Page 27 - Maharashtra

Uddhav faction to start 'Mahaprabodhan Yatra' from Shinde stronghold Thane

The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena will begin its mass outreach programme titled 'Mahaprabodhan Yatra' on Sunday from Thane, the stronghold of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, whose rebellion brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June. The programme comprises a series of rallies across the state to garner support of the people and highlight their issues and also boost the spirit of workers, Sena leader Chintamani Kharkhanis told reporters on Saturday. Incidentally, the posters of the yatra, with the slogan 'Aapla Maharashtra, Mahaan Maharashtra' will have images of both party founder late Bal Thackeray and Thane strongman later Anand Dighe, just like the publicity material used by the Shinde camp. The yatra is beginning from Thane as it is the cradle of the "betrayal and revolt" in the party, local Lok Sabha MP Rajan Vichare told reporters, a reference to Shinde walking away with a majority of MLAs to bring down the Uddhav Thackeray government on June

12 dead, 43 injured as bus catches fire after hitting truck in Nashik

Twelve passengers, including a two-year-old child, were killed and 43 others injured as a private bus travelling to Mumbai caught fire after hitting a trailer truck in Nashik city of Maharashtra early on Saturday, police officials said. The accident took place at Nandur Naka on Nashik-Aurangabad highway around 5.15 am when the sleeper bus was coming from Yavatmal in eastern Maharashtra, they said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the bus tragedy and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the dead and said the medical expenses of the injured would be borne by the state government. The CM visited the spot and the District Civil Hospital, where most of the patients were admitted. He said a detailed inquiry into the accident will be carried out. "A luxury bus travelling to Mumbai from ..

More than Rs 20 cr disbursed to kin of 4,713 Covid-19 victims in Raigad

More than Rs 20 crore has been distributed as compensation to the kin of coronavirus victims in Raigad district in Maharashtra, an official said on Saturday. He said 4,713 persons have died due to COVID-19 in the district so far and the compensation amount stands at Rs 50,000 each. "We have so far disbursed Rs 20.47 crore. While the applications of the kin of 4,094 victims have been processed, a total of 619 applications are in the process of being approved," he said. The district's COVID-19 caseload as on Saturday was 2,85,684, including 2,20,884 recoveries, the official added.

NCP chief Pawar welcomes Mohan Bhagwats' comments on social discrimination

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Saturday welcomed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement that anything which causes social discrimination must be junked. Speaking at a book launch event here on Friday, Bhagwat had said concepts like 'Varna' and 'Jaati' (caste) should be completely discarded, adding that the caste system has no relevance now. "Everything that causes discrimination should go out lock, stock and barrel," the RSS chief had said. He had also said one must not hesitate to accept and apologise for the mistakes committed by one's ancestors. Speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport, Pawar, however, said such statements need to be implemented in actual behaviour and must not remain as lip service. "A big segment of society suffered due to such discrimination. And the fact that those who were responsible for such discrimination are realising it must be done away with is a good thing," he said. "Only apologising, however, will not

10 dead, 24 injured after bus hits truck, catches fire in Maharashtra

Ten persons were killed and 24 injured after a bus hit a truck and caught fire in Maharashtra's Nashik city early Saturday, police said. The accident took place on Aurangabad Road around 5 am, an official said. The private bus, a 'sleeper' coach, had around 30 passengers. It hit the truck at Nandur Naka and caught fire in a few minutes, the official said. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, the official said. Most of those killed and injured were bus passengers, he said. The truck was going from Dhule to Mumbai, he added.

Maharashtra logs 366 coronavirus cases, 5 deaths; active tally at 2,310

Maharashtra on Friday reported 366 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths linked to the infection, taking the overall tally to 81,23,819 and the toll to 1,48,355, said the health department. The state has witnessed a significant jump in daily cases and coronavirus-linked fatalities as compared to the previous day. Maharashtra had reported 198 cases and one death due to the infection on Thursday. Of the total new cases, the highest 207 were registered in the Mumbai administrative circle followed by Pune (85), Nagpur (20), Latur (16), Nashik (14), Aurangabad (11), Kolhapur (7) and Akola (6) circles, said the department in a bulletin. An administrative circle consists of multiple districts. Of the eight circles in Maharashtra, Pune reported two fatalities, while one each death was registered in Mumbai, Kolhapur and Aurangabad circles in the last 24 hours, said the department. The number of recuperated cases rose to 79,73,154 after 574 more patients recovered from the respiratory

Uddhav-led Sena mocks Shinde, says he just read out 'Modi-Shah Chalisa'

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Friday alleged that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Dussehra rally was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-backed event, and mocked him saying that he only "read out Modi-Shah Chalisa" during his speech. It also dubbed the Shinde-led rebel faction as a "duplicate Shiv Sena". In an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', the party claimed that the Shinde camp must have spent Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore on the Dussehra rally held at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), as nearly 2,000 buses were booked to ferry supporters and over two lakh people who attended the event were given food. "The rally at the BKC was one of the BJP-backed events. The amount spent must have been the same used for buying a couple of MLAs. The event was like a fashion show and a beauty pageant," it said. Ever since Shinde and other Sena legislators rebelled against the party leadership, the Uddhav Thackeray faction has been targeting them saying that each of the reb

Truck carrying devotees overturns after break failure near Pune; 13 injured

Thirteen devotees on way to the temple town of Alandi in Pune district were injured after the truck they were travelling in overturned near here on Thursday evening, said police. According to the police, around two dozen devotees from Aurangabad district in central Maharashtra were heading towards Alandi in a truck after offering prayers at a temple in Jejuri near Pune city when the accident took place in Shindwane ghat. "While negotiating a slope in Shindwane ghat, the vehicle's brakes failed. The driver tried to halt the truck, but it skidded in loose soil and overturned, injuring 13 devotees," said an officer of the Loni Kalbhor police station. He said the pilgrims received minor injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they are being treated.

Maharashtra logs 198 new Covid cases, 1 death; active tally down to 2,523

Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 198 new coronavirus cases, while one more patient succumbed to the infection in the state, the health department said. With these additions, the state's overall COVID-19 tally rose to 81,23,453, while the death toll increased to 1,48,350, said the department in a bulletin. On Wednesday, the state had recorded 416 cases and zero fatality. Mumbai registered 80 cases and accounted for the lone coronavirus-related death in the state in the last 24 hours, said the bulletin. The case fatality rate in the state stood at 1.82 per cent, while the coronavirus recovery rate was 98.14 per cent. The department said 328 patients recovered from the coronavirus infection in the last 24 hours, taking their cumulative count to 79,72,580 and leaving the state with 2,523 active case. It said 10,534 new coronavirus tests were conducted in the state, pushing up their total count to 8,48,96,526. Nashik district in north Maharashtra added 12 new patients, taking the ..

Devendra Fadnavis hails Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde's Dussehra rally

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hailed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Dussehra rally and exuded confidence for the upcoming Assembly elections

Uddhav, Shinde accuse each other of betrayal at rival Dussehra rallies

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday accused each other of betrayal as the Shiv Sena groups headed by them held Dussehra rallies in Mumbai. While Uddhav Thackeray branded Shinde and his supporters as traitors for teaming up with the BJP to wrest power, the latter said Thackeray had betrayed people of Maharashtra who voted for the Sena and BJP to form an alliance government, by teaming up with Congress and NCP after 2019 Assembly elections. Thackeray made an hour-long speech at Shivaji Park ground, where his party has been holding the Dussehra rallies since its inception half a century ago, while Shinde addressed the crowd for an hour and a half at a bigger ground at Bandra Kurla Complex. Shinde asserted his rebellion was not an act of "betrayal", but a "revolt" and asked Uddhav Thackeray to kneel down at party founder Bal Thackeray's memorial here and apologise for going against his ideals and aligning with the Congress and the .

'Shiv Sena isn't Uddhav's private company,' says Shinde at Dussehra rally

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday asserted his rebellion was not an act of "betrayal", but a "revolt" and asked Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray to kneel down at party founder Bal Thackeray's memorial here and apologise for going against his ideals and aligning with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Addressing a mega rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex's MMRDA ground on the occasion of Dussehra, Shinde said voters in the state elected the Shiv Sena and the BJP in the 2019 Assembly elections, but Thackeray "betrayed" people by joining hands with the Congress and the NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. He said massive crowds at his Dussehra rally was proof enough to show who are true inheritors of Bal Thackeray's legacy. Slamming Thackeray, Shinde, who heads the rebel faction of the party, said the Shiv Sena was not a private limited company and maintained the 56-year-old outfit was built through hard work of common Sena ...

Maharashtra records 416 new Covid cases, zero death; active tally at 2,654

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 416 new COVID-19 cases, taking the overall tally to 81,23,255, while no fresh death linked to the infection was registered in the state, the health department said. The death toll remained unchanged at 1,48,349. The state has witnessed a slight rise in new cases as compared to Tuesday, when it had reported 407 COVID-19 infections and two fatalities. Of the new cases, the highest 209 were registered in the Mumbai administrative circle followed by Pune (110), Nagpur (36), Akola (17), Nashik (13), Kolhapur (12), Latur (10) and Aurangabad (9) circles, a health department bulletin said. An administrative circle consists of multiple districts. The cumulative number of recuperated cases rose to 79,72,252 after 477 patients recovered from the infection in the past 24 hours, said the bulletin. Maharashtra has 2,654 active COVID-19 cases and of these, the highest - 795 - are in Mumbai, followed by 733 and 307 in Pune and Thane districts, respectively, it

Mumbai logs 127 Covid-19 cases, no fresh death; active tally at 795

Mumbai on Wednesday reported 127 new coronavirus cases, taking the overall tally to 11,50,828, while no fresh death due to the infection was recorded in the metropolis, the city civic body said. The death toll remained unchanged at 19,733. The city has reported more than 100 COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day. On Tuesday, the financial capital had logged 155 COVID-19 cases, but zero fatalities. The new COVID-19 cases were detected after 6,713 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking their cumulative count to 1,83,36,710, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bulletin said. A day ago, 4,387 coronavirus tests were conducted in the city. The tally of recuperated cases rose to 11,30,300 after 116 more patients recovered from the respiratory illness in the last 24 hours, said the bulletin. The city has a coronavirus recovery rate of 98.2 per cent and now is left with 795 active cases. Of the 127 new COVID-19 cases, only 9 patients were symptomatic, according

'Whoever becomes my heir will be my son': Shinde takes a dig at Thackerays

Ahead of his Dussehra rally, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday tweeted a couplet by famous Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, which said that whosoever is his heir will be his son and not vice versa. Shinde's tweet appears to be targeted at former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray. While Uddhav Thackeray heads one faction of the Shiv Sena, Shinde leads another camp. Both the leaders are scheduled to address the Dussehra rallies of their respective factions in Mumbai this evening. Bachchan's couplet posted by Shinde said, "My son, being my son will not be my heir, whoever will be my heir will be my son." The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government collapsed on June 29 this year after Shinde rebelled against the Sena leadership along with 39 party legislators. A day later, he took oath as the chief minister with senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy. Aaditya Thackeray, who represents

Govt plans to auction 22 mineral blocks in 3 states within next two months

The government plans to auction 22 mineral blocks in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Goa in November and December. The mines to be auctioned include six iron ore blocks, three blocks each of limestone and gold, two blocks of bauxite, one block each of copper, phosphorite and glauconite, according to the mines ministry. The notice inviting tenders for the blocks were floated in September. While the mines in Maharashtra will be auctioned next month, those in Uttar Pradesh and Goa will be put on sale in December. So far, more than 180 mineral blocks have been put on sale since the system of auctioning of mineral blocks began. The government started the process of allocating mineral blocks through auctions in 2015-16. The ministry has expressed hopes of auctioning 500 mines by the end of 2024. The Centre is aiming to increase the mining sector's contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 5 per cent from 2.5 per cent at present. The ministry has also notified the Mi

Maha cabinet allows home loan for police, speeding up Nagpur Metro project

The Maharashtra cabinet has cleared a proposal to allow police personnel to take home loans at subsidised interest rates. The scheme was earlier launched in 2017 and was implemented till 2019, after which it was discontinued by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The new Eknath Shinde government has decided to reintroduce the scheme for which the State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation will operate as the nodal agency, a government statement said on Tuesday. The cabinet also cleared a revised proposal of Rs 9,279.06 crore to speed up phase-1 of the Nagpur Metro project. The state has sanctioned Rs 622 crore interest free loan for the Nagpur Metro phase-1 project and also approved the land transfer proposal, the statement said. The cabinet has also cleared the pending project of transportation of the Krishna river water to Marathwada by sanctioning Rs 11,726.91 crore. It will benefit 33,945 hectares of land for irrigation in eight districts, the statement ..

Maharashtra's Thane records 40 new Covid-19 cases; active tally at 302

As many as 40 new COVID-19 cases have been detected in Maharashtra's Thane district, taking its infection count to 7,45,189, a health official said on Wednesday. With the addition of the latest cases on Tuesday, there are currently 302 active COVID-19 cases in Thane, which comes under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, he said. The death toll in Thane remained unchanged at 11,962, he said, adding that the recovery count has reached 7,33,653.

Ration card holders in Maha to get grocery package at Rs 100 for Diwali

The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday decided to provide a package of groceries at Rs 100 to holders of the ration card in the state for the upcoming Diwali festival. The package will contain 1 kg of rawa (sooji), groundnuts, edible oil and yellow lentils. "There are 1.70 crore families or seven crore people who have ration cards and are eligible to buy foodgrains from state-run fair price shops," the statement said. The proposal was moved by the Department of Food and Civil Supply and Consumer Protection. As per the Reserve Bank of India's consumer price index, the country's retail inflation rate is 7 per cent. Against this backdrop, the state government's decision to offer essential items at subsidised rates will enable the economically-weaker sections to prepare snacks and sweets for Diwali using the package of groceries. Notably, many civic and local governing bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, in the state are due for elections in the coming months.

HC grants bail to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in ED case

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in an alleged money laundering case. Justice N J Jamadar pronounced the order. Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the HC to hear and decide the NCP leader's plea expeditiously as it was pending for six months. His lawyers Vikram Chaudhari and Aniket Nikam argued that considering his age (72), health and the fact that he had no criminal antecedents he should be granted bail. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), opposed the application arguing that Deshmukh did not suffer from any ailments that cannot be treated at jail hospital. Arrested by the ED in November 2021, Deshmukh is now in judicial custody. The ED booked him after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a corruption case against him following allegations made by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. The ED claimed that Deshmukh misused his ...