Maharashtra Farmers, Marching To Mumbai Over Onion Prices, Call Off Protest

Ndtv | 1 week ago | 18-03-2023 | 01:58 pm

The march was organised by the CPM.Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told the state Assembly that he had held discussions with a farmers' delegation over their demands, thousands of farmers marching from Nashik to Mumbai have decided to call off their agitation. CPI leader and former MLA Jiva Pandu Gavit, who is leading the 200-km 'long march', announced the decision today.Mr Gavit said the state government has taken immediate steps to fulfil its promises, with District Collectors visiting Nashik and several other places."We feared that the government will just give assurances, and not act on them. However, now that they have started taking appropriate action, we have decided to withdraw our agitation. All the farmers are returning home," he said.Mr Shinde said he has discussed 14 points, including forest rights, encroachment of forest land, transfer of land belonging to temple trusts and grazing grounds to cultivators for farming, with the farmers' delegation.Appealing to the farmers to withdraw their long march, Mr Shinde had said the decisions taken will be implemented immediately.Onion growers, facing losses due to low prices of the commodity and damage to crops by unseasonal rains, would be given Rs 350 per quintal as financial relief, he said.Farmers had demanded Rs 600 per quintal relief to onion farmers, 12-hour uninterrupted power supply to farmers, and waiver of farm loans. Onion farmers in Maharashtra have been hit hard by a steep fall in prices. Chief Minister Shinde has said high production has led to this situation.The farmers also wanted steps to arrest a slide in the prices of soybean, cotton, and tur, and immediate relief to farmers affected by recent unseasonal rains and other natural calamities.Those in the procession are also demanding implementation of the Old Pension Scheme for state government employees who have joined service post-2005.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe march was organised by the CPM and besides farmers, many workers in the unorganised sector, such as ASHA workers, and members of tribal communities participated in it.This march was similar to the 2018 'Kisan Long March' from Nashik to Mumbai, also organised by the Left parties. They had demanded a loan waiver and transfer of forest land to tribal farmers tilling it for years, and then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had accepted it.

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Mamata begins two-day sit-in protest against Centre

The Indian Express | 12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

The Indian Express

12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

Kolkata is set to witness parallel protests by the Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress on Wednesday.While the TMC is protesting against the Centre’s “discriminatory attitude” against the state, the BJP is holding a day-long sit-in to protest against alleged corruption by the state government. The Congress in the state, meanwhile, will continue its protest against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha.Here is everything you need to know:West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday began her two-day sit-in demonstration in Kolkata against the BJP-led Central government’s alleged “discriminatory attitude” towards the state. Banerjee will begin the dharna in front of the B R Ambedkar statue at Esplanade in Kolkata, which will go on till March 30.#WATCH | West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sits on two days Dharna in Kolkata, starting from today against the Central government for not clearing funds for several schemes including 100 days work. pic.twitter.com/tfI45NFZ1u— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2023The chief minister alleged that the Centre had not released funds for the MGNREGA project for the state and other initiatives of its housing and road departments. On Tuesday, she said, “The Centre has stopped releasing funds for MGNREGA and Indira Awas Yojana (Grameen). Besides, it has also stopped scholarships for OBC students”.While launching the ‘Pathashree-Rastashree’ scheme ahead of panchayat elections due later this year, Banerjee had said the expenditure for constructing the rural roads would be borne by the state and not the central government.“The Centre has not released over Rs 7,000 crores pending under the MGNREGA scheme and has not given work to our people despite West Bengal topping the list of states in completing the work under the initiative… We believe jealousy or politics may be the reason behind this,” she said.Coinciding with this, Trinamool Congress MPs are holding a protest in Parliament against the Centre in solidarity with Banerjee.Simultaneously, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee will address a rally against the “anti-people” policy of the Centre and its “stepmotherly attitude” towards the West Bengal government. The stir was to “save” democracy, federalism, Constitution and the Parliament, news agency PTI reported.In a rare display of unity, TMC MPs had a few days ago, attended a meeting of Opposition parties called by Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, and also participated in the protest against Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha disqualification. State Congress workers too will also continue its protest against the same issue.Meanwhile, the West Bengal BJP will also stage a protest in Kolkata, with its leaders holding a daylong sit-in against the ruling state government over “corruption allegations” at Shyambazar today. The party had on Tuesday protested in Kolkata alleging that the TMC government in the state was not doing enough to mitigate the losses being faced by potato farmers due to bumper harvest this year. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari led a rally from College Square to Rani Rashmoni Road over the issue.— With agency inputs

National anthem case: Bombay High Court dismisses Mamata Banerjee’s appeal against BJP member’s complaint

The Indian Express | 12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

The Indian Express

12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking the quashing of a criminal complaint filed by a BJP member alleging that she disrespected the national anthem at a public function in Mumbai in December 2021.Banerjee was challenging a sessions court order from January this year which directed a magistrate court to conduct a fresh hearing on the matter even as it set aside the summons issued against her.She contended that the sessions court should have quashed the proceedings altogether.A single-judge high court bench of Justice Amit Borkar held that “the course adopted by the sessions judge of not deciding the complaint on merits and remitting the matter back to the magistrate was in consonance with the order of the Supreme Court”.“In my opinion, there is neither an error of jurisdiction nor patent illegality in the present case. The criminal appeal is dismissed,” Justice Borkar said.On Tuesday (March 28), Banerjee’s lawyer argued that the summons had been quashed by the sessions court and the matter ought to be heard afresh. The ingredients of the main offence had not been made out for the issuing process (initiating proceedings), the lawyer argued.“The magistrate did not have the audacity to read the legal provisions and same caused grave injustice to a public servant,” Banerjee’s lawyer argued.On March 21, Banerjee’s lawyer Majeed Memon submitted before the magistrate court and sought an adjournment on the proceedings, stating that she had approached the High Court. The court, however, rejected the adjournment application and posted the case for a hearing on March 29.The magistrate court, in February 2022, observed that it was prima facie evident that Banerjee had sung the National Anthem at an event in Mumbai, stopped abruptly and left the dais, committing an offence under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. It had then issued her summons, asking her to appear before it in March 2022. This order was set aside by the special court.The special court had said that the magistrate court did not follow mandatory provisions of law in its order and directed it to decide on the issue of summons afresh.It had said the subordinate court must start the whole proceedings again from the stage of verification of the complainant’s statement, which Banerjee challenged in the high court.

Step inside Karan Johar’s Gauri Khan-designed bachelor pad with ‘run-in wardrobe’ and a bathroom so big ‘you can play cricket in it’. See pics

The Indian Express | 12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

The Indian Express

12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

Pictures of filmmaker Karan Johar’s newly-refurbished Mumbai apartment have been shared online. In an interview with Architectural Digest India, Karan described his pad, designed by Gauri Khan, as having a ‘Ralph Lauren-vibe’. Located in Mumbai’s posh Pali Hill neighbourhood, the apartment is flanked by a long balcony on three sides. Photos of the apartment’s living room, dining area, and walk-in wardrobe were shared by Architectural Digest on Instagram.The approximately 5,500-square-foot apartment is an extension of Karan’s pent-house home, and his brief to Gauri was to convert it into a ‘one-bedroom bachelor pad’, and to get it done fast. She had a six-month deadline. “At 50, I wanted this to be my very own space — with a large living room for bringing my friends together, and a bedroom with, of course, a massive wardrobe. I joke to Gauri that what she’s created is not a walk-in but a run-in, and my bathroom, well, you can play cricket in there,” he said. Gauri described the apartment as a reflection of Karan’s personality: ‘glamorous, fun, and also a little over the top’.The powder room was described by both Gauri and Karan as a ‘highlight’. It features ‘a turbine light fixture from Timothy Oulton, graphic floors, forest-green walls, and custom-made marble horse-head detailing’. The living room has a classic tartan sofa from Bentley Home, custom armchairs from Gauri Khan Designs Bespoke paired with a fluted sofa set by Roberto Cavalli Home, a marble chandelier by Mathieu Lustrerie’. There’s also a well-stocked bar on one side.  A post shared by Architectural Digest India (@archdigestindia) According to Architectural Digest, the ‘walls feature French mouldings, backlit kintsugi gold cracks, and large Timothy Oulton mirrors that contrast the classic geometric marble floor and traffic-stopping red armchairs’. The air-conditioned terrace is Karan’s favourite spot, while his children — twins Yash and Roohi — love spending time on the tartan sofa in the living room. The centrepiece of the living area is a fireplace, and a brass coffee table by Gauri Khan Designs Bespoke.“Despite how strongly modern it is, what I love is how cosy, and lived-in, it feels. When you look at the house, you realize Gauri’s used all the colours—from bright reds to deep emeralds and blues, monochrome, and even more natural shades of fawn and beige. She’s also used a variety of textures—hard, soft, glossy, matt—and yet it all comes together beautifully,” Karan said.The filmmaker has often described Gauri as one of his closest friends, along with her husband, Shah Rukh Khan.

Mumbai to face 15% water cut for 30 days, starting March 31

The Indian Express | 12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

The Indian Express

12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

Several areas in Mumbai’s island city and suburban belt will face a 15 per cent water cut for 30 days, starting March 31 (Friday), due to a water pipeline getting damaged, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.Nearly 65 per cent of the potable water that is supplied to Mumbai and some parts of Thane from the seven lakes is treated at Bhandup Filtration Plant. The water from this plant passes through a 15-km-long water supply tunnel to the pockets of the city. Civic officials have said that a portion of this tunnel was damaged while carrying out digging works for creating a borewell and water leakage was observed.From March 31 onwards, repair works will be carried out, civic officials said.“It is necessary to isolate the tunnel completely for repairs and use alternate transmission system for water supply, during repairs period. Water supply to Mumbai will be affected during switching over of transmission systems and repairs work, therefore, citizens are requested to use water cautiously,” the civic body said in a statement.Earlier, on Monday (March 27), following another pipeline damage in Thane, the BMC had imposed a 15 per cent water cut in 11 municipal wards in the island city and eastern suburbs for 48 hours, till 9 pm on March 29.

After Punjab’s resolution condemning water cess, HP CM Sukhwinder Sukhu to meet CM Bhagwant Mann today

The Indian Express | 12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

The Indian Express

12 hours ago | 29-03-2023 | 12:45 pm

Days after the Punjab Vidhan Sabha passed a resolution condemning a Himachal Pradesh ordinance levying a water cess on hydel power projects, the chief minister of the hill state Sukhwinder Sukhu will meet Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at the latter’s residence Wednesday morning.While speaking on the resolution, CM Mann had stated that they would not pay a single paisa to Himachal Pradesh in the form of a water cess. The resolution had said that the House “very strongly and unanimously resolves that this levy of water cess imposed by the government of Himachal Pradesh is illegal and therefore the same should be withdrawn by the government of Himachal Pradesh”.Cabinet minister Aman Arora had stated that if Himachal Pradesh resorted to levying a water cess, the Punjab government could also levy a cess on apple trucks from Himachal entering Punjab.The resolution moved by Cabinet Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer had stated, “This House is concerned about the ordinance issued by the government of Himachal Pradesh (Ordinance No. 2 of 2023) to impose water cess on the hydro power projects for non-consumptive use of water for power generation. The Himachal Pradesh state’s water resources are now the government’s property, while any proprietary, riparian, or usage rights with any individual, group, company, corporation, society, or community are deemed to have been terminated.”The resolution added that the “House acknowledges and recognises the right of the State of Punjab over the use of waters flowing into the state for all purposes”. It pointed out that all the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) projects which have been constructed with investments made by Punjab, “largely happen to be situated within the territorial jurisdiction of the State of Himachal Pradesh”.“With this new levy of water cess, the government of Himachal Pradesh is trying to put avoidable tax burden on the state of Punjab as it is evident from the objective of the ordinance. The state of Punjab is under pressure from all the neighbouring states whether it is the demand of the additional share of the river water or levy of cess recently by the state of Himachal Pradesh. With this new levy, there is an additional financial burden amounting to Rs 1,200 crore per annum, of which major burden is likely to be on the state of Punjab,” it further said.The new levy, the resolution said, was not only an “infringement of the exclusive rights of the state over its natural resources but will also result in additional financial burden for generation of power resulting in the higher cost of generation of electricity”.“The levy of water cess by government of Himachal Pradesh is against the provisions of the Inter State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. The State of Punjab through the Bhakra Beas Management Projects is already very liberal to release 7.19% of electricity of the composite share of Punjab,” it added.“This House recommends to the state government to request the Government of India to use its good offices to prevail upon the state government of Himachal Pradesh to withdraw the Ordinance as the same is in violation of the central Act i.e. Inter State River Water Disputes Act, 1956,” it further said.

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