Page 3 - Maharashtra News

Decision on Sunetra made without Sharad Pawar's knowledge: NCP (SP) leader

NCP (SP) Maharashtra president Shashikant Shinde has claimed his party chief Sharad Pawar and other leaders had no prior knowledge about NCP leader Sunetra Pawar's swearing-in as the state's Deputy Chief Minister. He also said that after the recent civic elections in the state, a decision was made to pursue the unification of the two parties. Sunetra Pawar (62), wife of Ajit Pawar who died in a plane crash in Pune's Baramati town on January 28, was on Saturday sworn in as the first woman deputy CM of Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar did not have prior knowledge about her swearing-in, Shinde told reporters on Saturday. "There had been discussions and meetings on the two NCPs coming together. But Ajitdada is no more. Some broad positions had been discussed earlier. Now, we will discuss what needs to be done and then make a decision. How others respond is their call," he said. On questions over the apparent haste in conducting Sunetra Pawar's swearing-in ceremony, Shinde said the answers sh

Sunetra Pawar to take charge as Maharashtra Dy CM: Early life, career

Sunetra Pawar is a Member of the Rajya Sabha in Parliament and a prominent public figure in Maharashtra

Datanomics: Baramati crash turns focus on safety of non-scheduled flights

The crash of Ajit Pawar's chartered Learjet revives concerns over non-scheduled aviation safety, with data showing recurring landing-phase accidents and runway excursions in India

Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis polls in Maharashtra postponed to Feb 7

Elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra has been rescheduled to Feb 7, following demise of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Dy CM Pawar dies in plane crash; PM condoles untimely demise

Pawar was headed to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad Elections

Court discharges NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal in money laundering case

A Mumbai court on Friday discharged NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal in a money laundering case pertaining to the construction of 'Maharashtra Sadan' in New Delhi. The case relates to a 2005-2006 deal that the NCP leader, when he was state PWD minister, allegedly gave to a firm for its construction. As per the Enforcement Directorate, Bhujbal and his family members had received kickbacks from construction firm K S Chamankar for the construction of Maharashtra Sadan. The probe agency had claimed the construction company had transferred money to firms in which the minister's son Pankaj and nephew Sameer Bhujbal were directors. On Friday, special PMLA Judge Satyanarayan Ramjivan Navandar accepted the discharge application of the senior NCP leader and other accused in the case, a lawyer said. The ED case is based on a FIR registered by the Anti Corruption Bureau against the NCP leader and his kin. It is alleged that the original cost estimate for Maharashtra Sadan was Rs 13.5 crore, but w

Tata to invest $11 billion in AI Innovation City near Navi Mumbai airport

Global demand for data center capacity could more than triple by 2030 to reach an annual level of 219 gigawatts, according to consultancy McKinsey & Co

Godrej Agrovet signs pact with Maha SRLM to support 5,000 women farmers

Godrej Agrovet on Tuesday said it has signed an initial agreement with the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission to empower over 5,000 women farmers and promote sustainable agriculture in nine key cotton-growing districts in Maharashtra. "Through this partnership, we aim to equip women farmers with practical high-impact agronomy so they can achieve better yields and uplift their families. We are committed to building models that scale responsibly," Godrej Agrovet CEO and Managing Director Sunil Kataria said. The three-year partnership aims to mobilize Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and women farmers to adopt Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), improving farm productivity and creating resilient livelihoods. In its first year, the program will focus on nine key cotton-growing districts: Nagpur, Amravati, Yavatmal, Washim, Parbhani, Jalgaon, Beed, Akola, and Nanded, covering over 5,000 women farmers and more than 50,000 acres of farmland while engagin

Day after civic poll win, Maharashtra cabinet clears key infra projects

The Maharashtra cabinet on Saturday extended toll relief extension for electric vehicles at Atal Setu by another year and cleared a slew of decisions related to infrastructure and urban transport, a day after the BJP-led Mahayuti scored a decisive victory in the civic polls. The cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, also okayed the revised cost and the state's share for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-2), aimed at improving suburban rail and urban mobility infrastructure. It also waived the premium for a plot allotted at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai to the Tirupati Devasthanam for the construction of the Padmavati Devi temple. The cabinet cleared the restructuring of 1,901 posts in the Directorate of Economics and Statistics and approved renaming it as the Commissionerate of Economics and Statistics. Revised staffing patterns were also approved for district planning committees, divisional commissioner offices, and special development programmes, according to an ...

Fadnavis, Thackerays spar over 'unopposed' Maharashtra civic wins

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday urged the State Election Commission to cancel results in 68 civic wards where ruling Mahayuti nominees were declared winners unopposed, saying uncontested victories effectively rob 'Gen Z' and first-time voters of their voting right. Sharing the stage with MNS chief Raj Thackeray to unveil their joint manifesto for the upcoming polls to the Mumbai civic body, Uddhav warned that democracy must not be overrun by "mobocracy. Referring to the uncontested victories in the run-up to the January 15 elections, Uddhav said, "If the SEC has courage, it should cancel elections where candidates were chosen unopposed and initiate the poll process again in those civic wards. The unopposed election of candidates is akin to denying voters, especially the 'GenZ' electorate, the chance to exercise their franchise, he added. The former chief minister launched a scathing attack on the Mahayuti government, saying that since his government was dislodged a

Sadanand Date, 26/11 terror attack hero, takes charge as Maharashtra DGP

Senior IPS officer and 26/11 terror attack hero Sadanand Vasant Date on Saturday took charge as Director General of Maharashtra Police. He was heading the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till recently before being repatriated to his home cadre on the request of the Maharashtra government. The 1990-batch officer was appointed as DGP on December 31. Date, 59, accepted the charge from Rashmi Shukla, the first woman DGP of Maharashtra who retired on Saturday, at the state police headquarters here. He will have a tenure of two years as the head of the over 2 lakh-strong Maharashtra police force. Known as an upright officer, Date was serving in Mumbai as Additional Commissioner of Police (Central Region) when Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan attacked multiple locations in the city on November 26, 2008. He led a police team that pinned down terrorists Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail on the rooftop of Cama Hospital in south Mumbai. Despite being severely injured by grenade splinter

Pune Porsche crash: Two suspended cops sacked over lapses in investigation

Two cops who were suspended for alleged negligence in the investigation into last year's Porsche car crash have been dismissed from service, a top police official said on Wednesday. A Porsche car, allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy in an inebriated condition, had fatally run over two techies on a motorcycle in the Kalyani Nagar area in the early hours of May 19, 2024. Inspector Rahul Jagdale and assistant police inspector (API) Vishwanath Todkari, attached to Yerawada police station, who were already in suspension for late reporting and dereliction of duty in the accident case, have been dismissed from service, said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. A proposal to sack them had been sent to the home department in March 2025. An internal inquiry also pointed to lapses while registering the case and a delay in collecting blood samples, the official said. According to police, the boy's blood samples were collected at 11 am, several hours after the accident. The teenager's blo

Maharashtra makes housing society consent mandatory for liquor shops

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said that shops selling Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) as well as country liquor will be required to obtain mandatory consent from registered housing societies before commencing operations from the commercial spaces on their premises. Pawar, who also heads the excise department, directed that this new policy be implemented across the state. "Permission from registered housing societies will now be compulsory for both categories of liquor shops. The policy must be enforced uniformly throughout Maharashtra," Pawar told the Lower House of the state legislature while responding to a question raised by BJP MLA Shankar Jagtap, who represents the Chinchwad assembly constituency in Pune district. Jagtap sought cancellation of licences of liquor shops operating in Chinchwad-Kalewadi area of Pune. During the discussion, he said that Vikrant Wine, a liquor shop in Sahyadri Society, had begun operations in violation of norms. The ..

Maha orders officials to stand when MLAs or MPs visits, be more courteous

Rise from your seats when legislators or MPs visit your office, listen to the them attentively, and use polite language during phone calls to them -- these are some of the new set of guidelines that the Maharashtra government issued for its officials on Thursday. A Government Resolution (GR) issued by state Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar to this effect said, giving due respect to elected representatives is an important part of making administration more reliable and accountable. It also warned of taking action against those officials who do not follow these instructions. This new GR brings together several older circulars and updates them with clearer, firmer instructions. In the recent past, some elected representatives, including those from the ruling parties, had expressed displeasure over officials not giving time to meet them and address their concerns or issues. In the preface of this GR, the government says it considers good governance, transparency and efficiency as top ...

After probe order, Ajit Pawar says Parth's Pune land deal stands cancelled

The deal in question came under the scanner on Thursday, following which Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that a probe had been ordered into the matter

BJP promoting 'corporate Hindutva' by selling names of deities: Congress

Referring to Mumbai Metro stations, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged that the BJP's "corporate Hindutva" had reduced deities and national figures to marketing tools

Fadnavis lays foundation for AWS data centre, part of $8.3 bn Maha plan

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday virtually laid the foundation stone for Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centre here, which is part of the company's USD 8.3 billion investment in the state. The virtual ground-breaking ceremony was held at the Chief Minister's official residence, Varsha. AWS has begun the first phase of its USD 8.3 billion investment in Maharashtra, following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year, Fadnavis said in a release. "Maharashtra has emerged as the country's most attractive destination for investment, bringing in the highest commitments even at Davos. We are ensuring ease of doing business by reducing approval timelines, simplifying processes and providing real-time updates on proposals through a dedicated war room," the release quoted the CM as saying. Fadnavis also flagged off India's first 'Think Big Mobile Van' under the Amazon Mobile STEM Lab initiative, to provide student

Maha signs MoUs worth ₹1.08 trn, will create 47k direct jobs: CM Fadnavis

The Maharashtra government on Thursday signed Memorandums of Understanding entailing investment of Rs 1,08,599 crore in sectors like information technology, food processing, warehousing, data centres and logistics hubs, paving the way for creation of 47,000 direct jobs, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. Investors and the industry sector play a crucial role in a state's economic growth, Fadnavis said while assuring that his government will meet their expectations. "We are making efforts to ensure entrepreneurs have a positive investment experience in Maharashtra," the chief minister said. The key projects in this regard include MGSA Realty investing Rs 5,000 crore in industrial warehouses, data centres and logistics hubs, which will create 10,000 jobs. Lodha Developers Ltd will set up a Green Integrated Data Centre Park in Ambernath in Thane district investing Rs 30,000 crore. It will generate 6000 jobs. Adani Enterprises Ltd will invest Rs 70,000 crore in an integrated coal .

Maharashtra rains: Over 2,200 people shifted in Nanded, Latur roads damaged

More than 2200 persons have been shifted to safety amid heavy rainfall in Nanded and Latur districts of Maharashtra, officials said on Thursday. Seventeen revenue circles in Mukhed, Kandhar and Naygaon faced heavy rainfall, with the highest, 115 millimetres, being recorded in Biloli and Narsi areas in Nanded, while 29 circles in Latur recorded rainfall of above 65 mm, they informed. "In Nanded, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams were sent to villages in Degloor after water entered several homes in Dharmabad, Naygaon and Kandhar this morning. Road links to Gonar, Jakepur, Rui and Kandharewadi villages have been affected due to the rains," a local official said. "As a precautionary measure, 2236 persons from 871 households in Sangvi Umar, Medankallur, Shelgaon and Tamlur villages were shifted to safety by the Nanded administration. At present, 3.63 lakh cusec (cubic foot per second) water is being released from eight projects of Nanded. These include Vishnupuri, Yeldari and ..

ED searches Vuenow Infratech premises in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra

The search was conducted on Thursday in premises across Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra states in connection with money laundering allegations related to the group, ED said in a X post