Page 81 - Maharashtra

Bawankule accuses Sharad Pawar of spreading rumours, calls it unfortunate

Bharatiya Janata Party's Maharashtra chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday said it was unfortunate that senior leaders like Sharad Pawar were part of the group spreading rumours that the BJP intended to change the Constitution. The country's Constitution is very strong and no one can change it, the BJP leader said, adding that people should not fall prey to the "false narratives" of leaders, including NCP (SP) head Pawar. In a social media post, Bawankule said, "Rumours are being spread about BJP's intentions to change the Constitution because of the various guarantees offered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is unfortunate to see senior leaders like Sharad Pawar joining the herd." "No one can change the Constitution of the country. It is very strong. Sharad Pawar would definitely know the number of times the Congress party amended the Constitution," he said. Contrary to such record, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government always respected and honoured the Constitutio

MVA's seat-sharing formula, candidates for LS polls to be declared: Patole

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Thursday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi's seat-sharing formula and its list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls will be announced in a day or two. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprises the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest in the country after 80 in Uttar Pradesh. Talking to reporters after a meeting of the MVA leaders at NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar's residence here, Patole said the Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) in Delhi has finalised 12 candidates. "We are discussing with our allies and will announce the list in a day or two," he said. Patole and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Balasaheb Thorat, who were in Delhi for their party's CEC meeting, had returned to Mumbai for the meeting. NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil and party leader Jitendra Awhad also attended the meeting at Pawar's ...

Lok Sabha polls: Thackeray vs Thackeray likely as MNS chief meets Amit Shah

The Mahayuti alliance currently has three constituents, the BJP, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

Analysing economic progress of states through budgets & advance estimates

Several states have come out with the Budgets for 2024-25 and hence advance estimates. Let us use them to analyse the economic performance or outlook of some of those states

Political ad spends on Google already up 9x ahead of Lok Sabha polls

BJP emerges as largest advertiser so far in 2024

LS polls in Maharashtra gets interesting after splits in Shiv Sena, NCP

Splits in key political parties Shiv Sena and NCP have made the battle for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra more interesting, besides the focus on traditional issues like unemployment and farmer suicides. Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. The BJP-Shiv Sena won 41 of the 48 seats in the 2019 polls, but the Sena has split since and a vast majority of the Bal Thackeray-founded party is now allied with the BJP. The Nationalist Congress Party also split as well with Ajit Pawar joining the ruling alliance in the state, led by Eknath Shinde. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP emerged the top party with 23 seats, followed by the undivided Sena with 18. The undivided NCP had emerged victorious on four seats, the Congress one, while the AIMIM and an Independent accounted for the remaining two. A total of 9.2 crore persons, including more than 50,000 centenarians, are ..

LS polls: 92 mn people eligible to cast vote for 48 seats in Maharashtra

A total of 9.2 crore persons, including more than 50,000 centenarians, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, an increase of 34 lakh from 2019, according to a senior state Election Commission official. The Lok Sabha polls for the 48 seats in Maharashtra will be held on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20 and votes will be counted on June 4. According to Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam, there are 4,78,50,789 male and 4,41,74,722 female voters in the state as of March 15. The state has 5,559 transgender voters. The number of voters has increased by 34,69,534 since 2019, he said. There are 1,78,84,862 voters in the age group of 18 to 29 years. Maharashtra has 13,15,166 eligible voters aged over 85 years, including 52,908 over 100. The state has 97,325 polling centres, the official said. The Lok Sabha polls in the country will be held in seven phases spread over 44 days starting April 19, Chief Election Commiss

L&T Technology Services bags $100 mn deal for Maharashtra cybersecurity

Programme will set up 'cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention centre' for public safety

Ex-President Pratibha Patil hospitalised in Pune, condition stable

Former President Pratibha Patil has been admitted to a hospital in Maharashtra's Pune city for the treatment of fever and chest infection and her condition is stable, officials of the medical facility said on Thursday. Patil, 89, was admitted to the Bharati Hospital here on Wednesday. "Former President Pratibha Patil was admitted to the hospital last night. She is having fever along with some infection in the chest. Her health condition is stable. She is under treatment and is being monitored closely," a senior official from the hospital said. Patil was the first woman to serve as the President of India. She held the top constitutional post from 2007 to 2012.

JSW Infrastructure incorporates arm to execute project at JNPT in Maha

JSW Infrastructure on Wednesday said it has incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary for the execution of a port project at JNPT in Maharashtra. JSW JNPT Liquid Terminal Pvt Ltd has been incorporated on March 13, in Mumbai, according to a regulatory filing. The company said it has received a Letter of Intent (LoI) from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority for equipping, operation, maintenance and transfer of additional liquid cargo berths LB3 and LB4 at the port. The terms of LoI require the incorporation of a special purpose vehicle to enter into a concession agreement within 30 days of the issue of LoI. "Accordingly, the company has incorporated a new entity for the purpose of entering into the said concession agreement and to fulfil the obligations as stated in the said agreement," JSW Infrastructure said.

Maharashtra CM Shinde inaugurates first phase of Mumbai coastal road

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday inaugurated the first phase of the coastal road between Worli and Marine Drive in south Mumbai and said it is an "engineering marvel". A 10.5-kilometer-long stretch will be opened for traffic in the first phase, an official earlier said, adding that motorists can enter the coastal road from Worli Seaface, Haji Ali interchange and Amarson's interchange points, and exit at Marine Lines. Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar and other dignitaries were present at the inauguration of the south-bound corridor of the coastal road. After the inauguration, CM Shinde and other dignitaries showed green flags to the electric buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) ferrying women and a vintage car rally on the coastal road. The work on the ambitious project started on October 13, 2018 and its projected cost is Rs 12,721 crore. A world-class Central Park spread over several acres will come up along the road, named .

MERC partly allows Tata Power's plea for tariff hike, energy to get dearer

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) on Thursday partly allowed Tata Power's petition to hike electricity charges for its consumers in the financial capital. The regulator's order will give some relief to lower-end consumers, and the tariff hikes will be over 50 per cent as well. The revisions are for FY25, and effective from April 1. Earlier, the power utility, which serves over 7.5 lakh consumers in the city, had proposed a "rationalization" of tariffs where it was pitching for more than doubling the rate per unit paid by those consuming up to 100 units per month, while the extent of the proposed hike was lower for those at the higher end. In a statement issued after the MERC order, Tata Power said even after the order, its tariff for the residential category of up to 100 units remains "the lowest" when compared with competition. It, however, conceded that its tariff for the 101-300 units a month category is "slightly higher than other private player". The ..

SWAMIH allocates Rs 160 cr to Stans Buildtech Homes for stalled project

Government-backed stress fund SWAMIH has provided Rs 160 crore to Stans BuildtechHomes for the completion of a stalled housing project in Mumbai. In a statement on Thursday, real estate consultant Colliers India said the company assisted Stans Buildtech Homes in securing financing of Rs 160 crore from SWAMIH Fund for its SRA (Slum Rehabilitation) project 'Sky Annex', located in Chembur. To provide relief to customers who have booked houses in stalled projects, the government has established a SWAMIH (Special Window for Completion of Affordable and Mid-Income Housing) investment fund, managed by SBICAP Ventures. "A legacy of issues involving tenants, flat buyers, approvals, and lack of suitable financing to meet requirements led to the project being stalled, and is now set to resume, following the deal," Colliers said. According to sources, the project, spread over 1 acre and comprising more than 400 units, was launched in 2015 by Hilton Developers. In 2016, Stans Buildtech entered

One person's different stand doesn't mean family has split: Supriya Sule

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule has said if one member of a large family takes a different stand, it does not mean there is a split within the family. She also noted that BJP leaders these days do not talk about alleged corruption of her party. Sule, however, did not name Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who parted ways with his uncle and Sule's father Sharad Pawar last year to join the Shiv Sena-BJP government. "Our family has around 120 to 125 members, including small kids, and in such a big family, if one person puts forth a different opinion, it does not signify a split," Sule told reporters in Pune on Wednesday. "Our family is united and it will remain united forever," the Lok Sabha member from Baramati said. Asked about Union minister Amit Shah's statement that Sharad Pawar wanted to make her chief minister, Sule said she was thankful to Shah for "freeing the NCP of corruption". "Whenever he used to come to Maharashtra, he used to refer to the NCP as 'naturally co

FSSAI verifies McDonald's India uses 100% real cheese: Westlife Foodworld

FSSAI said in a release that the verification confirms after its assertion that it uses 100 per cent real cheese and not its substitute

State board plans open-book exam for classes 9 to 12 students in Maha

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) plans a pilot run of open-book exams in chosen schools like their CBSE counterpart

Maharashtra govt working towards doubling income of farmers: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said the state government has implemented various schemes for farmers aimed at doubling their income. Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of Balasaheb Thackeray Shetkari Training Centre in Washim, Shinde said the government has always stood behind agriculturists during drought, excess rain, and other issues. Notably, Washim is one of the districts in the Vidarbha region known as the country's largest cotton-growing belt. "The Mahayuti government was formed inspired by the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray. We have provided financial assistance totalling Rs 35,000 crore to farmers in the last 17 to 24 months," he said. In a first, the government has provided crop insurance to farmers by paying only Rs 1, said Shinde who became the chief minister in June 2022 after toppling the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. "The government has launched various schemes for farmers and aims at doubling their income," he added. The Shetkari Bhava

Maha CM lays foundation of Metro Line-12 in Mumbai metropolitan region

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday laid the foundation of the Metro Line 12 which will connect Kalyan with Taloja in Navi Mumbai, stating it will bring in a new wave of development in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The upcoming metro line is an extension of Metro Line-5 (Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan) which will play a crucial role in improving the connectivity in MMR and extending the Metro network. Metro Line 12 incorporates a completely elevated structure with 19 stations along the 22.173 km route. The estimated cost of this project, expected to be completed by end-2027, is around Rs 5,865 crore, as per an official release. "Metro Line 12 aspires to bring innumerable benefits to the residents of MMR as it will substantially elevate connectivity between Kalyan and Taloja (Navi Mumbai). The journey from Taloja to Kalyan, south Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayender and Virar, will become shorter and more convenient," the chief minister said after laying the foundation for th

Lok Sabha seat-sharing talks cliffhanger after splits, realignments in Maha

The BJP-led ruling alliance and the opposition bloc are united in their belief that winnability is the only formula for seat-sharing in Maharashtra, which sends the second highest number of 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha after 80 from Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra, the country's most industrialised state and its premier FDI magnet, however, has seen a political churn since 2019, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena breaking its long-time alliance with the BJP, and then suffering a split, just like the Sharad Pawar-founded Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). A major chunk of the Shiv Sena is now with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and it is allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The NCP also met a similar fate as Ajit Pawar walked away with a legislative majority last year and is also part of the ruling alliance. The splits and realignments have made seat-sharing a herculean task with claims and counter-claims, leaders from the ruling and opposition parties said. The BJP, which along wi

Water availability in state's dams at 44%, down from 61% in 2023: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said water availability in dams in the state is just 44 per cent as compared to 61 per cent last year. Speaking in the Legislative Council, Fadnavis said the condition in drought-prone Marathwada region was a matter of concern in view of the approaching summer. "The condition in Marathwada division is a matter of concern. Last year, (this time around) Marathwada had 47 per cent water in its dams. This year the storage is just 24 per cent. The region needs special prioritisation (with regards to water management)," the deputy CM said. Nagpur division has 54 per cent water storage as against 55 per cent last year, while Amravati has 66 per cent, up from 57 per cent, which will suffice in summers, he added. "Last time around the water storage in dams was 61 per cent, but this year it is 44 per cent. It is necessary to effectively manage water. Water will be first prioritised for drinking, then agriculture, followed by ...