Page 105 - Maharashtra

Ajit Pawar to meet district collectors to review heavy rain situation

Ajit Pawar on Monday informed the Maharashtra assembly that he will undertake a meeting to review the assessment and impact of heavy rains and floods in the state

German firm Valtech Mobility enters India with Pune centre of excellence

German mobility firm Valtech Mobility on Monday announced its entry into the Indian market with the setting up of a centre of excellence in Pune. A joint venture between global business transformation agency Valtech Group and European auto major Volkswagen Group, Valtech Mobility has a robust global network and expertise in connected vehicles, shared mobility, electrification, and data monetisation. The decision to bring Valtech Mobility into the fold aligns with the company's global expansion strategy, underscoring its commitment to growth and establishing a strong presence in diverse markets, the company said in a statement. "Valtech's (Group) success in India, with established offices in Gurugram and Bengaluru, now extends to Pune with Valtech Mobility. Leveraging Pune's automotive hub, we aim to scale our team with 300 engineers in the next 2-3 years. We'll continue to foster close collaborations with our clients as we drive innovation right from the design and development phase

Maharashtra set to be top performer under BRAP, says state official

Maharashtra is set to be the top performer under the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2022 Integrated Framework Assessment, a senior state government official said on Monday. Under BRAP, the centre ranks states on various parameters relating to ease of doing business. Maharashtra, an achiever in the 2020-21 evaluation under (BRAP), is on track to maintain its lead under the BRAP 2022 Integrated Framework assessment, said S J Korbu, Joint Director of Industries Government of Maharashtra. He was speaking at the fifth edition of the India Smart Data centres and Cloud Infrastructure Summit organised by Assocham. Maharashtra has also made significant strides in reduction of regulatory compliance burden with a reported reduction of 987 compliances wherein burdens are reduced," he said. A committee studied 92 legislations spanning 26 departments to reduce compliance burden exercise and 138 provisions have been decriminalised, he added. Darshan Hiranandani, Chairman, Assocham Nationa

Ajit Pawar won't become Maha CM, he is aware of this fact: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday dismissed Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan's claim that Ajit Pawar would be appointed as the chief minister replacing Eknath Shinde in August. Fadnavis said Ajit Pawar is well aware of the fact that he would not become the chief minister and the same was conveyed to him during the meetings held before July 2. Responding to Chavan's claim that senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who is part of the state government, will be appointed as the chief minister around August 10, Fadnavis said the Cabinet may be expanded by that date and nothing else. As a leader of the single largest party in 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance), I am officially telling you that Ajit Pawar will not become the chief minister of Maharashtra," Fadnavis told reporters on the premises of Vidhan Bhavan. When meetings of 'Mahayuti' took place (before the July 2 induction of the NCP faction in the government), Ajit Pawar was given a clear pictur

Relocation plan for residents of hilly areas needed: Athawale to Maha govt

Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday suggested the Maharashtra government draft a plan to relocate residents of hilly areas in the state on priority. He was speaking to reporters after visiting the shelter housing survivors of the Irshalwadi landslide tragedy in Khalapur tehsil in Raigad district. Athawale also said the state government can explore the possibility of shifting the residents of hilly terrains to foothills to save them from any potential calamity. "The state government should work out a plan to rehabilitate and relocate such people on priority and appoint a committee," the Union minister said. He said the permanent relocation and rehabilitation of the people living in hilly regions was the only solution to prevent the Irshalwadi-like incident. Irshalwadi hamlet, located on the slope of Sahyadri mountain in Khalapur tehsil, was flattened by a massive landslide on Wednesday night. Rescuers have received 27 bodies till Saturday, while at least 81 people remain ...

NDRF calls off operation in Maharashtra landslide, death toll at 27

The National Disaster Response Force has finally called of its search-and-rescue operation in Wednesday's landslide in Irshalwadi in Maharashtra's Raigad district, state minister Uday Samant said on Sunday. Addressing a press conference, Samant, who is guardian minister of Raigad, said the decision was taken in consultation with the district administration and other concerned authorities as well as local residents. So far, 27 bodies have been recovered while 57 are untraceable, officials said, adding that no body was found from the debris on Sunday. These include 12 men, 10 women and four children, while one corpse has not been identified as yet, they added. At least 17 of 48 houses in the remote tribal village, which is at least an hour away from a motorable road, were fully or partially buried in the landslide that took place around 10:30pm on July 19. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies resumed the search and rescue operation for the fourth day on Sun

Maharashtra govt fully alert to tackle heavy rains, says Dy CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the state government was fully alert to tackle issues caused by excessive rains. Speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport, he said some parts of the state had received average rainfall of 15 to 20 days in a matter of just two to three days. Weather alerts are being given to the administration of areas where heavy rainfall is expected and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and their state counterpart SDRF were being quickly deployed as and when required, he said. Incidentally,Vidrabha is witnessing heavy rains over the past few days. In the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday, Akola recorded 107.9 mm rainfall, followed by Yavatmal-24.0 mm, Wardha-23.4 mm, Amravati- 15.6 mm, Nagpur-6.7 mm, Gadchiroli-3.0 mm, Gondia-2.2 mm, Brahmpuri (in Chandrapur)-2.4 mm and Buldhana-2.0 mm, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Nagpur.

Landslide in Maharashtra: Rescue operation resumes on 4th day, 81 untraced

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies resumed the search and rescue operation for the fourth day on Sunday at Irshalwadi village in Maharashtra's Raigad district where a massive landslide led to the death of at least 27 people, officials said. According to an NDRF official, no body was recovered so far after the search and rescue operation resumed in the morning. The death toll in the landslide mounted to 27 on Saturday while 81 persons are yet to be traced, officials earlier said. The landslide at the tribal village, situated on a hill slope under Khalapur tehsil that is located around 80 km from Mumbai, occurred on Wednesday night. At least 17 of 48 houses in the village were fully or partially buried under the landslide debris, officials said. The search and rescue operation was called off on Saturday night due to bad light and inclement weather and resumed on Sunday morning. The rescue operation is being carried out manually as earth movers and excava

Death toll in landslide at Maha village climbs to 27; 81 untraced on day 3

The death toll in the landslide at Irshalwadi hamlet in Maharashtra's Raigad district mounted to 27 on Saturday with the recovery of five more bodies from the debris on the third day of the search and rescue operation, an NDRF official said. He said 81 persons are yet to be traced. The search and rescue operation was called off for the day due to bad light and inclement weather and it is likely to resume on Sunday morning. Of the five bodies, four are identified while the identity and gender of the body recovered later in the day is not known yet, the official said. "With the recovery of five bodies today, the death toll in the landslide tragedy has now reached 27," the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) official said. Earlier in the day, the four persons whose bodies were retrieved from the debris were identified as Mahi Madhu Tirkad (32), Aashi Pandurang (50), Bharati Madhu Bhutabra (18), and Kishan Tirkad (27), officials said. The rescue operation is being carried out man

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, accompanied by his family meet PM Modi

Accompanied by his family, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shinde said it was a courtesy call and he also briefed the prime minister on the progress of projects stalled during the previous Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government as well as about the impact of heavy rains in Maharashtra. The meeting comes amid unease in the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance after the NCP's Ajit Pawar joined the coalition government in Maharashtra. Prime Minister Modi also interacted with Shinde's father Sambhaji, wife Lata, son Shrikant, daughter-in-law Vrushali, and grandson Rudransh. It was a courtesy call. My father was keen to meet the prime minister. I am glad his wish has been fulfilled, the chief minister told reporters here soon after four generations of the Shinde family returned from the Prime Minister's Lok Kalyan Marg residence. Shinde said he missed his mother Gangubai, who passed away a few years ago. During the meeting, the chief minister said

Maha rains: 45 stranded due to floods in Yavatmal; IAF begins rescue ops

Two Indian Airforce helicopters have been engaged to rescue 45 people who are stranded in floods amid heavy rainfall in Mahagaon taluka of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, an official said on Saturday. Many parts of Yavatmal have witnessed heavy rains since Friday, which inundated houses and forced people to take refuge at higher places. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a tweet said 45 people were stranded due to floods in Anandnagar village of Mahagaon taluka. Two Indian Airforce helicopters will soon reach Nagpur and from there will leave for Mahagaon to rescue the stranded villagers, he said, adding that Mahagaon taluka recorded 231 mm rainfall. Defence PRO Nagpur Wg Cdr Ratnakar Singh in a statement informed that a Mi-17 V5 helicopter is being inducted from Nagpur to evacuate people stranded due to floods in Yavatmal. According to district authorities, Yavatmal city has been witnessing heavy rains since Friday night, which has flooded houses and roads in parts of the

Maha village landslide death toll climbs to 26; search operation continues

Search and rescue teams on Saturday recovered two more bodies from the debris at the landslide-affected Irshalwadi village in Maharashtra's Raigad district, taking the death toll in the tragedy to 24, an official said. Both the deceased were women, he said. "Bodies of two women were recovered from the landslide site in Irshalwadi on Saturday morning," an official of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said. With this, the death toll in the landslide tragedy has gone up to 24, he said, adding that the search and rescue work is still underway as 84 persons are yet to be traced. One of these two deceased women are identified as 32-year-old Mahi Madhu Tirkat, he added. Teams of the NDRF and other government agencies resumed their search and rescue operation at the landslide site, located in a hilly terrain, in the morning. This is the third day of the search operation. The massive landslide hit Irshalwadi, a tribal village located on a hill slope in the coastal district, ...

Rehabilitate people in landslide-prone areas in Maha to safe places: Uddhav

People living in landslide-prone areas in Maharashtra should be moved to safer locations, said Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday amid an ongoing rescue operation to look for survivors at Irshalwadi in Raigad district. Talking to reporters after meeting the residents of Irsahlwadi, where at least 25 people have died in a landslide, the former chief minister said he had planned a scheme to rehabilitate villages residing in landslide-prone areas to safer places. Not just Irsahlwadi. All such localities should be rehabilitated in nearby villages or areas, he said. A massive landslide hit Irshalwadi, a tribal village located on a hill slope in the coastal district, around 80km from Mumbai, on Wednesday night. At least 17 of 48 houses in the village were fully or partially buried under the landslide debris. All collectors and tehsildar should be asked (to look into it). Whoever is in power, the scheme should not be stopped, Thackeray said.

NCLT approves Rs 1,814 cr resolution plan for Lavasa, DPIL wins bid

The National Company Law Tribunal has approved a Rs 1,814 crore resolution plan for the private hill station Lavasa, nearly five years after the initiation of the insolvency resolution process. Darwin Platform Infrastructure Ltd (DPIL) has emerged as the winning bidder for Lavasa Corporation Ltd, which is primarily into the business of the development of the private hill station by the same name in Pune. In a 25-page order passed on Friday, the tribunal cleared the resolution plan at an investment of Rs 1,814 crore. The amount includes a "resolution plan amount of Rs 1,466.50 crore to be paid/ discharged from funds infused over multiple tranches into the corporate debtor by way of cash funding and instruments, being equity, Project inflows, loans, advances or a combination thereof," the order said. The corporate debtor is Lavasa. A monitoring committee comprising the insolvency professional (earlier resolution professional), one representative each from financial creditors and Darw

Maharashtra landslide toll rises to 22, NDRF resumes search operation

One team of NDRF reached the site early this morning and more are of its teams are expected to join the search operation later today

Govt to resettle citizens from crack-prone areas to safer places: CM Shinde

In a statement in the Legislative Assembly today, CM Shinde informed that a decision has been taken to permanently resettle the citizens of the crack-prone areas of the state to safer places

WFI elections on Aug 12, Maharashtra declared ineligible for participation

The much-delayed elections of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will be conducted on August 12, it was announced on Friday, but the state of Maharashtra will not be part of the poll process as Returning Officer Justice MM Kumar declared that both rival factions were ineligible for participation. The ad-hoc panel had scheduled the elections for July 6 but it was forced to reschedule the polls to July 11 after disaffiliated state bodies from Maharashtra, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh approached it for a hearing, claiming that their dismissal was not appropriate. Panel heard the aggrieved representatives of the state bodies but the polls could not go ahead even on July 11 with Gauhati High Court staying the elections after Assam Wrestling Association (AWA) sought right to participate in the poll process. The Supreme Court then paved the way for elections on Tuesday after staying the Gauhati High Court order. The electoral college will now have 48 members wit

Tomato prices expected to fall after higher supplies from Maharashtra, MP

The government on Friday said retail prices of tomatoes are expected to fall with higher supply of new crops from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The retail prices have shot up to Rs 200-250 per kilogram in several parts of the country as supply chain got disrupted due to monsoon rains and other issues. In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey said, "Prices of tomato are expected to come down with the increase in arrival of new crop from Nashik, Naryangaon and Aurangabad belt in Maharashtra and also from Madhya Pradesh." He said the "current increase in tomato prices may incentivize farmers to grow more tomato crop which is expected to stabilize the prices in coming months". Choubey attributed the recent increase in prices to a combination of factors like "crop seasonality, white fly disease in Kolar (Karnataka), instantaneous arrival of monsoon rains in northern part of the country which adversely

Sugar mills pay nearly Rs 1.04 trillion to cane farmers so far in 2022-23

Sugar mills have paid nearly 1.04 lakh crore to cane farmers so far in the current marketing year ending September, while Rs 9,499 crore is yet to be paid, the government said on Friday. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said that payment of cane dues to farmers is a continuous process and the outstanding cane arrears are decreasing continuously during the last five years. She informed that about 99.9 per cent of cane dues up to sugar seasons 2020-21 have been cleared. "For the previous sugar season 2021-22, more than 99.9 per cent cane dues have been cleared and in the current sugar Season 2022-23, about 91.6 per cent cane dues are cleared as on July 17, 2023," the minister said. As per the data, the total amount payable as of July 17 of the current 2022-23 marketing year (October-September) is Rs 1,13,236 crore, out of which Rs 1,03,737 crore has been paid and Rs 9,499 crore is yet to

BJP to appoint 50,000 rugna sevaks in Maharashtra to serve patients

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Friday said the party will appoint 50,000 rugna sevaks' to serve patients and people needing medical assistance. This initiative will be flagged off on Saturday on occasion of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis' birthday, Bawankule told reporters here. A rugna sevak will be appointed at each of the 28,000 gram panchayats in Maharashtra and also in civic body wards in the state, he said. All of them will begin service of the people within a year, he added. Referring to the loss of lives in the landlside at a village in Raigad district, Bawankule said BJP workers and supporters should refrsin from putting up banners, posters, hoardings and firework display on Fadnavis' birthday. Bawankule asked BJP workers to celebrate the birthday as seva din'.