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Prajatantra 2024: Building Blocks of Democracy

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Prajatantra 2024: Building Blocks of Democracy

Mumbai : Prajatantra 2024: National Youth Festival was inaugurated today, marking the sixth edition of this annual celebration of democracy. Prajatantra offers Indian youth a distinctive platform to gain first-hand experience and understand how city governments operate. Participants take on the roles of fictional city government officials, such as Mayors, Chairpersons of Municipal Committees, and Councillors, to present their ideas, visions, and policies for effective governance.

This year, Prajatantra highlights the importance of Active Citizenship through the theme, ‘Citizen Participation: Building Blocks of Democracy’. Under this theme, participants are encouraged to envision how city governments can meaningfully involve citizens in local decision-making. They will propose policies on topics such as creating participatory budgets, integrating technology to make citizen engagement more accessible, developing civic engagement infrastructure, and actively involving marginalised communities, among other sub-themes.

Prajatantra 2024, is proud to host 418 teams, representing over 100 cities from 28 states and seven union territories, have registered for this event. These participants come from diverse educational and socio-economic backgrounds. Today, they gathered virtually for the Opening Ceremony. The event featured addresses by Ms Debolina Kundu, Director (Additional Charge) at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, Ms Parul Agarwala, Country Manager at UN Habitat, and Mr Nitai Mehta, Founder and Managing Trustee of Praja Foundation. They spoke on topics of governance and youth engagement.

“It is crucial for today’s youth to collaborate and engage with decision-makers like us to shape their future,” said Ms Agarwala in her opening remarks. “I am deeply committed to empowering young people, and through the mandate of UN-Habitat and all UN Agencies, we are dedicated to providing platforms and forums that amplify your voices on the global stage.” Ms Agarwala also praised the significant growth of Prajatantra over the years at the national level.

Mr Mehta shared, “Praja was established in 1997 with the mission to reform urban governance. It is vital that the three key stakeholders—elected representatives, the administration, and citizens—actively participate in dialogue to create solutions at the local level. Prajatantra brings young people together to develop these solutions. Every year, we witness remarkable ideas from youth across the country on urban governance.”

In her concluding remarks, Ms Kundu underscored the significance of urbanisation and the role of youth in this process. “Urbanisation is an inevitable trend, with an increasing number of citizens living in urban areas. The youth represent the largest demographic, and it is imperative that we harness their potential. How we can leverage this demographic dividend through employment and skill development is a key focus area for NIUA.”

Following the Opening Ceremony, Prajatantra participants will engage in competitive events throughout the weekend. The Qualifying Rounds will be followed by the Semi-Finals in September 2024. Finalists will convene in Lucknow in November for anin-person Grand Finale.

Maharashtra

Maloney Ram Navami: Violence at Jama Masjid, demand for action from police, attempt to spoil the atmosphere

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Mumbai: Ram Navami procession in Mumbai concluded peacefully. In view of the procession, the police had made special security arrangements. Along with this, the police had also issued a high alert in sensitive areas including Malad Maloni. Till late night, no untoward incident or communal violence was reported in the procession and Ram Navami concluded peacefully. Ram Navami was a challenge for Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Pansalkar, but the Police Commissioner performed his duty well and got it concluded peacefully.

During the Ram Navami procession in Mumbai, miscreants in Maloni created a ruckus by raising mischievous slogans at Gate No. 7 of Anjuman Jama Masjid for 40 minutes, due to which tension spread in the area, but Muslims showed patience and restraint and maintained peace and order. After this mischief outside the mosque, now Muslims have expressed their displeasure and have also complained to the police. Local Muslims and social activists have said that objectionable slogans as well as poisonous slogans were raised against Muslims during the Ram Navami Shobha Yatra in the presence of the police. Not only this, the procession was deliberately stopped outside the mosque and a DJ was played. This DJ was played for one hour 40 minutes, but the police did not remove these miscreants from here.

Muslims maintained order by showing patience and restraint in this matter. Muslims alleged that when the procession was brought to the mosque route, Namaz was going on in the mosque and the miscreants tried to provoke and mislead Muslims and Namazis by stopping the procession in the mosque. However, the police had already held a meeting of the mosque committee and prohibited anyone from coming out of the mosque during the procession, so the Muslims followed it. Local Muslims said that some miscreants want to spoil the atmosphere of the area, that is why such mischief is being done outside the mosques. The police had earlier also explained to the miscreants not to make noise and other things outside religious places and mosques, but deliberately in this procession of Vishwa Hindu Parishad Bajrang, open nuisance was demonstrated outside the mosques. Therefore, now Anjuman Jamia Masjid has decided to complain to the police about this and has also requested the police to register a case against the procession committee in this matter as it has violated the permit and also tried to disturb the peace. Muslims have said that such tactics are being adopted by communal organizations to spoil the communal harmony in Malad Maloni and create division between Hindus and Muslims, while Hindus and Muslims live together in this area.
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Maharashtra

Mumbai Police equipped with modern laboratories and technology: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

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Mumbai: Mumbai Police has equipped itself with modern technology to curb cyber crime and cyber fraud. Accordingly, Mumbai Police inaugurated three cyber labs including a forensic lab, a special van, an intercept van and other modern equipment at the hands of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Speaking on the occasion, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the police has been modernized to curb cyber fraud and online fraud and the police will use these modern equipment to solve crimes ranging from cyber fraud to other crimes.

Fadnavis said that the way incidents like digital arrests are happening today by fooling people online, the police has brought significant revolution in the investigation methods and other things to curb these incidents. He said that special help rooms have also been set up in police stations to help women, in which women will get immediate help. He said that a special van has also been prepared for women so that they can get immediate help. Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Pansalkar, Special Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Satyanarayan Chaudhary and senior officers were present at the event.

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Maharashtra

Bir Mecca Masjid bomb blast implementation of UAPA

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Mumbai: Police has implemented UAPA Act in the Bir Ard Masla Mecca Masjid blast case. On the midnight of March 30, Vijay Agon and Shri Ram Ashok placed a bomb in the mosque and exploded it. This explosion was done with the help of jetliner and detonator. In this case, the police had earlier registered a case under Arms Act and other sections, but after that Muslim organizations had demanded to prosecute the accused under UAPA Act and NSA.
The Beed blast was investigated by the local crime branch, in which the crime branch found that the explosion was very powerful and detonators were also used along with jetliner rods. On this basis, UAPA Act has been implemented on the recommendation of the Crime Branch. Police have registered a case against both the terrorists under sections 16 and 18 of UAPA. Since the Beed blast, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is investigating it along with the police. The ATS is investigating the connection and financing of terrorists in this case, including how jetliner rods were made available to the accused and who provided them jetliner rods without license or permit. Along with this, investigation is also going on to find out how many more people and conspirators are involved in this case. ATS said that investigation is going on every aspect and point of the Beed bomb blast, however, ATS has so far questioned many people in this case, including family members and well-wishers of the accused as well as their friends and acquaintances. ATS is trying to uncover the conspiracy before the blast in the Beed Mecca Masjid blast case because before the blast, accused Vijay Agon had released a video and uploaded it on the status threatening Muslims to remove the mosque and only after that the blast took place here. The local police had also registered a case of spreading religious hatred against the accused a day earlier and the mosque was blown up the next day.

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