Page 88 - Maharashtra

63 cases of JN.1 variant detected in country till Sunday, highest from Goa

They said of the total cases of the JN.1 variant, 34 are from Goa, nine from Maharashtra, eight from Karnataka, six from Kerala, four from Tamil Nadu and two from Telangana

Maratha reservation: SC to consider Maha govt's curative petition on Jan 24

The Supreme Court will consider on January 24 a curative petition filed by the Maharashtra government against the judgement that had quashed the state law granting reservations to Marathas in education and government jobs. A curative petition is the last legal recourse in the apex court and is generally considered in-chamber unless a prima facie case is made out for reconsideration of the verdict. A five-judge constitution bench of the top court had on May 5, 2021 delivered its verdict on petitions related to the Maharashtra government's decision to grant quotas to the politically influential community. The apex court had refused to refer to a larger bench to revisit its 29-year-old Mandal verdict putting a cap on quotas at 50 per cent as it quashed a Maharashtra law granting reservations to Marathas in admissions and government jobs in the state, saying it violated the principle of right to equality. Later, on April 11 this year, the top court had dismissed a batch of petitions, .

140 pvt universities set up in India in last 5 yrs; maximum in Gujarat: MoE

A total of 140 private universities have been established across the country during the last five years with a maximum of them being set up in Gujarat followed by Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, according to the Ministry of Education statistics. According to data accessed by PTI, 28 private universities have been established in Gujarat during the last five years while 15 universities were set up in Maharashtra. Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka welcomed 14 and 10 universities respectively during the period. "Private University is established by an Act passed by the concerned state legislature and Notification issued by the concerned state government," a senior education ministry official said. "The name of a private university is included in the list of universities by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as per Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, 1956, on receipt of the copies of the Act and notification from the university," he said. Such private universities are empowered to award gener

Ajit Pawar bats for Modi over Kharge, vows to stick by ruling alliance

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said there was a "huge difference" between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and people would support Modi again in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to reporters here, he also averred that he would not betray his alliance with the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. "There is a huge difference between Modi and Kharge. People of India will support Modi again and everyone should come together to back his leadership," the Nationalist Congress Party leader said to a question. Some parties in the INDIA grouping have proposed Kharge as the Opposition alliance's candidate for prime minister. Pawar, who split the NCP in July this year to join the ruling Mahayuti (grand alliance), said he would not betray his new partners, but nor would he contest on the BJP's symbol. "I will not change the political stand I have taken. I am ready to give this assurance on a stamp paper," he said. Pawar .

Jarange's demands growing, but Maharashtra govt is helpless, says Bhujbal

Maharashtra food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday took a dig at Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange saying that his demands are growing but the Maharashtra government is helpless. Talking to reporters here, Bhujbal, who had earlier criticised Jarange, quipped that he was taking back all that he had said earlier. I also support all demands of Jarange. Who are OBCs...they are small, poor people. God also got scared of Jarange. What is law and order in front of Jarange? One minister must constantly be stationed next to him, said the NCP leader sarcastically. But the government is helpless, he said. The veteran OBC leader and founder of Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad has taken a contrarian stand to the Ekanth Shinde-led alliance government's decision to issue Kunbi (OBC) certificates to Marathas based on historical records to enable the beneficiaries to avail reservation in education and government jobs. His barbs came a day after three state ministers met the ...

21 new cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 found in 3 states: NITI Aayog

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday reviewed the Covid-19 situation and preparedness of public health systems in view of rising Covid cases

ICICI Bank faces Rs 7.47 cr GST demand from Maharashtra department

The demand is based on the disallowance of input tax credit claimed, as per the GST audit conducted by the Maharashtra GST Department

Decision on caste census after taking opinion of all sections: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said an appropriate decision on caste-based census will be taken after eliciting the opinion of all sections of society and keeping sentiments of the people in mind. Shinde visited the memorials of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder K B Hedgewar and second 'sarsanghchalak' MS Golwalkar in Reshimbagh area here and paid tributes to them. On Tuesday, RSS functionary Shridhar Gadge said there should no caste-based census and sought to know what will be achieved by it. Such an exercise may benefit some people politically as it will provide data about the population of a certain caste, but it is not good socially and in terms of national unity, said Gadge, the Vidarbha Sah-Sanghchalak. Notably, the Congress is in favour of a countrywide caste census. To a query on the RSS functionary's comments, Shinde on Wednesday said Maharashtra is a progressive state and its culture and traditions are different from other states. "Here al

JTL Industries' board approves Rs 1,200 crore investment proposal

JTL Industries Ltd said its board has approved an investment proposal of Rs 1,200 crore in company's arm JTL Tubes Ltd to set up a project in Maharashtra. The investment will be funded partly from the internal accruals and partly from proceeds of a proposed issue, the steel pipes maker said on Monday. The company's board of directors has approved "issue of securities by way of qualified institutions placement (QIP) for aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 500 crore in one or more tranches, including green shoe option," the filing said. The board also approved a proposal to invest up to an aggregate sum of Rs 1,200 crore in wholly-owned subsidiary JTL Tubes Limited to set up a mega project in Maharashtra, an exchange filing said. JTL Industries Ltd (formerly known as JTL Infra Ltd) is the largest producer of electric resistance welded (ERW) steel pipes in India, with a capacity to produce more than 6 lakh metric tonnes per annum.

BJP, Opposition trade barbs in council over Dawood 'relative' link claim

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday rejected NCP MLC Eknath Khadse's allegations that a BJP minister had attended a wedding in 2017-18 hosted by a family related to fugitive Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Demanding Khadse's apology to the legislative council for making a baseless claim, Fadnavis said perhaps the allegation was raised because Uddhav Thackeray is present in the House. Khadse, who belongs to the Sharad Pawar camp of NCP, showed photos of the cabinet minister attending a wedding and alleged that the family is related to Dawood Ibrahim, the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case. Council chairperson Neelam Gorhe directed that the name of the minister be removed from the proceeding. She also rejected the opposition's demand for a discussion. Fadnavis, also the Home Minister, said, "The concerned minister and many other political leaders and government officers had attended the wedding of a nephew of a renowned Muslim priest in

Maharashtra bureaucrat's son held for injuring 'girlfriend' with SUV

Three persons, including the son of a senior Maharashtra bureaucrat, were arrested late Sunday night for allegedly injuring a woman social media influencer in Thane earlier this week, a police official said. Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Mahesh Patil identified the three as Ashwajit Gaikwad, Romil Patel and Sagar Shedge. "The three were held at 8:50pm. A Mahindra Scorpio and a Landrover that were allegedly used in the incident have been seized. Kasarwadavali police is probing further," Patil said on his message to the media. The 26-year-old woman, Priya Singh, was seriously injured when she was allegedly hit by the accused's car on December 11 evening near a hotel on Ghodbunder road. As per her complaint to the police, she had gone to meet Gaikwad at the hotel but the two ended up having an argument. She claimed when she tried to take her belongings from the accused's car, the driver tried to mow her down, leaving her with serious injuries. On her complaint, Gaikwad, P

9 killed in blast at Nagpur explosives manufacturing unit, protest erupts

Nine people were killed in a blast at an explosives manufacturing factory in Maharashtra's Nagpur district on Sunday, police said. The blast took place at 9 am in a cast booster unit of the Solar Industries in Bazaargaon area, a senior police official told PTI. Nine people were killed, he said. The explosives used in coal mining blast were manufactured at the factory, as per sources. The work of packaging explosives was on when the blast occurred, they said.

Rahul Gandhi is God's gift to BJP: Maharashtra Dy CM Fadnavis takes dig

Drawing a contrast with BJP's approach, Fadnavis shared an interaction with BJP leader Amit Shah

Drugs worth Rs 50,000 crore seized in Maharashtra in recent past: Fadnavis

The Maharashtra police have seized drugs worth about Rs 50,000 crore in the state in the recent past, said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the legislative assembly on Friday. He was replying to a question by Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Ravindra Waikar, who represents the Jogeshwari East constituency in Mumbai. In a major haul, the Mumbai police recently seized 151 kg of mephedrone worth Rs 300 crore and arrested more than a dozen persons from several cities in an operation that also included a raid in a factory in MIDC Shinde Gaon in Nashik district. The police have seized drugs worth Rs 50,000 crore in the recent past. The police discretely tracked 2,200 small shops (selling drugs) in Mumbai and removed them to curb the menace of drugs, said Fadnavis. The deputy CM, however, did not specify the exact period during which the drugs were seized. The state government is keeping a watch on chemicals being imported which could be used to make drugs. We have also found that cl

Procurement from govt's GeM portal may reach Rs 3.5 trillion this fiscal

The procurement of goods and services from the government portal GeM is expected to touch Rs 3.5 lakh crore by the end of this fiscal due to higher buying activities by various ministries and departments, a senior government official said. The government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched on August 9, 2016, for online purchases of goods and services by all the central government ministries and departments. "As of today, the procurement has reached Rs 2.4 lakh crore and going by the trend, the procurement this fiscal will reach close to Rs 3.50 lakh crore, hopefully," GeM CEO P K Singh told reporters here. In 2021-22, the procurement value stood at Rs 1.06 lakh crore. It crossed Rs 2 lakh crore last year. Singh said that the share of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) in the total buying of goods and services is increasing at a healthy rate. More than 245 CPSEs, including Coal India, SAIL, NTPC and SBI, are participating in the process. The top five undertakings that are ..

Decision on old pension scheme before Budget session, says Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said CM Eknath Shinde has assured government employees demanding restoration of the old pension scheme (OPS) that a decision on it will be taken before the upcoming budget session. The state legislature's budget session is generally held in February-March every year. Speaking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan premises in Nagpur, where the winter session of the state legislature is currently underway, Pawar informed about discussions held with the representatives of government employees demanding the OPS. He said the government has received the report of a committee, set up to look into the demand. Notably, several government and semi-government employees in Maharashtra have been demanding restoration of the OPS, which was discontinued in the state in 2005. Under the OPS, a government employee gets a monthly pension equivalent to 50 per cent his/her last drawn salary. There was no need for contribution by employees. Under th

Manufacturing sector expected to reach $1 trn by 2025-26 led by Gujarat

The automobile, electronics, and textile sectors in India have witnessed surge in investment and will lead the manufacturing sector's growth in India, according to a report by Colliers

Dharavi revamp project: Maha Oppn attacks Shinde govt, alleges favouritism

Members of opposition parties in Maharashtra on Wednesday attacked the Eknath Shinde-led state government over the Dharavi redevelopment issue, accusing it of favouring the Adani Group but leaving the residents of the slum colony in the lurch. Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad, who represents the Dharavi assembly constituency, Leader of Opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve from the Shiv Sena (UBT), and other legislators from the opposition parties raised slogans over the issue on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex here. 'Dharavi vachva, laghu udyog vachva' (Save Dharavi, save small-scale industries) was one of the slogans raised by them. Dharavi, located in central parts of the country's financial capital, is a hub for several small-scale, unorganised industries that manufacture medicines, leather, footwear, clothes among other things. It is known as one of Asia's biggest slum clusters. After emerging as the highest bidder for the ...

Centre to buy unsold onions: Maha Dy CM amid protests against export ban

The Centre is ready to purchase onions from farmers which remain unsold or cannot be auctioned even as attempts are being made to find a way out in view of the export ban, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the legislative council on Monday. He was replying to a query raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Ambadas Danve, who sought to know the measures being taken by the state government in view of the ban on the export of onions. Fadnavis' statement comes in the backdrop of his meeting with Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal in Mumbai on Saturday night regarding the issues faced by cultivators in the state. "Farmers are badly affected by unseasonal rains. The ban on export of onions by the Central government is not in the interest of farmers, who are forced to resort to protests in Maharashtra," said Danve, who belongs to Shiv Sena (UBT). He questioned whether the state government would take up the onion export ban

Sharad Pawar demands roll-back of ban on onion export, slams Centre

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday demanded that the ban on onion export be lifted and claimed the central government was ignoring the hard work of farmers. Addressing onion growers, who have been protesting against the Centre's decision, in Chandwad village of Nashik district in Maharashtra, Pawar said cultivators need to be united and demand their rights. "Nashik can show the way," he added. The Centre has banned onion exports till March 31 next year to increase domestic availability and to keep prices in check. Farmers in parts of Maharashtra have been protesting against the Centre's decision. Onion growers are small farmers who toil for a good crop, Pawar said, adding that during his tenure as Union agriculture minister, he never brought down the onion prices nor banned exports. "The ban on onion exports should be lifted immediately," he said. Pawar further said, "Bangladesh has levied Rs 160 (import) duty on grapes. The grape producers will face hardships due to this deci