Page 25 - Maharashtra Government

NMMC collects property tax of Rs 465 cr in first nine months of FY24

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has collected Rs 465.70 crore as property tax in nine months of the financial year 2023-24 compared to Rs 398.65 crore in the same period of the previous fiscal, officials said. Property tax is one of the major source of revenue for the NMMC. Navi Mumbai is a major industrial belt in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The civic body laid emphasis on recovering arrears, leveraging data from newly assessed properties and conducted the first phase of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging - a remote sensing & surveying technology) survey in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area, an official release said. With three months still left, the NMMC has set a target of collecting property tax of Rs 800 crore in the financial year 2023-24.

Maharashtra now preferred destination for overseas investments: CM Shinde

Maharashtra has become a preferred destination for investments from various countries, reflecting the state's conducive business environment, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said. Welcoming the New Year by participating in a midnight blood donation camp here, Shinde also spoke about the growing impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the positive impact of a deep cleaning drive taken up in Mumbai and its extension across the state. The CM highlighted the successful implementation of 85 per cent of the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed during the Davos meet (in 2023). "Maharashtra has become a preferred destination for investments from various countries," he said. Underlining the commitment to people's welfare, Shinde said the Chief Minister's Relief Fund has provided assistance of over Rs 165 crore to more than 20,000 individuals since his government assumed office, a significant increase from the earlier disbursal of Rs 2 to 3 ..

Fire destroys factory in Maharashtra's Thane district; no injuries

A fire destroyed a factory in an industrial pocket in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Friday. No one was injured in the fire that broke out at the packaging unit at Taloja MIDC area around 8.30 pm on Thursday, he said. An official from the Taloja fire station said local firemen and others from neighbouring fire stations rushed to the spot and controlled the blaze. While the fire destroyed the factory, its cause is being probed, he added.

Maha CM Eknath Shinde announces 'Shivsankalp Abhiyaan' for Lok Sabha polls

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has set the Shiv Sena's Lok Sabha campaign rolling by announcing that he would tour all 48 constituencies in the state as part of the Shivsankalp Abhiyaan'. Addressing party workers through video conferencing on Thursday, Shinde asked them to prepare for the Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in the first half of 2024. He directed them to campaign for candidates of the ruling alliance or Mahayuti', which also includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party. The Shivsankalp Abhiyaan will start from January 6 from Yavatmal-Washim constituency. Over the next month, Shinde will visit 15 more constituencies covering different regions of the state, the CM's party said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, out of the 48 seats in Maharashtra, the BJP secured 23 seats, followed by the undivided Shiv Sena with 18 seats and the NCP with 4 seats. The Congress and AIMIM each won one, while another went

Jarange's demands growing, but Maharashtra govt is helpless, says Bhujbal

Maharashtra food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday took a dig at Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange saying that his demands are growing but the Maharashtra government is helpless. Talking to reporters here, Bhujbal, who had earlier criticised Jarange, quipped that he was taking back all that he had said earlier. I also support all demands of Jarange. Who are OBCs...they are small, poor people. God also got scared of Jarange. What is law and order in front of Jarange? One minister must constantly be stationed next to him, said the NCP leader sarcastically. But the government is helpless, he said. The veteran OBC leader and founder of Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad has taken a contrarian stand to the Ekanth Shinde-led alliance government's decision to issue Kunbi (OBC) certificates to Marathas based on historical records to enable the beneficiaries to avail reservation in education and government jobs. His barbs came a day after three state ministers met the ...

Decision on caste census after taking opinion of all sections: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said an appropriate decision on caste-based census will be taken after eliciting the opinion of all sections of society and keeping sentiments of the people in mind. Shinde visited the memorials of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder K B Hedgewar and second 'sarsanghchalak' MS Golwalkar in Reshimbagh area here and paid tributes to them. On Tuesday, RSS functionary Shridhar Gadge said there should no caste-based census and sought to know what will be achieved by it. Such an exercise may benefit some people politically as it will provide data about the population of a certain caste, but it is not good socially and in terms of national unity, said Gadge, the Vidarbha Sah-Sanghchalak. Notably, the Congress is in favour of a countrywide caste census. To a query on the RSS functionary's comments, Shinde on Wednesday said Maharashtra is a progressive state and its culture and traditions are different from other states. "Here al

Time has come for India to produce its own Bezos, Zuckerberg: Maha Guv

Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais on Saturday urged students to come up with innovative ideas to make the country a developed nation by 2047, saying it's time for India to produce its own Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg. The governor was speaking at the convocation ceremony of a private management institute at Mira Road, on the outskirts of Mumbai. Referring to the Viksit Bharat @2047: Voice of Youth' vision, which was recently launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, Bais said students graduating this year will be at the peak of their professional careers in 2047. Destiny has given students a unique opportunity to transform India from a developing nation to a developed nation, he said, stressing that many countries of the world have taken a big leap to become developed nations at different times. After the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings, Japan rose from the ashes to become a leading manufacturing nation. South Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries have also .

SC asks Maha speaker to decide plea for disqualification of MLAs by Jan 10

The Supreme Court on Friday extended the deadline for Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to decide the cross-petitions filed by the rival factions of the Shiv Sena seeking disqualification of each other's MLAs from December 31 to January 10 next year . The top court, which granted 10 more days to the speaker, had earlier asked him to decide the disqualification pleas by December 31, saying the sanctity of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution (disqualification law) should be maintained. "The speaker has indicated that the proceedings will be closed on December 20 and the speaker has sought a reasonable extension of time for declaration of the order. Bearing in mind the time limit, which was set out by this court in its previous order dated October 30, was until December 31. We grant extension of time for pronouncement of orders till January 10," a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said. At the start of the brief ..

Oppn stages protest against Maha govt over unemployment, exam paper leaks

Leaders from the Opposition parties targeted the Maharashtra government over the issues of unemployment and exam paper leaks on Friday, the sixth day of the winter session of the state assembly. Legislators from the Maha Vikas Aghadi, constituting the Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party's Sharad Pawar faction and Congress, gathered on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan and raised slogans against the government. Leader of Opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve, legislators Satej Patil and Sachin Ahir, among others, brought utensils and pakoras as part of the protest. Speaking to reporters, Danve claimed that the number of unemployed youth has increased in the state and while the government keeps advertising about jobs, it does not fill vacancies. "Unemployment and exam paper leaks are Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantees," he said.

Sharad Pawar demands roll-back of ban on onion export, slams Centre

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday demanded that the ban on onion export be lifted and claimed the central government was ignoring the hard work of farmers. Addressing onion growers, who have been protesting against the Centre's decision, in Chandwad village of Nashik district in Maharashtra, Pawar said cultivators need to be united and demand their rights. "Nashik can show the way," he added. The Centre has banned onion exports till March 31 next year to increase domestic availability and to keep prices in check. Farmers in parts of Maharashtra have been protesting against the Centre's decision. Onion growers are small farmers who toil for a good crop, Pawar said, adding that during his tenure as Union agriculture minister, he never brought down the onion prices nor banned exports. "The ban on onion exports should be lifted immediately," he said. Pawar further said, "Bangladesh has levied Rs 160 (import) duty on grapes. The grape producers will face hardships due to this deci

Maharashtra govt woke up only after court order: HC on fire safety rules

The Maharashtra government did not take any step and woke up only after the court issued an order, the Bombay High Court censured it on Friday, after it was informed that the notification for fire safety rules and regulations would be issued by May 2024. The high court earlier this week came down heavily on the state government for dragging its feet on the implementation of fire safety rules and regulations despite a report submitted by an expert committee in February this year. The court had sought to know from the Principal Secretary of the State Urban Development Department a timeline by when the notification would be issued. On Friday, additional government pleader Jyoti Chavan submitted to a division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor that by May 2024 the mandated procedure would be completed and the final notification would be issued. The bench, while accepting this statement, remarked that had the government acted on the committee's report in ...

HC raps Maharashtra govt for letting budgetary allocation for drugs lapse

The Bombay High Court on Friday pulled up the Maharashtra government for not releasing or spending the entire budgetary allocation for procurement of drugs and medical equipment, citing that it was letting the amount lapse at the cost of the healthcare system. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor sought to know from the government what steps have been taken to spend the budgetary allocation, the reasons for not releasing the amount entirely in the past and for not using the released sum. The court was hearing a bunch of petitions, including one initiated suo motu (on its own), raising concerns over the high number of deaths at government hospitals in Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts. Advocate General Birendra Saraf informed the bench that as per earlier orders, the government has now appointed a chief executive officer for the Maharashtra Medicines Procurement Authority, and the process of issuing tenders to procure drugs and equipmen

Saamana takes jab at embarrassing lack of coordination in Maharashtra govt

The editorial further said that there is a "future CM" hidden in each of the three parties- Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), the Bharatiya Janata Party and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar)

Pesticide industry opposes Maharashtra draft Bill on aid to farmers

The draft Bill has been put up for public consultation by the state government

HCCB to launch Rs 1,387-crore Maharashtra greenfield factory in Feb

The facility will utilise water sourced from the Vashishti River, supplied through the MIDC pipeline

Crops on 100k hectares damaged by unseasonal rains in Maharashtra, says CM

Nearly 1 lakh hectares of land under cultivation in different parts of Maharashtra has been adversely affected due to unseasonal rains over the last few days, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said, citing preliminary assessment. Two persons have died in rain-related incidents in Nashik district in north Maharashtra, a senior official said. Affected farmers will get compensation for crop losses caused by unseasonal rains, the CM said. "Authorities have been directed to conduct 'panchnama' (survey) of the damaged crops and affected farmers should be paid adequate compensation," Shinde told reporters in his political turf of Thane on Monday. He said preliminary information suggests that nearly 1 lakh hectares of land under cultivation in Marathwada, Vidarbha and north Maharashtra regions was affected due to untimely showers. "This is the government of farmers and workers. The government will always stand behind these classes," the chief minister said. The first estimate report prepa

Crops on 100,000 hectares damaged by untimely rains in Maha: CM Shinde

Nearly 1 lakh hectares of land under cultivation in different parts of Maharashtra was adversely affected due to unseasonal rains over the last three to four days, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said, citing preliminary assessment. Two persons have died in rain-related incidents in Nashik district in north Maharashtra, a senior official said. The CM said affected farmers will get compensation for crop losses caused by unseasonal rains. "Authorities have been directed to conduct 'panchnama' (survey) of the damaged crops and affected farmers should be paid adequate compensation," Shinde said while speaking to reporters in his political turf of Thane on Monday. He said preliminary information suggests that nearly 1 lakh hectares of land under cultivation in Marathwada, Vidarbha and north Maharashtra regions was affected due to untimely showers. "This is the government of farmers and workers. The government will always stand behind these classes," the chief minister said. In Mumba

Maratha reservation issue to be discussed in Maha assembly's winter session

The Maratha reservation issue will be discussed during the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature, deputy chairperson of the state legislative council Neelam Gorhe said on Tuesday. She was speaking at a news conference at the Vidhan Bhavan after reviewing preparations for the session which will start here from December 7. The Maratha community's demand for reservation in government jobs and admissions to educational institutions took centre stage last month when activist Manoj Jarange launched a hunger strike over the issue and the agitation for quota took a violent turn in some parts of the state. To the question whether there will be a discussion on the issue during the session, Gorhe said no proposal had come to her as of now. "No doubt the issue will come up during the winter session. But I cannot announce the date until all the business and other procedures are finalized.....but the reservation issue will be discussed in both the houses and it is everyone's wish that so

Maharashtra's farmers thirst for a trickle of hope amid water crisis

Currently, numerous individuals across villages in the state are squarely dependent on external sources of water, such as tankers, to quench their drinking water needs

Govt to acquire 5k hectares of land for industries in Naxal-hit Gadchiroli

The Maharashtra government plans to acquire 5,000 hectares of land in Gadchiroli district, affected by Left Wing Extremism, for industrial development, Industries Minister Uday Samant said on Friday. He made the announcement during a review meeting of the industries department and the District Planning Committee. Samant highlighted the interest of several major industrial houses in establishing their units in Gadchiroli which has created the need for substantial land acquisition. The minister informed about the proposed Rs 22,000-crore investments by companies like Lloyds Metals and Varad Ferro in the district, for which he said, MoUs have been signed and notifications are set to be published soon. Plans to acquire land for new industries were outlined at the meeting, covering areas like Chamorshi, Mulchera, Armori and Sironcha, totalling approximately 5,000 hectares, he said. Ambuja Cement, JSW and other companies have expressed willingness to set up units in Gadchiroli which ...