Page 15 - Maharashtra Government

Protesters in Badlapur were locals, not outsiders: Raut slams Maha govt

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has said that those who had protested at Badlapur against the alleged sexual assault on two kindergarten girls at a school were locals and not outsiders as claimed by the Maharashtra government. In a post on X late on Wednesday night, Raut shared a copy of the police remand application of the people arrested for rioting at Badlapur station which said that most of the protesters were locals. In the post, Raut also tagged Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters blocked the railway tracks at Badlapur station over the alleged sexual assault on the two 4-year-old girls by a male attendant at a local school. The police had to resort to lathi charge after the protesters pelted stones. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said on Wednesday that the protest at Badlapur station over the alleged sexual assault on the two KG students was politically motivated with an aim to malign the state government and those ...

Badlapur sexual assault: No truth in allegations, claim parents of accused

The parents of the accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case on Thursday claimed that their son was innocent and he had been framed. Speaking to a Marathi news channel, the parents said there is no truth in the allegations against their son. The accused, who worked as an attendant, has been arrested for allegedly sexually molesting two 4-year-old girl students inside the toilet of a school in Badlapur town in Maharashtra's Thane district. A local court on Wednesday sent him to police custody till August 26. Our son had been doing the job for the past 15 days. He used to go to the school by 11 am daily to clean the bathroom. He would then proceed to another place for similar work, his mother claimed. The mother said they learnt on August 13 that such an incident had happened in the school. Their son was detained on August 17, she said. A woman working with the school told me about the incident and about my son being taken to the police chowki (on August 17). I rushed there and sa

Badlapur protest politically motivated; most protestors outsiders: Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday claimed that the protest at Badlapur in Thane district over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls was politically motivated and aimed at maligning the state government. He also said that the majority of protesters were outsiders. Talking to reporters, Shinde targeted the opposition and said those doing politics over the incident should be ashamed. A massive protest broke out in Badlapur town on Tuesday as angry parents, local residents and others blocked railway tracks and ransacked the school where two kindergarten girl students were sexually abused by a male attendant last week. "The protest was politically motivated because the protesters were not local residents. The local residents who were part of the protest could be counted on fingers," he said. He said state minister Girish Mahajan agreed to all demands of the protestors but they were still not ready to relent. "This means they just wanted to malign the .

SC orders civil aviation ministry to submit Nagpur airport tender files

In 2020, Maharashtra govt cancelled the tender process that had awarded the contract for the upgradation and operation of the Nagpur airport to GMR Group. GMR Group has challenged this cancellation

ECI cites J&K security, festivals, rains for not announcing Maha polls

The Election Commission on Friday said the Maharashtra Assembly elections will be announced later, citing the requirement of additional security forces for the Jammu and Kashmir polls and the packed festival season in the western state. Addressing a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said heavy rains in Maharashtra has also led to delays in updation of the voters list in the state, which is considered as a crucial step in the electoral process. Kumar also hinted that the Maharashtra elections could be held after Diwali. "There was heavy rainfall in Maharashtra, BLOs (booth level officers) have to complete their work. There are several festivals too that have to be factored in. Ganesh Festival, Pitru Paksha, Navratri, Diwali, all that put together this is what we thought we could handle as two elections at a time," the CEC said. Kumar said the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana were held together in 2019, but Jammu and Kashmir was not a factor

Marathas won't get quota, Maharashtra govt only listening to OBCs: Jarange

It is "almost clear now" the Maharashtra government will not give reservations to the Maratha community as it is only listening to the OBC groups, activist Manoj Jarange alleged on Friday. Speaking to reporters in his native Antarwali Sarati in Jalna, some 60 kilometres from here, he said the Eknath Shinde government is disrespecting the Maratha community. "The state government is listening to and giving time to only Other Backward Classes leaders. The Maratha community is disrespected. It is almost clear now the Maratha community will not be given reservation by the Maharashtra government. Therefore, we need to remove them (government)," Jarange claimed. Talking about upcoming assembly polls, he said a decision on fielding candidates will be taken after August 29. "I think there should be no alliance as such and we can think of fielding independent candidates. We will think about the social equations of the candidates," he said. In case poll "equations" are not favourable, then .

Mahayuti govt committed sin of fixing price for sisters' love: Sule

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Friday hit out at the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra over its flagship 'Ladki Bahin' scheme, accusing it of committing the sin of fixing a price for sisters' love. She said leaders in the government remembered their sisters only after the Lok Sabha elections. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) performed better than the ruling alliance in the state in the parliamentary elections. The Eknath Shinde-led government comprising Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP has introduced the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' to provide a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women. The government will formally launch the scheme on August 17 by transferring the first instalment to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. Speaking at the meeting of the opposition bloc MVA here, she said, "There is no money involved in the emotion of love. But the state government has linked the brother-sister relationship

Over 10 mn women in Maha to benefit from 'Ladki Bahin' scheme: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said more than one crore eligible women in the state will start getting Rs 1,500 financial assistance per month under the government's 'Ladki Bahin' scheme after its launch on August 17. Speaking to reporters, he said some eligible women already received Rs 3,000 as the instalment for two months on Wednesday during the scheme's trial run. "The scheme is set to commence this Saturday. The state government expects that more than one crore eligible women will begin receiving Rs 1,500 per month," he said. The state government initially announced the scheme's launch on August 17. However, it has now been clarified that July will be considered the starting month of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. Eligible women will receive an initial instalment of Rs 3,000 (for two months), he said. The scheme was included in the supplementary budget of the Maharashtra government and is projected to incur an annual cost of Rs ...

MoUs worth Rs 5 trn signed in 2 yrs by Maharashtra to create 250K jobs: CM

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday said MoUs of Rs 5 lakh crore were signed in the last two years under his government, which will create 2.5 lakh jobs. In his address after hoisting the national flag here, Shinde said Maharashtra's contribution will be big in achieving the dream of 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India). Policies of the state have to be aligned accordingly, he said. "Maharashtra's development ranking had slipped as compared to other states. There was a challenge to bring the state's economy on track and the state government has done it effectively," Shinde said in his last Independence Day event speech as the state chief minister in this term as the assembly elections are likely to be held in October or November this year. "Be it instilling confidence among investors, industrialists or common man, we have effectively demonstrated it," he said. "In the last two years, Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 5 lakh crore have been signed, which ...

Will stop all freebies until private party compensated: SC warns Maha govt

The Supreme Court on Wednesday warned the Maharashtra government of suspending its freebie schemes unless it pays compensation to a private party whose land was "illegally" occupied by it more than six decades ago. Coming down heavily on the Maharashtra government, the apex court castigated it saying the state has huge amount to "waste on freebies" but does not have money to compensate to a private party which lost land to it "illegally". Observing that Maharashtra's conduct in the matter was not that of a "model state", the apex court warned it may direct that all the freebie schemes will be suspended until the compensation amount was not paid. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan noted while the state has offered to pay Rs 37.42 crore as compensation, the applicant's counsel has contended that it comes to around Rs 317 crore. Advocate Nishant R Katneshwarkar, appearing for Maharashtra, urged the bench to grant three weeks time saying the matter was being considered a

Will quit politics if reports of Delhi visit proven right: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the ruling NCP, on Friday said he would quit politics if the veracity of the reports about him visiting New Delhi in disguise to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah before his party forged an alliance with the BJP, was proven. But if the reports are found to be wrong, those who made these allegations against him should quit politics, he challenged the leaders from the opposition parties, as he alleged that efforts were on to defame him. Reports published in a section of the media claimed that during an informal interaction held recently, Pawar himself said that he held some meetings with Amit Shah in the national capital on the alliance between the two parties. During that interaction, he reportedly said, "I used to wear a mask and a cap during air travel while going to Delhi to attend those meetings. I had changed my name also for air travel." Latching on to his reported statements, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) leaders

Four-storey building collapses in Navi Mumbai; 2 rescued, 3 feared trapped

A four-storey residential building collapsed in Navi Mumbai's CBD Belapur area early on Saturday and two persons were rescued, while a search operation is underway to find three others who are feared trapped under the rubble, officials said. The incident occurred at 4.10 am in Shahbaz village, they said. "The four-storey building with several residential units and three shops collapsed early this morning. Fifty-two residents, including 13 children, were evacuated. A man and a woman who were trapped under the rubble were rescued and admitted to a hospital, while search efforts continue for the remaining individuals," Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Commissioner Kailas Shinde said. The collapsed building was just 10 years old, he said. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and personnel of the civic body's fire brigade rescued the two persons and carrying out the extricate the others. The rescued persons were identified as Lal Mohammad (22) and Rukhsana (21), while a

People taught lesson to those who wanted to change Constitution: Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said the country taught a lesson to those who were talking about changing the Constitution. He was speaking at the unveiling of the Urdu translation of English book "Padmavibhushan Sharad Pawar - The great Enigma" by Sheshrao Chavan here. The political situation in the country should change, Pawar said, adding, "We should think where we are heading. We have to see that the country does not fall in the wrong hands." Four months ago (during the Lok Sabha election campaign), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party colleagues made statements that were not in national interest, the NCP (SP) chief said, referring to BJP leader Ananthkumar Hegde's controversial remark that they needed 400-plus seats to amend the Constitution. "It is a good thing that the people taught a lesson to those who talked about changing the Constitution," Pawar said. He also hit back at Union minister Amit Shah who recently called him "ringleader of corrupt people". "A w

Maha Rains: Over 5,000 persons shifted in Kolhapur; rivers rise in Sangli

More than 5800 people were relocated after the Panchganga river started flowing above the danger mark in western Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, an official said on Friday.The water level of Panchaganga river at Rajaram Wier was 46.4 feet at noon, well above the danger mark of 43 feet, he said. Talking to PTI, Kolhapur collector Amol Yedge said the district administration has started relocating people from the affected areas of Sutarwada and Kumbharwada in the city. The administration has relocated people from Chikhli and Ambewadi in Karveer tehsil and some villages in Hatkalangane, Shirol and Ichalkarangi tehsils, he said. As per the details shared by the district administration, more than 5800 people (around 1379 families ) have been relocated to safety from Karveer, Panhala, Hatkalangane, Bhudargad, Gadhinglaj, Chandgad, Ichalkaranji, Kolhapur city, Shahuwadi and Kagal. "Though the India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for the district, the rains have ...

Maharashtra govt asks K'taka to release more water from Almatti dam

In view of heavy rainfall in parts of western Maharashtra, the state government has urged Karnataka to release more water from Almatti dam to avoid flooding in Sangli and Kolhapur districts, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Thursday. Almatti dam, officially known as Lal Bahadur Shastri dam, is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna river in north Karnataka. Speaking to reporters, he said, "The Maharashtra government has asked Karnataka to increase the water discharge from Almatti dam to three lakh cusec from the current outflow of 2.5 lakh cusec." The water storage of Koyna dam in Maharashtra's Satara district increased by six thousand million cubic feet (TMC) in a very short period, and it is already 75 per cent filled, he said. "It means, we need to discharge water from Koyna dam, which will increase the water levels of Krishna river," he said. Koyna dam is built on the Koyna river and its storage capacity is 105 TMC. The Koyna river is the biggest tributary of the ...

New Maharashtra tourism policy to attract significant investments: HRAWI

A section of hotel and restaurant owners on Saturday welcomed the Maharashtra government's Tourism Policy 2024, which is aimed at positioning the state as a premier global tourist destination. This progressive framework, aimed at positioning Maharashtra as a premier global tourist destination, is a game-changer for our industry, the Hotel And Restaurant Association (Western India) - HRAWI said in a statement. The policy's strategic initiatives and incentives are set to attract significant investments, HRAWI president Pradeep Shetty said. Additional Floor Space Index (FSI), relaxed building restrictions to expedite projects, capital subsidies, SGST reimbursement, electricity duty exemptions and interest subventions on loans are some of the key requirements of the industry and once implemented, will give a big boost to the state's tourism and hospitality sector, Shetty said. "We eagerly anticipate its effective implementation within the stated objectives and the Ease of Doing Busines

Maharashtra BJP prez Bawankule alleges conspiracy in voters registration

Chandrashekhar Bawankule, BJP president in Maharashtra, said that at least 3000 voters were registered for two Assembly constituencies, who, according to him, belonged to one particular community

Maharashtra govt declares job training and stipend scheme ahead of polls

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced a job training and stipend scheme for youth, tentatively named 'Ladka Bhau' Yojana, days after it introduced a monthly financial assistance scheme for eligible women. Shinde declared broad features of the new scheme, primarily targeting men, at Pandharpur in Solapur district on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi. "Some people said that 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' (for women) has been launched; what about 'Ladka Bhau' (beloved brother)? We are now announcing a scheme for Ladka Bhau where job seekers who are class 12 pass will receive Rs 6,000, diploma holders will get Rs 8,000, and those with a bachelor's degree will get Rs 10,000. They will receive this stipend from the government during their on-job training in the industry," Shinde told reporters. The candidate will do the apprenticeship and get a job. Simultaneously, the industry will benefit from the trained manpower, he said, adding that the apprenticeship will be funded by

Maha CM Shinde announces 'Ladla Bhai Yojana' ahead of Assembly Polls 2024

Maha CM Eknath Shinde announces stipend for students on Ashadhi Ekadashi Day. Rs 8,000 for diploma students, Rs 6,000 for 12th-grade pass, and Rs 10,000 for graduates monthly for 6-month internships

Sena (UBT) jabs Shinde's Sena over non inclusion of minister in NITI Aayog

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday took potshots at the rival Shiv Sena over its minister not finding a place in the reconstituted NITI Aayog. "No place for Shinde Sena in the reconstituted NITI Ayog. When 'Niti' is only immoral power grab, can understand the exclusion," Rajya Sabha member Chaturvedi said in a post on X. The Narendra Modi-led NDA government on Tuesday reconstituted the NITI Aayog, with four full-time members and 15 union ministers, including from BJP allies, as either ex-officio members or special invitees. Union Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) Prataprao Jadhav, who is also MoS in the Health Ministry, did not find a place in the reconstituted committee. Jadhav belongs to the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, an ally of the BJP. The Sena (UBT) has often dubbed the Shiv Sena as the party of those who have usurped power by "betraying" Uddhav Thackeray. The National Institution for Transforming India, be