Page 61 - Maharashtra

Bid to arrest me at Fadnavis' behest, claims ex-minister Anil Deshmukh

Former Maharashtra home minister and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday claimed that state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was trying to get him arrested with the help of central agencies. In a post on X, Deshmukh also claimed an FIR has been filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the behest of BJP leader Fadnavis in a four-year-old incident. "It has been alleged that four years back, when I was the home minister of Maharashtra, I pressured a Jalgaon police officer to take action against BJP leader Girish Mahajan," he said. "As per my information, Devendra Fadnavis is trying to get a raid conducted on me and get me arrested. I want to tell Devendra Fadnavis, who with the help of Delhi (Centre) and ED-CBI has brought Maharashtra politics to a very low level, ' Devendra Fadnavis, I am waiting for my arrest," Deshmukh said. The CBI has registered an FIR against Deshmukh, the then special public prosecutor Pravin Pandit Chavan, and two police ..

Maharashtra CM, other leaders welcome Lord Ganesh as 10-day festival begins

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday welcomed Lord Ganesh at his official residence in south Mumbai as the 10-day festival dedicated to the elephant-headed god began with pomp. Shinde along with his wife and MP son Shrikant Shinde conducted a 'puja' at Varsha, the CM's official residence. Talking to reporters later, the chief minister said he prayed to Lord Ganesh, known as the god of wisdom and prosperity, for the well-being of the state. He said the state has received good rains this year and hoped it will bring prosperity to the farmers. "In some parts, there has been excess rainfall and led to crop loss," Shinde said, stressing that the government will firmly stand behind the farmers. Shinde listed out his government's various schemes aimed at the welfare of women and farmers in the state. Maharashtra ranks first in the state in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) and has 52 per cent share, he added. State Governor C P Radhakrishnan performed 'aarti' of

Apologise to all for statue collapse, note-ban, anti-farm laws: Rahul to PM

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise not only for the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Sindhudurg district, but also for demonetisation, anti-farmer bills and GST. Modi should say sorry to each and every citizen of Maharashtra for the insult caused to the legendary 17th century warrior king when the statue at Rajkot fort collapsed on August 26, he added. The Congress leader was speaking at a public meeting here after inaugurating a life-size statue of late party leader Patangrao Kadam. With the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government in Maharashtra coming under fire over the collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue, the prime minister during his subsequent visit to the state said he apologised to the iconic king, his "deity", and also the people whose sentiments were hurt. "I want to ask the prime minister what he is sorry for, is it because the contract to make the Shivaji statue was given to an RSS

Maharashtra leads FDI with Rs 70,795 cr in Q1FY25, Karnataka a distant 2nd

Maharashtra has held the top spot in foreign direct investment (FDI) for the past two years. Karnataka followed at a distant second, with FDI totalling Rs 19,059 crore

Cracks in Mahayuti as Sena protests NCP dropping CM's name from scheme ads

Fissures have emerged in Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti over the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' with a Shiv Sena minister raising objection against ally NCP and its president Ajit Pawar for "omitting" Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's name from advertisements and promotional material of the scheme. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, state Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai, who belongs to the Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, expressed disappointment over the Deputy CM Pawar virtually "hijacking" the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme, which offers a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women in the state. He said not using the full name of the scheme during his (Pawar's) public outreach programmes was not as per the protocol. "The scheme has 'Chief Minister' in its name, and removing it from the scheme is inappropriate. It should not have been done," Desai alleged. "It is a state government scheme and he (Pawar) should have taken everyone along," the Excise Minister said. Ahe

Maharashtra approves $ 10 bn semiconductor fab unit by Adani, Israeli firm

The project will have capacity to produce 80,000 wafers monthly and it will create 5,000, says Devendra Fadnavis

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: Dates, timings, importance, rituals, and more

Ganesh Chaturthi is the festival of Lord Ganesha's birthday and this year it will be celebrated on Sept 7. The 10-day festival is marked Visarjan grand procession, community celebrations, and worship

Tower-Adani JV to set up $10 bn semiconductor unit in Maharashtra: Fadnavis

The proposed semiconductor manufacturing plant, located in the Navi Mumbai suburbs in Raigad district, will have an initial capacity of 40,000 WSPM in the first phase, with an ultimate capacity of 80,

Maha govt transfers nearly 2 dozens DCP-SP-rank officers, IPS probationers

In a major reshuffle in the police establishment, the Maharashtra government on Thursday transferred nearly two dozen Superintendent of Police (SP), Deputy Commissioner-rank officers and IPS probationers. As per transfer orders issued by the state home department, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Raj Tilak Roshan has been shifted as Assistant Inspector General (Law and Order) at the Maharashtra police headquarters in Mumbai. IPS officer Tejaswi Satpute, who was serving as a DCP in Mumbai, has been moved to Pune city. Likewise, Sandeep Singh Gill, who was a DCP in Pune city, has been transferred as SP (Pune Rural) in the same district. He will replace Pankaj Deshmukh, who has been moved to Mumbai. Sudhakar Pathare, who was a DCP in adjoining Thane city, has been moved to the Mumbai police. DCP Laxmikant Patil, who was Principal of the Police Training Centre in Nagpur, has been transferred as SP (cyber), according to the home department orders. Rohidas Pawar, who was a DCP at

Shivaji statue collapse: Contractor, consultant sent to custody till Sep 10

A local court in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district on Thursday remanded sculptor-contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil, held over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue, in police custody till September 10. While Patil was arrested on August 30 from Kolhapur, Apte was taken into custody on Wednesday night from Kalyan in Thane district, nearly 10 days after an FIR was registered in connection with the incident. A 35-foot statue of the iconic Maratha warrior king collapsed at the Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of the district on August 26, nearly nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled it. Patil and Apte were produced before a court in Malvan where the police sought their custody for interrogation. The court remanded them in police custody till September 10. Apte's advocate Ganesh Sovani said the sculptor had intended to surrender on Wednesday night and that he was willing to cooperate with the probe. He is willing to submit to t

'Ganesh mandals': Stepping stone for budding politicians to become leaders

During the British rule, social reformer Lokmanya Tilak initiated public celebration of Ganesh festival to bring people together and foster a sense of unity, but over the years, apart from fulfilling these objectives, Ganesh mandals have also been serving as grooming ground for budding politicians. Through the "sarvajanik" (public) Ganesh mandals, the future leaders can get to master different key skills like managing finances, human resources management and establishing coordination between various agencies, says Naresh Dahibavkar, president of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti (BSGSS). The Ganesh festival is celebrated across Maharashtra on a large scale. This year, this 10-day cultural extravaganza will begin on September 7. There are several political leaders in Maharashtra who earlier worked as humble "karyakartas" (volunteers) of Ganesh mandals before making a foray into the world of politics. Talking to PTI, Dahibavkar said that NCP leader and Maharasht

Roadways staff end strike after Maharashtra govt promises Rs 6,500 hike

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has agreed to raise the basic salary of MSRTC staff by Rs 6,500 per month. The increase will be applied retrospectively from April 2020

MSRTC employees end strike before Ganesh festival; govt agrees to pay hike

The hike will come into effect retrospectively from April 2020, said a release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO)

Centre for sight expands in Maharashtra, partners with Laxmi Eye Hospital

With its ongoing investments and strategic partnerships, Centre For Sight is set to enhance its service offerings and reach more patients across India

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: Places to visit for Ganpati celebrations in India

The 10-day festival known as Ganeshotsav or Ganesh Chaturthi is marked by the installation of Ganesha's clay idols in homes or pandals for community celebrations

Stainless steel could have prevented Shivaji statue collapse: Nitin Gadkari

Amid the controversy surrounding the Shivaji statue collapse in Maharashtra, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari suggested using stainless steel for coastal roads

Badlapur assault case: HC suggests names for committee to suggest SOPs

In the end, the court adjourned the hearing of the Badlapur case till October 1

MSRTC employees' strike enters Day 2; 63 of 251 bus depots completely shut

The strike by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees for salary hike and other demands entered the second day on Wednesday, which continued to cripple the services and cause inconvenience to lakhs of passengers, especially ahead of the Ganesh festival. The employees are demanding salary parity with state government employees, seeking a pay scale adjustment to match that of their counterparts in the state sector. An MSRTC spokesperson said that due to the strike called by the action committee of 11 trade unions, 63 of its total 251 bus depots, 63 were completely shut, 73 were partially shut and the remaining 115 were fully operational. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has convened a meeting with MSRTC trade union leaders at the Sahyadri Guest House on Wednesday evening in a bid to resolve the issue. Due to the strike the passengers across the state are facing inconvenience. Besides the regular services, the operations of the MSRTC's extra Ganesh festival ...

THDC to harness 6,790 MW pumped hydropower storage at Rs 33,600 cr

THDC India on Tuesday said it has signed a pact with the Maharashtra government for harnessing six PSPs (pumped hydro power storage project) totalling 6,790 MW with an investment of over Rs 33,600 crore. The agreement aims to facilitate the developer in conducting surveys, investigations, preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), and establishing projects in a time-bound manner while adhering to the prevailing rules, policies, and schemes of both the central and state governments, a company statement said. According to the statement, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with the Department of Water Resources, Government of Maharashtra, for harnessing of Pumped Storage Energy through six PSPs, totalling 6,790 MW capacity and involving a proposed investment of more than Rs 33,600 crore. The six planned projects under this MoU are Malshej Ghat Pumped Storage Project (700 MW), Aruna Pumped Storage Project (1,950 MW), Kharari Pumped Storage Project (1,250 MW), Humbarli Birma

Poll-bound Maharashtra pushes 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' deadline to Sept 30

The Mukhya Mantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, launched by the Eknath Shinde-led government, was initially set to close on July 31. It supports eligible women aged 21-65