Page 24 - Maharashtra

Downpour of announcements, drought in implementation:Uddhav slams Maha govt

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday demanded the Maharashtra government declare "wet drought" in the state and provide Rs 50,000 per hectare as compensation to farmers affected by rains without waiting for the loss assessment reports. In a dig, Thackeray said there is a downpour of announcements under the Eknath Shinde government and a "drought" in their implementation as he interacted with rain-hit farmers in Aurangabad district. He said the incumbent government loved to organise celebrations without bothering to see if people are happy and satisfied. The former chief minister was talking to reporters after visiting Pandharpur and Dahegaon villages in the Aurangabad district where retreating rain damaged crops. "This state government is a celebration-loving government. There is an excess downpour of the announcement, whereas there is a drought in their implementation. Events should be celebrated but the government should see the people in the state are at least satisfie

On Diwali-eve, 800 Maharashtra youth get job letters; MVA slams BJP govt

Three union ministers -- Piyush Goyal, Narayan Rane and Ramdas Athawale presented appointment letters to various Central government jobs at separate functions held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur

Maharashtra records 387 Covid-19 cases, 1 death, 457 recoveries in a day

Maharashtra on Saturday reported 387 COVID-19 cases and one death, which took the state's tally to 81,27,259 and the toll to 1,48,379, a health official said. The addition to the tally is lower than the 402 cases detected on Friday, he pointed out. The lone death took place in Ulhasnagar in Thane district, which is part of Mumbai Circle, the official added. Mumbai Circle accounted for 257 of the new cases, followed by 75 in Pune, 22 in Nagpur, 14 in Nashik, eight in Kolhapur, four each in Aurangabad and Akola, and three in Latur, he said. The recovery count increased by 457 in the last 24 hours to touch 79,79,019, leaving the state with an active caseload of 2,496, the official informed. Mumbai has 986 active cases, followed by 472 in Thane and 426 in Pune districts. State health department data showed the recovery rate was 98.14 per cent and the fatality rate stood at 1.82 per cent. So far, 8,51,62,544 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Maharashtra, including 14,758 in th

CBI court denies bail to ex-home minister Deshmukh, cites Waze's statement

A special court here on Friday rejected the bail application filed by former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in an alleged corruption and misuse of official position case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Deshmukh (71) had sought bail in the case as soon as the Bombay High Court granted him bail on October 4 in a money laundering case registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Special CBI court judge S H Gwalani rejected his plea after hearing arguments from both sides. The court's detailed order is not available yet. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was arrested on November 2 in 2021 and has been in judicial custody. He was admitted to a private hospital last week for coronary angiography. In March 2021, senior IPS officer Param Bir Singh had alleged that Deshmukh, the then home minister, had given a target to police officers to collect Rs 100 crore per month from restaurants and bars in Mumbai. Former assistant police

SC refuses to hear plea against Maharashtra ordinance reducing BMC seats

The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea challenging the constitutional validity of a Maharashtra ordinance reducing the number of seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), thus paving the way for holding the civic polls. A bench of Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli asked the petitioner to withdraw the plea and approach the Bombay High Court. The plea had challenged the Maharashtra government's decision to reduce the number of seats from 236 to 227. Senior advocate Devadutt Kamat, appearing for the petitioner Raju Shripad Pednekar, submitted that the ordinance is against the orders of the apex court. "Mr Devadutt Kamat, senior counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner seeks liberty of the Court to withdraw the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution so as to enable the petitioner to pursue the remedies which are available in law under Article 226 of the Constitution since the petitioner seeks inter alia to challenge the constitutional ..

Mumbai logs 147 new Covid-19 cases, zero death; active tally at 1,037

Mumbai on Thursday reported 147 new coronavirus cases, but no fresh death linked to the infection was recorded in the metropolis, the local civic body said. With this, the overall tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 11,52,992, while the death toll remained unchanged at 19,738, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in a bulletin. On Wednesday, Mumbai had logged 128 new COVID-19 cases, but zero fatalities. As per the bulletin, the new COVID-19 cases were detected after 5,122 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking their cumulative count to 1,84,12,571. A day ago, 6,108 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the city. Mumbai's tally of recuperated cases rose to 11,32,217 after 179 patients recovered from the respiratory illness, said the bulletin. The city has a coronavirus recovery rate of 98.2 per cent and is now left with 1,037 active cases, it said. Of the 147 new COVID-19 cases, only 8 patients were symptomatic, according to the BMC. The growth rate of COVID-19 ..

MAH CET MBA 2022 final merit list out; here's how you can download

MAH CET MBA 2022 final merit has finally been released. Candidates who appeared for the exam can download the list from official website-cetcell.mahacet.org

Not just future of Shiv Sena but democracy at stake: Uddhav Thackeray

Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is fighting a legal battle to claim the legacy of the Shiv Sena founded by his father late Bal Thackeray, on Thursday claimed that not just the future of party but democracy in the country was at stake. Thackeray was addressing a function at the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar area of Mumbai where he inducted former minister Sanjay Deshmukh from Yavatmal into his faction. Addressing a gathering after the induction, Thackeray said despite claims that the Shiv Sena had split and was finished, people were still coming to him. The Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed in June this year after a rebellion led by MLA Eknath Shinde. Shinde was later sworn in as the chief minister with the BJP's support. The Election Commission earlier this month barred the Shiv Sena factions led by Thackeray and Shinde from using the party name and its election symbol 'bow and arrow' in the November 3 Andheri East Assembly bypoll. It allott

PG medical admissions: SC upholds 20% quota for officers in Maharashtra

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the decision of the Maharashtra government to provide 20 per cent reservation for in-service officers in postgraduate medical admissions in the state. A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli said it was difficult to accept the submission of the petitioners that the government resolution should not apply in the current academic year because of change in rules midway. "We are of the considered view that the judgement of the Bombay High Court does not call for interference," the bench said. The top court was hearing a plea filed by some candidates against a judgment of the high court which refused to grant them relief. "From the academic year 2022-23, government approval is being given to reserve 20 per cent seats for in-service candidates for admissions to PG medical and diploma courses in government and civic-run medical colleges in the state, the Maharashtra government resolution had said.

Maharashtra ATS arrests 4 activists of now-banned PFI from Raigad district

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad has arrested four activists of the proscribed Popular Front of India (PFI) from Panvel in neighbouring Raigad district, an official said on Thursday. Those arrested include a local member of the banned outfit's state expansion committee, a local unit secretary and two other workers, he said. The ATS had specific information about a meeting of two functionaries of the PFI and few workers in Panvel, even as the organisation has been banned by the Government of India, the official said. Accordingly, an ATS team conducted a search in Panvel, located about 50 km from Mumbai, and apprehended the four PFI activists, he said. After questioning, all the four were placed under arrest in a case registered at the Kalachowki unit of the ATS in Mumbai under section 10 of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the official said. Further probe into the case is on, he added. The government had last month banned the PFI and several of its associate

Patil apologises to Pune citizens for inconvenience after torrential rains

Maharashtra minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chandrakant Patil on Wednesday apologised to the residents of Pune for the inconvenience caused to them as a result of unprecedented rains. Two persons died in rain-related incidents, while more than 500 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in Pune district reeled after unprecedented downpour during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday night. The Shivajinagar area had recorded 104 mm rainfall in about five hours till 3 am on Tuesday, Magarpatta 116 mm and the Pashan locality 94 mm rainfall during the same period, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Talking to reporters here, Patil, who is also Pune district guardian minister, said, "I apologise to all the people of Pune for the inconvenience caused after heavy rains lashed the city as well as the district. The city reported intense spells of rain. I will study what led to multiple problems after rains. We will review the situation and

Maharashtra records 418 new Covid-19 cases, 3 deaths; active tally at 2,688

Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded 418 fresh coronavirus positive cases and three fatalities, which raised the overall infection tally to 81,28,676 and toll to 1,48,377, a health department said. The state saw 60 more cases as compared to Tuesday, when there were 358 cases and two fatalities. Mumbai recorded 141 new cases. Pune city, Pune district and Sindhudurg district recorded one death each. The state's fatality rate stood at 1.82 per cent. There are now 2,688 active cases in Maharashtra, it said, adding that 515 patients have recuperated from the infection in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative recovery figure to 79,77,611. The recovery rate in the state stands at 98.14 per cent. As 17,623 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative test count rose to 8,51,11,673. Maharashtra's coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases: 81,28,676; new cases: 418; death toll: 1,48,377; active cases: 2,688; recoveries: 79,77,611; tests so far: 8,51,11,673.

Maharashtra: 18 cases of XBB sub-variant of Omicron detected in 15 days

At least 18 cases of XBB sub-variant of Omicron have been reported in Maharashtra in the first fortnight of October, the state health department said on Wednesday. A health official said 13 of these cases are from Pune, two each from Nagpur and Thane and one from Akola district. As per INSACOG labs' latest report, 18 cases of XBB variant have been reported in the state in the first fortnight of October month, he said. Apart from these cases, Pune has also reported one case each of BQ.1 and BA.2.3.20 sub-variants. These cases are from the period of September 24 to October 11. As per the primary information, all these cases are mild. It said 15 out of these 20 cases (18 of XBB and one each of BQ.1 and BA.2.3.20) were vaccinated against COVID-19 while information on the rest five cases is to be received. The BQ.1 case in Pune is of mild variety and has a history of travel to the USA. "Genetic mutations are part of the natural life cycle of the virus and there is no need to be conc

Lumpy widespread among cows: HC, asks Maha response on plea seeking policy

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday noted that lumpy skin disease is widespread among the cattle and sought the Maharashtra government's response to a plea for framing a policy or standard operating procedure. A division bench of Justices S V Gangapurwala and R N Laddha asked the government to file its affidavit and posted the matter for hearing on November 17. "It (lumpy skin disease) is a widespread disease spreading across the state. You (the government) will have to come up with a policy. We know it will take some time," the bench said. The bench was hearing a petition filed by Raju Shetti, founder of Swambhiman Shetkari Sanghatana, stating that the lumpy skin disease was on the rise but the state government was doing nothing except issuing circulars on the issue. The plea said the government ought to take steps as provided under the provisions of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act. As per the PIL, farmers are already facing hardship

Godrej & Boyce creating hurdles for bullet train project: Maha govt to HC

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday told the Bombay High Court that Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd had left no stone unturned to create unnecessary hurdles for acquisition of land, owned by the company, for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project. A division bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and Sharmila Deshmukh was hearing a petition filed by Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd challenging an order of September 15, 2022 passed by the state government awarding compensation to it for land acquisition for the project. The company, in their petition, sought that the high court direct the state government to not start the process of awarding compensation and initiate possession proceedings. The state government, in its affidavit filed by deputy collector (land acquisition) Jagatsing Girase, termed the company's allegations as frivolous, baseless, unwarranted and unsubstantiated. It also informed the court that the acquiring body of the state government has already deposited

Maharashtra: Man clicks on 'update' power bill link, loses Rs 2.14 lakh

A 48-year-old man from Nagpur in Maharashtra lost Rs 2.14 lakh after he clicked on the online link sent by fraudsters posing as state discom officials who asked him to "update" his electricity bill, police said on Tuesday. The victim received text messages on his mobile phone informing him that his electricity connection would be disconnected if he did not update and pay the "pending" bills in April this year. When he called on the contact number believing that the message came from the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), the person from the other side asked him to install a remote access app on his mobile phone, a police official said. "After he downloaded the app, the fraudsters asked him to make the payment. Assuming that he was updating the bill, the man clicked on the link. Within seconds, an amount of Rs 2.14 lakh got transferred from his bank account to another account," the official said. A case was registered under various sections of the .

Maharashtra records 358 new Covid-19 cases, 2 deaths; active tally at 2,788

Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 358 fresh coronavirus cases and two fatalities that raised the tally of infections to 81,28,258 and the toll to 1,48,374, a health department official said. With 370 patients recovering from the infection in the last 24 hours, the count of recoveries reached 79,77,096, the official said. As per a bulletin from the health department, the state is now left with 2,788 active cases. Mumbai recorded 128 fresh cases. Both the fatalities were reported from Nagpur city and district. Maharashtra's (COVID-19) fatality rate now stands at 1.82 per cent and the recovery rate at 98.14 per cent, the bulletin said. A total of 14,475 swab samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of tests conducted so far in the state to 79,76,726, it said. Coronavirus figures in Maharashtra are as follows: Total cases 81.28,258, new cases 359, death toll 1,48,374, recoveries 79,77,096, active cases 2,788, number of tests so far 79,76,726.

Sanjay Raut's bail hearing to continue on Oct 21 in money laundering case

A special court on Tuesday said it would continue hearing on October 21 into the bail plea of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case. Special Judge M G Deshpande also extended Raut's judicial custody till October 21 after he was produced in the court at the end of his remand on Tuesday. In the court, Raut met NCP leader Eknath Khadse, who had come there to mark his presence in connection with a money laundering case lodged against him by Enforcement Directorate (ED). The two leaders spoke briefly during which Raut was heard telling Khadse he would be out of the prison soon. The ED's probe against Raut pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of a Patra Chawl (row tenement) and related financial transactions involving the Sena leader's wife and associates. On Tuesday, Raut's counsel Ashok Mundargi completed his rejoinder arguments during which he told the court that the allegations levelled agai

New Omicron subvariant BQ.1 detected in Pune; Covid cases surge in state

The Maharashtra health department has cautioned that the COVID-19 cases could rise especially during winters and the festive season, citing new variants like BA.2.3.20 and BQ.1 reported from the state. These variants have been detected for the first time in the country, it said. It also said that the new XBB variant of coronavirus has a growth advantage over BA.2.75 and has immune evasive property. A health bulletin on Monday said the COVID-19 cases rose by 17.7 per cent in the state between October 10 and 16 as compared to between October 3 and 9. This rise has been noticed particularly in the densely populated districts of Thane, Raigad and Mumbai, it said. "Some experts are predicting a rise in the coming winter season especially in the festive environment. In WGS (whole genome sequencing), the proportion of BA.2.75 has decreased to 76 per cent from 95 per cent," the bulletin said. "The state has reported XBB which is a new variant having growth advantage over BA.2.75 and immu

BJP claims victory on 397 seats in Maharashtra gram panchayat polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday claimed to have won a maximum of 397 seats in gram panchayat elections in Maharashtra. The results of the elections held on Sunday for 1,079 Gram Panchayats were declared on Monday. A voter turnout of more than 75 per cent was recorded. The BJP has become the number one party in gram panchayat elections by winning 397 seats. Along with chief minister Eknath Shinde-led 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena', the joint rally has reached 478," the state BJP said in a social media post. The BJP has managed to win the post of Sarpanch or village head in 235 villages. The Congress claimed to have won 134 seats, Nationalist Congress Party 110, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) 128 and the 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena' 114. As many as 300 Independent candidates have also won the gram panchayat elections. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said voters have given their verdict in favour of 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena'. "The step we took (of parting ways with the U