Ranjeet Deshmukh protested Vidarbha’s exclusion from Cong manifesto in 2004: CM

Nagpur: Chief Devendra Fadnavis on Friday described former rural development minister Ranjeet Deshmukh as a fearless leader who never weighed political benefit or loss before taking a stand, recalling how he protested Vidarbha's exclusion from the Congress manifesto without worrying about political ramifications."During the 2004 elections, Ranjeetbabu was contesting on a Congress ticket, but upon realising that Vidarbha was not included in the party's manifesto, he stepped out in protest. He shut his office to express his strong disapproval and anguish over the decision," Fadnavis said.Fadnavis described Deshmukh as a strong advocate of Vidarbha's development and rural governance reforms. He said Deshmukh's tenure as rural development minister was marked by structured execution of Panchayati Raj initiatives and strong emphasis on decentralised governance following the important amendment, which empowered the ZP with more decision-making powers and strengthened women's representation through reservation.Speaking at the Ranjeetbabu Deshmukh Gramvikas Puraskar ceremony held on the occasion of 80th birthday of Ranjeet Deshmukh, a Congress stalwart who was believed to be close to Gandhi family, Fadnavis shared that Maharashtra's first AI-driven agriculture platform MahaVISTAAR AI is set to be scaled up into a national initiative under the name ‘Bharat Vistaar AI', indicating a Centre-backed push to expand the model across the country. "The platform, already being used by nearly 50 lakh farmers in the state, integrates advisory services, weather updates, pest management guidance, crop planning tools and market linkage systems into a single digital ecosystem connected with Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs)," Fadnavis said. He added that one of the key features of the system is AI-based crop image analysis, where farmers can upload photographs of affected crops and receive instant recommendations on pest control, including pesticide suggestions and corrective measures. "The platform is also being expanded with multilingual support in Marathi, Hindi, English and tribal languages such as Bhili, with plans to include more regional dialects as well in the near future," he said. Several innovative Gram Panchayats were also felicitated during the ceremony. Saoner MLA Ashish Deshmukh, son of Ranjeet Deshmukh, said the initiative was conceptualised to honour his father's long public contribution, recalling that on his 75th birthday ₹75 lakh was contributed to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, while the year's 80th birthday celebration has been marked through initiatives aligned with his work in rural development.Fadnavis said that people participation has remained central to Maharashtra's rural development model, helping improve transparency and creating a stronger sense of ownership in village-level projects.The CM also underlined the state's focus on water conservation and rural transformation, saying large-scale jal sandharan (water conservation) works have helped revive agriculture in dry zones. He noted that sustained investments in watershed development have enabled multiple cropping patterns in several villages, with efforts underway to further expand irrigation potential.He also highlighted rural infrastructure development, including road connectivity projects and waste-to-wealth initiatives aimed at improving village-level economies. According to him, better convergence of schemes has ensured more efficient utilisation of funds and improved delivery of development works at the grassroots level.Zilla Parishad CEO Vinayak Mahuni said that the initiative was aimed at strengthening public participation in governance, noting that while urban areas often struggle to come together, rural Maharashtra has shown stronger collective action, adding that the focus should remain on enabling communities to work together through people's participation.Revenue Chandrashekhar Bawankule said efforts are underway to make Nagpur district a model district in all sectors, from gram panchayat-led initiatives such as liquor prohibition and crime control to broader rural development goals, adding that the aim is to ensure the district emerges as the number one district in Maharashtra in terms of gram vikas (rural development) outcomes.Rural Development Jaykumar Gore recalled his early political days in the Congress, noting that he witnessed Ranjeetbabu Deshmukh's leadership closely during his tenure as MPCC chief. He also highlighted the current ongoing initiatives for the development of rural communities.