Page 29 - Devendra Fadnavis

Ecosystem of paan shops, anti-social elements near schools: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday flagged a "growing ecosystem" of paan shops, cafeterias and the presence of anti-social elements near schools and said remedial measures are being taken. Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, was responding to a calling attention motion moved by some BJP MLCs in the Legislative Council against the backdrop of the alleged sexual attack on a girl student in a civic-run school in Mumbai. "Secretaries of the department of Home and the Department of Education would meet to chalk out a plan to inspect the growing ecosystem of paan shops, cafeterias and the presence of anti-social elements near schools in the state," Fadnavis stated in a written reply. Among other measures, he reiterated the use of mobile phones is prohibited on the premises of schools and the respective management has been instructed. "A teenage girl student was sexually assaulted in the classroom by two students of class 8 in a civic-run school in Matung

Old pension scheme will put burden of Rs 1.10 trn on exchequer: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the government will not revert to the old pension scheme as it would put a burden of Rs 1.10 lakh crore on the exchequer and lead to bankruptcy of the state. Replying to a question in the state Assembly, Fadnavis said the old pension scheme was stopped in 2005. He also lauded the then Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government for taking the decision of stopping the old pension scheme in the interest of the state. Under the old pension scheme, employees get a defined pension. Under this, an employee is entitled for a 50 per cent amount of the last salary drawn as pension. However, the pension amount is contributory under the National Pension System, which is in effect from 2004. The government will not give pensions as per the old scheme. If the old pension scheme is to be implemented, then it will add a burden of Rs 1,10,000 crore and this will lead to bankruptcy of the state. The old pension scheme will no

Youth from Gadchiroli not joining Naxal movement anymore, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis on Monday said youth from the Naxalism-affected Gadchiroli district in Vidarbha are not joining the outlawed movement anymore and the new recruits are brought from Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly, Fadnavis, who is also the state home minister, said his stand remains the same as was of former home minister R R Patil, who acted tough against the Left Wing Extremism. Today, the youth of Gadchiroli are not joining the Naxal dalams. They have to bring recruits from Chhattisgarh and Odisha, Fadnavis said. He was replying to queries raised by opposition members over Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Dharamrao Atram getting threats from Naxalites demanding stopping of the Surjagarh mining project in Gadchiroli district. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and NCP MLA Ajit Pawar demanded that Atram's security be enhanced in view of the threat. NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil said Naxalites have started ...

Maha's winter session to begin in Nagpur; state to have Lokayukta law

Maharashtra will have a Lokayukta law on the lines of the Centre's Lokpal legislation which will also bring the chief minister and ministers under its ambit, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said. Addressing a press conference on Sunday ahead of the winter session of the state legislature beginning Monday, Fadnavis said a bill in this regard will be introduced. The new (to be amended) law is important in terms of bringing complete transparency in the state, he said. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the decision was taken in the interest of the people of the state. The draft to prepare the new Lokayukta law was passed by the Cabinet and we will be tabling it before the legislature. For the first time, the chief minister and a council of ministers have been brought under the ambit of Lokayukta, he said. Fadnavis said the existing Lokayukta law did not include the Anti-Corruption Act. "So the Anti-Corruption Act has been made part of this Act (new law)," he added. Fadna

Work on Patanjali plant, Gosikhurd Dam on track for completion: Fadnavis

Work on a Patanjali plant at MIHAN in Nagpur will be completed soon, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said here on Sunday. The 230-acre plot was acquired by the Ramdev-led firm six years ago but work had not started on it. "The remaining work on the Patanjali plant will be completed soon. I have spoken to Baba Ramdev on this issue. He has assured the work will be completed in a time-bound manner," Fadnavis said. Speaking on the completion of the Gosikhurd Dam project in Bhandara, the Deputy CM the Union government had allotted funds for the project and work is progressing as per schedule. He also said the state government would soon be able to issue tenders and work orders for the proposed new Nagpur airport.

For Maharashtra's overall development, Fadnavis should become CM: Bawankule

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday suggested that as long as he is the party's state unit chief, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should become the chief minister for the "overall development" of the state. The statement comes months after Bawankule's predecessor Chandrakant Patil, who is now a cabinet minister, had said that the party decided with a heavy heart that rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde should become the state's chief minister instead of Fadnavis. Bawankule's remark gave ammunition to the opposition parties, with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) saying that it showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had no value for current CM Shinde. Speaking at a public event in Nagpur, Bawankule said, "...As long as I am the state unit president (of the BJP), Fadnavis should become..." The BJP leader left the sentence incomplete and took a pause as he waited for response from the audience. After a couple of persons from the audience shouted .

Gujarat win underlines people's faith in PM's leadership: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said the resounding victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Gujarat Assembly polls underlined the people's faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. The ruling BJP is poised to win more than 150 seats in the 182-member Assembly in the western state. It was the result of a "pro-incumbency wave" for the party which is in power in Gujarat for 27 years, Fadnavis said. "I had campaigned for some candidates in Gujarat, and the credit (for the victory) goes to the work of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. People continued to put their faith in Modi as they believe only he can deliver development, the BJP leader told reporters. "It was natural for the opposition to claim that there was an anti-incumbency wave in the state. However, during the campaign, I felt there was a pro-incumbency wave and the results validated it," Fadnavis added. He dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party, which ran a

Fadnavis speaks to Bommai after stone pelting on Maha vehicles in Karnataka

A video surfaced on social media showing some people throwing stones at vehicles entering Karnataka from Maharashtra, prompting Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take up the matter with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday and extract an assurance on protection of vehicles. Amid a raging border row between the two states, the video showed some people throwing stones at vehicles entering Karnataka from the Maharashtra side near a toll booth at Hirebaugwadi in Belagavi district of the adjoining state. Sources close to the Maharashtra Deputy CM said, Fadnavis made a phone call to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and expressed his disappointment over the Hirebaugwadi incident. The Karnataka Chief Minister assured Fadnavis of strong action against the perpetrators. He also assured Fadnavis that vehicles entering Karnataka from Maharashtra will be given proper protection, the sources said. The decades-old Karnataka-Maharashtra border row has flared up i

NCP mocks Maha CM Shinde, says his future lies in Fadnavis' hands

The Nationalist Congress Party on Friday ridiculed Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for reportedly meeting an astrologer and said superstition would not help him as his future lay in the hands of his deputy Devendra Fadnavis. Shinde's rebellion in June had brought down the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, and he was sworn in as chief minister with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has a far higher number of legislators than his faction. As per reports, Shinde went to meet an astrologer to learn about his future but the fact is his future seems to lie in the hands of Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, said NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto. "This is visible in their behaviour in the past few months since their government was formed. It is evident who is calling the shots," Crasto said.

On Shraddha Walkar's 2020 complaint against partner, Fadnavis orders probe

In her written complaint to the police, Shraddha Walkar had said her partner Aaftab Poonawala had beaten her and threatened to kill her

Fadnavis assures probe on why 'no action was taken' on Walkar's complaint

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said an inquiry will be initiated into why "no action" was taken by the police on the complaint it received from Shhradha Walkar in 2020, and added that she could have been saved had they acted in time. Walkar, a 27-year-old call centre employee, was allegedly murdered by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala in Delhi in May this year. Poonawala (28) allegedly strangled Walkar and sawed her body into 35 pieces which he kept in a fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in South Delhi's Mehrauli area before dumping them across the city over several days past midnight. Walkar had two years ago complained to the police in Maharashtra's Palghar district that Poonawala tried to kill her in 2020 and she feared he would cut her into pieces, an official said here on Wednesday. In her complaint letter dated November 23, 2020 written to Tulinj police in Palghar, Walkar also alleged that Poonawala used to beat her up and his

Farmers hit by heavy rains shouldn't be forced to pay power bills: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the state power utility has been directed not to force those farmers who had lost their crops due to excess rains in the last two months to pay bills. Speaking to reporters here, Fadnavis said the farmers who could repay the power bills can do it. I have given orders to officials of the state power distribution company (MSEDCL) not to force farmers to repay the electricity bills, especially those who lost their crop due to excess rains. However, officials have been asked to collect the electricity bills from farmers for the current season only, said Fadnavis, who also holds the Power portfolio. If farmers pay the bills for the current season their connections should not be snapped. Those who can repay bills, they should pay it, he added.

Shivaji an idol, says Fadnavis amid row over statements on warrior king

Amid a row caused by remarks of Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari and BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi regarding Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the warrior king will remain a hero and idol for the state and country as long as the sun and moon exist. A major row erupted a day after Koshyari called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj an idol of "olden times" at a function in Aurangabad. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has accused Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi of claiming the founder of the Maratha empire apologised to Mughal king Aurangzeb five times. "One thing is clear that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will remain a hero and idol of Maharashtra and our country till the Sun and the Moon exist," Fadnavis, who is attending the closing ceremony of the 71st All India Police Wrestling Cluster Championship in Pune, told reporters. "Even Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had no doubts about this in his mind. ..

Derogatory remarks by Sattar can't be defended, says Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the alleged derogatory word used by his cabinet colleague and state agriculture minister Abdul Sattar was wrong and it cannot be defended even as protests against Sattar continued on the second consecutive day. He also said a "code of conduct" should be followed by "both sides", apparently referring to the Opposition, which has been criticising leaders of the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in the state on various issues. What Abdul Sattar said was wrong and cannot be defended at all. We will always oppose the use of such language. But there should also be a code of conduct which will be applicable to both sides. I do not want to go into details, he told reporters. Fadnavis said the use of words like "Khokhe" and other terms used (against the Shinde-BJP govt) is also wrong. "The decorum of political discourse should be maintained at a higher level. The level of politics is falling in the state. Seniors in all the part

Live: PM Modi unveils the logo, theme and website of India's G20 Presidency

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Fadnavis directs GST officials to work with cyber dept to curb frauds

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday asked state GST (Goods and Services Tax) department officials to work closely with the cyber security department of the home ministry to curb increasing cases of financial frauds and cyber crimes. Fadnavis, who also holds home and finance portfolios, issued the instruction after holding a meeting with GST officials as well as those of the state finance department. The review meeting was regarding the current functioning of the GST department, its achievements, growth in collection and intelligence network, among other issues. The deputy CM also held a meeting with officials of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Mumbai and sought support of the Philippines-based multilateral agency in various sectors. After the meeting, he said, We need more support from the ADB not only in funding but also in sharing best financial practices across the globe. The state is working to shift its entire public transport system on green ...

Mumbai pre-polls sting: Shinde-Fadnavis order CAG probe into BMC affairs

In a significant move ahead of the upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Maharashtra government on Monday ordered the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) to inquire the civic body's affairs and certain decisions taken in the past couple of years, here on Monday.

MVA cries foul as Shinde-Fadnavis govt slashes security of 25 oppn leaders

Amid stinging criticism over the state losing out mega-projects to Gujarat, the ruling govt of CM Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis has slashed the protection accorded to 25 MVA leaders

BJP-Shinde to contest some civic polls separately, others jointly: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will contest some of the civic polls separately and others in alliance. Notably, CM Shinde had in August said the "original" Shiv Sena and the BJP will contest the forthcoming elections to civic bodies in Maharashtra together. He had claimed that the led by him represents the "original" Shiv Sena. The elections are due in various civic bodies in the state, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The Shinde-BJP coalition came to power in Maharashtra on June 30 this year after a rebellion led by Shinde led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Uddhav Thackeray. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur on Wednesday, Fadnavis said, The BJP and the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shide will contest some civic polls separately, while there will be an alliance in other civic polls. We will ...

Cabinet expansion soon in Maharashtra, most of entrants will be MoS: Dy CM

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the state cabinet would be expanded soon. Talking to reporters at his official residence here, he also said that most of the new members will be Ministers of State. ''The expansion would be carried out soon," he said. The state Council of Ministers at present has 18 cabinet ministers including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. There are nine ministers each from the Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena and his ally Bharatiya Janata Party. The present government took over on June 30 this year after the Uddhav Thackeray-led coalition government of the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress collapsed following Shinde's rebellion. While on June 30 only Shinde and Fadnavis took oath, the first cabinet expansion took place on August 9. The Council of Ministers can have up to 43 members in Maharashtra. Asked when the long-awaited elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation would take place, Fadnavis said it was for the courts