Page 65 - Maharashtra

Kolkata medic's rape-murder: Maharashtra doctors begin indefinite strike

Resident doctors in Maharashtra started an indefinite strike on Tuesday morning in support of the nationwide protests by their colleagues against the rape-murder of a post-graduate trainee at a medical college in Kolkata. All elective services in hospitals across the state have been halted, but emergency services will continue uninterrupted, Maharashtra State Association of Residential Doctors (Central-MARD) president Dr Pratik Debaje told PTI. "From 9 am, we have stopped work at all OPDs (out-patient departments) and elective services have been stopped. Now, only emergency services are operational across the state," Dr Debaje said. The body of the postgraduate trainee, who was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, was found on Friday morning. A civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday in connection with the case. The incident has sparked widespread protests, with junior doctors and healthcare workers expressing de

Higher welfare spends will lead Maha to lower capital expenditure: Report

Higher welfare spends announced by the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government ahead of the elections will take the fiscal deficit beyond the target, and may lead to a compression in capital expenditure, a report said on Monday. The fiscal deficit for FY25 is expected to come at 3 per cent as against the budget target of 2.5 per cent, India Ratings and Research said in a report, adding that the state will resort to higher borrowings to bridge the gap. The government presented the final budget for FY25 of Rs 6.12 lakh crore on June 28, and also tabled supplementary demands of Rs 94,889 crore on July 10 primarily toward social welfare schemes, it said. The supplementary demands include Rs 25,000 crore for Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, Rs 6,056 crore for skill development, Rs 4,317 crore towards social justice, Rs 4,185 crore on public health, it said. The revenue deficit will come at 1.3 per cent as against the budget target of 0.5 per cent, it said. "The fiscal deficit is

Godrej Properties buys 90 acre land parcel in Maha's Raigad for Rs 150 cr

Godrej Properties has acquired a 90-acre land parcel at Khalapur in Raigad, Maharashtra for around Rs 150 crore with plans to develop and sell residential plots. The land parcel is estimated to have a development potential of around 1.7 million square feet of saleable area consisting primarily of residential plotted development, the company said in a regulatory filing. The company did not share details of investment for the said land acquisition. However, sources said the land cost was around Rs 150 crore. "Residential plotted development has gained significant traction in recent years. Khalapur is a promising upcoming location. Hence following the excellent response to our last development, Godrej Hillview Estate, we aim to expand our presence in the region," Gaurav Pandey, MD & CEO, Godrej Properties, said. Khalapur is located about 70 kilometres from Mumbai. The land is in proximity to the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, providing excellent ...

Ladki Bahini instalments to be deposited on Aug 17, says Fadnavis

The Maharashtra government will deposit on August 17 the Ladki Bahin' instalments for July and this month in the beneficiaries' accounts, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday. The newly introduced scheme is getting a huge response in the state and 1.5 crore women have registered for it so far, he said during an address at a meeting of BJP workers in Akola. Under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme, married, divorced, and destitute women aged 21-60 will receive Rs 1,500 per month, with the annual family income of beneficiaries capped at Rs 2.5 lakh. He said that the instalments for July and August will be credited to the beneficiaries' accounts on August 17. According to the deputy CM, the government is working towards providing apprenticeships to one million (10 lakh) unemployed youths in the state for six months under the Mukhya Mantri Yuva Karyaprashikshan Yojana'. Fadnavis said the government has generated 12,000 megawatts of solar energy in the past on

MVA gave contract to frame, jail me in false cases, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday alleged that during the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, a "contract" was given to some officials to frame him and other BJP leaders in false cases and put them behind bars. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, he said the Uddhav Thackeray-led dispensation failed to put him and other BJP leaders in jail as many good officials refused to lodge false cases against them. Fadnavis was responding to a query about former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh's allegation that former home minister Anil Deshmukh pressured him to file false cases against certain BJP leaders. "What he (Singh) said about efforts being made to arrest me and other BJP leaders is completely true. He only talked about one incident, but there are four such incidents wherein conspiracies were hatched to arrest me in false cases," he said. "However, we were able to expose those conspiracies at that time. We also gave video evidence of ...

Opposition spreading rumours about 'Ladki Bahin' scheme: Maha CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde targeted the opposition parties, accusing them of spreading rumours about his government's flagship 'Ladki Bahin' scheme for women, and asked people to be cautious of such "stepbrothers". Speaking on Friday night in Thane, his home turf, Shinde said his government does not work keeping in mind the elections, but it works for the welfare of people. Assembly elections in Maharashtra are likely to be held in October this year. Months before the elections, his government announced 'Mukhymantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana', which literally means 'Chief Minister's My Beloved Sister Scheme', under which eligible women will be given a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 every month. "Citizens, especially women in the state, should be cautious of the 'savatra bhau' (stepbrothers) who spread all kinds of rumours about the Ladki Bahin scheme. So far, I had only one sister. Now, I have got lakhs of sisters across the state," CM Shinde said at Yeoor here durin

Sundaram Home Finance eyes Rs 450 cr disbursements in Maharashtra this year

Sundaram Home Finance has inaugurated its second branch in Pune as it aims to make disbursements of Rs 450 crore in Maharashtra this year, the company said on Friday. The wholly owned subsidiary of non-banking finance company Sundaram Finance Ltd achieved disbursements of over Rs 250 crore in the Western state last year. Sundaram Home Finance currently has six branches in Maharashtra and would offer home loans targeting the mid-segment of the market with an average ticket size of Rs 40 lakh. The company achieved disbursements of over Rs 100 crore in Pune last financial year. "Pune is turning into a vibrant home finance market and its proximity to Mumbai has led to fast paced growth in terms of infra development and the increasing presence of IT companies. This expansion in Pune follows the success of our first branch in the city," company Managing Director D Lakshminarayanan said. In February, the company expanded presence in Navi Mumbai. "We have seen a robust demand for home loa

Amazon India sets up 4 hubs to deliver relief material in less than 24 hrs

E-commerce giant Amazon India on Friday said it has set up four hubs, including a temporary hub in West Bengal, to deliver urgent relief material in less than 24 hours, as part of its disaster management strategy. Located at Thane (Maharashtra), Faridabad (Haryana), Hyderabad (Telangana) and Purba Bardhaman in West Bengal, these disaster relief mitigating facilities will enable the company to swiftly mobilize resources and support communities affected by natural disasters like floods, cyclones, cold waves, among others, Amazon India said. The locations of these hubs -- West, North, South and East of India -- have been strategically identified keeping network optimization in mind and developed by a team of experts at Amazon transportation services, it said. The move comes in response to floods in several parts of the country due to heavy rainfall this year, the company said. "Our disaster relief efforts are guided by our extensive logistic network, warehousing expertise and our ...

FIR against Puja Khedkar's father in Pune for obstructing govt work

Police have registered a case against Dilip Khedkar, the father of former probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, on charges of threatening and obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duty in Pune district, officials said on Friday. The case was filed at the Bundgarden police station here on the basis of a complaint lodged by a tehsildar-rank officer from the Pune district collectorate, they said. "The complaint says that during Puja Khedkar's posting as an assistant collector, Dilip Khedkar allegedly used threatening language against tehsildar Dipak Akade, asking him to allot a cabin for his daughter even as he had no right to interfere in the administrative functioning," an official said. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) recently cancelled the selection of Puja Khedkar and also permanently debarred her from all future exams and selections. She is currently untraceable after an FIR was registered against her in Delhi as she is accused of 'misrepresenting ...

Andhra Pradesh govt abolishes two-child policy for local body elections

The two-child policy was introduced in the then unified Andhra Pradesh in 1994, barring candidates with more than two children from local body elections

Will work to make Maha's economy surpass Japan, Germany: Guv Radhakrishnan

Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan has said he will work to make the state's economy larger than Japan and Germany and to ensure the wealth created reached the remotest village of the state. He was speaking here on Wednesday at the launch of 'Yoddha Karmayogi - Eknath Sambhaji Shinde', a biography of Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde. He highlighted Maharashtra's crucial role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) by 2047. The governor expressed confidence in CM Shinde's leadership to make Maharashtra a trillion-dollar economy while ensuring inclusive development. "A day will come by 2047 when India will be the richest nation of the world. That time, our Maharashtra state economy should be larger than the second largest economy of the world, that should be our aim and we all should work towards it," he said. "I will work with you to the extent that Maharashtra state's economy becomes larger than the second larg

Food poisoning: 150 students of Palghar ashram schools under observation

Nearly 150 students from ashram schools who suffered from food poisoning were still under observation at various hospitals in Maharashtra's Palghar district and their condition was stable, an official said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, as many as 250 students from 20 ashram schools (residential facilities for tribal pupils) in Dahanu taluka fell ill due to food poisoning and were rushed to nearby health facilities by their teachers for treatment. They complained of health complications like nausea, vomiting and giddiness within a couple of hours of having dinner sourced from a central kitchen at Kalamgaon on Monday, as per officials. Dahanu tribal development project officer Dr Satyam Gandhi told PTI on Wednesday morning that nearly 150 students were still under observation at various medical facilities while the others were discharged. "No one is serious or severely ill," he said. The tribal development department authorities have been asked to collect the data of students still bein

2018 arms haul case: HC grants bail to 5 accused citing lack of evidence

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to five persons arrested by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with a 2018 arms haul case and for allegedly conspiring to attack the Sunburn festival in Pune, citing prima facie insufficient evidence to prove the conspiracy charge. A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande, in the order of July 30, also took note of the long incarceration of the accused persons with bleak chances of the trial ending soon. The ATS arrested five persons in 2018 after it seized arms, ammunition and explosives from the residence of two other accused in the Nallasopara area of Thane district. The ATS had claimed the arms and explosives were to be used to target the Sunburn festival in Pune in December 2017. The bench perused the witness statements and other evidence submitted by the prosecution in its chargesheet and said they were "insufficient". "We have prima facie formed an opinion that these statements are ...

Sunkind Energy secures 20 MW solar projects in Punjab, Maharashtra

Clean energy company Sunkind Energy on Monday said it has secured new solar power projects totalling around 20 megawatts (MW). The contracts have been awarded by Nahar Group and Jindal Group, the company said in a statement. For Nahar Group, the company said it will set up a capacity of 7.3 MW in Ludhiana, Punjab, for captive purposes and a 19.6 MW captive solar project for Jindal Group in Nashik, Maharashtra. Both projects will be set up in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode. The company aims to complete these contracts by September 2024, Sunkind Energy founder and CEO Hanish Gupta said. The company did not provide any financial details of the project. As per industry estimates, 1 MW of solar projects involves an investment of around Rs 5-7 crore, including land cost. Gurugram-based Sunkind Energy is a leading EPC solar company in the country, having a total orderbook of 52 MW solar projects under various stages of implementation.

Ajit Pawar to kick off NCP's Jan Samman Yatra from Nashik on Aug 8

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will begin the Jan Samman Yatra, an outreach programme of the ruling NCP ahead of the state assembly election, from Dindori in Nashik district on August 8, his party announced on Monday. Speaking at a press conference, NCP working president Praful Patel said the Ajit Pawar-led party and its allies in the ruling Mahayuti, BJP and Shiv Sena, have to fight the upcoming election together and win. The NCP put up a united front, with the entire top leadership, including Patel, senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal, and cabinet ministers and MLAs, remaining present at the press conference, where the yatra schedule was announced. The NCP leadership has insisted that the Jan Samman Yatra was not limited to constituencies of NCP MLAs. Party leaders will also visit seats held by allies Shiv Sena and BJP, as the party wishes to present a united face of Mahayuti, they said. Patel said Pawar would meet NCP workers to boost their confidence and find time for

Param Bir targeted me at Fadnavis' behest, says Deshmukh; BJP denies

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday claimed Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis had tried to save ex-Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh from arrest by asking him to level allegations against Deshmukh to topple the MVA government. The BJP dismissed the charges, saying it was a strategy to defame Fadnavis, and asked how could a leader who was then in opposition ask a police officer for such a thing. When the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was in power in 2021, NCP (SP) leader Deshmukh resigned as home minister after Singh accused him of setting a target to collect Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants. Deshmukh has also claimed that dismissed police officer Sachin Waze was levelling allegations against him at the behest of Fadnavis. Waze is accused of planting gelatin sticks outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence 'Antilia' in February 2021 and is also booked for the related murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran, the owner of the ...

Despite heavy rain, avg water level in reservoirs remains less than last yr

Despite heavy rain across the country, the average water level in India's 150 main reservoirs remains less than last year but more than the last decade's level, according to official data. According to the Central Water Commission, significant variations in water storage levels across different regions of the country reflect both positive and concerning trends. The total live storage capacity of the 150 monitored reservoirs is 178.784 billion cubic metres (BCM), which is about 69.35 per cent of the estimated 257.812 BCM created nationwide. According to a CWC report, the live storage available in these reservoirs stands at 91.496 BCM, or 51 per cent of their total capacity. This is 94 per cent of the storage levels recorded during the same period last year and 107 per cent of the normal storage based on the last decade's average. In comparison to the previous week, as per the July 25 bulletin, the live storage available in these reservoirs was 69.27 BCM, which was 39 per cent of the

Maharashtra polls: MNS to contest Worli seat against Aaditya Thackeray

With the lead of Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate falling to less than 7,000 in Worli in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the MNS senses an opportunity and is likely to field Sandeep Deshpande from this assembly seat currently held by Aaditya Thackeray. A home to some of India's wealthiest residents, Worli, part of Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency, is marked by high-rises and thriving business hubs. However, it also contains dilapidated chawls awaiting redevelopment, such as the BDD chawls and police colonies. Many slum rehabilitation projects are stalled, and some redeveloped buildings have not provided the promised monthly rentals to residents. On Saturday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to discuss issues plaguing Worli. The meeting is significant, given the focus on Worli-related concerns. Following the meeting, Shinde directed officials to prioritise addressing Worli's issues, according to the Chief Minister's Office. MNS leade

IMD issues red alert for Maharashtra, MP; orange alert for Kerala, Himachal

IMD weather update: The IMD said heavy rainfall is expected in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Konkan, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Assam, and Meghalaya

Ghatkopar reminder: Thane hoarding collapse injures three amid new rules

A billboard fell in the Kalyan area of Thane district of Maharashtra amid heavy rainfall, three months after a similar incident claimed the lives of 17 in Mumbai's Ghatkopar