Page 17 - Maharashtra Government

Mahayuti govt loosens purse strings within prudence to bring back voters

The Mahayuti govt in Maharashtra has treaded a populist path in the FY25 Budget in a bid to woo voters ahead of the Assembly polls but has shown fiscal prudence

Mumbai clocks 12% growth in property registrations in June: Knight Frank

The registration of properties in the Mumbai municipal region rose 12 per cent annually in June to 11,575 units on better demand for housing assets, according to Knight Frank. Mumbai city (area under Bombay Municipal Corporation jurisdiction) saw registration of 11,575 units in June against 10,319 units in the same month last year, as per the data compiled by real estate consultant Knight Frank from the Maharashtra government portal. However, the number of registrations in June was lower than in May, when 12,000 units were registered. The bulk of the registration is for housing properties. Strong buyer confidence has kept property registrations in Mumbai above the 10,000 mark for the first six months of the 2024 calendar year. In June 2024, Mumbai experienced the highest number of property registrations for any June month in the past 12 years, the consultant said. Knight Frank attributed this surge to rising economic prosperity and a favourable sentiment towards homeownership. K

Introduce a single window clearance system for data centres: PwC-Assocham

Currently, only the state government of Maharashtra allows a single window clearance system for this industry

Pune police chief played proactive role in Porsche crash probe: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday told the legislative assembly that Pune police chief Amitesh Kumar had a proactive role in the investigation into the Porsche crash and there was nothing to suggest that action should be taken against him. Fadnavis made the assertions during a debate on the high-profile case raised through a calling attention notice. During the debate, Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar demanded the Pune police commissioner's resignation. Conceding that there are issues of use of money to buy justice, Fadnavis said, "This should not be allowed. We have to see how laws can be strengthened further. The issue is serious but there is no need to defame Pune police. They have taken action in the case. Erring police officials have been punished. He said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar had a proactive role in the probe into the accident and nothing has come up to suggest that he should face action. Two software professionals lost their

Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Maha govt suspends IPS officer Quaiser Khalid

Mumbai Crime Branch has so far arrested Bhavesh Bhide, director of Ego Media, which had erected the structure

Chhagan Bhujbal using incendiary language to divide Marathas, OBCs: Jarange

Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday accused Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal of using provocative language intended to incite a rift between Marathas and OBCs, potentially triggering riots. "If he wants riots to happen in the state, the Maratha community should also remain alert," Jarange said while addressing a press conference from a private hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Jarange announced that the next steps for the Maratha quota agitation will be determined after July 13. "The Maratha community is now in trouble while I am left alone. But I will fight back and ensure that the Maratha community gets reservation under the Other Backward Classes category," he said. This remark comes amid escalating tensions over the quota issue following a hunger strike by OBC leaders that galvanised various backward classes and prompted government intervention. Maharashtra is experiencing polarisation as the Maratha community demands inclusion under the OBC grouping for reservatio

Maratha, OBC quota row: Maharashtra CM vows to prevent caste tensions

The Maharashtra government will ensure that caste tension doesn't erupt in society, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Saturday against the backdrop of Marathas and OBCs firming up their stands on reservations. Shinde thanked OBC activist Laxman Hake and others for withdrawing their indefinite fast following the government intervention. "We will ensure there is no caste tension in the society," Shinde told reporters in Nashik. Activists Hake and Navnath Waghmare were observing fast since June 13 demanding that the OBC quota not be diluted. They called off their agitation on Saturday after a government delegation called on them. Shinde, who chaired a meeting of OBC leaders in Mumbai on Friday, said an all-party meeting will be convened in the first week of the monsoon session beginning June 27. "A good discussion was held on the issue yesterday," he added. The government has decided to convene the meeting to discuss the issue of extending reservations to "sage-soyare" or the kin

Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Mumbai crime branch summons chief BMC officer

Seventeen people died and 74 were left injured in the incident that happened on May 13 amid strong winds and heavy rains in Mumbai

Maha ministers meet OBC activists on behalf of govt, urge them to end fast

Three Maharashtra ministers and a member of the legislative council on Friday met OBC activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare and urged them to end their fast, which entered the ninth day. The delegation comprising ministers Atul Save, Uday Samant and Girish Mahajan, and MLC Gopichand Padalkar met the activists at the protest site at Wadigodri village in Jalna district. Newly-elected Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumre was also present. Mahajan also called up Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis from the stage and made them talk to the protesting activists. Later, Padalkar said a meeting between a delegation of the OBC (Other Backward Classes) community and the government has been organised in Mumbai. Mahajan said five OBC leaders named by Hake will attend the meeting at 5 pm. A way can be worked out only after talks. The government will not let injustice happen to anyone, he said. However, Hake and Waghmare, who have been fasting since June 13, refused to hal

No change in Maharashtra's leadership, plan to win Assembly elections: BJP

The BJP on Tuesday ruled out any change in its leadership in Maharashtra after its poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections and asserted that it is working on a blueprint for the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP coalition to emerge victorious in the assembly polls, due later this year. The decision was taken at the Maharashtra BJP's core group meeting with party president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "There will be no change in leadership in Maharashtra," Union Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters at the BJP headquarters. The leaders discussed the strategy to ensure the re-election of the MahaYuti alliance in the upcoming assembly elections, Goyal said. The meeting was attended by senior BJP leaders BL Santosh, Bhupender Yadav, Ashwini Vaishnaw, state BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrakant Patil, Pankaja Munde, Raosaheb Danve and Vinod Tawde, among others. The BJP won nine seats in Maharashtra in the recent Lok Sabha elections, down from its 2019 tally

Sharad Pawar seeks to meet CM to discuss drought-like situation in Pune

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) head Sharad Pawar has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde seeking a meeting to address the drought-like situation in Purandar, Baramati, Indapur and Daund tehsils of Pune district. In the letter dated June 16, which he posted on a micro-blogging site on Monday, Pawar said the state government had undertaken irrigation schemes in the region to mitigate the drought-like situation but problems were found in their implementation when he visited some of these areas recently. During discussions with the public in these visits, villagers also suggested some measures along with demands to solve the problem of agriculture and drinking water, the former Union minister said in the letter. "There is a need to take permanent measures to overcome the traditional drought situation in the above mentioned talukas of Pune district. For this, we request you to organise a meeting in Mumbai under your leadership and in the presence of the two deputy chief

Address issues raised by OBC leaders on hunger strike: BJP leader Munde

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pankaja Munde on Monday asked the Maharashtra government to seriously address the issues being raised by OBC protesters Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare, who have been on a hunger strike here for the past five days. The protesters, from various OBC outfits, have sought the scrapping of the government's draft notification of 'sage soyare' (blood relatives) in connection with giving Kunbi certificates to Marathas to allow the community members to avail quota benefits. Taking to social media platform X, Munde expressed concern over the unequal treatment of protestors and urged the government to ensure equal rights for all. Pointing out to the deteriorating health of Hake and Waghmre, who have refused to even drink water, Munde said, "The government should not discriminate among protestors. Everyone has the right to be heard and treated fairly." Hake alleged the state government was giving preferential treatment to Manoj Jarange, who is leading a stir for

Urban Naxals have entered some NGOs, spreading false narratives: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said "urban Naxals" have infiltrated some NGOs and are setting up false narratives against the government. Addressing a rally for BJP Konkan Graduates constituency candidate Niranjan Davkhare in the MLC polls, he asked NDA functionaries to be alert and not smug like in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls, which the ruling alliance was expected to win resoundingly but ended up with an underwhelming performance. "Naxals are not just in Gadchiroli. Urban Naxals have entered NGOs and have systematically set up false narratives against the government. While not all NGOs are problematic, some are clearly anti-government. They actively spread falsehoods about our (ruling) alliance," Shinde said. Attacking the opposition parties, he said their efforts to undermine the achievements of the NDA government at the Centre failed in the Lok Sabha polls. "Our mandate is secure and Narendra Modi is prime minister for a third term. Their (opposition)

Karnataka fuel price hike: Rates still lower than Andhra, Maharashtra

The Congress-ruled Karnataka government's move to raise local tax on auto fuels pushed petrol prices above Rs 100 a litre and diesel to Rs 89, but rates are lower than neighbouring Andhra Pradesh which has the costliest fuel in the country, oil industry data showed. The Karnataka government on June 15 hiked local VAT (value added tax) from 25.92 per cent to 29.84 per cent on petrol and from 14.3 per cent to 18.4 per cent on diesel. This led to petrol price now costing Rs 102.86 per litre in Bengaluru and diesel coming for Rs 88.94 a litre. But the rates in Karnataka are still lower than neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. TDP-BJP combine ruled Andhra Pradesh has the costliest petrol at Rs 109.87 a litre, followed by Left Democratic Front (LDF)-ruled Kerala, where a litre of petrol comes for Rs 107.54. Congress-run Telangana is close behind with petrol costing Rs 107.39 a litre. BJP-ruled states are not far behind -- petrol costs Rs 106.45 a litre in Bhopal, Rs 105.16 in P

Firing at Salman Khan's residence: Mumbai Police registers new case

The Mumbai Police have registered a new case in connection with firing outside actor Salman Khan's residence here in April and arrested one person from Rajasthan on charges of criminal intimidation, an official said on Sunday. The accused has been identified as Banwarilal Laturlal Gujar (25), hailing from Bundi in Rajasthan, the crime branch official said. Gurjar had allegedly uploaded a video on his YouTube channel in which he said "Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar and other gang members are with me and I am going to kill Salman Khan as he did not apologise yet", the official said. The accused made the video on a highway in Rajasthan and uploaded it on his channel. Considering the seriousness of the case, a team was sent to Rajasthan for an investigation and it apprehended the accused, the official said, adding the case has been registered at a cyber police station in Mumbai. "We are checking if accused Gujar having any previous criminal background. He has been arrested under relevan

Dharavi project: No land to Adani group, transfer to Maharashtra govt dept

The multi-crore Dharavi slum redevelopment project involves no land transfer to the Adani group but to the Maharashtra government's departments, and the Ahmedabad-based conglomerate, as a project developer, will build houses that will be handed over to the same departments for allotment to residents of Asia's biggest slums, sources said. Denying allegations of land grab made by MP Varsha Gaikwad, sources close to the project said land parcels are to be transferred only to Dharavi Redevelopment Project/Slum Rehabilitation Authority (DRP/SRA) of the state government's housing department. Adani Group, which won the Dharavi slum redevelopment project in open international bidding, will build tenements - housing and commercials - through its joint venture company Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Ltd (DRPPL) with the Maharashtra government, again hand them over to DRP/SRA of the Maharashtra government for allocation as per survey findings. Trying to clear misconceptions over the ...

MVA's Lok Sabha election victory is beginning, not end, says Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said the victory of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra is the beginning and not the end, and expressed confidence that the opposition alliance will win the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Thackeray, whose party is a constituent of the MVA, was addressing a joint press conference of the MVA members in south Mumbai, where NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan also spoke. The three parties also held a preliminary meeting for the state assembly polls scheduled later this year. Thackeray said people of the state showed how hollow the myth of Bharatiya Janata Party's invincibility is. "Lok Sabha poll victory for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is not the end, it is the beginning," the former chief minister said. Congress leader Chavan said after the Lok Sabha poll results, change of government was imminent in Maharashtra. Taking a swipe at the prime minister, Pawar sai

Pune Porsche case: Aunt of accused files plea seeking release of juvenile

The petition, filed in Bombay High Court on June 10, came up for hearing before a division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande on Friday

Looking to contest 20 assembly seats in Maha, says BJP-Sena ally Kadu

Prahar Janashakti Party (PJP) chief Omprakash Kadu on Thursday said his outfit, an ally of the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP coalition, was looking to contest 20 of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra where state polls are due in October. Kadu, whose outfit is a part of the ruling Mahayuti but still fielded its candidate against BJP's Navneet Rana in the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, said the PJP is assessing whether it can contest 20 seats independently or with an alliance with another outfit. "We are strong in 20 seats and we are working on it over the last one year. We have started preparations. With whom we will contest the seats will be decided later. We will be assessing whether we can contest the 20 seats independently or with someone," Kadu said. The former state minister informed the party is planning to soon hold a conclave of its workers at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra to discuss the issue. Asked whether he will quit the Mahayuti, he said, "There is no ...

Gear up for Maha assembly polls to ensure victory: Goyal urges BJP cadres

Senior BJP leader and Union minister Piyush Goyal has said that active participation of party members was crucial to start preparing for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls to fix shortcomings in the party system. He also emphasised the importance of encouraging people to come out and vote, given the low response in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. "I am confident that the (party) system will be better ahead of the next state polls. If we start making efforts now, there will be no shortcomings ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections that will be held in the next 3-4 months," Goyal said during a public function late Wednesday evening. "We need to encourage people again to come out and vote. This time, we need to win all the six assembly seats under the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat," the Union Commerce Minister said. Of the six assembly constituencies under the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat, the BJP won four in the 2019 elections, while the Shiv Sena and Congress bagged ..