The upcoming budget session of theMaharashtralegislature will be held from March 3 to March 25 in Mumbai. The state budget for the financial year 2022-23 will be tabled on March 11.
The dates were finalised in a meeting of theconsisting of representatives of all parties on Tuesday. Since the pandemic began in 2020, this may be the first full-term of the legislature session. AnRT-PCRnegative report as well as double vaccination status are mandatory for everyone attending the session.
TheMaharashtragovernment on Wednesday decided to make it mandatory for shops with fewer than ten employees to useMarathisignboards, a senior minister said in Mumbai.
The Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of EMPLOYMENT and Conditions of Service) Act will be amended for this, industries ministerSubhash Desaitold reporters.
The decision was taken at the weekly cabinet meeting, said Desai who also holds the Marathi language portfolio.
The objective was to close a legal loophole that the owners of small shops exploit to avoid putting up Marathi signboards (already required for bigger establishments).
Minister of state for railways Raosaheb DadaraoPatil Danvewill flag offChalisgaon Dhule MEMU train service from Chalisgaon RAILWAY station through video link.
Salient features of Chalisgaon Dhule MEMU Train include bench-type cushioned seats to enhance ease of journey, each MEMU coach with double-leaf sliding doors and LED lighting, eco-friendly bio toilets have been provided in each MEMU coach, energy efficient LED Light fittings have been provided in each coach, the eight-coach rake has higher acceleration and deceleration which saves time and it has energy-efficient electric traction propulsion system.
Amid the festive sales last month, traders and experts noticed a greater demand for smart appliances, Artificial Intelligence-incorporated household gadgets and virtual assistants.
A leading air-conditioner brand initiated a nationwide poll recently to gauge the shift in the preferences of Indian consumers triggered by the pandemic. It revealed that in the Home appliance segment, comfort, convenience, cooling, Health and technology are priorities.
Around 82% of the respondents felt smart home appliances can save time while preparing for festivities at home, while 55% said they considered buying these appliances during this festive season to manage household chores.
Vaccination against Covid for pregnant Women started in mid-July, but it is still to pick up in the state.
Only around 40,700 women have taken the shot so far in Maharashtra, shows data. Considering the state has an estimated 20 lakh women in this category, it means barely 2% have taken the jab. In Mumbai, Home to about 1.5 lakh pregnant women, only 1,278 have taken it. Nationally, over 6 lakh had taken it till September 7.
Doctors believe fear, misconception and lack of local data on pregnancy outcomes for the mother and the child may be keeping women away.
The low rate of vaccination despite mounting evidence that pregnant women face a higher risk of severe Covid has the medical calling for more awareness and confidence-building campaigns.
For the Shinde government, which is under attack from the Opposition for the flight of big-ticket projects to Gujarat, the estimated rise in industrial Growth is the silver lining in the Maharashtras economic survey which was tabled in legislature.
Within Industry, the growth rate in the manufacturing segment is estimated to rise from 4.2% to 6.9%, that of the construction segment is set to increase from 1.3% to 4.4%. Growth rate of the mining segment is also set to increase from 0.9% to 4.4%. However, growth in the segment of utilities including electricity and water supply is set for a decline from 12.5% to 7%.
Within the Services-sector”>services sector, the sharpest decline is within the segment of trade, hotels, transport and Communication services. The growth rate in this segment is estimated to plummet from 18.9% in 2021-22 to a mere 4.6% in 2022-23.
In terms of finances, the states per capita income is set to rise from Rs 2,15,233 in 2021-22 to Rs 2,42,247 in 2022-23. In 2021-22, the states per capita income was lower than Karnataka,Telangana, Haryana andTamil Nadu.
The Average share of the state in the All-India Nominal GDP is the highest among states at 14%. The nominal GSDP for 2022-23 is projected at Rs 35.3 lakh crore, a rise from Rs 31 lakh crore in 2021-22.
Maharashtra reported the highest FDI inflows between April 2000 to September 2022, accounting for 28.5% of the countrys total inflows. By comparison, Karnataka, which was the second-highest, accounted for 14.4% of the FDI inflows.
According to the economic survey, the labour force participation rate (LFPR) in the state has declined from 45% in 2019-20 to 44.2% in 2020-21. During the same period, the rate for Women declined from 30.6% to 28.7%. However, the LFPR for menrosefrom 58.7% to 59.1%.
It also shows that the Unemployment rate in the state rose from 3.2% to 3.7% between 2019-20 and 2020-21. The rate for women rose from 2.4% to 2.7% while that for men rose from 3.5% to 4.1%.
The package scheme of incentives was developed to encourage the relocation of industry to less developed areas. However, disbursement for mega-projects could be much lower for 2022-23 compared to the previous year. While Rs 3,674 was disbursed in 2021-22, only Rs 1,001 crore was disbursed between April-October 2022, the survey shows.
The state will roll out Consent-basedAadhaarlinkage with land records from April to ensure transparency, curb fraudulent practices and reduce land disputes.
The state would issue a GR (government resolution) on consent-based Aadhaar linkage with land records before rolling out the process.
Last year, the state had rolled out theUnique Land Parcel Identification Number(ULPIN) or Bhu-Aadhaar – an alphanumeric number – to identify every surveyed land parcel. Of the 3.94 crore landholdings in the state, 3.24 crore are in rural areas with record of rights and 70 lakh are in city areas.
The Vidarbha Livelihood Forum, a consortium promoting Forest Rights Act (FRA), has opposed the state governments decision to set up convergence committees to prepare management plans to effectively and transparently implement community forest rights (CFRs) offered under the FRA.
Till the end of August 2021, of the 11,842 CFR claims, the district level committees (DLCs) have approved 8,133 in Maharashtra. For better monitoring and effective implementation, the tribal development department issued a GR on November 22,
directing to set up convergence committees at gram panchayat, taluka and district levels.
These committees will prepare management plans of CFR villages and work will be done as per the plan. The plans will have to be approved by the taluka level and district level committees, which will include officials from the forest, revenue, Irrigation, PWD, Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture, animal husbandry and departments.
The weekly positivity rate of the state has dropped to 1.35% for the seven-day period ending November 9, with Pune districts rate staying above 2%, said the public Health departments report presented in the cabinet.
Eleven districts in the state have weekly positivity rate (WPR) hovering between 1.50% and 2.50%.
State health officials said they were keeping a close watch in the post-Diwali period. The daily cases in the state are in the range of 800-1,000, with the active cases staying in the range of 12,000-15,000.
A total of 182 foreign nationals were booked from 2019 to 2021 for enteringMaharashtraillegally with forged Indian passports and procuring help from touts to live in the country. Maharashtra tops the list of such states, accounting for over 40% of the country’s cases (448).
The offence is under the Indian Passport Act, with the next state on the list being Tripura (122), followed by Nadu (46), West Bengal (17) and Karnataka (14). The data was recently released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
However, Maharashtra is fourth among states when it comes to the number of those booked under the Foreigners Act, with 61 cases from 2019 to 2021. West Bengal tops the list with 2,572 cases, Karnataka is a distant second with 204 cases and Tamil Nadu third with 63. After Maharashtra comes Tripura, which is at fifth place with 11 cases.
Also, as per the NCRB report (for the same three-year duration), the maximum number of persons arrested or apprehended at the country’s borders for trying to illegally enter India were from Bangladesh (4,149) followed by Pakistan (137).
Mumbai Universitys rating from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) will be valid for seven years as opposed to five till 2028.
High-performing institutions are given an extension by the council based on scores.
MU recently bagged A++, with a score of 3.65 CGPA (cumulative grade point Average), and became one of the highest rated public universities in the state, so far.
As per theNew Education Policy, MU will also be recognised as a research university.