Maharashtra News

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday said it has suspended the licences of Cafe Mondegar, a popular restaurant, and three other food establishments in Mumbai after inspections found serious food safety and hygiene violations. The FDA inspected Cafe Mondegar at Metro House in Colaba on September 12 and found serious deficiencies in safety and hygiene, including failure to keep hot food above the prescribed 60 degrees Celsius and cold storage below 5 degrees Celsius, the regulator said in a release. Officials found improper thawing of food, inadequate rapid cooling of cooked food and sanitation and structural deficiencies at the restaurant that posed a risk of cross-contamination. The state agency also suspended the licences of Maharashtra Biryani Centre in Kandivali East, Tribhuvan Dairy Farm in Ghatkopar West and Mahavir Cashew & Foods Pvt Ltd in Ghatkopar East after inspections found violations of Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Act. Schedule .

AIMED backing comes after Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe flagged mark-ups of up to 2,841% on medical devices and hospital consumables

The Cockroach Janta Party said on Sunday that its members and founder Abhijeet Dipke will join students in their protests over alleged paper leaks in various online examinations conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC). The CJP made the announcement after a group of MPSC aspirants met Dipke at the latter's home in the Waluj area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The agitation seeking the resignation of the MPSC chairman and secretary would be taken forward, while a statewide tour would be undertaken to interact with MPSC aspirants if the demand was not met by September 24, the CJP said in a release. Dipke and CJP members would join the protesters, it said. After his meeting with MPSC aspirants, Dipke said in a video message, "I and CJP are with MPSC aspirants in this fight. We will stand with the aspirants till the resignations (of top MPSC officials)." MPSC aspirants have staged protests in parts of the state, demanding transparency in the recruitment process and

Scores of MPSC aspirants staged a protest in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Tuesday, alleging widespread corruption and paper leaks, and demanded a high-level probe into the recent recruitment examinations. Protesters gathered at the Kranti Chowk area of the city, demanding the immediate appointment of officers with a "clean image" to the top posts in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC). A similar march was held in Pune on Monday. ''An efficient officer with a clean image like (state FDA commissioner) Tukaram Mundhe should be posted to MPSC; only then students will get justice. We come from families of farmers and come here to study and fulfil the dreams of our parents," one of the protesting aspirants said. The Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating a question paper leak involving the MPSC Drug Inspector (Group-B) screening examination held in March. The police have arrested seven persons, including a female candidate who had secured seventh rank in the exam

Danish biosimilars producer Novonesis on Wednesday announced a Rs 6,600 crore investment in Maharashtra's Patalganga to expand an enzyme plant over the next four years. Expected to be fully operational by 2030, the expanded facility will produce enzymes for a broad range of industries, including biofuels, household care, and food and beverages, as per an official statement. The facility will help it meet increasing demand from emerging markets, including those in the Middle East, Africa, India and South Asia, its president and chief executive Ester Baiget said. "These markets represent an important and growing part of the company's business and are expected to grow faster than developed markets in the coming years," Baiget added. Its chief operating officer, Anders Lund, said the Patalganga facility will get it closer to customers and also help strengthen its scale, operational resilience, efficiency, and supply flexibility. In the past, it has invested in plant expansions in ...

The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday approved a policy aimed at eradicating drugs from the state by 2029 through extensive public awareness and strict action against narcotics with the participation of all departments. Maharashtra is the first state in the country to undertake such a comprehensive campaign, involving coordination among various departments, to create a drug-free state, a statement issued by the government said. Under the policy, strict action will be taken against the cultivation of crops that contribute to the production of illegal drugs, as well as the production, transportation, sale and consumption of natural and synthetic drugs. "The policy will focus on extensive public awareness and strict action against drugs, with the participation of all departments of the state government. To ensure the successful implementation of this comprehensive policy, responsibilities have been assigned from the village level to the district, divisional and ministerial levels," the ..

IHG Hotels & Resorts on Monday said it has signed a management agreement with Discover Resorts Neral Pvt. Ltd. for a 200-key voco in Karjat, Maharashtra. The property will convert to IHG's premium brand by early 2028, the global hospitality company said in a statement. "voco is well suited to a destination like Karjat, where travellers are looking for a premium experience that feels distinctive, relaxed, and connected to the character of the place." said Sudeep Jain, IHG Hotels & Resorts Managing Director, South West Asia. IHG currently has 53 open hotels operating across seven brands in India and a strong pipeline of 110 hotels due to open in the next 3-5 years.

Three newborns were killed when a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a government hospital in Maharashtra's Amravati district early on Monday, officials said. The incident occurred at the district women's hospital, they said. A ventilator in the NICU on the third floor of the hospital suddenly sparked at 3.15 am, triggering a fire in the unit, an official said. After the blaze erupted, doctors, nurses and other staff on duty took the children out of the NICU. Three of the newborns died, the official said. Six infants have been admitted to a super speciality hospital, he added.

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food business licences of the Bombay Presidency Radio Club and a McDonald's outlet in south Mumbai along with 12 other food establishments across the state for alleged violations of food safety and hygiene norms, officials said on Friday. The FDA is in news since IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe took charge as its commissioner in May and launched a crackdown on food establishments found violating various laws and rules. In a recent special drive, it inspected 89 hotels, restaurants and dhabas across the state, and issued improvement notices to 71 establishments while suspending the licences of 13 food establishments, an official release said. During an inspection carried out on August 19, Radio Club recorded a non-compliance rate of 47 per cent, and was asked to stop all purchase, sale and distribution of food during the suspension period, it said. Officials allegedly found a large number of live flies and dead ...

The provision comes three years after the Bombay HC ruled that then CM Eknath Shinde lacked independent power under the existing law to review or modify a decision taken by the minister in charge

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he was very pleased with the FDA's action against food safety violations, adulteration and hygiene lapses across the state.

The Maharashtra government has declared snakebite a notifiable disease, making it mandatory for all hospitals, medical colleges and healthcare professionals to report every suspected or confirmed case and death. The move comes after three tribal schoolgirls died and three others were hospitalised after a venomous snake bit them at a state government-aided residential school in Japtalai village of Gadchiroli district on August 9. The government later cancelled the school's license. Informing about the government's decision, Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on Tuesday said the move will help strengthen monitoring of snakebite cases, ensure timely treatment and improve planning for the availability of anti-snake venom (ASV). The decision would make snakebite prevention and treatment more systematic, prompt and effective, he added. Under the notification, every health institution and medical practitioner will have to report snakebite cases to the district health officer or district surg

The order came after Tukaram Mundhe-led FDA continued to keep the food licence of a sweet shop suspended despite the shop achieving 98 per cent compliance with food safety norms

In his latest move, Mundhe's FDA issued notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over advertisements for a pan masala brand, whose products are banned in Maharashtra

Facing the ire of companies over potholed roads and traffic snarls in Pune's Chakan industrial belt, the Maharashtra government has admitted serious infrastructure gaps and set up a highlevel panel to resolve them. With the Opposition targeting the government over the issue, the ruling dispensation has moved swiftly to contain the situation. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis admitted on Friday that there were serious infrastructure issues in the industrial area and promised relief. The government subsequently formed a high-level panel to resolve the problems troubling the companies. Industries Minister Uday Samant visited the area on Sunday and met senior officials and representatives of industrial associations. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde joined the discussions via video-conferencing. The state government drew flak after the owners of at least 20 companies recently said they had decided to shift their factories to Khandala in Pune district due to severe traffic congestion a

In recent weeks, India's federal food regulator has cracked ‌down on labelling by companies including PepsiCo and Diageo that it says breaches rules, while also cancelling many food business licenses

The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell has released the MHT CET 2026 CAP Round 2 seat allotment result today, Aug 13 on the official website, to check their Engineering admission result

Opposition leaders have sharply criticised the Maharashtra government after data disclosed in the Lok Sabha showed that over 36,000 private companies were liquidated, dissolved, or struck off in the state over the last five financial years. They claimed excessive government interference, widespread corruption, and an increasingly unfavourable business environment as key drivers pushing commercial and industrial activity away from Maharashtra. The information was shared in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on August 10, in response to a question asked by Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha member Rajabhau Waje. Waje on Wednesday said that the closure of more than 14,000 companies in business services and nearly 6,500 in manufacturing was particularly alarming, as these sectors generate substantial employment. "Some 14,000 companies in business services and some 6,500 companies from manufacturing sectors have closed down in the last five fiscal years. These sectors generate ..

The Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers' Federation has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to raise the retirement age of government employees to 60 from the current 58, taking a cue from the Centre and 25 other states. In a letter to Fadnavis dated August 10, the federation said the Union government raised the retirement age of its employees to 60 years in 1998, and 25 states adopted the same policy subsequently. It welcomed the state government's recent decision to raise the retirement age of judicial officers serving in subordinate courts to 62 years in compliance with an interim order of the Supreme Court. The government should consider extending a similar benefit to state government employees, the association said, referring to the principle of equality guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution. Of 7.19 lakh sanctioned posts in the state government, around 2.75 lakh, or 35 per cent, are vacant, and vacancies increase by 3 per cent every year due to retirement, the ...

The price hike is expected to affect consumers across the state as milk producers and processors revise the rates of both cow and buffalo milk