Page 24 - Maharashtra Government

No going back on Maratha quota protest till all demands are met: Jarange

Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange on Friday asserted that he won't abandon his agitation midway till the community is granted reservation in government jobs and education, while Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar said the activist's demands have been accepted. Jarange was addressing protesters at Shivaji Chowk in the Vashi area of neighbouring Navi Mumbai after a meeting with a government delegation. The activist said the delegation has given him some documents which he will discuss with his supporters to announce their future course of action. There is no going back on the agitation till we get reservation, he asserted. The government is trying to persuade Jarange not to proceed to Mumbai. State education minister Deepak Kesarkar told reporters that Jarange's demands have been accepted and they will be fulfilled as per government procedure. So far, 37 lakh Kunbi certificates have been given and the number will go up to 50 lakh, he said. Earlier, the Maratha quota leader reac

Called again on Feb 1: NCP's Rohit Pawar after spending 11 hrs at ED office

NCP MLA Rohit Pawar, grand nephew of party supremo Sharad Pawar, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here on Wednesday for questioning in connection with a probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam, and left after more than 11 hours. The MLA, who left the ED office in South Mumbai around 10 pm, told reporters that he was cooperating with the agency which has called him again for questioning on February 1. Earlier, NCP MP Supriya Sule and other party leaders accompanied the 38-year-old legislator as he arrived at the central agency's office at Ballard Estate around 10.30 am. Before going to the probe agency's office, Rohit Pawar went to the NCP office's located nearby and met Sharad Pawar, touched his feet, and also interacted with other party leaders. He also visited the Vidhan Bhavan and paid tributes at the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and a plaque of the Indian Constitution. Before Rohit Pawar entered the ED office, Sule handed him over a c

95% cases filed by central probe agencies are against Oppn leaders: Sule

NCP leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday claimed that as per the government data presented in Parliament, 95 per cent of the cases filed by the central probe agencies are against leaders of opposition parties. She accused the government of misusing the probe agencies, and asserted that truth shall ultimately prevail. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP was speaking to reporters outside her party office in south Mumbai after accompanying MLA Rohit Pawar till the entrance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office located nearby. Pawar appeared before the agency for questioning in connection with a money laundering probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam this morning. "Satyamev Jayate (truth shall prevail). This is a period of struggle for us. There will be challenges in future, but we will overcome them. We will struggle, but continue to tread on the path of truth. This fight is for the pride of Maharashtra," Sule said. "We will continue to walk on the path o

Attack on procession in Thane on Ram temple idol consecration day, 2 held

A group of persons allegedly attacked members of a procession taken out in Maharashtra's Thane district on the day of consecration of Lord Ram's idol in the Ayodhya temple following which police have arrested two persons, an official said on Wednesday. Two-three persons were injured in the incident which took place at around 8.30 pm on Monday when the victims were heading on four motorcycles as well as on foot as part of the procession in Borivali village of Padgha area here, the official from Padgha police station said. A group of nearly 15 armed persons intercepted them and allegedly attacked them with iron rods, wooden sticks and sharp objects. The attackers also smashed a couple of motorbikes and damaged them, the official said. One of the victims in a police complaint alleged that the attackers also pulled out a saffron flag bearing the image of Lord Ram from a motorcycle and tore it. The police on Tuesday registered offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code in

Ajit Pawar should have questioned govt over Maratha quota delay: Jarange

Activist Manoj Jarange on Monday said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar should have questioned the state government over the delay in granting quota to Marathas and claimed that Pawar was rather speaking against the reservation issue. Jarange was talking to reporters at a village in Ahmednagar district on the third day of his march to state capital Mumbai. The activist, accompanied by thousands of supporters, left his village Antarwali Sarti in Jalna district on January 20 to march to Mumbai, where he plans to sit on an indefinite fast till the state government issues an order granting reservation to the Maratha community. He has been demanding that Marathas in the state be given Kunbi certificates to enable the community to avail reservation in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. "Ajit Pawar should have cornered the state government over the Maratha reservation issue. He should have asked why there was a delay in granting the ...

Maharashtra state commission to assess backwardness of Marathas: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said the state Commission for Backward Classes will conduct a survey from January 23 to asses the social, economic and educational backwardness of the Maratha community. The Maratha community has been demanding reservation in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. The chief minister on Saturday directed the administration to carry out the survey in three different shifts on a war footing. Shinde chaired a meeting on the Maratha reservation issue at his official residence here and gave instructions to divisional commissioners, collectors, commissioners of municipal corporations and other senior officials via a video link. The survey announcement came on the day when Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange embarked on a protest march to state capital Mumbai from Jalna with thousands of supporters. Jarange has announced to launch an indefinite fast for the Maratha quota in Mumbai from January 26. He has

Maharashtra signs investment MoUs worth Rs 3.53 trillion at Davos

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said he is resolute in leading the state to its ambitious target of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy as the state government secured investment MoUs worth Rs 3.53 lakh crore (USD 44 billion) this week at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The state also received an expression of interest for an additional Rs 1 lakh crore investment, taking the total to Rs 4.5 lakh crore (nearly USD 57 billion) with a potential to create about two lakh jobs across sectors, including electronics, IT, data centres, gems and jewellery, agriculture, automobile and renewable energy, an official statement said. During his visit here accompanied by Industries Minister Uday Samant and several senior officials, Shinde signed 19 MoUs (Memoranda of Understanding). Presenting Maharashtra as the premier investment hub under the theme "Bringing Confidence during a changing World", Shinde held meetings with a large number of global political leaders, industr

Ram Temple inauguration: Trading on NSE to remain closed on Jan 22

Trading on the National Stock Exchange will remain closed on January 22, with the Maharashtra government announcing a holiday in connection with the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, an official said on Friday. The Maharashtra government has declared January 22 as a public holiday. In a circular, the NSE said the currency derivative segment will remain closed on January 22. Earlier in the day, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that money markets will remain closed on January 22.

Resolve Maratha quota issue: Jarange urges Fadnavis a day before protest

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Friday urged Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to wholeheartedly address the issue of reservation for the community. Speaking to reporters, the activist said he would leave his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna at 9 am on Saturday to embark on a protest march for Mumbai to press for the demand to provide reservation to his community. "The resolution of the Maratha reservation issue rests with Fadnavis, and he should come forward and resolve the matter with his heart and mind," he said. The activist reiterated his demand that Kunbi caste certificates be issued to 54 lakh Marathas and questioned the progress made by the committee set up by the state government to address the quota issue since it started its work on December 23 last year. Jarange further accused state minister Girish Mahajan of making false promises and deceiving the Maratha community. "Where is minister Girish Mahajan who had come with seven ministers

My government draws inspiration from Lord Ram: PM Modi in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government is inspired by Lord Ram's principles of governance with honesty and urged people to light Ram Jyoti on January 22, stressing that it will be an inspiration to remove poverty from their lives. Modi's guarantee means guarantee puri hone ki guarantee'. Lord Ram taught us to honour commitments made and we are fulfilling all goals we set for the welfare of the poor and their empowerment, he said. The PM was addressing a gathering in Maharashtra's Solapur after laying the foundation stone of 8 AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) projects worth around Rs 2,000 crore in the state. He also dedicated more than 90,000 houses completed under PMAY-Urban in Maharashtra. The Prime Minister dedicated 15,000 houses of Raynagar Housing Society in Solapur, whose beneficiaries comprise thousands of handloom workers, vendors, power loom workers, rag pickers, beedi workers and drivers. He also kickstarted the distribu

PM Modi to lay foundation stones of 8 AMRUT projects in Maharashtra today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate or lay the foundation stones of several development projects in Maharashtra's Solapur on Friday, according to an official release. At a public programme scheduled to be held around 10.45 am in the southern Maharashtra city, he will lay the foundation stones of eight AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) projects in the state worth around Rs 2,000 crore, it said. He will also dedicate more than 90,000 houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). Further, the PM will dedicate 15,000 houses of the Raynagar Housing Society in Solapur whose beneficiaries include thousands of "handloom workers, vendors, powerloom workers, rag pickers, Bidi workers and drivers", it said. Modi will also kickstart the distribution of the first and second instalments to 10,000 beneficiaries of PM-SVANIDHI in Maharashtra during the programme, it added.

MoUs worth Rs over 3.5 lakh crore signed at Davos: Maharashtra CM

He said that there is infrastructure, connectivity and skilled manpower in Maharashtra

Dharavi residents seek bigger flats, faster construction and redevelopment

The survey to identify the eligible and ineligible residents will begin by next week. Eligible residential tenements are those that were in existence before January 2000

MLA disqualification: Notice issued to Maha Speaker on Shinde faction pleas

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued notice to Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar and the 14 MLAs of the Uddhav Thackeray group on petitions filed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena challenging Narwekar's order to not disqualify the lawmakers. A division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Firdosh Pooniwalla also issued notice to the Maharashtra Legislature Secretariat and directed all the respondents to file their affidavits to the petition. The bench posted the matter for hearing on February 8. The petitions filed by Bharat Gogavale, the chief whip of Shinde-led Shiv Sena, against the 14 MLAs said it was challenging the legality, propriety and correctness of the January 10 order passed by Speaker Narwekar dismissing the disqualification petitions filed by him against the lawmakers from the rival camp. Gogavale has sought HC to declare the speaker's order as bad in law, quash it and disqualify all the 14 MLAs from the Thackeray group Sena (UBT). Issue notice to

Cong leader Milind Deora quits party, likely to join Shinde-led Shiv Sena

Congress leader and former Union minister Milind Deora on Sunday said he had resigned from the primary membership of the party. In a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the former South Mumbai Lok Sabha MP said, "Today marks the conclusion of a significant chapter in my political journey. I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress, ending my family's 55 year relationship with the party. I am grateful to all leaders, colleagues and karyakartas for their unwavering support over the years." Speculation is rife in political circles over the past few days that he is likely to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Deora, who was recently appointed the joint treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, had expressed disapproval at the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) laying claim to the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat. The undivided Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant, now with the Thackeray faction, had defeated Deora in the 2014 and 2019 general ..

Shinde gives Rs 5 lakh each to kin of mob lynching victims from party funds

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde handed over cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to kin of three persons, including two sadhus, lynched by a mob in Palghar district in 2020. He handed over the cheques while attending a function in Virar here on Saturday. Sadhus Kalpavriksha Giri Maharaj (70), Sushil Giri Maharaj (35) and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30) were killed by a mob while their vehicle was passing through Gadchinchale village late night on April 16 that year in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. The case had made national headlines at the time and several persons who were allegedly part of the 500-strong mob were arrested and are facing trial. Speaking on the occasion, Shinde said then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has never bothered to meet the kin of these three persons. Shinde said his Shiv Sena has now given them assistance from its own funds.

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Constitution has been trampled upon: 'Saamana' on ruling in Shiv Sena case

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday targeted Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar for recognising Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led party as the "real" Shiv Sena, claiming the Constitution has been trampled upon by recognising a "gang of thieves". The people of the state will not forgive those behind this, an editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' said while also targeting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Addressing a news conference here, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed Narwekar was entrusted with doing justice, but he acted as Shinde's lawyer. In a big political win for Shinde, Narwekar on Wednesday held that the Shiv Sena faction led by him was the "real political party" when rival groups emerged in June 2022, and did not disqualify any MLA from the two camps. The ruling cemented Shinde place in the top job, 18 months after his rebellion, and added to his political heft in the ruling coalition which also consists of the BJP and the NCP (Ajit Pawar group) ahead of

Sena vs Sena: They have lost ground, says CM as he counters allegations

Speaking with reporters in Mumbai on Wednesday, ahead of the verdict, CM Shinde said the Election Commission of India had allotted his faction the Shiv Sena name and symbol

Sena vs Sena: Speaker should give verdict on merit, says CM Shinde

Ahead of the crucial decision on the cross-petitions by Shiv Sena factions seeking disqualification of each other's MLAs, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Wednesday that Speaker Rahul Narwekar should give his verdict on merit. Talking to reporters here, Shinde said he would give a detailed reaction after the order but maintained that the Election Commission has allowed his outfit to keep the name Shiv Sena' and its bow and arrow' symbol. Narwekar is slated to deliver his much-awaited verdict on the disqualification pleas at 4 pm on January 10 (Wednesday), Vidhan Bhavan officials have said, more than 18 months after the Shiv Sena suffered a vertical split, a political development that resulted in a change of guard in the state. Shinde said his group has 67 per cent of the Shiv Sena lawmakers in the assembly and 75 per cent in Lok Sabha. Some people allege match-fixing (between Shiv Sena and the speaker). There is no substance to those allegations. The speaker should