Latest news with #PuneZillaParishad
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
75,000 women owning four-wheelers under scanner for ‘Ladki Bahin' scheme benefits
Around 75,000 women in the Pune district, registered as owners of four-wheelers, continue to be under scrutiny as the state government has now intensified its verification drive under the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme. The large number of potentially ineligible beneficiaries has triggered concerns over the initial screening process and prompted a detailed field-level verification. Around 75,000 women in the Pune district, registered as owners of four-wheelers, continue to be under scrutiny as the state government has now intensified its verification drive under the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme. (HT) According to officials in the special cell formed in Mantralaya to monitor the scheme, the state transport department submitted two lists to the Pune Zilla Parishad — one with 58,350 names and another with 16,750 — identifying a total of over 75,000 women in the district as four-wheeler owners. These lists were passed on to Anganwadi workers for on-ground verification. In the Pune district, the Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana has a total of 20.8 lakh beneficiaries. This represents the maximum number of beneficiaries for the scheme within the state of Maharashtra. Following field checks, it was found that around 58,000 women own four-wheelers. The remaining 17,000 cases were subjected to Aadhaar-based verification. The process is still underway to cross-verify the rest of the names. 'This large-scale discrepancy among 'Ladki Bahin' beneficiaries highlights serious flaws in the government's data screening. While the scheme's intent is good, execution lacks transparency. Genuine beneficiaries should not suffer due to these lapses,' said Meera Jambhale, a beneficiary from Hadapsar. The verification assumes significance as the scheme, which promises monthly assistance to eligible women, had initially extended benefits to nearly all applicants due to the election period. After the polls, however, the government clarified that only those meeting eligibility criteria would continue to receive aid. In the Pune district alone, 21,11,991 women had applied for the scheme. Of these, 20,89,946 are currently receiving monthly benefits. Disbursing ₹ 1,500 per month to over 2.5 crore women across Maharashtra has imposed a heavy financial burden on the state exchequer. 'Field verification has been ongoing for several months, especially in rural talukas of Pune district. However, the results so far have exposed inconsistencies in the initial data. The Women and Child Welfare Department is continuing its cross-verification to ensure that only genuinely eligible women are covered,' said a senior official from the Ladki Bahin scheme department at Mantralaya. Manisha Biraris, women and child development officer, Pune district, added, 'The verification is being done by Anganwadi workers based on data from the state transport department. We are confirming whether the listed women own four-wheelers.'
Indian Express
22-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Jyoti Savitri International School, inspired by Phules, set to open in Pune's Purandar next year
Inspired by the legacy of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule—pioneers of inclusive and girls' education—the Jyoti Savitri International School (JSIS) at Khanavdi in Purandar, Pune, will open in April 2026. Spread across a 12-acre campus supported by the Pune Zilla Parishad, JSIS will be a CBSE-affiliated institute. The school is scheduled to open with grades KG to 2 and will ultimately grow to serve approximately 1,840 students from deprived communities in and around Khanavdi through Class 12. Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule spent their lives not just to educate girls but also to provide education to children from underprivileged communities. Despite the odds and opposition, the Phules, along with their friends, started multiple schools in Pune to provide education for children from marginalised communities. JSIS was conceptualised by Pune Zilla Parishad, Khanavdi villagers and Pensive Architecture company which provided pro bono services. Construction began in 2020–21 with a vision to serve underprivileged children, especially destitute girls. Fiat India Automobiles Private Limited (FIAPL). joined hands to help construct the infrastructure for the school through their corporate social responsibility initiative. The Pune Zilla Parishad has partnered with Christel House India to work towards the empowerment of the underserved communities. This public-private partnership envisions to follow the path shown by the Phules. Phase 1 of construction, supported by FIAPL, is in its final stages and will include administrative offices, 24 classrooms, science and computer laboratories, activity spaces, and sanitation facilities. Gajanan Patil, CEO, Pune Zilla Parishad, said, 'The Zilla Parishad is spearheading public-private partnerships in education, and we are delighted to see multiple parties join hands to make Jyoti Savitri International School a reality. Christel House India's proven model gives us confidence that underserved children in Khanavdi and nearby villages will receive a high-quality education, completely free of cost.'
Indian Express
20-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Palkhi: Pune Zilla Parishad's special mobile app for toilets
The Pune Zilla Parishad has come up with a mobile app called 'toilet seva' to ensure that the lakhs of devotees participating in the Ashadhi Wari during the Palkhi procession get access to clean civic amenities. It was conceived by Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil. Mobile toilets have been provided at various places along the Wari route. There are nearly 1,800 toilets along the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi route, while the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi route includes around 1,200 toilets. There are 300 toilets along the Sant Sopan Maharaj Palkhi route. A special mobile app has been created for the management of these toilets, and services are available through the app, Chandrakant Waghmare, additional CEO, Pune Zilla Parishad, told The Indian Express. According to Amol Bhinge, founder, ToiletSeva, the app will include information about the toilets, electricity, road and sanitation at the location and a facility for people to register their feedback. QR code scanners have been installed on each toilet.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
School ready to admit students in Phule's ancestral village of Khanavdi
The school named after Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule in Khanavdi village of Purandar tehsil, where the social reformer couple hailed from, is ready to admit students. Jyoti Savitri International School (JSIS), set to commence classes from April 2026, marks a turning point for educational access in a region where lack of infrastructure had long forced children, especially girls, to abandon studies after primary school. The school, first proposed in 2020, will begin with kindergarten to Class 2 and aims to serve around 1,840 underprivileged students up to Class 12 in the coming years. It will follow Christel House model of holistic education that integrates academics with nutrition, health care, transportation, school supplies, and career support. Christel House India will run the school as a secular, CBSE-affiliated institution in partnership with the Pune Zilla Parishad and the Maharashtra government. The initiative was conceived by Rishikesh Huli, principal architect at Pensive Architecture, who was asked by Khanavdi villagers to renovate a memorial for the Phule couple. Moved by the community's reverence for the visionaries, he proposed a more enduring tribute—quality education that addresses the very barriers the Phules fought to dismantle. The gram panchayat responded by donating 12 acres, and Huli's team designed the campus pro bono. The vision was soon expanded into a residential school for destitute girls and underserved communities with the support of then-zilla parishad CEO Ayush Prasad. According to Huli, the construction of phase 1 is nearing completion with CSR funding from Fiat India Automobiles Private Limited (FIAPL). The campus will feature 24 classrooms, science and computer labs, administrative offices, modern sanitation, activity areas, and dedicated language labs. A residential facility for destitute girls from Class 5 onward is also planned. A memorandum of understanding was signed earlier this year in the presence of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and school education minister Dada Bhuse, marking a public-private partnership between the Pune Zilla Parishad, Christel House India, and corporate and community stakeholders. 'The partnership is a major step towards equitable education in rural Pune,' said Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil. 'Built as a tribute to Savitribai and Mahatma Phule, the school will offer high-quality education at no cost to children, especially girls from deprived communities.' Jaison C Mathew, CEO, Christel House India, called it a 'landmark partnership' that aligned closely with Maharashtra's vision for its children. 'We are committed to empowering every child with not just academic excellence but life opportunities—moving them from classrooms to life.' The need for such a facility is pressing. Research shows that while the region is home to over 13,000 school-aged children, English-medium CBSE-aligned institutions remain scarce. David Harris, CEO, Christel House International, said, 'With this school, we are planting seeds for generational change—exactly the kind of vision Mahatma and Savitribai Phule had when they first challenged the barriers to education in this country.' More than 150 years after the Phules opened their first school for girls in Pune, their legacy comes full circle in Khanavdi—this time, with a school that promises not just access, but empowerment.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Rush to beat poll code: PMC pushes to float tenders before local body election announcement
With the state government beginning groundwork for holding long-pending local body elections, following the Supreme Court's directives, the Pune district administration is moving quickly to finalise tenders and initiate development works ahead of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into effect. Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi recently chaired a meeting with officials from the Pune Zilla Parishad and district administration, instructing them to expedite all pre-sanctioned development works under the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC). 'The elections for local self-governments are scheduled. All departments must complete administrative and financial approvals and start the works before July 31. Once the model code is enforced, new works will be restricted,' Dudi said during the meeting. Under the MCC guidelines issued by the Election Commission, no new development tenders can be floated once the code is in force, except for essential maintenance and repair work—subject to prior approval. This has prompted all departments to prioritise finalising estimates, technical approvals, and tender documents within the limited window available. According to senior district officials, departments are working on a war footing to float tenders for various infrastructure projects ranging from rural roads and water supply to school building repairs and anganwadi upgrades. In many talukas, contractors have been informally told to be prepared to begin ground work immediately once orders are issued. The upcoming polls include elections to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), Pune Zilla Parishad, and various Panchayat Samitis and municipal councils in the district. These elections have been delayed since 2022 due to legal issues over OBC reservation and ward delimitation. The Election Commission of India is expected to declare the local body election schedule only after September 4, 2025, once the final ward boundaries and updated electoral rolls are notified. However, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, during an event in Pimpri Chinchwad on Friday, indicated that the civic polls are likely to be held 'immediately after the monsoon and before Diwali.' PMC officials confirmed they are also working to finalise estimates and float tenders for projects under its capital budget. 'Instructions have been issued to all department heads to complete technical sanctioning and issue work orders wherever possible before the code of conduct. Projects that miss this window will be stalled for months,' a senior civic official said. Over ₹1,200 crore worth of works under the Pune Zilla Parishad and district annual plans are currently pending at various stages, and the administration is racing to ensure that maximum approvals are cleared before the code kicks in—expected sometime in late August or early September. Local political leaders have also started exerting pressure to push pending projects through before the poll code, as many hope to showcase completed or ongoing development works in their constituencies ahead of the elections.
