Page 3 - Maharashtra

Pune tops Maharashtra in complaints over unhygienic food, says FDA

Pune district has reported the highest number of complaints about unhygienic food in Maharashtra since the state Food and Drug Administration launched a complaint-reporting portal, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has said. The senior IAS officer was in the city on Saturday to attend a food safety conference organised by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture. Speaking to reporters, he said the FDA recently launched the portal "complaints.mahafda.in" to allow people to register their complaints concerning food items. "Thousands of complaints poured in after the portal went live and 10 lakh hits were recorded within 24 hours," he said. Asked about the distribution of complaints across the state, he said, "The highest number of complaints has been registered in Pune district, and most of them concern unhygienic food." The new system will bring in accountability and transparency, the official said. The FDA joint commissioner of the region concerned will take ...

Sharad Pawar weighs survival against legacy over the delimitation bill

Sharad Pawar is assessing whether he will still land on his feet if he jumps from the safe perch of INDIA to the NDA. Can a Great Betrayal be presented as a tactical move?

UP tops Maharashtra to become India's No 2 in rooftop solar installations

More than 85,000 people have found employment so far through over 7,000 solar companies operating in the state

Women cash transfer schemes: Bigger budgets, but are outcomes also better?

As more states roll out cash transfer schemes for women, a new study shows the real question is not how much they spend, but what outcomes they deliver

Maharashtra to waive pending electricity dues of farmers worth ₹48,000 cr

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that the state government will waive around Rs 48,000 crore in pending electricity dues of farmers to facilitate fresh agricultural power connections. Addressing a function organised to felicitate him over the recently announced farm loan waiver scheme on Wednesday, Fadnavis said the government had already waived electricity bills for agricultural pumps up to 7.5 horsepower. However, many farmers continue to face difficulties in obtaining new power connections because outstanding dues from previous years remain in their names. "To resolve this issue, the government will take a decision to waive the earlier pending electricity dues amounting to Rs 48,000 crore," he said. Farmers felicitated the chief minister at Yashwantrao Chavan Centre here on Wednesday for announcing the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme, under which loans of up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived. Fadnavis said the scheme would benefit 56 la

CAG flags ₹3,541 cr excess spend in Maharashtra's 'Ladki Bahin' scheme

The auditor questioned the financial management of the flagship welfare scheme after finding excess expenditure and irregular fund withdrawals despite no immediate spending requirement

Maharashtra FDA bars sale of some Cadila Pharma drugs over brand confusion

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has barred the sale and distribution of some medicines manufactured by Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd and seized stock worth about Rs 2.45 crore across the state over branding similarities despite having different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), officials said on Saturday. The order is linked to Aciloc 150, Aciloc 150 Plus, Aciloc 300 and Aciloc 300 Plus, which have Ranitidine and Famotidine as APIs, they said. The FDA has directed the company to immediately recall all available stocks of Aciloc 150, Aciloc 150 Plus, Aciloc 300 and Aciloc 300 Plus from the market over concerns that such branding could lead to medication errors. It has also barred the sale of Aciloc 150 Plus and Aciloc 300 Plus. "Any confusion caused by a medicine's brand name that could result in doctors, pharmacists or patients receiving the wrong drug is a serious public health concern," FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said in a statement. He said complianc

Onion growers urge Maharashtra govt to prioritise rain-hit farmers

An onion-growers' body on Saturday urged the Maharashtra government to show the same urgency for rain-affected farmers as it does for traffic disruptions like the recent Mumbai-Pune expressway landslide. The Maharashtra State Onion Growers' Association president Bharat Dighole stated that while inconvenience caused to commuters during heavy rains got immediate attention, the financial losses suffered by farmers due to recurring natural calamities and crashing crop prices are rarely met with equal concern. "When traffic comes to a standstill in cities for a few hours, the entire state's attention is drawn to it. But when excessive rains, hailstorms, unseasonal showers, floods or drought destroy farmers' crops, the same amount of concern is rarely seen," Dighole noted in a statement. He pointed out that farmers battle crop diseases, erratic weather, price crashes and transport bottlenecks, often suffering losses worth lakhs of rupees in a single day, yet continue farming with ...

Maharashtra to remove ₹2 lakh cap in farm loan waiver scheme: CM Fadnavis

Defending the loan waiver, the CM, who also holds the finance portfolio, said the measure was aimed at helping financially-distressed farmers regain access to institutional credit

Residence certificate must for driving licences in Maharashtra from Aug 1

New policy also seeks to regulate bike taxis with welfare fund, daily fee and stricter enforcement

Maharashtra to mandate domicile certificate for driving licence from Aug 1

The Maharashtra government will make the domicile certificate mandatory for obtaining a driving licence from August 1, 2026, as part of a new policy aimed at streamlining the licensing process, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik told the legislative assembly on Tuesday. He said the proposal for the new driving licence rules had been sent to the Law and Judiciary Department for approval and would be implemented after receiving the necessary clearance. Replying to a question raised by MLA Dilip Lande during the Question Hour, the minister also said that the government was taking action against unauthorised bike taxi services while working on a regulatory framework to legalise and regulate the sector, generate state revenue, and create employment opportunities for young people.

Women-focused cash transfers reshaping household finances: PM-EAC paper

PM-EAC working paper finds women-centric cash transfer schemes in Maharashtra & Odisha increased savings, spending and household financial resilience while strengthening women's control over finances

Rapido founders booked in Nagpur over bike taxi operations without govt nod

The founders of Rapido app have been booked in Nagpur for allegedly operating "petrol powered" bike taxi services in Maharashtra without requisite permission from the government, an official said on Friday. A case was registered at Sitabuldi police station against Rishikesh S R, Pavan Guntupalli, and Aravind Sanka, founders of Roopen Transportation Services Private Limited, which operates the Rapido app, on the complaint of Nagpur (City) Regional Transport Office (RTO) Motor Vehicle Inspector Vishal Madhukarrao Bhovte on behalf of the state government, he said. According to the complaint, the RTO conducted a special drive against illegal passenger transport on June 23, during which a bike ride was booked through Rapido app from Ravi Bhavan to Priyadarshini Colony for Rs 22, the official said. "The bike (MH-31/GC-0850) reached the pickup point and was later brought to the RTO office for inspection. It was found that a private two-wheeler was allegedly being used as a bike taxi withou

Maharashtra bans sale of energy drinks within a 500-m radius of schools

Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration Minister Narhari Zirwal said that the sale of 'Sting' has been banned amid concerns over the impact of energy drinks on schoolchildren

MHT CET CAP 2026 registration starts till July 12; step-by-step process

The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell has begun the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) for 1st-year full-time MBA and MMS programs for the 2026-27 academic year

Maharashtra extends monsoon fishing ban till August 15 amid delayed onset

Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane on Monday said that the annual monsoon fishing ban on mechanised and motorised boats in the state has been extended till August 15 in view of the delayed onset of the southwest monsoon. Rane informed the state assembly that the Centre had initially imposed the ban from June 1 to July 31 along the western coast, but a government order has now extended the same. The extension aims to conserve fish stocks, provide adequate breeding time for marine species and ensure the long-term sustainability of fisheries, he said. The state fisheries minister said that the decision would also help safeguard fishermen from risks posed by rough weather conditions, including strong winds, cyclones, unseasonal rainfall and turbulent seas during the early monsoon period.

Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test postponed amid 'paper leak' concerns

The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2026, scheduled for Sunday in Maharashtra, has been postponed after a raid in Bhiwandi of Thane district found that some individuals possessed several questions similar to the actual question paper, officials said. "The Council remains firmly committed to conducting the examination with complete transparency. Given the gravity of the situation and the necessity for an in-depth probe, the exam scheduled for June 28, 2026, has been postponed," according to a release issued by the Maharashtra State Council of Examination. According to the Thane district administration, the breach came to light in the early hours of Saturday, when Bhiwandi Police acted on confidential intelligence regarding individuals possessing unauthorised information about the examination papers. "A raid was promptly conducted at the suspected location. Senior officials from the Maharashtra State Council of Examination were immediately summoned by the police to verify the seized ..

Maharashta Cong appoints block presidents under grassroots revamp drive

The Maharashtra Congress on Saturday announced the appointment of its block presidents across the state as part of its ongoing "Sangathan Srujan Abhiyan", which it said is aimed at expanding the party's grassroots network. The newly appointed block presidents cover Konkan, North Maharashtra, Amravati, Nagpur, Marathwada and western Maharashtra, excluding Mumbai, Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal said in a statement. He said the appointments were made under the party's nationwide organisational restructuring campaign launched by the All India Congress Committee. Sapkal said observers were appointed for every district, who held consultations with local office-bearers and workers before finalising the appointments, adding that the entire process was conducted in a transparent manner. The objective of the exercise was to strengthen the Congress organisation at the grassroots and take the party's ideology to the village level, he said. The newly appointed block presidents wo

'Operation Tiger is complete,' says Shinde as 6 Uddhav MPs join his Sena

"Operation Tiger is complete now," announced Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday, as all six rebel Lok Sabha members from the Shiv Sena (UBT) officially crossed over to the ruling Shiv Sena, formalising another split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction. The rebels joined the Shiv Sena at an event in the presence of Shinde and other senior party leaders, five days after skipping a crucial parliamentary party meeting of the Shiv Sena (UBT) in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by only three Lok Sabha MPs of the Opposition party. The Lok Sabha MPs of the Shiv Sena (UBT) who crossed over are: Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East), Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omprakash Rajenimbalkar (Dharashiv) and Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi). "My operations are fool proof," said Shinde while referring to the six defected MPs as Dhurandhar (stalwarts/experts) who are connected to ground. "Operation Tiger" is now complete

Maharashtra govt tables ₹97,706 cr demands, ₹20,552 cr for farm loan waiver

The Maharashtra government on Monday tabled supplementary demands of Rs 97,706.40 crore, including Rs 20,552 crore for the farm loan waiver scheme, with a net additional burden of Rs 74,817.66 crore on the exchequer. Notably, the Opposition has been demanding a complete farm loan waiver with minimal technical conditions. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar protested earlier this month to press for removal of "stringent" conditions from the farm loan waiver scheme and demand a blanket loan waiver for farmers. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tabled the demands in the assembly on the first day of the legislature's monsoon session on Monday. Of the total supplementary demands, Rs 13,825.71 crore has been sought for unavoidable expenditure, Rs 66,559.40 crore for programme-related spending, and Rs 17,321.29 crore against expenditure to be supported through funds available under centrally sponsored schemes. Despite the gross demands of Rs 97,706.40 crore, the actual financial burden will be Rs ...