Maharashtra’s drought relief will deliver better returns if agricultural policy recognises that a farmer’s physical health, sleep and capacity to work are as vital as credit, water and seeds. The Maharashtra government’s response to monsoon deficits in drought-affected talukas reflects an important administrative commitment. Crop-loan restructuring, electricity concessions and emergency water tankers can provide essential relief to rural households. Yet field telemetry from 1

Rumi F. Beramji Mumbai: In a significant development, the Maharashtra government said it has put on hold the long-overdue elections to the Maharashtra Council of Acupuncture (MCA), citing an administrative battle with the Centre on the status of the MCA that promotes this ancient Chinese medical system. The tussle is over whether acupuncture should remain an independent medical system in Maharashtra or come under the national regulatory framework for allied and healthcare p

AI Generated Image Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar attempted to corner the Maharashtra government over the alarming rain deficit and resultant crises in farmlands, by demanding that a ‘drought’ must be immediately declared in rain-starved talukas besides announcing a relief package of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare for affected farmers, on Friday. In a strong letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Pawar warned that the prolonged failure of

Manoj Jarange-Patil’s retreat from Mumbai after weeks of hunger-strike brinkmanship offers a moment for citizens to question the politics of coercion and perpetual agitation. The activist has given the Maharashtra government three months to consider his demands, thus giving the seemingly never-ending Maratha reservation issue an uneasy pause. Mumbai, which had braced for another prolonged confrontation during the Ganesh festivities, can breathe easy for the moment. But the ep

Mumbai: After a high-profile indefinite hunger strike, Shivba Sanghatana chief Manoj Jarange-Patil sounded the bugle for the ultimate ‘decisive’ war against the Maharashtra government for Maratha quotas with a mammoth marathon march to Mumbai next week. Jarange-Patil, who launched the current fast-unto-death from August 29, accused the Mahayuti regime of failing to provide a concrete solution to the Maratha community’s demands despite multiple opportunities, but grimly stated

A basic knowledge of the local language should not be an unreasonable demand for someone earning a living by serving the public in that state. The perfectly reasonable proposition put forward by the state government that commercial passenger-vehicle drivers should possess a working knowledge of Marathi has been unfortunately recast by some taxi and autorickshaw drivers as an assault on fundamental rights. Four Mumbai-based Uber drivers have approached the Bombay High Court,

Mumbai: In a warm gesture, the Maharashtra government has ‘in principle’ agreed to translocate two tigresses to the Papikonda National Park (PNP) in Andhra Pradesh, subject to clearance from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), official sources said. The PNP is located in the Papi Hills of Eluru and Polavaram districts, and Maharashtra has responded positively to a request from the AP Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. On Feb. 19, Kalyan, who holds the Envir

The Maharashtra government’s decision to regulate school bus fares arrives couched in the language of safety, accountability and parental convenience. GPS tracking, CCTV access, panic buttons, digital attendance and fare oversight are all welcome measures. For years, parents have had little bargaining power against private school transport operators, who have often functioned in a regulatory grey zone. But buried beneath the promise of reform lies a more uncomfortable questio

Mumbai: In a clear indication that the Maharashtra government is leaving no stone unturned to keep the state’s agrarian base happy, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has unleashed yet another massive populist measure. Hot on the heels of relaxing the eligibility criteria to ensure a blanket farm loan waiver, the Chief Minister announced a sweeping Rs 48,000 crore waiver on the pending electricity bills of farmers across the state. Addressing a ‘Krutadnyata Sohala’ (gratitude c

Mumbai: Maharashtra government unequivocally declared its commitment to implementing the Uniform Civil Code across the state, assuring the legislative assembly that a comprehensive legal framework is already in the advanced stages of formulation. Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam categorically stated on the floor of the House on Tuesday that the ruling Mahayuti administration is entirely positive about the swift introduction of the Uniform Civil Code to standardize pers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment

Chief Minister’s office could be relocated to Air India building paving way for the Central Vista project Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has finally become the new owner of the iconic white Air India Building at Nariman Point, with its landmark Centaur logo visible from long distances. Three years after the cabinet granted approval in Nov. 2023, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today presided over a ceremony for the registration of the purchase agreement of the 52-year-

State slashes VAT on jet fuel Mumbai: Even as the Maharashtra government moved swiftly to cushion the aviation sector by slashing Value Added Tax (VAT) on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 18 pc to 7 pc, sections of Mumbai’s cab unions demanded an immediate fare hike following the latest increase in compressed natural gas (CNG) prices by Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL). The VAT reduction on jet fuel will remain in force for six months - May 15-Nov 14 - vide an official notificatio

The silent crisis of hysterectomies among Maharashtra’s sugarcane workers reveals how a brutal labour system turns women’s bodies into relentless instruments of productivity. In Maharashtra’s sugar heartland, the harvest is more than just cane and crushing mills. It’s also a story about women whose bodies are hurt by poor working conditions, lack of medical care, and a labour system that doesn’t care about health. Hysterectomies have become a worrying sign of survival, not ch

Real estate sector welcomes move Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has kept the Annual Statement of Rates (ASR), or ready reckoner rates, unchanged for the financial year 2026–27, signalling a calibrated approach aimed at maintaining stability in the real estate sector amid evolving economic conditions. The decision was announced by the Office of the Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamps, Pune. Under the Maharashtra Stamp (Determination of True Market Va