Page 26 - Maharashtra Government

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 ...

Money laundering charges are not ground to deny passport renewal: Court

Merely being prosecuted on money laundering charges is not a sufficient ground to deny permission for passport renewal, a special court here has said while granting nod to former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh's son to apply for renewal of his passport. Special Judge R N Rokade on Wednesday allowed the application filed by Salil Deshmukh, seeking a direction to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to return his seized passport so that he can apply for renewal. The ED has accused Salil Deshmukh along with his father - former state home minister Anil Deshmukh - and some others of money laundering. Salil Deshmukh was not formally arrested in the case by the ED. After the agency named him as an accused in its chargesheet, he appeared before the special court which granted him bail in November 2022. In his application, Salil Deshmukh said his passport expired in January 2022. He sought permission to apply for renewal of the passport for a period of 10 years. The agency opposed the ple

Govt positive towards demands for Maratha reservation: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said the government is positive towards addressing demands raised by Marathas and efforts are underway to give reservation to the community. A delegation of the Maratha community met Fadnavis in Pandharpur town of Solapur district where the deputy CM and his wife performed puja at the temple of Lord Vitthal and Goddess Rukmini on the occasion of Kartiki Ekadashi on Thursday. The community has been demanding reservation in government jobs and education. In a post on X, Fadnavis said, I have assured the Maratha community that the state government is positive towards their demands. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has assured to give reservation to the community. We are standing behind him with full support. The issue will be solved for sure. Efforts are underway to give reservation to the Maratha community, he said. The delegation also demanded that the state government provide a piece of land for the construction of Marath

Shinde govt itself illegal, immoral: Aaditya Thackeray on FIR against him

"I find it amusing considering I am the local MLA. Is it not within my purview to inspect and inaugurate a bridge?" he said

HC pulls up Maha govt for delay in website creation for sales tax tribunal

Tribunals in a progressive state like Maharashtra cannot remain primitive in embracing technology, the Bombay High Court said, while rapping the Maharashtra government for dragging its feet on the creation of an official website for the state sales tax tribunal. A division bench of Justices G S Kulkarni and Jitendra Jain, in its order of October 12, said it should not take so long to create and make the website functional. In the present era, the courts and tribunals, which cater to the demands of the consumers of justice, cannot be expected to function without the basic requirement of an official website, to say the least, the court said. The bench cited the Supreme Court's observation that technology plays an essential role in securing access to courtrooms and as a result, access to justice for citizens across the country. In embracing technology, the tribunals in a progressive state like Maharashtra cannot remain primitive. Providing a website would certainly enhance the efficie

Govt slaps penalty on four firms that failed to hire female directors

The action has been taken against three private and one Maharashtra govt company. The development sheds light on the govt's emphasis on having more female leaders in company boardrooms

We will fight legal battle: Sanjay Raut over Mumbra Shakha controversy

This move to order the bulldozers on the Mumbra Shakha was strongly opposed by Uddhav Thackeray as he led his group towards Mumbra to make a statement of intent on Saturday

Shinde dismisses Uddhav's threat over demolition of Shiv Sena (UBT) shakha

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde on Sunday dismissed Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's outburst over the demolition of his party's shakha' in the Thane district, calling it an empty threat. Talking to reporters after attending a Diwali programme here, Shinde said Thackeray had to turn back when he attempted to visit the spot of the shakha' in Mumbra on Saturday. Thackeray, along with top leaders of the Sena (UBT), went to Mumbra to visit the razed shakha but had to face resistance from workers of the chief minister's Shiv Sena, who raised slogans and showed him black flags. As the situation turned tense, Thackeray and his party colleagues left the site, just metres away from the razed shakha. Thackeray's visit was nothing but an attempt to create a hurdle during the Diwali festivities, the chief minister said. The people of Mumbra showed their power during Thackeray's visit. Nothing works in front of people's power, he said. Many senior leaders from Shiv Sena UBT h

Maha govt to buy the Air India building in Mumbai: All you need to know

Maharashtra govt decided to acquire the 23-storey Air India building at Nariman Point in Mumbai for Rs 1,601 crore

HC seeks Maha govt's response to pleas against order increasing OBC quota

The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to submit its reply to a bunch of petitions challenging a March 1994 government resolution (GR) increasing reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor on Wednesday gave the government time till December 10 to file its affidavit and posted the matter for next hearing on January 3, 2024. The petitions claimed the reservation for OBCs was increased in 1994 without following due procedure. Incidentally, the issue of OBC reservation has come to the fore in recent months with some activists seeking reservation for the Maratha community in the OBC category. Some OBC leaders have been opposing the demand. According to one of the petitioners, Balasaheb Sarate, the OBC reservation in the state exceeds 42 per cent of the total reservation. Since 1994, more than 150 communities have been included in the OBC category without adhering to due procedure and