been raised to Rs 60,000 this year.  To prevent further delays, the government has contracted 1,440 MW projects. Of this, 360 MW solar plants have been commissioned, while the rest are in the installation stage. A project takes at least a year to start production after successful bidding.  Approved projects suggest that 26% of the capacity will be installed in Nashik division, followed by Pune (23%), Amravati (22%), Aurangabad (19%) and Nagpur (11%) divisions. The programme envisages solarisation of 30% agricultural feeders by 2025, which translates into contracting solar power capacity of 7,000 MW by December 2025. Agriculture substation level solarisation will lead to daytime, reliable and better-quality supply between 8 am and 6 pm.An individual farmer installed a solar pump near Holondi village, Karvir taluka, Kolhapur which is still observing the midnight electricity supply (Photo - Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)Benefits trickle down, challenges aplenty Kolhapur district has 135 MW  proposed solar projects under 46 substations spread across 12 talukas. Hatkanangale taluka was the first to get a 4.4 MW capacity agriculture solar feeder covering 18 acres of gayran land in Kumbhoj. The facility was inaugurated on August 4, and the people of the locality started getting benefits by September 14. “We offered 18 acres of gram panchayat land to set up the feeder, which will help irrigate around 3,000 acres of jirayat (rain-fed land) and 5,000 acres of bagayat (dependent on wells/borewells) lands. Agriculture-based small industries such as dairy farms, poultry units and food processing businesses will also benefit,” says Kumbhoj deputy sarpanch Ajit Devmore. Makandar, however, says it will be a challenge for the government to provide land. “Farmers in Kolhapur district have small land holdings and all cannot benefit from solar electricity," he says. Individual farmers cannot get an individual solar pump if the farmer has less land. To qualify for one hp solar pump, three acres of land are needed.  "Kolhapur's lands are so fertile that farmers will not want to spare even an inch of it. If the government successfully installs solar feeders, villages can benefit,” he says, adding that Gaganbavada, Chandgad, and Ajara talukas have plenty of mountain land that can be utilised. Meanwhile, land survey on 10 hectares of gayran land has faced stiff opposition from Kini villagers in Hatkanangale taluka. Not just in Kolhapur, acquisition will be an issue in the western districts of Sangli and Satara also.This story is produced with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.  Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Kamdev Pujari, age 59 working on farms and making doors in the lanes to irrigate his farmland at midnight (Abhijeet Gurjar, 101Reporters)