Page 11 - Maharashtra

Won't demand UT status for Karnataka border areas if injustice stops: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said his party would not demand the Union Territory status for border areas in Karnataka if the government in that state treated the local Marathi-speaking population fairly. After Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray demanded that disputed areas in Karnataka's border region, which Maharashtra has been claiming, be declared as a UT pending the Supreme Court's decision, some leaders in the southern state hit back saying that Mumbai be made a UT. "We demand that Belagavi and the surrounding Marathi-speaking areas in Karnataka be declared as a Union Territory because of the atrocities against Marathi people, their language, their culture," Raut told reporters here. "If the Karnataka government and local organisations stop doing injustice, we will take back our demand,'' the Rajya Sabha MP added. "In Mumbai, Kannadiga people have no complaint against Marathi people. Those who say Mumbai should be made a Union Territory are fools," Raut added.

Maharashtra Assembly progued, Budget session to start from February 27

The Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra was prorogued here on Friday as the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature came to an end. The two-week session had started on December 19. Speaker Rahul Narwekar read out Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's prorogation order, and said the Budget session will start in Mumbai from February 27, 2023.

Oppn legislators stage demonstration demanding Maharashtra guv's removal

Legislators of Opposition parties on Friday staged a demonstration in the Vidhan Sabha complex here demanding the ouster of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for his alleged remarks about icons of the state. The legislators led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, LOP in legislative council Ambadas Danve, state Congress chief Nana Patole, Rohit Pawar, among others raised slogans outside the House on the last day of the winter session. The opposition legislators holding black caps and a banner shouted slogans demanding Koshyari's removal. The Opposition has been seeking the ouster of the governor since his recent remark that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a "hero of the past".

MVA's collapse, its aftermath kept political pot boiling in Maha in 2022

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) experiment imploded in 2022 putting a question mark on the political future of Uddhav Thackeray even as the massive split in the Shiv Sena and its aftermath kept the political pot boiling in Maharashtra throughout the year. Maharashtra, which was governed by the Congress till 1977-78 and later in the early 90s, has been following coalition politics centred around 'aghadis' (coalition fronts of the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party) and 'yuti' (Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party). The upheaval in the Sena resulting in the collapse of the MVA government was the second such instance in the state's political history. As a minister in 1978, Sharad Pawar had led a rebellion and toppled the Vasantdada Patil government to become the chief minister at the age of 38. The era of coalition politics took an unprecedented turn this year when Eknath Shinde walked out with 39 rebel legislators of the Shiv Sena and claimed to be the original Sena. Never before ...

Five builders booked in Thane due to MahaRERA norm irregularities

Five builders were booked for alleged irregularities to obtain MahaRERA registration for their projects in Kalyan Dombivali in Maharashtra's Thane district, a police official said on Thursday. They are accused of forging documents and submitting bogus ones to obtain permission from MahaRERA and local bodies, the Khadakpada police station official said. "The five were booked on Wednesday for forgery and other offences. This takes the total number of developers booked to 70. Earlier, 65 developers were booked for similar offences by Manpada and Ram Nagar police," he said.

Maha farmers to get 500,000 solar pumps under Kusum Yojana: Dy CM

The Maharashtra government plans to provide solar pumps to five lakh farmers under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Kusum Yojana, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday. Speaking in the Legislative Council, he said the state government intended to generate income by leasing out land to install such solar pumps. He also said farmers from Vidarbha region will get new agricultural pumps and electricity connections on priority, while pending applications will be cleared by March next year. In order to provide uninterrupted and affordable electricity to consumers, the Union government has announced the implementation of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), for which a sum of Rs 39,000 crore has been approved for Maharashtra, he said. This will give a major boost to creation of infrastructure in the sector in the state, he added. Under the Kusum Yojana, farmers are being given 90 per cent subsidy for installation of solar power pumps.

Tata Sons chairman to head Maharashtra's new economic advisory body

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran will head the new Economic Advisory Council of Maharashtra, the state government said on Thursday. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made the announcement in the Legislative Council in Nagpur. To make Maharashtra a trillion dollar economy, the state government is setting up an Economic Advisory Council, to be headed by Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran," he said. It will function as a private research organization with focus on issues related to agriculture, banking, engineering and education, among others, Fadnavis added. The government is also focusing on certain 'aspirational' regions to enhance the state's human development index, he said.

Trial on newly-electrified rail route in Maharashtra to begin on Dec 30

Train trials on the newly electrified Ankai to Aurangabad railway route in Maharashtra will start on Friday, an official said here. The first train will run with electric traction by next month after the trials are complete, the South Central Railway official said. The journey time between Mumbai and Aurangabad will reduce by 25-30 minutes as the need to replace the diesel engine with an electric one will be done away with, he said. "The route that has been electrified between Ankai in Nashik and Aurangabad is 100 kilometres long. This is part of the longer Ankai-Mukhed (Nanded) electrification project. The trial of a train with an electric engine (locomotive) will begin on December 30," he said. "After successful completion of trials on various parameters, we expect the first train pulled by a locomotive to use the stretch for regular service by next month," the official informed.

MLA Nitin Deshmukh in spat with police; Shinde says won't be arrested

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday assured the Legislative Council that he would direct the Police Department not to arrest Uddhav Thackeray-led party MLA Nitin Deshmukh

Ajit Pawar should not challenge us, says Maharashtra BJP chief Bawankule

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Maharashtra unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday said senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar should not challenge the saffron party in Vidarbha as it was "ready to accept any challenge". Bawankule was speaking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan complex premises while replying to a query on Pawar's statement that he would decimate the BJP leader. "I have paid only one visit to Baramati, which left Ajitdada so much scared. Hence, yesterday Pawar said in the House that he would finish me off. However, he does not have the guts to finish us. On the contrary, people will finish them off in 2024 (elections)," the BJP leader said. Baramati is the Assembly constituency of Pawar. "We have appealed to the public that development of Baramati city is not the development of Baramati Lok Sabha and entire western Maharashtra. People are not pleased by the attitude of Ajit Pawar....He should not challenge us in Vidarbha. We are ready to

Fadnavis to ask Karnataka to stop work at Alamaty till Maha finishes study

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state will ask Karnataka to stop the work of the raising of the height of Alamaty dam on the Krishna river till an ongoing study to assess its flood impact in Sangli and Kolhapur is completed. Replying to a question in the state Assembly, Fadnavis said if the Karnataka government did not heed Maharashtra's request, it will approach the Supreme Court. The state government had appointed a panel under the chairmanship of Water Resources Department's former principal secretary Nandkumar Wadnera to study the impact of Karnataka raising the height to 524 metres and its effect on flooding in Kolhapur and Sangli, Fadnavis said. The study panel was set up after the devastating floods of 2019 in the two southern Maharashtra districts. The Wadnera report, submitted on May 27, 2020, said there would be no adverse impact in Kolhapur and Sangli if the height of the dams of Alamaty and Hippargi on the Krishna was ...

Maharashtra's ex-minister Anil Deshmukh walks out jail after 14 months

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday stepped out of the Arthur Road Central Jail here on bail after spending almost 14 months behind bars

Border dispute resolution efforts started with 'weak mindset': Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday told the Legislative Council said that the state's attempt to resolve the border dispute with Karnataka started with a "weak mindset" as the resolution tabled by first CM Yashwantrao Chavan demanding merger of Marathi-speaking villages from the neighbouring state did not specify the deadline for it. Shinde's statement appears to be in sync with the Bharatiya Janta Party's (BJP) stand, which has been blaming the previous state governments for failing to resolve that the border dispute with Karnataka in the last six decades. Speaking in the Upper House of the state legislature, CM Shinde said, "The first resolution in Maharashtra Assembly was tabled by the then chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan demanding that Belgaum (Belagavi), Karwar and other villages be merged with Maharashtra. In his resolution, Chavan did not specify the deadline to resolve the issue. Maharashtra's struggle for resolving the border dispute started with such a

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Maha Assembly passes Lokayukta Bill, brings CM under anti-corruption lens

Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday passed the Lokayukta Bill 2022, which brings the chief minister and council of ministers under the ambit of the anti-corruption ombudsman. The bill was passed without discussion as the opposition had staged a walkout over the alleged scam in the Teachers Entrance Test. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed the bill a historic legislation, adding Maharashtra is the first state to have such a law. As per the bill, prior approval of the Assembly has to be obtained and the motion has to be placed before the immediate session of the House before initiating any inquiry against the chief minister. Such motion shall be passed by not less than two-thirds of the total members of the assembly, states the bill, which was tabled in the House on Monday.

Oppn holds protest in Maha Vidhan Bhavan, demands Sattar's resignation

Opposition members staged a protest in the Maharashtra legislature complex here on Wednesday and reiterated their demand for Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar's resignation while accusing him of indulging in corruption. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ajit Pawar and other legislators including Chhagan Bhujbal, Rohit Pawar and Bhaskar Jadhav raised slogans outside the House demanding the resignation of Sattar. They have been raising the demand for the minister's ouster since Monday. The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court last week issued a notice to Sattar who had ordered 'regularisation' of the possession of land reserved for public 'gairan' (grazing) in favour of a private person in the face of a civil court order. The opposition members, carrying oranges in their hands on Wednesday, also demanded bonus for paddy farmers. Nagpur, where the winter session of the state legislature is currently underway, is famous for orange cultivation.

11,547 cattle died of lumpy skin disease in 10 months in Maharashtra: Govt

As many as 1,78,072 cattle were infected by the lumpy skin disease in Maharashtra this year and 11,547 of them died as of October, the government has informed the state Legislative Council. Deaths due to the viral disease which affects animals were reported in 291 tehsils of 33 districts (out of the total 36 districts in the state), Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said during the Question Hour on Tuesday. Dr Manisha Kayande, Mahadeo Jankar, Eknath Khadse and others had raised the question. Around 1.39 crore cattle were given the Goat Pox-virus vaccine to protect them from the disease, the minister further said. Of 1,39,92,304 cattle in Maharashtra, 2.71 per cent animals were infected by the lumpy disease, Vikhe-Patil informed. A compensation of Rs 30,000 was paid per deceased cow, Rs 25,000 per deceased bullock and Rs 16,000 per deceased calf as per the National Disaster Management Guidelines, he said. Lumpy skin disease is a contagious viral infection that affects ...

Not inch of land will be ceded to Karnataka: Maharashtra BJP chief

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday said the entire state was happy over the resolution passed by the state legislature on the border dispute, and he was sure that no land would be ceded to Karnataka. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde earlier in the day moved a resolution in both houses which said the state shall pursue legal remedies to incorporate in Maharashtra 865 Marathi-speaking villages in border areas which are presently part of Karnataka. "Entire Maharashtra has supported and expressed joy over the resolution brought by the Shinde-Fadnavis government," Bawankule told reporters. "I am confident that the government will not cede even an inch of land," he added. On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's demand that the disputed region in Karnataka be declared a Union Territory pending the case in the Supreme Court, Banwankule said opposition leaders knew very well that this was not feasible, and they should not do politics on the issue.

Maharashtra: Covid mock drills conducted at about 1,300 health facilities

Mock drills to assess preparedness for treating COVID-19 cases were conducted at about 1,300 health facilities in Maharashtra on Tuesday in view of a spurt in cases in China and some other countries, the state health department said here. Drills were carried out at 610 government hospitals, 628 private hospitals, 28 government medical colleges and 27 private medical colleges as of 5 pm, said an official statement. Last week, the Union government had directed all the states to conduct such exercises to ensure preparedness of hospitals in the wake of rise in COVID-19 cases in China, Brazil, South Korea and USA, among others. "A review of available hospital beds, ICU facilities, equipment, oxygen system, medicine stocks, human resources and their training and telemedicine facility was taken," the release stated. A doctor at the government-run J J Hospital in Mumbai said they checked the preparedness of their COVID-19 wards, medicine stocks, X-ray machinery and oxygen supply units. A

Maharashtra: Lumpy skin disease claimed lives of 11,547 cattle in 10 months

As many as 1,78,072 cattle were infected by the lumpy skin disease in Maharashtra this year and 11,547 of them had died as of October, the government informed the Legislative Council here on Tuesday. Deaths due to the viral disease which affects animals were reported in 291 tehsils of 33 districts, said Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil during Question Hour. Dr Manisha Kayande, Mahadeo Jankar, Eknath Khadse and others had raised the question. Around 1.39 crore cattle were given the Goat Pox-virus vaccine to protect them from the disease, the minister further said. Of 1,39,92,304 cattle in Maharashtra, 2.71 per cent animals were infected by the lumpy disease, Vikhe-Patil informed. A compensation of Rs 30,000 was paid per deceased cow, Rs 25,000 per deceased bullock and Rs 16,000 per deceased calf as per the National Disaster Management Guidelines, he said.