Page 41 - Maharashtra

CAG report highlights manpower shortage across Maha's health institutions

The shortage of manpower at every level of healthcare institutions under the Maharashtra Health Department and over overburdening of infrastructure are the main concerns flagged by the CAG in its audit report. The Comptroller and Auditor General noted that providing adequate and quality healthcare services to a large population requires a robust healthcare infrastructure and services. This performance audit report for 2023-2024 was tabled in the legislative assembly on Saturday. The shortage of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff was 22 per cent, 35 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively in primary and secondary healthcare under the state Health Department. The shortage of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff was 23 per cent, 19 per cent and 16 per cent respectively in primary and secondary healthcare for women hospitals. The shortage is 42 per cent in the cadre of the specialist doctors. The CAG stated that the overall shortage of doctors, nurses, and paramedics in the Health

Portfolio allocation can happen today or tomorrow: Maharashtra CM

Maharashtra Minister Bharat Gogawale on Saturday said that the allocation of portfolios in the Mahayuti government is expected during the day. The Winter Session of the state assembly, which began on December 16, will conclude on Saturday. Talking to reporters here, Gogawale said, "The allocation of portfolios is expected today. Leaders of all three alliance partners met on Friday, and we had a breakfast meeting with the chief minister this morning." Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were sworn in on December 5, and 39 ministers were inducted ahead of the Winter Session on December 15 at Raj Bhavan in Nagpur. However, portfolio allocation in the Mahayuti government is yet to take place. The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, secured a landslide victory in the November 20 assembly polls by winning 230 out of 288 seats. The Shiv Sena leader asserted that there was no difference of opinion among Mahayu

Two Naxalites with cumulative bounty of Rs 8 lakh surrender in Gadchiroli

Two Naxalites carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 8 lakh surrendered before the security forces in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, police said on Saturday. Ramasu Poyam alias Narsingh (55), a resident of Gadchiroli, and Ramesh Kunjam alias Govind (25), a native of Narayanpur in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, surrendered before the Gadchiroli police and the Central Reserve Police Force on Friday, police stated in a release. Poyam, who carried a bounty of Rs 6 lakh, was recruited as a member of the Tipagadh LOS in 1992 and served as the area committee member (ACM) in Kutul and Nelnar LOS since 2010, it said. According to the police, Poyam has 12 cases to his name, including six encounters, five murders and an offence of dacoity. Kunjam, who had a Rs 2 lakh bounty, joined as a militia member in 2019. He was recruited as a member of the Chetna Natya Manch (CNM) in 2020 and became a member of the Kutul LOS in 2021, they said. The duo has surrendered due to the Gadchiroli police's aggress

Detention centre to be built in Mumbai for illegal B'deshis: CM Fadnavis

Earlier Thane police's anti-human trafficking cell arrested a Bangladeshi couple living illegally in Kalyan

Orders placed for machines to bore undersea tunnel for bullet train: Govt

The orders for three tunnel boring machines to carry out about 21 km under sea tunneling for the Bullet Train project have been placed, the government informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Friday while updating the status of infrastructure projects in Maharashtra. Construction works on the flagship high speed bullet train project have gathered momentum in Maharashtra. Now 100% land acquisition has been completed. Works of bridges, aqueducts etc. have been taken up, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. Meanwhile, all preparatory works required for the working of TBMs (tunnel boring machines) such as construction of shafts etc. have also been taken up, he added. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut wanted to know whether the government has reduced funding for new railway lines in Maharashtra in recent years, the critical rail projects which have been delayed due to reduction in funding and the steps taken by the government to mitigate potential delays in railway projects to ensu

Mumbai boat accident: Naval driver lost control during trials, say police

The driver of the Naval craft, which rammed into a ferry off the Mumbai coast, lost control over the vessel during its engine trials, leading to the fatal crash mid-sea, an injured Navy staffer has told the police, an official said on Friday. The police, probing the accident, recorded the statement of the injured Navy staffer, who was on the speeding craft, which collided with the ferry 'Neel Kamal' on way to the Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination, from the Gateway of India on late Wednesday afternoon. Fourteen persons, including four on the Naval speedboat, were killed in the collision which caused the ferry carrying more than 100 passengers to sink in the Arabian Sea. A team from the Colaba Police Station, which is investigating the case, recorded the statement of the injured Navy staffer, Karmaveer Yadav, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital, said the official. According to Yadav, the Naval craft was undergoing engine trials in the sea when the driver lost ...

Craft-ferry crash: Death toll rises to 14; Navy orders Board of Inquiry

The Navy said Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts had continued through the night of December 18 - 19 in the vicinity of the accident. Two persons from the ferry are still reported to be missing

BJP's Shinde files nomination for Maha's Legislative Council Chairperson

Bharatiya Janata Party's Member of Legislative Council in Maharashtra, Ram Shinde on Wednesday filed his nomination for the election of the Council's Chairperson.The election for the Chairperson's post is scheduled to be held on December 19.The MLC filed his nomination in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Ministers Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Chandrakant Dada Patil, Uday Samant and Jaykumar Rawal were present at Vidhan Bhavan, Nagpur.The official account of the Maharashtra CM posted about the nomination on X, and showed the leaders present congratulating Shinde on the nomination."I sincerely thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Home Minister of the country, Amit Shah, the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, J P Nadda Ji, the Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, BJP State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule as well as all the leaders of NDA and ...

Inquiry will be done, action taken: Uday Samant on Mumbai boat accident

Indian Navy and Coast Guard are continuing search and rescue operations for missing persons

MSRTC to add 3,500 new buses to its fleet in 2025, reduce wait time

The Maharashtra State Road and Transport Corporation will induct 3,500 new buses in its dwindling fleet in 2025 and check issues like breakdown of vehicles and long wait time for passengers, an official said. Addressing a press conference in Nagpur on Wednesday, MSRTC Chairman Bharat Gogawale said they have decided to purchase 2,200 buses for their own fleet, besides hiring 1,300 buses on lease. "These 3,500 buses will begin joining the fleet in January, alleviating issues such as buses breaking down on road or passengers having to wait for long periods," Gogawale said. Currently, the state-run transport body's fleet is facing a significant shortage as the number of its buses has come down to 14,000 from 18,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2018, he said. Gogawale said due to the pandemic and other factors, the MSRTC was not able to purchase new buses in recent years. Hence, the shortage made it difficult for the corporation to provide additional bus services to meet the growing

Mumbai boat accident: CM Fadnavis announces ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Navy explained that the collision occurred when an Indian Navy craft lost control during engine trials in Mumbai Harbour due to an engine malfunction

Expecting 20% recovery or Rs 6,000 cr dues under GST amnesty: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said the government expected a recovery of 20 per cent of the outstanding tax or Rs 6,000 crore from the dues under an amnesty scheme related to state GST demands. The amnesty scheme, introduced on November 1, is expected to receive 1.14 lakh applications for the waiver of penalty and interest accumulated from 2017-18 to 2019-20, he said. "The scheme will be in force till March 31, 2025, for the recovery of the outstanding Rs 54,000 crore, including Rs 27,000 crore towards the disputed tax and the rest in penalty and accumulated interest," Pawar said in the legislative assembly. He said the state government expects to recover 20 per cent of the outstanding tax or Rs 6,000 crore. Pawar said businessmen and industries participating in the amnesty scheme would benefit Rs 6,000 crore. "The scheme offers a waiver in penalty and interest on the outstanding tax amount," he added. Pawar said the GST Department sent out 80,000 let

13 dead, 101 rescued after Navy speed boat rams into ferry off Mumbai coast

A local leader claimed that the speed boat belonged to the Navy, but there was no confirmation from the Navy on this

BEST bus accident: Driver was not drunk, didn't have illness, say police

Medical tests of the driver involved in the Kurla BEST bus accident, which claimed eight lives, have indicated he did not have any mental disorder and was not drunk at the time of the incident, police said on Wednesday. The electric bus, hired on a wet-lease basis by the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking and driven by Sanjay More, ploughed into a crowd in Mumbai's Kurla area on December 9. The accident claimed eight lives and left more than 40 persons injured. Several vehicles were also damaged in the incident. More (54) is in police custody for alleged reckless driving and booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Before the commencement of the case trial, the driver's psychological test was recently conducted at a civic hospital in Sion to confirm if he had any mental illness, a Kurla police official said. The test report confirmed his mental condition was normal and he had no mental disorder and he was not suffering fr

Double engine govt becoming symbol of good governance, says PM Modi

PM Modi further lauded CM Bhajanlal Sharma for 'giving new momentum and direction to Rajasthan's development'

Delhi EV policy woes: Registrations drop in capital while other states grow

Sector experts say that a lack of clarity and unannounced halts in the policy have deterred customers from buying EVs in Delhi

Upset about exclusion from Maha cabinet; will decide future course: Bhujbal

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday expressed his disappointment at not being included in the new Mahayuti government and said he would decide his future course after talking to people from his constituency. Thirty-nine legislators from Mahayuti allies, the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, were sworn in on Sunday in the first cabinet expansion of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government. Ten former ministers were dropped from the cabinet, and 16 new faces have been introduced. Former ministers Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil of NCP and Mungantiwar and Vijaykumar Gavit of BJP were some of the prominent leaders excluded from the new cabinet. Talking to reporters, Bhujbal said he was upset at not being included in the new cabinet. Asked about his future course, the legislator from the Yeola constituency in Nashik district said, "Let me see. Let me think it over. I will talk to my constituency and discuss with the Samata Parishad.' After the cabinet expansion on

Kurla BEST bus accident: Another man succumbs to injuries, toll rises to 8

A 55-year-old man, who was among the several persons injured in the BEST bus accident in Kurla area here, died on Monday morning, taking the death toll to eight, a civic official said. The electric bus, hired by the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking on wet-lease basis, ploughed into a crowd and fatally knocked down seven persons and injured 42 others on a crowded road in Kurla area on December 9. Several vehicles were also damaged in the incident. One of the injured persons, identified as Fazlu Rehman, died during treatment at the Sion Hospital on Monday morning, the official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. BEST has set up a five-member committee to investigate the Kurla accident. Driver Sanjay More (54) is in police custody for alleged reckless driving. In a statement issued last week, BEST said a committee, headed by Chief Manager (Transport) Ramesh Madavi, will investigate the accident. It also said that BEST would

Mahayuti allies to do 'performance audit' of ministers, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the Mahayuti allies have agreed to conduct a "performance audit" of ministers during their tenure. While Fadnavis has not mentioned any timeline, Deputy CM and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said the ministers of his party will get two-and-a-half years and those who perform will progress. Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar said "non-performers" can be replaced in two-and-a-half-months also. Fadnavis along with his deputies addressed a press conference on Sunday in Nagpur where 39 legislators of Mahayuti took oath as ministers as part of the cabinet expansion, ahead of the winter session of the state legislature set to begin on Monday. The BJP secured 19 ministerial berths by virtue of being the largest party among allies. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were allotted 11 and 9 berths, respectively. While 33 legislators were sworn in as cabinet ministers, six took oath as ..

Highlights: Dixon Technologies, Vivo to set up electronic manufacturing JV

Catch all the latest happenings from around the world here