Page 2 - Maharashtra

Kerala train fire incident: Police nab suspect from Maharashtra's Ratnagiri

A joint team of Central Intelligence and Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Maharashtra nabbed the absconding accused in the Kerala train fire incident from Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district on Wednesday

At least three 'completed' textile parks closed, finds CAG report

Auditor says large number of cancellations defeated the purpose of the scheme

Maharashtra reports eight Covid deaths in April, four in past 24 hours

Case fatality touches 1.82%; State currently has 3,792 active cases, with Mumbai accounting for 1,162; Thane and Pune have 670 cases and 781 cases, respectively

Inox Air ropes in TP Saurya Bandita to set up 40 MW captive solar plant

INOX Air Products on Tuesday said it has signed an agreement with TP Saurya Bandita Ltd to set up a 40 MW captive solar plant at Dhule in Maharashtra. TP Saurya Bandita is a special-purpose vehicle of Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL). In a statement, INOX Air Products (INOXAP) said, "The power project with a capacity of 40MWp, would cater to the energy needs of the air separation units operated by INOXAP in Maharashtra." Once commissioned, the plant will help INOXAP reduce 48,000 tonnes carbon emissions on an annual basis. This project is in line with INOXP's long-term strategy to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, lower the carbon footprint to manufacture green medical and industrial gases, it said. INOXP did not disclose the order value. According to industry estimates, an investment of about Rs 5 crore is required to set up 1 MW of solar capacity.

Nabard projects 25% jump in priority sector loans in Maha at Rs 6.34 trn

Nabard on Monday projected a 25 per cent surge in priority sector lending in Maharashtra in FY24 to help agriculturists, small businesses and other marginalised sections of society. In the annual 'state credit seminar' held in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development launched the 'state focus paper' detailing a comprehensive credit potential of Rs 6,34,058 crore for priority sector in the state, according to an official statement. The projections include a credit flow of Rs 1,56,873 crore to the farm sector and Rs 3,54,854 crore to micro, small and medium enterprises, the statement said. Speaking at the seminar which was also attended by his deputy Devendra Fadanvis, bureaucrats, bankers and officials from the RBI, Shinde advised the banks to ensure maximum hassle-free credit flow to farmers as envisaged in the potential credit plan and address regional imbalances. There is a need for financing of agri-infrastructure and

Maharashtra logs 248 new Covid-19 cases, one death; active tally at 3,532

Maharashtra on Monday reported 248 new cases of coronavirus and a single casualty that raised the tally of infections to 81,45,590, which includes 1,48,445 fatalities, an official from the state health department said. The daily count of infections has dropped by 50 per cent, as the state had recorded 562 cases on Sunday, he said. With this, the state now has 3,532 active cases, of which Mumbai district accounts for the highest 1,079 infections, followed by 761 in Pune and 630 in Thane, the health department stated in a report. As many as 2,559 swab samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of tests conducted in the state so far to 8,66,46,434. According to the report, Mumbai circle reported the highest 179 new cases followed by 37 in Pune, 12 in Nashik, seven in Akola, five in Nagpur, three each in Latur and Kolhapur and two in Aurangabad. The only casualty of the day was reported from Aurangabad, it stated. Mumbai city has reported 75 new COVID-19 cases,

Patra 'chawl' case: ED attaches 2 Goa plots of HDIL promoters Wadhawans

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has attached two Goa plots of HDIL promoters Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan worth more than Rs 31 crore in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra 'chawl' in Mumbai. The money laundering case stems from an FIR registered by the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd. and others. The Wadhawans were the directors of this company. The ED had arrested Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut and his "close associate" Pravin Raut in this case earlier. The case pertained to a Rs 1,034-crore alleged land scam related to the re-development of the Patra "chawl" in Mumbai's Goregaon. Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited was involved in the re-development of this "chawl", which had 672 tenants living in tenements on 47 acres belonging to the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA), the ED

Covid-19 pandemic: Nashik sees 33 fresh cases; active tally at 74

Maharashtra's Nashik district recorded 33 new cases of coronavirus that raised its tally of infections to 4,82,721 on Monday, an official said. The toll remained unchanged at 8,904, while the count of recoveries reached 4,73,343 after 39 patients recovered during the day, he said. With this, the district currently has 74 active cases, the official said. Of the total number of cases reported so far, 2,76,345 were from Nashik city, 1,79,822 from other parts of the district, 14,076 from Malegaon and 8,562 from outside the district, he added.

Maharashtra reports 3 deaths, 562 new Covid-19 cases in past 24 hours

A total of 3,824 new Covid-19 infections were reported across the country in the last 24 hours a marginal increase from Saturday's tally of 2994 coronavirus cases

Maharashtra CM Shinde to visit Ayodhya on April 9 with party leaders

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday announced that he would visit Ayodhya, where a grand temple of Lord Ram is being built, on April 9 with the leaders of his party and perform 'aarti' at the Saryu river there. He made the announcement during a press conference held at Anand Ashram in the city. "I will visit Ayodhya on April 9 with my party ministers, MLAs, MPs and other functionaries. We will visit the Ram temple construction site and also perform 'aarti' at the Saryu river," Shinde said. As a token of Maharashtra's contribution in the Ram temple, logs of 'sag' (teak) wood would be donated for the construction activity, he said. "As part of the 'kar seva' (during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement), my mentor late Anand Dighe had donated a silver brick for the Ayodhya temple. We have an old bond with Ayodhya and Lord Ram," the chief minister added. Shinde said that his party ministers and leaders, who could not visit Ayodhya last time (during the erstwhile Uddhav ...

1.1m likely rise in sea levels spells disaster for Maharashtra coast

Amid all the gloomy predictions of the 2023 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, the Maharashtra coastal areas are also on the caution list for possible disasters

Bank of Maharashtra opens first dedicated branch for startups in Pune

State-owned Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) on Friday said it has opened its first dedicated branch for startups in Pune. The dedicated branch will provide all kinds of support to a startup during its growth journey, BoM said in a statement. During the inauguration, BoM MD and CEO AS Rajeev said, "India is one of the growing hubs for startups and unicorns in the world. It is imperative for us to start our own dedicated branch for startups, where we shall cater to all their needs -- right from the inception to the issuance of IPO/FPO". Pune is strategically important for us to venture into, considering the technological and industrial advancement of the city and the expertise the bank has, the lender said. This will begin a new vista for the bank and also for startups in Pune city and Maharashtra state, he added. Speaking at the occasion, BoM ED Asheesh Pandey said startups are entrepreneurial ventures in an early stage of business operation, which if properly nurtured, becomes an integr

Shinde-Fadnavis govt must go after SC remarks, says Maha Cong prez Patole

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Thursday demanded that the Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party government leave office immediately, alleging the Supreme Court has expressed anger over religious disputes getting out of hand in the state and flagged instances of alleged hate speech. In a statement, Patole alleged the state government has dealt a big blow to the image of Maharashtra in the last nine months. Communal disputes are on the rise in the state due to inflammatory speeches made by members of some organisations, but the Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government is not taking any action against them, alleged the state Congress president. The Supreme Court has expressed anger against the Maharashtra government and dubbed it "impotent" as due to their inaction religious disputes are getting out of hand in the state, he added. The Shinde-Fadnavis government, which assumed charge on June 30, 2022, has no right to remain in office and it should quit immediately, said the

Ram Navami celebrations sees death of 11 devotees in MP, clashes in Maha

Ram Navami was celebrated across the country on Thursday with grand processions and special pujas, but the festivities were marred in Madhya Pradesh where 11 devotees died after falling into a well at a temple, and in Maharashtra where a clash left 12 injured. In Delhi, a large number of people defied a police order and took out a procession in Jahangirpuri, which witnessed riots last year during Hanuman Jayanti celebrations, while stones were pelted at a march in Gujarat's Vadodara too. The celebrations remained largely incident-free in the rest of the country with people coming out on the streets with religious fervour and enthusiasm and law-enforcement agencies on the watch. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished people on the auspicious occasion and said the life of Lord Ram will be an inspiration for humanity in every era. "'Maryada Purushottam' Lord Ram's life was based on sacrifice, tapasya, restraint and resolve," he tweeted. Ten women and a man died after the roof of a well .

Mumbai ranks among world's tree-rich cities 2022, second time in a row

Chided as a concrete jungle, India's commercial capital Mumbai has been included in the World Tree City 2022 list, for the second consecutive year, a BMC official said

Rs 6,828-crore aircraft contract sanctioned for HAL in Maharashtra's Nashik

The Union government has sanctioned Rs 6,828 crore worth of contract to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) at Ozar in Nashik district for manufacturing 70 HTT-40 aircraft, a central minister said on Wednesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has given his approval to HAL to manufacture these aircraft, Union Minister of State for Health Dr Bharti Pawar said in a press release here. The PSU has been manufacturing defence equipment since 1964. The Union government's decision will generate work for around 3,000 officers and employees of HAL, said the release.

With death of MP Bapat, BJP loses 3rd sitting lawmaker in Pune since Dec

The death of Girish Bapat, the Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha MP from Pune city, on Wednesday has come as a big blow to the national outfit which has now lost three of its sitting lawmakers in this western Maharashtra district in the last four months. Before Bapat (72), two sitting BJP MLAs -- Mukta Tilak (Kasba Peth constituency) and Laxman Jagtap (Chinchwad) -- both in Pune district -- died on December 22, 2022, and January 3, 2023, respectively. In the Assembly bypolls that followed, the BJP managed to retain Chinchwad, where late MLA Jagtap's wife Ashwini defeated the NCP, but it faced rout in the Kasba Peth constituency, where its candidate Hemant Rasane lost to Congress-MVA nominee Ravindra Dhangekar. Credited with strengthening the BJP in Pune city, which was once a Congress bastion, Bapat had cordial relations with leaders across political divide and enjoyed close connection with common people of the state's cultural capital. His ability to connect with people helped t

Rahul's LS disqualification will be a key issue in 2024 polls, says Chavan

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday said former INC president Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha will be one of the key issues

India reports 2,151 fresh Covid cases, highest single-day rise in 5 months

At present, active case load in the country is 11,903 cases, according to Health Ministry; daily positivity rate is 1.51%, while weekly positivity rate is 1.53%

Toll on Mumbai-Pune Expressway to be increased by 18% from April 1

Toll for vehicles on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the first access-controlled road of the country, will increase by 18 per cent from April 1, officials of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said on Tuesday. A senior MSRDC official said that though the toll increases by six per cent annually, it is implemented cumulatively at 18 per cent after every three years, as laid down in a government notification of August 9, 2004. The new toll will be Rs 320 for four-wheelers like cars and jeeps instead of the current Rs 270, and Rs 495 for vehicles like mini-bus and tempos instead of the current Rs 420, another official said. Toll for two-axle trucks will increase to Rs 685 from the current Rs 585. For buses, it will increase to Rs 940 from Rs 797. Three-axle trucks will be charged Rs 1,630 instead of Rs 1,380 and multi-axle trucks and machinery-vehicles will have to pay Rs 2,165 instead of current Rs 1,835. Toll would remain the same till 2030 as there would not be