An Air India Express Flight IX 1202, carrying 183 Indians evacuated from Ukraine, landed in Mumbai around 5.30 am. (Twitter/PIBMumbai)Mumbai News: A flight from Bucharest carrying 183 Indians, including an infant, stranded in Ukraine landed in Mumbai on Thursday. Union minister Raosaheb Danve welcomed passengers of the third evacuation flight as it landed around 5.30 am.
In other news, the Maharashtra Board HSC 12th Exam 2022 will begin on Friday. The exams will be held in two shifts- morning from 10:30 am to 2 pm and afternoon from 3 pm to 6:30 pm. Total of 1,485,826 candidates will be appearing for the exams across Maharashtra, with 33,50,20 from Mumbai division.
Meanwhile, the first day of the Budget Session of the Maharashtra state legislature started off on a stormy note with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari winding up his address to the joint session of both the Houses in two minutes amid sloganeering by the legislators.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari found himself in a fresh controversy on Thursday after he was captured on video mocking the child marriage of social activists Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule. “Savitribai was married off at the age of 10 and her husband was 13-year-old at that time. Now, think about it, what must girls and boys be thinking after getting married” – Koshyari is heard saying in the purported video.
A day after reporting zero Covid-19 death, Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 12 fatalities and 467 new cases, including 243 Omicron infections, the state health department said. With the addition, the state's coronavirus positive tally rose to 78,67,391 and toll to 1,43,718.
On Wednesday, the state had recorded 544 coronavirus positive cases, but did not report any fatality. The last time the state recorded zero death was on April 1, 2020.
Mumbai did not report any Covid-19 death for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday, but recorded 80 new cases of the infection, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. With the addition of these cases, the city's caseload reached 10,56,729, while the death toll remained unchanged at 16,691, it said.
The Maharashtra government on Thursday presented supplementary demands worth Rs 6,250.36 crore in the state legislature on the first day of the budget session. The amount of Rs 1,400 crore was earmarked for special grants to municipal councils for infrastructure works, Rs 1,500 crore for pension and other wages, Rs 3,190 crore for industries, power and labour departments, Rs 2,936 crore for the urban development department and Rs 1,500 crore for the finance department.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday said 70 per cent of the adult population in the state is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. There has not been any noticeable stress on Maharashtra's health infrastructure in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which started around the third week of December 2021, due to the state's 'pro-active role in pre-planning and vaccination drive', Koshyari said in his address to the state legislature's joint session on the first day of the budget session.The speech copy was released by the Raj Bhavan after the governor left the Vidhan Bhavan without completing his address due to slogan-shouting by legislators.
The first day of the Budget Session of the state legislature started off on a stormy note on Thursday with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari winding up his address to the joint session of both the Houses in two minutes amid sloganeering by the legislators.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government claimed that the Governor’s move was shocking and was not in line with the dignity of the post that he held. State Congress president Nana Patole said that the party was exploring legal options on moving a motion to recall the Governor.
Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday alleged that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was devoted to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, a key conspirator in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. Speaking to reporters on the premises of Vidhan Bhavan here, Fadnavis claimed that there were enough documents to prove state minister Nawab Malik's links with Dawood.
"The MVA government is devoted to Dawood Ibrahim. There are enough documents to prove Nawab Malik's links with Dawood," Fadnavis alleged, stating that the BJP will not let the budget session function till Malik is removed from the cabinet.
Ahead of the Maharashtra legislature's budget session, BJP legislators staged a protest on steps of the Vidhan Bhavan here on Thursday against the state government's decision not to remove minister Nawab Malik from his post.
Last week, the Enforcement Directorate arrested state Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.
Four teenage boys drowned in the Arabian sea off Kelwa beach in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Thursday afternoon, police said.
The incident occurred around 1 pm, an official said, adding that while one of the deceased was a resident of Kelwa, three others were his friends from Nashik. (With PTI)
IN ITS detailed order rejecting the anticipatory bail of inspector Om Wangate in connection with the case related to extortion of angadias, a sessions court said it took the decision “considering the nature of allegation, statement recorded during enquiry and seriousness of the offence”.
An FIR was registered against inspector Wangate, API Nitin Kadam and PSI Samadhan Jamdaade following an enquiry by the additional commissioner of police (south region) after allegations of extortion made by angadias. While Kadam and Jamdaade were arrested by the police, Wangate was absconding.
Later, Wangate filed an anticipatory bail application, which was rejected by the court earlier this week. Read more
Union minister Narayan Rane and his son, MLA Nitesh Rane will appear before Mumbai Police on Saturday in connection with a case where they are accused of making defamatory and misleading statements about Disha Salian, late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's former manager.
Salian died by suicide by jumping off a building on June 8, 2020, six days before Rajput was found dead inside his Bandra home. Earlier, suburban Malvani police had sent notices to the Ranes, asking Nitesh Rane -- who is a BJP MLA -- to appear before the investigating officer on Thursday. His father and BJP leader Narayan Rane had been asked to appear on Friday, a police official said here.
But the duo's lawyers informed that as the Maharashtra legislature was in session, they would appear before police on Saturday, the official added. Accordingly, the statements of both Narayan Rane and Nitesh Rane will be recorded at 1 pm on Saturday, he said. (PTI)
A day after reporting zero Covid-19 death, Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 12 fatalities and 467 new cases, including 243 Omicron infections, the state health department said. With the addition, the state's coronavirus positive tally rose to 78,67,391 and toll to 1,43,718.
On Wednesday, the state had recorded 544 coronavirus positive cases, but did not report any fatality. The last time the state recorded zero death was on April 1, 2020.
"Today, 234 patients with Omicron infection were reported in the state. All these patients were reported by Kasturba hospital's laboratory," the health department said in a statement. All 234 infections were reported from Mumbai. (PTI)
In the wake of the question paper leak last year, the state housing department has blacklisted G A Software Technology Private Limited selected to conduct examinations for recruitment in Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). The order in the regard was issued on Thursday.
Speaking to the Indian Express, MHADA vice chairman Anil Diggikar said, “We had a lot of faith in this agency because they had conducted many examinations in the state. We relied on their profile and hired them to conduct examinations for various posts – from clerks to engineers. But exam paper for MHADA recruitment was leaked in Aurangabad… we cancelled examinations. Thereafter, we filed a FIR against this agency and action began.” Yogesh Naik reports
The BJP on Thursday warned that it will not relent on its demand for resignation of cabinet minister Nawab Malik for his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
On the first day of budget session, the opposition BJP protested against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government at Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai.
The budget session that commenced on Thursday will conclude on March 25. The budget 2022-23 will be presented by deputy CM and finance minister Ajit Pawar on March 11. Read more
The CBI has said that Indrani Mukerjea's plea claiming that her daughter Sheena Bora, whom she is accused of killing, is alive, is a "figment of her imagination" and “next to impossible”. Mukerjea had recently submitted an eight-page application before the special CBI court, claiming that Bora is alive.
In the application submitted through her lawyer Sana Raees Khan, Mukerjea had sought that the CBI and prosecution be directed to file an affidavit in response.
Mukerjea claimed that Asha Korke, a former police inspector lodged in Byculla women's prison in an extortion case, has allegedly told her that in June, 2021 she had met a woman who looked like Sheena Bora in Srinagar. (PTI)
The Maharashtra government on Thursday decided to explore legal options to restore the political quota of OBCs after the Supreme Court refused to accept the interim report of the State Backward Classes Commission for the 27 per cent reservation to the community in local body elections.
During its meeting held at the Vidhan Bhavan premises here, the state cabinet discussed in detail the decision of the apex court, which noted that the report has been prepared without empirical study and research, an official said.
"The cabinet decided that the government will explore legal options to restore the quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in local body polls. The cabinet also decided to write to the State Election Commission (SEC) not to hold these elections till any decision on restoring reservation for the community is taken," the official said. (PTI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) was left red-faced before a special court when the agency conceded of a "typographical" error in an earlier remand note in which it had mentioned that the amount allegedly paid by Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's sister as Rs 55 lakh instead of Rs 5 lakh.
After the ED accepted the mistake, the court extended Malik's remand till March 7. During the hearing, the agency conceded that there was a mistake in its earlier remand plea which had alleged that Malik paid Rs 55 lakh to late Haseena Parkar, Ibrahim's sister, and it should be read as Rs 5 lakh.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh also clarified that the figure of Rs 55 lakh mentioned in the first remand application was a "typographical error," and should be read as Rs 5 lakh. (PTI)
IPS officer Rashmi Shukla has approached the Bombay High Court seeking to quash an FIR registered against her at Bund Garden police station in Pune last month in the illegal phone-tapping case.
Shukla, who is currently posted in Hyderabad as the additional director general of the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) South Zone, filed the petition earlier this week through her counsel Sameer Nangre. The petition is likely to be listed for hearing on Friday.
The FIR was filed against Shukla on February 26 under relevant sections of the Indian Telegraph Act for alleged illegal tapping of phones of politicians between 2015 and 2019 during her tenure as the Pune police commissioner. (PTI)
Mumbai did not report any Covid-19 death for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday, but recorded 80 new cases of the infection, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
With the addition of these cases, the city's caseload reached 10,56,729, while the death toll remained unchanged at 16,691, it said.
A total of 118 patients were discharged during the day, which raised the recovery count to 10,36,5076. There are now 650 active cases in the metropolis, the civic body said in its report. (PTI)
Two gas cylinders exploded in a slum room at Gagangiri Chawl, Thane, Thursday afternoon. The incident happened at 4.35 pm, damaging six slum rooms. The Thane Municipal Corporation informed the media that no casualties or injuries were reported.