Encouraged by successful production ofoxygenby making slight alteration to theethanolmanufacturing unit inOsmanabad, a total of 20 distilleries from different parts ofMaharashtrahave expressed their interest in setting up Oxygen generation Plants on similar lines.
Impressed by the idea, the Uttar Pradesh government is also implementing the Osmanabad pattern at 15 ethanol plants for increasing the oxygen generation capacity ahead of third wave of Covid-19.
Already orders have even placed for getting the required equipment, including compressors, that are to be imported from Taiwan, Korea and the USA for two plants. There are 195 sugar factories out of which 137 have ethanol plants in the state. In addition to this, there are over a dozen standalone ethanol plants across the state.
MAHARASHTRA
Issue policy on transgender reservations: HC to Maharashtra government
Bombay on Monday directed the Maharashtra government to come back by June 7 with a policy on reservations for transpersons in EMPLOYMENT and Education.
Earlier this month, state Advocate General Birendra Saraf submitted the state was taking steps to issue a government resolution (GR) in a week to provide for a third window for transgender persons in all public employment and education enrolment, in addition to those for male and female candidates.
The HC was hearing a 2022 petition byVinayak Kashidfor the state’s compliance to a 2014 Supreme Court oder directing all states to issue pro-transgender policies. Kashid’s lawyer Kranti L C said Karnataka provides 1% reservation in all categories, and sought such a policy in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra govt plans special authority for medical purchases
The state cabinet approved setting up of theMaharashtra Medical Purchase Authoritythrough an Act and allowing purchase of medicines and medical equipment through a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary.
Officials said the chief minister will be the chairman of the regulatory board. This authority will have 14 posts.
In December, with extensive delays in purchase of medicine, medical and surgical equipment for state-run medical colleges and hospitals through the Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation, the had said it would set up a newMaharashtraMedical Authority on the lines of MMRDA for buying medicines, medical equipment and surgical items. Medical Education minister Girish Mahajan had said this in the state legislative council while replying to a Calling Attention Motion by MLCs Praveen Datke, Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Nago Ganar.
Govt panel to reassess replenishable groundwater resources in Maharashtra
In a crucial exercise, the will be carrying out the reassessment of replenishable groundwater sources acrossMaharashtra. A special panel has been formed to carry out the task, which is expected to submit its report by February 2023.
While the reassessment will be done in accordance with the directives received from the Centres Ministry of Jalshakti,Resources“>Water Resources,River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the National Water Policy, 2012, has also recommended that the groundwater resources of the country should be reassessed periodically.
The aforementioned panel formed has 16 members from different government departments and state agencies and is headed by a secretary-level official from the Water supply and sanitation department. Besides reassessing the annual replenishable groundwater resources, the panel will also estimate the status of utilisation of the annual replenishable groundwater resource.
Maharashtra’s GST mop-up drops by almost Rs 700 crore in 1 month
MaharashtrasGSTcollections, which had soared in the festive month of October, saw a dip of Rs 699 crore in November.
Thecollections declined from Rs 19,355 crore in October to Rs 18,656 crore in November, the latest data shows. However, the states GST collections in the eight months of the financial year from April to November are a steep 61.5% higher than they were last year. Collections during this period are Rs 1,20,752 crore in 2021 compared to Rs 74,665 crore in 2020.
GST is a consumption-based tax and is an indicator of economic activity. Maharashtras GST collections are the highest in the country and it is the main revenue earner for the .
Indeed, collections for April were the highest so far this year, followed by collections in October. The GST collections for May, June, August and November were relatively lower.
However GST collections for November 2021 are 32.5% higher than the corresponding month in 2020. The collections are Rs 16,428 crore this November compared to Rs 12,403 in November 2020. This is because last years lockdown was more stringent and the economic recovery was slower.
In state, 3k+ socs generate 52MW solar power in grid
Thestate solar rooftop schemehas helped 3,026 housing societies acrossMaharashtragenerate 52MW of electricity in the grid, and saved them lakhs of rupees in power bills.
“We appeal to more housing societies to install rooftop solar power generation projects,”MSEDCLmanaging directorVijay Singhalsaid on Monday. He added that the electricity generated by rooftop solar projects in housing societies was used for operating lifts, water pumps and lighting staircases and parking areas. “If excess power is generated, it is passed on to the grid to MSEDCL and recorded through net metering,” Singhal explained. “In lieu of the electricity supplied to the grid, MSEDCL provides a reduction in the Society‘s monthly electricity bill.”
As an example, Singhal cited the case of a housing society in Thane which installed a 90 kilowatt solar power plant and the electricity bill of Rs 1.5 lakh was reduced to Rs 71,000.
Maharashtra bids to acquire 865 border villages in Karnataka
Days after the Karnataka legislature cleared a resolution on the inter-state border dispute saying it would not give an inch of land to Maharashtra, both houses of Maharashtra legislature on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution to legally pursue inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages and its citizens into the state and make all-out efforts to contest the ongoing case in Supreme Court. Among the villages to be included in Maharashtra are Belagavi (earlier Belgaum), Karwar, Bidar, Balki and Nipani.
The resolution, tabled by CM Shinde in the assembly, spoke about firmly standing behind the Marathi-speaking people of the 865 villages. The CM informed the House the government has roped in noted lawyer Harish Salve to represent Maharashtra in the SC.
Maharashtra organ donation outfits bag best performance award
In a boost for the organ donation movement in the state,Maharashtras State Organ andTissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) on Saturday won the award for the best transplant programme in the country.
Although the states 88 cadaver donations is second to , its SOTTO earned the best tag for its all-round performance, which included awareness drives, introduction of a system to share information about availability of organs, and online presence. The Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) for the western region, which functions out of Mumbai, was also recognised for best performance.
Maharashtras SOTTO comprises four zonal transplant coordination centres at Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur.
Maharshtra’s first transgender ward to come up at GT hospital in January
The state’s first transgender ward will come up at the state-run Gokuldas Tejpal (GT) Hospital near CSMT. The 35-to-45-bed ward will start in January 2023 and thereafter each of the JJ Group of hospitals in the city will get a trans ward.
The GT Hospital ward will contain two bathrooms and three toilets that will be gender-neutral. Dr Saple said that a separate examination room and dressing room will also be included in the ward to ensure that the patient’s privacy and dignity are maintained.
Transgenders, especially hijras, have complained about the trouble and stigma they face in accessing healthcare even in cities such as Mumbai. Many NGOs working for them had raised the issue with local governments, leading to the Preliminary Transgender Persons (Protection of Right) Act, 2019.
Maharashtra cabinet nod for 17% more elected representatives in local bodies
The state cabinet approved the proposal to increase the number of elected representatives in all , except theBMC, by 17%.
Last month, the cabinet had approved reintroduction of the multi-member system for all these local bodies. Elections are to be held for 23 of the 27 municipal corporations and 27 of the 36 district councils early next year. Pune, which has a Population of more than 30 lakh, may see the number of seats increase by 11, Nagpur five, Navi Mumbai and Thane by 11 seats each.
At present, the number of members in municipal corporations is a minimum 65 and maximum 175. The number of members in municipal councils is a minimum 17 and maximum 65. Thus, the minimum number of members to be elected for a population of 3 lakh to 6 lakh will be 76 and the maximum will not exceed 96. The minimum members to be elected for a population of 6 lakh to 12 lakh will be 96 and the maximum will not exceed 126. (For Navi Mumbai, it will go up from 111 to 122).
For a population of 12 lakh to 24 lakh the minimum will be 126 and the maximum 156 (For Thane, the seats will go up from 131 to 142, Nashik 122 to 133, Kalyan-Dombivli 122 to 133, and Vasai-Virar 115 to 126).