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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Snake bite kills three minor girls

Three hurt at a school in Gadchiroli run by a Congress leader AI generated image Mumbai: In a horrifying tragedy at the dead of the night, three minor tribal girls were killed and at least three others seriously injured after a venomous snake slithered into their hostel and bit the sleeping students of an aided residential ashram school near Dhanora, officials said. The incident, which has sent shockwaves in tribal belts across the state, occurred around 2 am today at a school linked with a...

Snake bite kills three minor girls

Three hurt at a school in Gadchiroli run by a Congress leader AI generated image Mumbai: In a horrifying tragedy at the dead of the night, three minor tribal girls were killed and at least three others seriously injured after a venomous snake slithered into their hostel and bit the sleeping students of an aided residential ashram school near Dhanora, officials said. The incident, which has sent shockwaves in tribal belts across the state, occurred around 2 am today at a school linked with a former Congress leader Marotrao S. Kowase’s Kupar Lingo Educational & Cultural Development Research Institute (KLECDRI). The school is located in the remote forested village of Japtalai, around 10 kms from the Dhanora taluka headquarters. Officials said at that time, around 80 girls were asleep on the floor when the snake sneaked in and bit at least six of the girls, sparking panic and outcry as the staff members rushed there. Three of the victim girls succumbed to the snake venom, and at least three others are reported to be critical, battling for life at the Gadchiroli District General Hospital – with the tragedy happening just a day after the World Tribal Day (09) celebrations. The deceased minor girls were identified as: Anu Koreti, 8, of Class II; Deepika Lakda, 12 of Class VI and Sushmita Mondal, 14, of Class VIII. Victim to Nagpur Among the injured is Deepa B. Madavi, 11, of Class V who is critical and she was flown in an air-ambulance to Nagpur’s GMC Hospital for advanced medi-care, said Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police M. Ramesh. Two other girls who are still in a serious condition are put on anti-venom treatment, and more than a dozen other frightened girls have been kept under observation as a precaution, informed the hospital’s medico Dr. Manish Meshram. Despite repeated attempts by ‘The Perfect Voice’, the head of the KLECDRI, Kowase, a four-time MLA and one-term MP and an ex-MoS for tribal affairs was not available for comments on the mishap at the ashram school. Govt to Probe The incident sparked outrage with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and district Collector Avishyant Panda ordering an inquiry to ascertain how the reptile could have entered the hostel premises, whether protective and preventive measures were in place and if the school authorities had complied with prescribed safety norms. A comprehensive inspection of the safety arrangements at the school will also be undertaken by the local administration and the Tribal Development Department, and if lapses are found action will be taken against those responsible. The hospital has been directed to ensure that there is no deficiency in the treatment of the injured victims, Panda told media-persons. Co-Guardian Minister of Gadchiroli, Ashish Jaiswal has asked the district and medical authorities to ensure all necessary support and medical assistance to the students. He said further action would be taken after the TDD submits its probe report into the incident. Wadettiwar Slams Congress Legislature Party Leader Vijay Wadettiwar targeted the state government saying it must ensure the cleanliness of the hostel, regular inspections, and snake prevention measures. If this responsibility is not fulfilled, it is not mere negligence, but a serious carelessness that has led to the deaths of three innocent lives. “We don't need festivals, announcements, and speeches in the name of tribals; save their children's lives! Immediately investigate the Japtala incident, take strict action against the guilty, and the government must give an account of the deaths of these three innocent girl students,” demanded Wadettiwar, elected from Brahmapuri assembly seat in the Gadchiroli-Chimur LS constituency. The incident has raised questions about the safety and preparedness at such residential ashram schools intended to protect vulnerable tribal kids, while the grieving families are left wondering how a poisonous snake entered the hostel.

Sweet Support

The Union Cabinet’s decision to raise the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane for the 2026–27 season to Rs. 365 per quintal, based on a 10.25 percent recovery rate, represents a deliberate strengthening of rural incomes and sectoral stability


Aimed at benefiting nearly five crore farmers, it will be a major bounty for farmers in Maharashtra’s sugar-rich western belt. The increase of 2.81 percent over the previous season ensures that cane remains one of the few crops in India offering assured and remunerative returns. With the FRP now more than double the estimated cost of production, farmers are now guaranteed a margin that shields them from market volatility. The provision of Rs. 338.3 per quintal for areas with recovery below 9.5 percent further insulates growers from adverse agro-climatic conditions, underscoring the policy’s redistributive intent.


The FRP is a mechanism and its linkage to sugar recovery rates introduces a degree of economic rationality often absent in agricultural policy. By rewarding higher efficiency while protecting weaker regions, the system aligns incentives across the value chain. The recent insistence, following a Bombay High Court ruling, that mills must pay the FRP in a single instalment rather than staggered payments strengthens this architecture further.


Nowhere does this matter more than in Maharashtra. The western belt of Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune forms the nerve centre of India’s sugar economy, where cooperative mills double as political institutions. The history of FRP itself is inseparable from agitation and negotiation. Before the FRP regime was formalised, disputes over cane pricing often erupted into protests led by powerful farmer outfits. Leaders such as Raju Shetti built their political careers mobilising cane growers demanding higher procurement prices and timely payments. The shift towards a centrally declared FRP, backed by the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, was in part an attempt to institutionalise these demands and reduce the volatility of annual confrontations.


Even so, echoes of that turbulent past remain. Payment discipline continues to be the sector’s weak link. Despite a statutory requirement that mills clear dues within 14 days, delays are not uncommon. In Maharashtra, around Rs. 1,012 crore in FRP payments remains pending, with total arrears exceeding Rs. 4,200 crore in early 2026. Yet, compared to the protracted standoffs of earlier decades, the system today is markedly more responsive.


Higher FRP translates into improved liquidity for farmers and stronger rural demand. With industry estimates suggesting an additional Rs. 15,000–20,000 crore flowing into the countryside, the multiplier effects will extend well beyond agriculture. In Maharashtra’s cooperative ecosystem, this means greater financial stability for mills, more reliable wage flows for labourers, and renewed confidence in the rural economy.


The policy also dovetails neatly with India’s ethanol ambitions. By sustaining cane production, it ensures a steady feedstock for ethanol blending, offering mills an alternative revenue stream and reducing dependence on volatile sugar prices.

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