Page 68 - Maharashtra

Trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar may be dismissed if quota claims false

The Centre on Thursday constituted a single-member panel to look into controversial trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar's candidature documents and other claims

Voting for crucial legislative council elections in Maharashtra begins

Voting for the biennial elections to 11 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council began at the Vidhan Bhavan Complex here on Friday morning. Shiv Sena's Sanjay Gaikwad was the first to cast his vote through the secret ballot system. There are 12 candidates in the fray for 11 seats. Voting is scheduled to be held from 9 am to 4 pm, though Shiv Sena (UBT) has demanded that it be extended by an hour due to heavy rains in Mumbai. The 288-member legislative assembly is the electoral college for the polls and its current strength is 274. Each winning candidate would need a quota of 23 first-preference votes. Eleven members of the upper house of the state legislature are retiring on July 27 and these high-stakes polls are being held to fill the vacancies. The BJP has fielded five candidates, while its Mahayuti allies Shiv Sena and NCP have nominated two each. The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have fielded one candidate each, while their Maha Vikas Aghadi partner NCP (SP) is backing t

IMD issues orange alert for Mumbai, heavy rainfall predicted today

There is a monsoon trough and a cyclonic circulation has also developed over Mumbai which has resulted in strong westerly winds

3.5 km north-bound stretch of Mumbai Coastal Road opens for vehicles

A 3.5-km stretch of the Coastal Road's north-bound carriageway here was opened for vehicular traffic at 7 am on Thursday, which will help in reducing the travel time to suburbs from south Mumbai, civic officials said. The stretch extends from Haji Ali to Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road in Worli. It is part of the nearly 12-km-long Mumbai Coastal Road Project. It will help motorists avoid traffic snarls which they had been facing between Haji Ali and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. The carriageway will be accessible to vehicles from Monday to Friday between 7 am and 11 pm, the BMC said in a release on Wednesday evening. The corridor is being opened temporarily for vehicles going to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link from the Coastal Road and will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays for completion of the remaining work of the project, it said. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday inspected the stretch in the prese

'Ladki Bahin' scheme: Maha Govt to use existing data of women beneficiaries

The existing data of women beneficiaries available with various departments will be used for the Maharashtra government's recently-announced 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme, an official said. Officials from various departments held a meeting in this connection on Wednesday. Under the scheme, announced ahead of state assembly elections due in October, eligible women will get Rs 1,500 per month. "The idea is to use the existing data to reduce the burden of data collection to some extent," an official in the Women and Child Development (WCD) department said. "Departments like Rural Development and Food and Civil Supplies already have the database of women beneficiaries, collected for older schemes. These departments have been asked to share the data with the Women and Child Development department which is going to implement the Ladki Bahin Yojana," an official from the Food and Civil Supplies department said. The WCD department will consolidate the data, bank accounts and oth

Guilty won't be spared, strict action will be taken: CM on BMW hit-and-run

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said whoever is guilty in the BMW hit-and-run case will not be spared and strict action will be taken against them, amid criticism that the key accused is the son of his party leader. The CM said there was no question of supporting anyone and no one would be spared. Whoever is guilty will not be spared; strict action will be taken against them," Shinde told reporters here. We stand by the family of the victim. We will provide legal and financial assistance to aggrieved family," he said. A BMW car driven by key accused Mihir Shah allegedly rammed into a two-wheeler in the Worli area of south-central Mumbai on Sunday morning, resulting in the death of Kaveri Nakhwa (45), who was riding pillion, while her husband Pradeep survived with injuries. Mihir's father Rajesh Shah is a Shiv Sena politician from adjoining Palghar district. The party on Wednesday sacked Rajesh Shah as its deputy leader.

557 farmers ended lives in 6 months this year in Maha's Amravati: Govt

As many as 557 farmers have committed suicide in five districts under the Amravati administrative division of Maharashtra between January and June this year, an official report said. The five districts in the division are Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim and Yavatmal. A report prepared by the Amravati divisional commissionerate said a total of 557 farmers committed suicide in the division from January to June in 2024. Of them, the highest number of 170 suicides were recorded in Amravati district, followed by 150 in Yavatmal, 111 in Buldhana, 92 in Akola and 34 in Washim. The government has provided assistance to the families of the deceased in 53 cases, while 284 cases are pending for inquiry, the report said. Reacting to the figures mentioned in the report, Congress leader Balwant Wankhade, who represents the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, said Maharashtra is one of the states that records highest number of farmer suicides and Amravati tops the state on this count. "Crop losses, lack

Rain likely in Mumbai all week; railway tracks turn into aquariums. Updates

Mumbai rain forecast: Mumbai experienced its highest one-day rainfall since 2019 on Monday, with some areas receiving up to 300 millimetres of rain in just a few hours

Maha govt seeks Maratha quota consensus at all-party meet, MVA boycotts

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday pushed for evolving a consensus on reservation in jobs and education for Marathas at an all-party meeting here and asserted that while resolving the emotive issue, the existing quota of other communities will not be disturbed. The all-party meeting on the Maratha reservation issue convened in the evening was boycotted by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). It was convened ahead of the assembly polls due in October and days before the end of a deadline set by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange for the state government to accept the community's demands, including quota under the OBC category. A statement released by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) late in the night quoted CM Eknath Shinde as saying that the issue of reservation for the Maratha community and OBCs can be resolved only through talks. Shinde emphasised the state government was committed to ensure that the 10 per cent reservation given to the Maratha community under a ...

'No one for poor': BMW car crash victim's husband weeps in anguish on cam

Pradeep Nakhwa was travelling with his wife on a scooter on Sunday, when a BMW car, allegedly driven by the son of a Shinde faction leader, hit them from behind, resulting in the death of the woman

BCCI officials present India team with Rs 125 cr cheque at Wankhede Stadium

India's World Cup-winning players distributed balls to the fans who were present at the stadium

Govt buys onions at 74% higher prices in Maharashtra ahead of state polls

In 2023, the average rate at which the Centre procured onions from Maharashtra was Rs 16.93 per kg. This year, it is procuring at around Rs 29.5 per kg via direct benefit transfer

Maha announces free higher education for girls from EWS, SEBC, OBC groups

The Maharashtra government on Monday said higher education for girls of the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) and OBCs will be free, the announcement being seen as a major women-oriented sop ahead of the assembly polls later this year. In the cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a decision was also made to waive tuition and exams fees for orphan students (male and female), as per a government resolution (GR). The decision will be implemented from academic year 2024-25 and is expected to cost Rs 906 crore, it added. A GR said female students seeking admission to recognised vocational courses through Centralised Admission Process in government colleges, aided private colleges and semi-aided private colleges and non-aided colleges, polytechnic, autonomous government universities, open universities can avail the facility. These include courses run by higher and technical education, medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, ..

One accused detained by police in Pune hit-and-run case, car seized

The accused has been identified as 24-year-old Siddharth Raju Kengar alias Gorakh

Mumbai braces for deluge as IMD issues alerts across Maharashtra. Details

IMD weather update: Maharashtra is forecasted for very heavy rainfall over the next five days, with an orange alert for July 8

Mumbai rain: City records 300 mm rainfall overnight, BMC declares holiday

As Mumbai witnessed heavy rainfall on Monday, many parts of the city reported waterlogging; local train service and flight operations affected due to heavy rainfall.

Can BJP, allies overcome caste arithmetic challenge in Maharashtra polls

In the 2024 LS polls, caste played its part with mutating combinations across the state, writes SHREYAS UBGADE

Oppn questions Maha govt over Rs 11 cr reward to cricketers, BJP hits back

Opposition Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) in Maharashtra have raised question marks over the Eknath Shinde-led dispensation's announcement of giving Rs 11 crore reward to the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team, and alleged that by doing so, the government wants to pat itself on the back. The opposition parties said that while they were proud of the cricketers' achievement, there was no need to give Rs 11 crore from the state coffers and asked the chief minister to pay the amount from his own pocket. BJP legislator Pravin Darekar, however, hit back at the Congress, accusing it of politicising the issue. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday announced Rs 11 crore cash reward for the Indian cricket team. The announcement was made in the Vidhan Bhavan (state legislature complex) here, where four Mumbai players from the team -- captain Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dubey -- were felicitated. Talking to reporters later, Leader of Opposition in the

Maharashtra govt tables bill to curb malpractices in competitive exams

Amid concerns over exam paper leaks, the Maharashtra government on Friday tabled a bill in the state legislative assembly that aims to prevent malpractices in competitive examinations, and provides for a jail term of up to five years to the offenders. The bill titled 'Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024', was tabled by minister Shambhuraj Desai in the lower house of the state legislature. Under the bill, the offences related to the conduct of competitive examinations shall be cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable. According to the bill, those found indulging in unfair means and offences in the conduct of competitive examinations shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than three years, which may be extended to five years and with a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh. In case of default of payment of fine, an additional punishment of imprisonment shall be imposed as per provisions of Bharaitya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. The service ...

Didn't change parties, corruption allegations never proved: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has appealed to people to support him for development, asserting that he has stuck to his party ever since entering politics and that the allegations of corruption against him were never proved. People are my only party. Whatever I do, their welfare is my top priority. I always think how people will benefit, said the NCP leader in a video message. Pawar's video message, appealing to the people to back him, comes amid speculations of discontent within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising BJP, NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, after its poor performance in Lok Sabha polls in the state. In this year's Lok Sabha elections, the Mahayuti bagged just 17 of the state's 48 seats, with the BJP's tally coming down to nine from the 23 (it won in 2019). While the Sena got 9 seats, NCP won only 1. By contrast, the MVA bloc of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) won 30 seats. Defending the budget he presented last week in the state ...