Page 15 - Maharashtra Government

Don't do politics in Shivaji Maharaj's name: Jarange to Mahayuti govt, Oppn

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday told the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government and the opposition not to do politics in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and demanded strict punishment against those involved in insulting state and national icons. Jarange visited the Rajkot Fort in Malvan, where a 35-foot statue of the 17th-century Maratha warrior king, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, collapsed on August 26. The incident caused outrage across the state, with the prime minister apologising for the event. Talking to reporters here, Jarange said, "There should be no politics over it, both the opposition and the government. The government should conduct a detailed probe into the matter. The contractors should not be spared." He said both the opposition and the Mahayuti government were doing politics in the name of Shivaji. "There should be a law. Those who insult icons should rot in jail and not come out in a few days," the activist said, adding that the

'Chhatrapati Shivaji our deity': PM Modi apologises for statue collapse

The statue of the 17th century Maratha empire founder, located at the Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, came crashing down on Monday

Justify waiver of cover dues from organisers of IPL matches from 2011: HC

The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the Maharashtra government to justify its decision to reduce and waive the arrears from the organisers of IPL matches for police deployment, noting that it did not find any rationale behind the move. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar said the government on the one hand kept increasing the water tax charges on slum dwellers but on the other hand, was waiving police cover fees from cash-rich organisers of cricket matches. What is this? What are you (government) doing? This is a fee not tax. You will keep on increasing the water tax from slum dwellers and then you waive off the fee for such cricket matches. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is the richest cricket association globally," the court said. The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activist Anil Galgali challenging the state's decision to reduce the rate for police protection provided to the Indian Premier

Conceptualised, steered project of installing Shivaji statue, says Navy

Navy said in a statement that it remains committed to assisting in all measures to repair, restore and reinstate the statue

Maharashtra CM Shinde reviews pending repair work on Mumbai-Goa highway

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday visited sites in Raigad district to review the pending work on the Mumbai-Goa Highway ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The visit has come a week after Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam called BJP leader and Maharashtra PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan a useless minister over the poor state of the highway. Talking to reporters, Shinde said, "We have used four types of advanced technology to repair potholes and damaged stretches of the highway. This will minimise inconvenience for people travelling to their villages in the coastal districts for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival." Officials of the NHAI, MSRDC, and PWD, among others, have conducted an in-depth study of the issues on this highway and devised effective solutions, he said. Shinde said, "Union Minister for Highways Gadkari took a keen interest in the highway and gave loans to contractors, but some of them ignored the work, and due to their lethargy, we have to face this precari

Shivaji Maharaj's 35-foot statue collapses in Sindhudurg, Navy responds

A statue of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, collapsed on Monday, an official said. Following the incident, the opposition parties have slammed the state government, alleging it had paid little attention to the quality of work. A 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj collapsed around 1 pm at Rajkot Fort in Malvan, the official said. Experts will ascertain the exact cause of the collapse, but the district has witnessed heavy rains and gusty winds in the last two to three days, he said. Senior officials of the police and district administration reached the site to take stock of the situation, and the damage is being examined, he said. PM Modi unveiled the statue on December 4 last year on the occasion of Navy Day. He also participated in the celebrations at the fort. NCP (SP) state president and former minister Jayant Patil said, "The state government is responsible for the ...

Maha govt to allow women to lodge harassment complaints online: Ajit Pawar

The Maharashtra cabinet discussed PM Modi's instruction about online registration of women harassment cases and decided to adopt a different approach to prevent such incidents, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Monday. During a programme organised for "Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana" in Jalgaon on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed crimes against women an unpardonable sin and said the safety of women should be a priority. His strong remarks came against the backdrop of protests against the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital and the sexual abuse of two four-year-old school girls in Badlapur near Mumbai. Modi pointed out that an entire chapter is dedicated to crimes against women and children in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and if a woman cannot reach the police station, she can file an e-FIR, and no one can make any changes at the police station level. Talking to reporters here, Pawar said, "PM Modi has instructed about fili

Govt directs insurance firm to pay Rs 225 cr to Maha farmers in a week

The Central government on Saturday directed an insurance company to pay pending claims of up to Rs 225 crore to about 2 lakh farmers in Maharashtra's Parbhani district within a week. The order follows Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's interaction with farmers in Nanded on August 21, where issues of pending soyabean crop insurance claims were raised. On August 22, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare held a meeting of the National Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The committee rejected the insurance company's objections to crop-cutting experiments and ordered the settlement of pending claims, an official statement said. The name of the insurance company was not disclosed in the statement. The Central TAC on Saturday issued a formal order to the insurance company to pay the dues within seven days. This decision will benefit approximately 2 lakh farmers in Parbhani district, with payouts ranging between Rs 200 to 225 crore. Chouhan had instructed ...

Badlapur incident hit Maharashtra's image in country, says Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said the Badlapur incident involving the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls at a school has hit the image of Maharashtra in the country. He accused the state government of forgetting that the responsibility for the safety of women lies with it. Pawar, who took part in a silent protest in Pune, said the government is insensitive if it thinks the opposition is playing politics over the Badlapur incident. The Badlapur incident has hit the image of Maharashtra in the country, said the chief of NCP (SP), which is a constituent of the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), also comprising Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). Pawar said such an incident has taken place in the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji who used to chop off the hands of culprits involved in crimes against women. The alleged sexual assault on two 4-year-old girls by a male attendant at a school in Badlapur of Thane district had led to a massive protest in

Nepal bus accident: 48 pilgrims, 2 bodies arrive through land route

27 Indians, all from Maharashtra, who were visiting Nepal, were killed and 16 others injured after the bus they were travelling in veered off the highway and fell into Marsyangdi River

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