Latest news with #GovernmentResolution
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sena (UBT), MNS, prepare for joint July 5 march against 'Hindi imposition'
MUMBAI: A day after announcing a joint protest rally against the Mahayuti government's 'imposition of Hindi' in primary schools, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have launched a mobilisation drive to get maximum support from citizens. While both Thackeray cousins have assigned partymen to work out the details of the July 5 rally, Uddhav will also participate in a protest organised by the Marathi Abhyas Kendra on Sunday at Azad Maidan to burn copies of the Government Resolution (GR) pertaining to the issue. Senior MNS leaders have been conducting awareness drives, distributing pamphlets in local trains about the rally. (Photo by Jaideep Vaidya) Uddhav has assigned the task of coordination with the MNS to senior leaders Sanjay Raut, Anil Parab and Varun Sardesai. Mumbai MNS chief Sandeep Deshpande, to conduct the awareness drive, has been travelling in local trains, distributing pamphlets and conveying messages about the morcha. 'I am also meeting a lot of Ganeshostav mandals and Govind mandals and asking them for support,' he said. The MNS leaders met police officers to get permission for the morcha. 'Nitin Sardesai, Shirish Sawant and deputy chief of Mumbai city Yashwant Killedar met the additional commissioner (South) Abhinav Deshmukh,' said MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar. 'We were told that allowing a morcha in South Mumbai would amount to contempt of court orders. But if we don't take out a morcha for the sake of Marathi, who will? I am also speaking to leaders of all political parties to make this morcha a big success.' Uddhav Thackeray himself is handling the mobilisation programme of the Sena (UBT). After participating in the Azad Maidan protest on Sunday afternoon, he will hold a meeting of party office bearers, including shakha pramukhs, to discuss preparations for the July 5 march. 'The Marathi Abhyas Kendra, under Deepak Pawar, has organised a protest and a burning of the GR on compulsory Hindi on Sunday,' said a party official. 'Pawar met Thackeray recently and Thackeray assured him that he would participate in the protest. Along with this, party workers will burn the GR at several places, including Dadar and Bandra. Thackeray has directed all district level leaders to burn the GR in their respective districts.' Deepak Pawar on Saturday said that along with Thackeray, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal and MNS leader Nitin Sardesai, CPI leader Prakash Reddy and others would also participate in the Marathi Abhyas Kendra protest. Meanwhile, MP Sanjay Raut expressed hope that the joint march of the Thackeray cousins on July 5 would turn into the beginning of a political alliance. In an interview to a news channel, he revealed that the dialogue between Uddhav and Raj had begun. 'The cousins have spoken to each other before the July 5 march; they will discuss it,' he said. 'Both are ready in their minds for a reunion and no one can stop it.'
Indian Express
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Uncontrolled illegal constructions wouldn't have mushroomed in MMR if 2009 GR was implemented strictly: Bombay HC
The Bombay High Court recently observed that a large number of uncontrolled illegal constructions would not have mushroomed within municipal areas in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) if civic bodies had strictly implemented a 2009 Government Resolution (GR) that laid down detailed guidelines to deal with such structures. While hearing pleas seeking removal of illegal constructions in TMC's jurisdiction, the HC on June 26 also directed that a board along with QR code be installed showing the name of owner of the land, developer and other approvals and details at sanctioned projects across Thane. The court said this will ensure people at large to be aware of legality of such projects and the same ought to be mandatory for all constructions in TMC area, including redevelopment projects. The bench referred to the March 2, 2009 GR issued by then Urban Development Department (UDD) secretary Manu Kumar Shrivastav, which laid down rigorous terms and conditions to take action against illegal and unauthorised constructions mushrooming all over the state. 'If the same was to be implemented in letter and spirit, it would not have brought the present situation of such a large number of uncontrolled unauthorised and illegal construction within municipal jurisdictions of the municipal corporations falling in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region,' the HC said and sought strict implementation of the GR. A division bench of Justices Girish S Kulkarni and Arif S Doctor was hearing compliance by the TMC of its June 12 and 19 orders that cleared the way for demolition of unauthorised structures / buildings constructed on a five-and-half-acre land belonging to the petitioner senior citizen woman at Shil near Mumbra area, which was encroached by the 'land mafia'. It had earlier directed the civic body to act ruthlessly within the parameters of law against officers aiding illegal constructions and ensure illegal constructions in green and no-development zones across its wards are demolished with the help of adequate police protection. Senior advocate Ashutosh Kumbhakoni and advocate Mandar Limaye representing the TMC submitted that between June 19 and 25, nearly 88 illegal structures across wards were demolished. The TMC lawyers also submitted that it had suspended assistant municipal commissioner Faruk Shaikh for allegedly failing to act against illegal constructions despite being privy to the same. The TMC said it has laid down Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which provide that expenses of demolition will be recovered from owners or occupiers of the illegal building. The court noted in its order that apart from the cost to be incurred from landowners, developers and contractors, 'there has to be some percentage of recovery, which in our opinion, should be minimum 10% from the erring officers, with whose blessing such illegal constructions have come up'. The court further stated that such measures be taken for 'timely action against the municipal machinery, which is aiding and abetting construction of unauthorised and illegal buildings of such large magnitude.' 'None except the Thane commissioner has bothered to look at the 209 GR. We are yet to come across any such commissioner doing it including Mumbai, Bhiwandi, Vasai-Virar and others. None wants to do anything about the GR… Machinery wakes up only after we pass orders,' Justice Kulkarni orally remarked. 'Why does this not happen in Singapore, US, UK and other countries? Because enforcement of law is so strict that none can get away. And here, everywhere we see where we can break the law and our officers, the moment there is someone breaking the law, take advantage of those people. This whole thing shows we have no patriotism at all. If you love your village, city, state, you have to be law abiding,' the judge added and posted further hearing to July 10.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Maharashtra govt orders extensive scrutiny of docus to identify illegal Bangladeshi beneficiaries
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In a bid to weed out illegal Bangladeshi beneficiaries of welfare schemes, the Maharashtra government has directed various departments to scrutinise verification documents, particularly those related to identity, residence, and entitlement to growing concerns over national security and misuse of public resources, a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Friday directed departments to maintain a record of individuals who obtained government certificates using forged or manipulated individuals, once identified, will be blacklisted and their details made publicly available on departmental websites to prevent further misuse across government seeking benefits under personal welfare schemes will now be required to sign declarations confirming their Indian citizenship and acknowledging that any false claim based on fake documentation could lead to criminal GR noted that illegal immigrants, especially in urban and rural areas, are using counterfeit documents to access subsidies and employment opportunities."This not only leads to an undue burden on the state exchequer but also raises concerns of internal security, especially if such individuals go unchecked in sensitive sectors".The government has mandated that all documents- particularly those related to identity, residence, and entitlement to benefits- should be issued in digital format, embedded with barcodes or QR codes to allow real-time verification."Departments have been told to implement online systems that can validate the authenticity of submitted certificates directly with the issuing authority," the GR government observed higher chances of forgery and tampering in rural Maharashtra where documents are often still issued also noted that low-wage illegal immigrants often find employment in household or agricultural work in villages, where background verification is rarely carried government directed district administrations to increase vigilance. It said Police Patils (village-level police liaison officers) will be tasked with reporting any suspicious undocumented individuals residing in their jurisdiction. Instructions in this regard will be uniformly issued by district collectors."Contractual staff working in government departments who are involved in the preparation or issuance of official documents will be made legally accountable if found to have facilitated such forgery, knowingly or unknowingly," the GR government directed authorities to immediately cancel documents such as government certificates possessed by illegal Bangladeshi nationals. If necessary, amendments to the relevant laws, rules or regulations will be carried out in consultation with the legal department, it government said owners of commercial establishments where illegal Bangladeshi migrants are found working will be held accountable."It should be ensured that illegal Bangladeshi migrants will not be given employment at any cost. This directive is part of a broader administrative push to ensure the integrity of public services and protect national interests, the GR said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Maharashtra govt to install automated weather stations in every village
The Maharashtra government has decided to install automated weather stations (AWS) in every village across the state. This initiative is part of the Union Government's Weather Information Network Data System (WINDS) project. Currently, Maharashtra has AWS installed at the revenue circle level. However, the state government has now issued a Government Resolution (GR) and announced the installation of AWS at each village in Maharashtra for accurate weather forecasting and to assist farmers and citizens of Maharashtra. The WINDS project aims to provide accurate weather information, facilitate weather-based agricultural advisories, support research in agricultural meteorology, and ensure the availability of necessary weather-related data during disasters. With AWS installed at the Gram Panchayat level, the state government expects to provide timely guidance to farmers and help citizens affected by natural disasters such as cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, and floods. As per the Government Resolution issued on Friday, financial assistance is provided to help citizens affected by natural disasters, including cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, snow avalanches, pest attacks, cold waves, and severe frost. Live Events The AWS units will help collect localised, accurate weather data, especially during natural disasters. These AWS units will measure weather parameters, including temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind speed, and direction. This information, when processed using AI systems and analytical technologies, will facilitate data aggregation and interpretation, providing timely guidance to farmers. Previously, under the Mega Project, AWS were set up at the Revenue Circle level. However, weather conditions recorded there may not reflect local variations at the village level. Thus, it is now proposed to expand the AWS installation to the Gram Panchayat levels for precise and locally relevant weather data. According to the official statement, approval is granted to set up Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) at Gram Panchayat levels, excluding those already covered at the Revenue Circle level, under the WINDS project. As per WINDS MANUAL, 2023, five WINDS Implementation Partners (WIPs) have been selected for the project implementation, including: Azista Industries from Ahmedabad, National Commodities Management Services from Hyderabad, Ingen Technologies from Kanpur, Skymet Weather Services of Noida (U.P.), and Obel Systems from Secunderabad. The selection of WIP will be made through a financial bidding process among empanelled agencies. The Agriculture Commissioner is authorised to conduct bidding, contract signing, and implementation for a period of five years (renewable, depending on further Central Government instructions). In order to maintain uniformity and efficiency, one WIP will be appointed for every 2-3 Revenue Circles. After issuing the work order, the AWS must be installed within one month. A WINDS Local Guardian (WLG) will be appointed from the concerned Gram Panchayat staff for AWS setup supervision, calibration, and regular maintenance. The WIP is responsible for the maintenance, repairs, or replacement of malfunctioning or stolen equipment. The technical specifications of AWS will follow the WINDS Manual, 2023. Data from AWS will be stored and disseminated through the WINDS portal, managed by the Central Government. The Central Government will appoint Quality Assurance Partners (QAP) to monitor data accuracy and conduct audits. Expenses will be borne by the PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana) FIAT fund. Weather data will be recorded daily from 8:30:01 AM of the previous day to 8:30:00 AM of the current day, and hourly summaries will be uploaded to the portal. The Agriculture Commissioner is empowered to create operational guidelines, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and terms & conditions under the project.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Thackeray cousins to jointly oppose mandatory Hindi in schools
Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray are set to join forces to Oppose the 'imposition' of Hindi in primary schools under the three-language formula. Following parallel announcements earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the two parties - Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) - would now jointly hold a rally on July 5 in Mumbai. 'Thackeray is the brand!' Mr. Raut posted on social media, along with a photograph of the two leaders. This marks the first time the Thackeray cousins have united on a political issue since Raj Thackeray founded the MNS in 2006. Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar also expressed opposition to the three-language formula. 'It is incorrect to impose Hindi from Grade 1 to Grade 4. The government shouldn't force it. Today, 55% people speak Hindi in India. It can be a language of communication. Because there is no hatred towards Hindi in Maharashtra, it shouldn't be made mandatory,' he said while speaking to reporters in Kolhapur. Asked whether he would join the Thackerays' protest, Mr. Pawar said he would 'first understand the issue after returning to Mumbai.' Reunification of the Thackerays 'Two separate rallies on the same issue are not good. I discussed with both the leaders, and they decided to come together,' Mr. Raut said, emphasising that making Hindi compulsory would put an unnecessary burden on students. 'So, it is not just a linguistic but also an academic issue,' he added. According to Mr. Raut, Mr. Raj Thackeray had called him after announcing his rally and proposed a joint protest. Mr. Raj Thackeray had earlier announced a 'Virat Morcha' on July 6 from Girgaon Chowpatty, while Shiv Sena (UBT) had backed a rally at Azad Maidan on July 7. The scheduling of parallel rallies had led to public speculation over coordination between the parties. The protest is against the State government's April 16 decision to mandate Hindi as a third language in primary education and the amended Government Resolution (GR), which requires a minimum of 20 students to opt for any alternative Indian language. Reiterating the joint stance, Mr. Raut posted: 'There will be one united protest against compulsory Hindi in Maharashtra schools.' Mr. Raut also launched a sharp attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, calling him 'Maharashtra's political enemy' and accusing him of manipulating the Election Commission and the Supreme Court to engineer the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena.
