Latest news with #LadkiBahinScheme
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Need stringent law to curb online gaming: Fadnavis plea to Centre
Nagpur: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday made a fervent appeal in Maharashtra assembly for a central legislation to regulate online gaming, warning that absence of a dedicated law is leading to widespread addiction and exploitation of young users. "There is no specific law to ban online gaming," Fadnavis told the House, while responding to a calling attention motion raised by Congress MLA Kailas Ghadge Patil. "We have requested the govt to frame a comprehensive law to govern online lottery and gaming. The state will actively follow up on this request." While the Union ministry of electronics and IT has issued guidelines under IT Act, Fadnavis pointed out that these are insufficient to address the scale and impact of online gaming platforms — many of which involve monetary stakes and dodge regulation. Appealing to celebrities to avoid endorsing such platforms, he said, "These promotions glamorise gaming and mislead youth." Speaking in Nagpur, BJP senior leader and cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar termed online gaming a serious "new-age addiction". He said, "Proper legal mechanisms must be established to bring such activities within a legal framework. Without legislation, we are leaving our youth vulnerable." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Beyond Text Generation: An AI Tool That Helps You Write Better Grammarly Install Now Undo In response to a related starred question concerning cyber frauds involving misuse of fake bank accounts under Ladki Bahin Scheme, Fadnavis listed ongoing state-level efforts to combat digital crimes. "We have set up 50 cyber police stations across Maharashtra, including five at the Mumbai commissionerate level," he said. "Cyber units are actively working on public outreach and education." The Maharashtra cyber department, in coordination with local police, has been running awareness campaigns and issuing social media advisories to curb online scams. Fadnavis added that judicial officers, forensic experts, and law enforcement personnel received advanced training to expedite cybercrime investigations and prosecutions. The state also established a dedicated Cyber Corporation and launched 50 cyber labs across districts to strengthen digital infrastructure. Fadnavis emphasised that public participation is key and encouraged citizens to report incidents through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. "We also activated helpline numbers 1945 and 1930 for instant reporting of online frauds," he said.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Contractors send legal notice to CM over 90,000-crore dues
MUMBAI: Contractors executing government projects have sent a legal notice to the chief minister, deputy chief ministers, chief secretary and various government departments, demanding that dues amounting to more than ₹90,000 crore be paid to them. They have also demanded a time-bound payment schedule within a fortnight, or else they will move court, they claim. Represented by the Builders' Association of India (BAI), the contractors say they have been demanding that the government release their dues for a year, but to no avail. The work they have executed includes infrastructure projects such as the building of roads and bridges, irrigation works, and repairs of government buildings, among other things. In February, Anand Gupta, vice-president, BAI, said at a press conference that contractors would launch a 'stop work protest' if they didn't get their money soon. The public works department owes them ₹46,000 crore; Jal Jeevan Mission ₹18,000 crore; rural development department ₹8,600 crore; water resources department ₹19,700 crore; and urban development department ₹1,700 crore, among others. The total outstanding sum is more than ₹90,000 crore. The contractors are particularly upset with the government's largesse under the Ladki Bahin Scheme, which has stirred much controversy since it was launched as an election sop late last year. In February, the association pointed out that while contractors weren't being paid money owed to them, the state was spending taxpayers' money – ₹3,700 crore a month – to hand out ₹1,500 a month to 2.46 crore women across the state. When no word was forthcoming form the government, BAI on June 10 sent a legal notice to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, chief secretary Sujata Saunik, and several other ministers and secretaries of various government departments. 'The dues have crossed ₹90,000 crore and it has become difficult to work without money. Contractors have been paying heavy interest on unpaid bills to banks, from which funds have been borrowed to carry out the work. We want the government to give us a payment schedule with a time limit. If the state government does not do this within a fortnight, we will approach the high court,' according to the legal notice sent by BAI. Gupta said that when BAI representatives and contractors met state officials, the latter expressed their inability to pay their dues. They said they were constrained by the state's budget. 'On the other hand, the government has been spending over ₹40,000 crore on the social sector, to hand out cash benefits. The government is free to do whatever it wants but, first, it should pay us for completed works,' he said. This year, the state finance minister presented a ₹7.20 lakh crore annual budget, with a ₹45,892-crore revenue deficit and ₹1,36,234-crore fiscal deficit. And, yet, despite these alarming numbers, an allocation of ₹36,000 crore has been made for the Ladki Bahin scheme. Calls and text messages to the offices of the chief minister, chief secretary, finance minister Ajit Pawar, and additional chief secretary of the finance department OP Gupta went unanswered.
Scroll.in
05-06-2025
- Business
- Scroll.in
Maharashtra contractors warn of state-wide protest if Rs 80,000 crore dues not paid
An association of contractors working with Maharashtra government departments has warned of a state-wide protest if the authorities do not release dues of over Rs 80,000 crore by June 10, CNBC-TV18 reported on Thursday. The Maharashtra Contractors Association, which claims to represent about three lakh members in 35 districts of the state, plans to launch a mass awareness campaign and a large-scale protest if the government does not meet the deadline for payments. 'The government has chosen to remain silent, but we will not,' the association's president Milind Bhosale told CNBC-TV18. 'If needed, we will take this agitation to every corner of Maharashtra.' The association has claimed that payments to the tune of Rs 38,000 crore are pending from the state public works department, Rs 6,500 crore from the rural development department, Rs 12,000 crore from the water conservation and water resources department and Rs 4,217 crore from the urban development department. Bhosale said the association has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court against the rural development department, CNBC-TV18 reported. He added that if its demands are not met by June 10, it will file another petition against the public works department. 'We wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis again a couple of days ago,' he told the channel. 'But still, there is no sign of us getting our money.' In February, the contractors had gone on strike for a week to protest the dues. They had alleged that the government had not paid them since July last year, although it was allocating money for initiatives like the Ladki Bahin Scheme for monthly payments to women, The Times of India reported. At the time, Maharashtra Public Works Department Minister Shivendraraje Bhosle said he had asked for Rs 10,000 crore to be released at the earliest for the contractors, according to The Indian Express. 'I have spoken to the chief minister and finance minister,' the minister had told the newspaper. 'Both are positive regarding the demands raised by contractors. The government is positive about our demand of Rs 10,000 crore to be released at the earliest.'
NDTV
04-06-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Shiv Sena Ministers Complain To Eknath Shinde Against Ajit Pawar: Sources
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena ministers in the Mahayuti alliance have complained to Eknath Shinde against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, claiming that they are deprived of funds, say sources, signalling things aren't tickety-boo in the Maharashtra alliance. Mr Shinde, the other Deputy Chief Minister, held a conference with his ministers after the State Cabinet meeting at the Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai. In the meeting, Mr Shinde, who was the Chief Minister in the previous government, held discussions with each minister and reviewed the progress of their departments. Sources say many of the Sena ministers have expressed displeasure with Ajit Pawar. The ministers complained that Ajit Pawar, who is also the state Finance Minister, was creating hurdles in their work, said sources. "Ministers said that if he (Ajit Pawar) will not give us money, how will we work? said a source. Mr Shinde advised his ministers to focus on public utility works, to reach out to common people and not to keep the files pending. The ministers unanimously expressed displeasure with Ajit Pawar, saying that everyone should get equal rights in the government, said sources. Eknath Shinde, the sources added, assured his ministers that he will speak to Ajit Pawar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to find a solution. Earlier, Sanjay Shirsat, Minister of Social Justice Department from Shiv Sena had criticised the state finance ministry for diverting funds of his department to pay installments for Ladki Bahin Scheme. He had termed the fund diversion as illegal and unjust. On Monday, Ajit Pawar admitted to "mistakes" in distributing financial assistance to all women applicants of the Ladki Bahin scheme launched last year, which he said would be rectified through scrutiny to ensure only genuine beneficiaries receive the aid. Under Ladki Bahin Yojana, women from lower-income families in the 21-65 age group get a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ajit Pawar admits poor scrutiny in Ladki Bahin Scheme
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday admitted that the government had not done any proper scrutiny of the benefactors when the state rolled out the Ladki Bahin Scheme . Even those not eligible for the payouts have got money as there was no proper scrutiny, he said. Faced with a fund crunch , the Maharashtra government has now begun weeding out ineligible beneficiaries. "When we brought out the scheme, there was less time. Everyone knows that the elections (assembly polls) were to be held in two to three months. We could not get the time to do the scrutiny as well as we wanted. Yet, we had appealed to the people that only eligible people should apply. We felt that those who were not eligible would not apply for the scheme. However, some (who are not eligible) have applied for it," said Ajit Pawar on Monday. The Maharashtra Opposition has slammed the state government saying that the Mahayuti government had deliberately not done any due diligence as they wanted women voters to vote enmasse for them.
