Page 64 - Maharashtra

Badlapur protest politically motivated; most protestors outsiders: Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday claimed that the protest at Badlapur in Thane district over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls was politically motivated and aimed at maligning the state government. He also said that the majority of protesters were outsiders. Talking to reporters, Shinde targeted the opposition and said those doing politics over the incident should be ashamed. A massive protest broke out in Badlapur town on Tuesday as angry parents, local residents and others blocked railway tracks and ransacked the school where two kindergarten girl students were sexually abused by a male attendant last week. "The protest was politically motivated because the protesters were not local residents. The local residents who were part of the protest could be counted on fingers," he said. He said state minister Girish Mahajan agreed to all demands of the protestors but they were still not ready to relent. "This means they just wanted to malign the .

Larsen & Toubro bags 'large' order for infra development in Maharashtra

Engineering and construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Wednesday said that it has bagged a 'large' order for integrated infrastructure development in Maharashtra. The order has been bagged by the Transportation Infrastructure vertical of L&T, the company said in a stock exchange filing. Orders in the range of Rs 2,500 crore to Rs 5,000 crore are classified as 'large' by the company. "L&T has secured an order for integrated infrastructure development project in town planning schemes 2 to 7 under the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) Project in Maharashtra," it said. The project has been awarded by City and Industrial Development Corporation Limited (CIDCO) for integrated infrastructure development of roads, construction of various major and minor structures and allied electrical works. The project also involves construction of utility works and allied electrical works. L&T is a USD 27-billion company engaged in engineering, procurement .

Court extends custody of Badlapur sexual abuse case accused till Aug 26

A local court on Wednesday extended till August 26 the police custody of the man arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two girls at a school in Badlapur town of Maharashtra's Thane district. The accused, who was employed as an attendant at the school where the incident took place last week, was produced before a magistrate at Kalyan in the district this morning amid tight police security. The court ordered the extension of his police custody till August 26, following which he was taken away by the police in a van, a senior official said. The police had arrested the accused on August 17. As per the complaint, he abused two kindergarten girls in the toilet of the school, the police have said. A massive protest broke out on Tuesday after parents of the school children and local citizens blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station and ransacked a local school building to protest against the incident and to demand strict punishment for the accused. Following the protest, the ...

Internet suspended, schools shut in Badlapur after protest on sexual abuse

In the wake of a massive protest at Badlapur in Maharashtra's Thane district over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls, internet services in the town were suspended while most schools remained shut on Wednesday, officials said. At least 17 city police personnel and around eight railway cops were injured in the incidents of stone-pelting at the railway station and other parts of Badlapur during the protest on Tuesday and the investigators have arrested 72 persons in connection with the violence, they said. According to officials, additional police force has been deployed in the town to maintain law and order, and the situation in the town is limping back to normalcy. Entire Badlapur town virtually came to a standstill on Tuesday after thousands of protesters blocked railway tracks at the station and stormed a local school building after the alleged sexual abuse of two girls by the school sweeper in the washroom last week. The protesters hurled stones at police ...

Sexual abuse at Badlapur school: What happened & why are people protesting

Two four-year-old girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by a cleaning staff member in Thane's Badlapur school last week

AIMIM offers to join hands with MVA to defeat BJP in Maharashtra polls

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is keen to join hands with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra with an aim to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is currently ruling the state along with two other parties, former MP Imtiaz Jaleel has said. Jaleel, who is the AIMIM's state unit president, was talking to Marathi news channel ABP Majha after a meeting of the party in Mumbai. Replying to a query, he said, "We had said this during the Lok Sabha elections and we are giving an offer to the MVA again to join hands as we want to defeat the BJP. But it is up to them whether to include us in the alliance or not." "If they (MVA parties) take us along, it will be beneficial for them. If not, we are ready to move ahead alone...If they think we have some power and have a vote bank, then they will ask us, otherwise they will not," Jaleel added. When asked if the AIMIM does not have any issue with MVA constituent Shiv Sena (UBT), he said, "The

I pay attention only to what Shinde, Bawankule, and Fadnavis say: Ajit

Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Monday said he is not bothered about his criticism by others and is only concerned about what key leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance say. Pawar's remarks came a day after a group of BJP workers led by the party's Junnar chief Asha Buchake waved black flags at his convoy. I don't have anything to do with what other people say. I pay attention to the key people, CM Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, Pawar told reporters during his Jan Sanman Yatra in Mumbai. The Nationalist Congress Party, led by Pawar, had demanded that Fadnavis, who also hold the Home portfolio, to clarify as to whether he approved of the behaviour of his BJP workers. Buchake had claimed that the NCP is trying to promote its candidate in the Junnar seat for the upcoming assembly polls. They are trying to strangle us Therefore we have adopted an aggressive stand, she told reporters after the protesters raised slogans ...

BMW hit-and-run: Mihir Shah files habeas corpus, seeks immediate release

Mihir Shah, the main accused in the BMW hit-and-run case, has moved Bombay High Court claiming he has been illegally detained and has sought immediate release. Shah was arrested on July 9, two days after he allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli area, killing Kaveri Nakhwa (45) and leaving her husband Pradeep injured. In his habeas corpus (produce the person) petition filed in HC last week, Shah claimed his detention was illegal and that he must be released immediately. A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande is likely to take up the plea for hearing on Wednesday. Shah (24) is accused of speeding off towards Bandra Worli Sea Link after the accident even as the woman remained on the bonnet of the car and then got entangled in its wheels for a distance of more than 1.5 kilometres. Shah, who fled from the scene, was under the influence of alcohol at the time, as per police. Shah, his father and former Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena

Bank union urges more staff, security amid Ladki Bahin Scheme rollout

Additionally, some beneficiaries with defaulted accounts face restrictions that prevent them from accessing benefits, resulting in unrest and even violence at branches

Scrap registration cut off date for Ladki Bahin scheme, says Chavan

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has demanded that the cut off time to register for the Maharashtra government's Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana be waived off to enable all eligible women to avail financial assistance. The August 31 cut off date should be scrapped and the scheme should be implemented as a social security right, Chavan said in a letter to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Due to technical glitches, the server of the official portal is non functional most of the time, while in several instances women do not get the registration OTP for nearly six hours, he said. Women are worried they will not be able to register themselves for the scheme in time, Chavan said in the letter. He said the registration limit was July 15 earlier and this was extended to August 31 after he made such a demand during the monsoon session, adding the age limit was increased from 60 to 65 years following his initiative.

Winnability to be key factor for seat-sharing among MVA partners: Cong

A Congress leader on Sunday said winnability would be the main criteria for seat-sharing among the MVA constituents for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls and it will be worked out amicably at the earliest. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), is already in the poll and campaign mode, having held a joint meeting of their office-bearers on August 16, state Congress working president Naseem Khan told PTI. "Winnability would the basis for seat-sharing among the allies and it will be worked out amicably at the earliest," he said. "The Lok Sabha poll results will surely be replicated in the assembly elections," Khan said, expressing confidence of the MVA's victory. He claimed that false promises and fake narrative of the ruling 'Mahayuti' (comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP) have been exposed. "Development has reduced and corruption has increased during their tenure. The state government has worked to weaken Mumbai and Maharashtra,

Prithviraj Chavan seeks mpox testing, quarantine protocol at Mumbai airport

Amid concerns over Monkeypox, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, demanding strict testing and quarantine protocol at the Mumbai airport for passengers from high-risk countries. The World Health Organisation has declared Monkeypox a public health emergency, and the virus has now reached Pakistan, former Maharashtra CM Chavan said on Saturday, urging the government to take proactive steps to prevent its spread in India. "It has reached our neighbourhood. We have to act. I have written to the CM to implement a strict testing and quarantine protocol at the Mumbai airport for all the incoming passengers from high-risk countries," the Congress leader said on X. Timely action was necessary as any delay could lead to severe consequences, he said. The Union Health Ministry on Saturday said there were no reported cases of Monkeypox in India even though cautionary measures will be put in place to prevent and control the spread of the ...

Many BJP MLAs to join Cong before Maharashtra Assembly polls, claims Patole

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Friday claimed many BJP MLAs will join his party before the state assembly elections. Patole was talking to reporters after the induction of former BJP MP Shishupal Patle into the party. The Congress leader alleged there is a lot of resentment among the allies of the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party headed by Ajit Pawar. "Many leaders of the BJP and its allies will join the Congress in the coming days," Patole said. Patle, a former MP from Bhandara, said the BJP has changed and become a party of contractors and traders. The party does not have a connect with farmers and the working classes, he said. "The BJP has used central probe agencies to break opposition parties. I joined the Congress to work for people," Patle said. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had contested 21 seats, followed by .

Resident doctors' strike intensifies in Maharashtra as seniors join them

The resident doctor's indefinite strike intensified in Maharashtra on its fourth day on Friday, with their seniors joining the protest, disrupting services at government and civic hospitals and inconveniencing thousands of patients in the state. Dr Pratik Debaje, president of Maharashtra State Association of Residential Doctors (Central-MARD) told PTI that 6000-7000 senior resident doctors affiliated to the Maharashtra Association of Bonded Resident Doctors (MABRD) and the Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) joined the strike on Friday. 17,000-18,000 (resident) doctors in Maharashtra are on strike at present, Debaje said. Resident doctors in the state launched an indefinite strike on Tuesday morning to express solidarity with the nationwide agitation against the rape-murder of a post-graduate trainee in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last week. On the fourth day of the resident doctor's strike, elective services, including OPDs, OTs, and lab procedures, remai

Election Commission to release poll schedule for key states at 3 pm

The terms of legislative assemblies in Haryana and Maharashtra will expire on Nov 3 and Nov 26, respectively. J&K elections are expected to be held before Sept 30, as ordered by the Supreme Court

Leading NCP huge responsibility, seat-sharing talks moving positively: Ajit

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party, has said that helming the NCP away from the shadows of his uncle and founder Sharad Pawar after the split is a huge responsibility. In an interview with PTI during his Jan Sanman Yatra, Pawar said on Thursday that the seat-sharing talks among the ruling Mahayuti partners NCP, Shiv Sena and BJP for the assembly polls are proceeding positively. Ajit Pawar and his loyalist MLAs broke away from NCP in July last year to align with the ruling alliance. He later got the party name and its clock symbol. Party founder Sharad Pawar, who now heads NCP (SP), is a part of the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), also comprising Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress. This is the biggest responsibility that I have ever received. Till now, (Sharad) Pawar saheb was our leader and our chief. When I joined politics in 1991, there was no NCP by then. When I was in Congress, there were several leaders. Therefore, there

Over 10 mn women in Maha to benefit from 'Ladki Bahin' scheme: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said more than one crore eligible women in the state will start getting Rs 1,500 financial assistance per month under the government's 'Ladki Bahin' scheme after its launch on August 17. Speaking to reporters, he said some eligible women already received Rs 3,000 as the instalment for two months on Wednesday during the scheme's trial run. "The scheme is set to commence this Saturday. The state government expects that more than one crore eligible women will begin receiving Rs 1,500 per month," he said. The state government initially announced the scheme's launch on August 17. However, it has now been clarified that July will be considered the starting month of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. Eligible women will receive an initial instalment of Rs 3,000 (for two months), he said. The scheme was included in the supplementary budget of the Maharashtra government and is projected to incur an annual cost of Rs ...

MoUs worth Rs 5 trn signed in 2 yrs by Maharashtra to create 250K jobs: CM

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday said MoUs of Rs 5 lakh crore were signed in the last two years under his government, which will create 2.5 lakh jobs. In his address after hoisting the national flag here, Shinde said Maharashtra's contribution will be big in achieving the dream of 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India). Policies of the state have to be aligned accordingly, he said. "Maharashtra's development ranking had slipped as compared to other states. There was a challenge to bring the state's economy on track and the state government has done it effectively," Shinde said in his last Independence Day event speech as the state chief minister in this term as the assembly elections are likely to be held in October or November this year. "Be it instilling confidence among investors, industrialists or common man, we have effectively demonstrated it," he said. "In the last two years, Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 5 lakh crore have been signed, which ...

Will stop 'bahu, behan' yojana if dues not paid: SC pulls up Maha govt

The Supreme Court bench said that it will stop freebies offered by the Maharashtra government if the state fails to pay up the due compensation by August 28

Made mistake by fielding my wife against my sister in LS polls: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said he made a mistake by fielding his wife Sunetra Pawar against his cousin Supriya Sule in the recent Lok Sabha polls. One should not allow politics to enter home, Pawar, who is currently on a statewide 'Jan Samman Yatra', told Marathi news channel Jai Maharashtra. As part of his mass outreach programme ahead of the state assembly polls, the deputy CM has been promoting the government's 'Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana', aimed at providing financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to women. In the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, Sunetra Pawar unsuccessfully contested the election from Baramati seat against sitting NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, daughter of Ajit Pawar's uncle Sharad Pawar. Sunetra Pawar was later elected to the Rajya Sabha. In July last year, Ajit Pawar and a number of other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government, leading to a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded Sharad Pawar. The Electi