Mumbai News Highlights: Bus services between Maharashtra-Karnataka suspended as inter-state language dispute escalates

Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that the Centre's efforts gave momentum to the country's cooperative sector, and underscored its importance in making India a developed nation by 2047.

Addressing the valedictory function of the diamond jubilee celebrations of Janata Sahakari Bank Limited in Pune, Shah said the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi made India's cooperative sector marketable.

Separately, the Union Home Minister chaired the 27th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Pune.

He urged the cooperative banking sector to embrace technology.

“In the last three years, the Centre has worked to give momentum to the cooperative movement in the country. We have made the model of India's cooperative sector marketable. We are empowering cooperative education by bringing a cooperative university bill,” said Shah.

Shah credited Pune MP and MoS for Cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, for the establishment of the first regional branch of the Central Register of Cooperative Societies in the city. (PTI)

The people of Maharashtra have given a clear verdict on which is the genuine Shiv Sena and NCP by ensuring a massive victory for the Mahayuti in the assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Saturday.

The Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party split in June 2022 and July 2023, respectively, with a faction of each of the two parties joining the BJP-led Mahayuti and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi.

The Mahayuti won 230 of the 288 Maharashtra assembly seats in the polls held in November, while the Sena and NCP factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, respectively, fared poorly.

Speaking at an event where sanction letters were allotted to 20 lakh beneficiaries and the first installment was disbursed to 10 lakh beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Shah said he was deeply grateful to the people of Maharashtra for the stellar support in the assembly polls.

"Your blessings brought the Mahayuti to power, leading to the formation of the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government. By giving a historic mandate, the people of Maharashtra also delivered a clear verdict on which Shiv Sena and which NCP are genuine," Shah said. (PTI)

Two men have been booked by the police in Palghar, Maharashtra, for allegedly transporting cattle without necessary permit.

The police also seized their tempo late on Tuesday after a patrol team on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway noted the vehicle, crammed with buffaloes and calves, was heading to Mira Road.

“There were 14 buffaloes and a few calves stuffed inside the vehicle. They were placed in such a way that it looked like the animals were struggling inside the tempo. On inspection it was found that the vehicle did not have the permit to transport cattle,” said an officer. Read more

A day after a probe was ordered into the Rs 900-crore housing project approved by Eknath Shinde during his tenure as the Chief Minister of the erstwhile Mahayuti government, the Shiv Sena leader said on Friday that he should not be taken lightly as he could make or break governments.

Shinde made these remarks during his Vidarbha tour on Friday. Speaking to media persons in Nagpur, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “Do not take me lightly. I have already said this to those who have taken me lightly in the past. I maybe a normal party worker but everyone should understand that I am also a follower of Balasaheb.”

Hinting at his fallout with Uddhav Thackeray that led to the split in the Shiv Sena and the subsequent downfall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in 2022, Shinde said, “As promised,  we brought the government of common people to power in Maharashtra. I had said Devendra Fadnavis would get 200 plus seats. The Mahayuti got 232 seats in the 2024 Assembly elections.” Read more

The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) began on Friday, but an alleged question paper leak surfaced at an exam centre in Badnapur taluka, Jalna district, which falls under the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar division. However, authorities have refuted the claims of a leak, attributing the situation to a disturbance outside the centre caused by resistance to the strict anti-copying measures.

The controversy emerged after a viral video from a local news channel surfaced, alleging that photocopies of the Marathi question paper, along with answers, were available at a Xerox shop near the Zilla Parishad (ZP) School exam centre in Badnapur taluka. This occurred just minutes after the exam began at 11 am on Friday. The video also showed chaos outside the exam centre, fuelling further speculation. Read More

Amid talk of a growing rift with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde on Friday said nobody should take him lightly, and made a veiled reference to the toppling of the MVA government.

It was a warning for those who are capable of understanding, he said, talking to reporters in Nagpur.

He had been a worker of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and Sena leader late Anand Dighe, said Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena.

"In 2022, I toppled the cart of those who took me lightly, and we brought in a new government that stayed in the people's hearts," Shinde said, apparently referring to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Shinde had then become chief minister by splitting the Thackeray-led Sena and forming an alliance with the BJP.

"The double-engine government (headed by Shinde) ran at full speed, I and Devendra Fadnavis said we would win over 200 seats. We won 232 seats (in the 2024 assembly polls)," he said.

"Do not take me lightly. The hint is enough for those who understand it. I will continue to do my work," he added.

While both Shinde and Fadnavis have denied that there is discord, recent developments suggested there are simmering tensions. (PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 98th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan at Delhi’s Talkatora Stadium on Friday. He said that the literary festival is happening at a time when India is celebrating 350 years of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation. “During the long period of slavery, the Marathi language became the war cry in battle against the invaders, and warriors like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Peshwa Baji Rao made the enemies bite the dust."

"Similarly, during the freedom struggle, Vasudev Balwant Phadke, Lokmanya Tilak and Veer Savarkar made the British bite dust,” PM Modi added.

He was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, who is heading the reception committee for this year’s event. "On invitation from Sharad Pawar ji, I was able to join this glorious tradition. I would like to congratulate everyone, especially those who love the Marathi language, for organising this event," Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the 98th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former Union minister Sharad Pawar among other dignitaries.

The sammelan was first held in 1878 with noted scholar and social reformer Mahadev Govind Ranade as its president. It has been held almost annually since 1926 and brought together scholars, critics and literary figures to deliberate on a range of issues, including the relevance of Marathi in changing times.

Well known expert of Marathi folk literature, culture, traditions and theatre artiste Tara Bhawalkar is the president of the conference.

The conference was last held in Delhi in 1954 with lexicographer Tarkatirtha Laxmanshastri Joshi as the president. The conference was inaugurated by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The sammelan will host a diverse array of panel discussions, book exhibitions, cultural performances, and interactive sessions with eminent literary figures. It will also celebrate the timeless relevance of Marathi literature and explore its role in contemporary discourse, including themes of language preservation, translation, and the impact of digitalization on literary works.

It will feature over 2,600 poetry submissions, 50 book launches, and 100 bookstalls among others. A special train from Pune to Delhi ferried nearly 1200 participants for the sammelan, showcasing the unifying spirit of literature. (PTI)

Amid the discord in the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra over some of the decisions taken during the tenure of the previous government led by Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, state Transport Minister and Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik has now blamed the former regime for losses incurred by the state-run MSRTC.

Sarnaik was responding to a demand to extend concessions by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to journalists. Speaking at a press conference in Dharashiv on Thursday, he said, “Women and senior citizens were given concessions to travel. Fifty per cent discount in buses for beloved sisters, free buses for senior citizens… Due to this, the corporation is losing Rs 3 crore every day.  The situation has become like this due to this concession.”

“If we keep giving such concessions to everyone, I think it will be difficult to run the corporation, so I cannot consider this demand at the moment. MSRTC should reach every village. I will try to ensure that our buses reach new areas,” he added. Read More

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair on Saturday the 27th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Pune, which will provide a platform for resolving disputes and issues between the Centre and States in the region.

The Western Zonal Council comprises the states of Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra and the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The zonal councils hold discussions on a wide range of issues, including speedy investigation of cases of sexual offence/rape against women and children and implementation of Fast Track Special Courts for expeditious disposal of such cases.

Facilitation of banks/India Post Payment Bank branches within 5 km in each village, implementation of Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), issues relating to infrastructure, mining, environment and forests, food security parameters and other subjects of common interest at the regional level are other issues discussed at the meetings. (PTI)

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police on Wednesday arrested 58-year-old Lallan SIngh who had been absconding in the Torres fraud case ever since the scam came to light.

Singh is alleged to have taken nearly Rs 14 crore invested by people into a group of companies and routed it back to Torres in legitimate currency. This is the seventh arrest in the case.

An official said the accused was arrested from Navi Mumbai and had been hiding in Prayagraj where the Kumbh Mela was in progress in the past few weeks. Earlier, the ED too had raided premises linked to Singh. Read More

Three persons were arrested allegedly with whiskers and canine teeth of tiger/leopard as well as pangolin scales in Maharashtra's Gondia district, a forest department official said on Thursday.

They were held from Sadak Arjuni range on Wednesday on a tip-off received by Divisional Forest Officer P G Kodape (Vigilance), he said.

"The arrested persons have been identified as Vitthal Mangru Sarati, Harish Laxman Landge and Ghaynshyam Brahmankar. We recovered 22 big cat whiskers, tiger/leopard canine teeth, pangolin scales and a country-made revolver. They were booked under Wildlife Protect Act and a court has remanded them in custody till February 21," the official said. (PTI)

Embattled Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde on Thursday said he has been diagnosed with Bell's Palsy, a condition that causes sudden weakness in face muscles, which had severely affected his ability to speak.

Munde made the announcement on Facebook.

"Currently, I cannot speak properly for even two minutes, which has prevented me from attending cabinet meetings and public events," Munde said in his social media post.

Munde assured Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar that he was committed to overcoming his illness and returning to public service as soon as possible.

The minister had undergone eye surgery under Dr TP Lahane some 15 days ago, and he had been advised to stay away from bright lights, dust and sun exposure. Munde is under fire from the opposition and some Mahayuti colleagues after close aide Walmik Karad was held in an extortion case linked to the abduction and brutal murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Massajog in Beed on December 9. (PTI)