Page 32 - Maharashtra Government

Maha govt gives family pension to employees in case of death in service

The Maharashtra government on Friday decided to give the option to avail one-time ex gratia or family pension to its employees in case of their death while in service. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde here, official sources said. At present, under the National Pension System (NPS), there is a provision of ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of a state government employee in case of death while in service. The sources said if the option of family pension is availed, ex gratia payment will be scrapped. The cabinet decision has come at a time when state government employees are on an indefinite strike since March 14 seeking restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which under a staffer gets a monthly pension equivalent to 50 per cent his/her last drawn salary. The contribution-based NPS was launched in January 2004.

HC irked with Maha govt's stand over no quota benefits for abandoned kids

The Bombay High Court on Thursday was irked with the Maharashtra government's persistent stand that the reservation benefits given to orphans cannot be extended to abandoned children. The state should instead be working as a protective umbrella for such kids, it said. The state government offers one per cent reservation in education to orphaned children. However, it refused to extend such a benefit to children who have been abandoned by their parents as they are not orphaned as per the definition of the term. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale had taken up the issue after a petition was filed by a city-based NGO seeking reservation for two girls, abandoned by their parents. After being slammed by the court, the government had agreed to provide orphan certificates to the two girls so that they could seek reservation but had clarified that its stand was that there was a difference between orphaned and abandoned children. Irked with this stand, the court said

Maharashtra govt employees on strike for OPS amid appeals from CM Shinde

Lakhs of Maharashtra government employees on Wednesday continued their strike on the second day to demand the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), a day after Chief minister Eknath Shinde appealed to them to resume work. Smooth functioning in government hospitals and offices was affected due to the agitation. Vishwas Katkar, the convenor of the committee of nearly 35 state government employees, semi-government employees and teachers, said employees from 36 districts have joined the ongoing strike. He rejected Shinde's appeal made in the Assembly on Tuesday and insisted that their demands be met. On Monday, Shinde had also announced a panel comprising senior bureaucrats to look into the demand of state government employees to revert to the Old Pension Scheme. The panel will give its report in a time-bound manner, he said. Katkar said the state government employees held similar protests in 2018, following which a panel was formed but there was no movement on its report. The .

Maharashtra govt announces Rs 300 per quintal ex-gratia for onion farmers

The Maharashtra government on Monday announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 300 per quintal to onion farmers in the state who are severely affected by a steep fall in the prices. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced this decision in the state Legislative Assembly and said it will provide relief to onion growers. Prices of the kitchen staple have crashed in Maharashtra, resulting in farmers getting very little for their produce. Shinde said due to the rise in onion production, the price of the crop has seen a decline. He said onion is a very important crop in the state and this has become a sensitive issue.

SIBC signs MoU in sustainable infra, defence manufacturing with Maha govt

Sweden India Business Council has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Maharashtra government for cooperation in the area of waste to energy, sustainable infrastructure and transportation, defence manufacturing and investment, the industry body said on Sunday. The MoU was signed on Saturday evening in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. "Maharashtra is the 'Second Home' to Swedish companies and 'Power House' of India. The relation between Maharashtra and Sweden is now 100 years old and we pledge to make it stronger ahead. Looking forward to work together in innovation, manufacturing, technology, solar energy, green and clean energies," Fadnavis tweeted after signing of the MoU. The MoU was signed between Sweden India Business Council (SIBC) and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). "Swedish industry will continue to expand and invest in Maharashtra. This MoU intends to support the two parties to reach a deeper collaboration

Govt to launch Jalyukta Shivar 2.0 in 5,000 villages of Maharashtra: Dy CM

Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that the State Government is putting efforts to promote ground water conservation.

Power tariff: Maha govt will ensure hike is not irrational, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the state government will ensure the proposed hike in electricity tariffs is not irrational. Fadnavis, who holds the power portfolio in the Eknath Shinde government, was speaking in the Legislative Council. "The tariff hike is proposed because of the rising cost of coal and other factors that are unavoidable. Our government will not impose any extra charge on consumers. If required, our government will intervene to ensure Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) does not increase power tariffs irrationally," he said. "There is going to be some hike in power rates because of factors such as import costs, transportation, wages etc. We will ensure the hike is linked with the increased input cost for power generation, he added. Sources said the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd has proposed 14 per cent hike in power tariff. Fadnavis said the MERC never accepts a hike proposal as it is

Those giving assurances are traitors: Aaditya Thackeray on Maha budget

"How much can you trust upon them? Assurances were given by the previous government during 2014-2019. How many of them were fulfilled," said Aaditya Thackeray

We will fulfill needs of women and middle class in our first Budget: Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said the state Budget, which is to be presented on Thursday, will fulfil the needs and aspirations of women and the middle class across the state."I can tell you that we will look to fulfil the needs and aspirations of women & the middle class." Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said."Tomorrow (Thursday) is our first Budget. We'll be fulfilling our promises tomorrow. Everyone is anticipating what the Budget will hold for them," he added.On the Budget, which will be the first to be presented by the Shiv Sena-BJP government since the change of guard in the state last year, Shinde said the government will keep its promises to the people.Speaking at an event at Mumbai's iconic Gateway of India on Wednesday, the CM also extended best wishes to women on International Women's Day. He said, "Today, we honoured women who work for the country in the cities and villages. Today is a day for our women, sisters and mothers."Shinde said the ...

Maha govt must compensate farmers: Ajit Pawar after unseasonal rain damages

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Wednesday urged the state government to come forward to support and compensate the farmers.Addressing the media, Pawar said, "Maharashtra's farmers have suffered a lot in the past three days due to unseasonal rains. We'll raise the issue of compensation to farmers in Assembly today. Today, the state government (Shinde-led government) must come forward to support and compensate the farmers.""We have given adjournment notice in the Assembly on the issue of compensation to the farmers, the Maharashtra LoP further said. "There was a forecast of rain for these 3 days everywhere. Now, the government should focus on ensuring the materialisation of the farm insurance claims," he added.On February 28, the Maharashtra Legislative Council was adjourned after opposition legislators created a ruckus on the issue of farmers demanding an appropriate price for onions as prices dipped.The Opposition leader of the Legislative Council, Ambadas Danve

Maharashtra is restless for political change: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar said here on Monday that the people of Maharashtra are longing for a 'political change' and want all the Opposition parties to come together for this

Aditya Thackeray slams Maharashtra govt for bad air quality in MMR

In a detailed tweet, he attacked the Shiv Sena Chief Minister Eknath Shinde regime for having no care for the common man owing to low air grade in the MMR

Creating infra to win back startups & businesses to Maharashtra: Deputy CM

Devendra Fadnavis also reiterated that the state is aiming to stay number one in the space of fintech startups

Savarkar theme park, museum to come up in Nashik: Maha Minister Lodha

A grand theme park and museum dedicated to Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar will come up in his native Bhagur village in Nashik district along with a circuit encompassing areas that are connected to his life, Maharashtra Tourism Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said on Sunday. He was speaking at an event in Bhagur to mark the death anniversary of Savarkar. "The life and thoughts of Veer Savarkar are an inspiration to all. The Maharashtra government is taking efforts to ensure the entire world knows about his life and works. We will build a grand theme park and museum of international standard dedicated to Veer Savarkar," Lodha said. The theme park will be managed by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and work on it will be completed quickly, the minister said. "We will create Veer Savarkar Tourism Circuit, which will cover Bhagur, Abhinav Bharat Mandir in Nashik, Savarkar Chair Centre at Pune, Fergusson College hostel, the Babarao Savarkar memorial in Sangli, ...

Shiv Sena feud to find echo in Budget session of Maharashtra legislature

The ongoing high decibel political and legal battle between rival Shiv Sena groups is all set to resonate loudly in the Maharashtra legislature when it begins its Budget session on February 27. The Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, buoyed by an Election Commission (EC) ruling in its favour, and the Uddhav Thackeray faction are locked in a bitter feud to lay claim over the 56-year-old party and legacy of its founder Bal Thackeray. Going by the legislative majority, the EC last week allotted the Shiv Sena name and the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol to the Shinde group while recognising the split in the party, which was rocked by a rebellion in June last year. Moving swiftly after the EC ruling, the Shinde camp petitioned Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar and took control of the Shiv Sena legislature party office in the Vidhan Bhavan complex in south Mumbai. Similarly, the Shinde camp feels the whip it issues will be binding on legislators still loyal to Thackeray. Amid the Sh

We accept CM Eknath Shinde as new Shiv Sena chief, says Uday Samant

Speaking to ANI, Minister Uday Samant said, We agreed that CM Eknath Shinde will be our new Shivsena party chief. We will soon submit our letter to the Election Commission regarding this

After EC's symbol ruling, Shinde's Shiv Sena faction gets Parliament office

'Room No. 128, Parliament House has been allotted to the Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party for the office of the Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party'

Maha sugar production to fall in 2022-23 due to excessive rain: Official

Sugar production in Maharashtra may fall from 137.28 lakh tonnes in 2021-22 to 124 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 due to adverse climatic conditions in different parts of the state, a top official has said. Continuous rains rendered the ground wet for long periods which impacted sugarcane cultivation, Sugar Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad told PTI on Saturday. "As a result, the production will be going down in Maharashtra in the ongoing season. Earlier, we estimated 138 lakh tonnes production when the crushing season started. Now, it should be around 124 lakh tonnes. We have conveyed the updated figures of production to the central government," he said. "The crushing season will be over early as compared to last year. In the last crushing season, factories worked till the start of the monsoon. Now, it will end up by April end. A total of 199 factories are currently operational in the state," the official said. The crushing in Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur districts will be over by March end and in

Upcoming Maha budget will take care of interest of citizens: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said his government is people-oriented and the upcoming state budget will contain measures that will benefit common citizens. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds charge of the finance portfolio, will present the state budget for fiscal 2023-24 on March 9. Speaking after inaugurating the renovated Bhagwa Talao (lake) in Kalyan town of Thane district, his political turf, Shinde praised the Union Budget for the next fiscal which was presented in the Lok Sabha on February 1. "Similarly, the budget of the state government will be beneficial to common citizens and reflect their aspirations," he said. Shinde said his government, which assumed office in June last year, is public-oriented and committed to the welfare of people. "This government is yours and you are of the government. This Chief Minister is yours and you are mine," he said. Shinde said his administration's single-point programme is to make the life .

What I said is 100% true: Fadnavis on his claim on govt with Ajit Pawar

Sticking to his statement that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar had backed his plan to form a government with his nephew Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis on Wednesday said his statement was "100 per cent true" and he was not lying. "Whatever I had said was 100 per cent true, and there was no lie in it. I won't speak today on various interpretations that are being derived. I want to speak more on this, and I will speak at an appropriate time and that time is yet to come," Fadnavis told reporters here. When asked that following his statement, Ajit Pawar is "not reachable", the deputy CM said that he cannot speak about the NCP leader. "He should decide what he has to say," Fadnavis added. In one of the biggest political surprises in Maharashtra, the then Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari swore in Fadnavis as the CM and Ajit Pawar as deputy CM in an early morning ceremony on November 23, 2019. But the government lasted just three days,