Mumbai: Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Raees Shaikh has demanded that the proposed educational field trip to Keshav Srushti in Attan, Bhayander for students of Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools be cancelled, and that a complete ban be imposed on it, slamming the “saffronisation of education” by the BMC administration. The proposal to take class VII students from BMC schools of all mediums on an environmental study and training field trip to Keshav Srushti in Attan, Bhayander will be considered in the standing committee meeting on August 28. The civic body is expected to spend Rs 2.43 crore on the trip. MLA Raees Shaikh has written a letter to BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, demanding cancellation of the proposal. “Keshav Sruthi was established as an organisation in memory of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar. BJP and RSS functionaries undergo training there. RSS is the ideological umbrella organisation of BJP and aims to establish a “Hindu Rashtra”. Taking BMC school students on a field trip to an institution like Keshav Sruthi, which has a religiously biased character, is tantamount to “saffronisation of education”. The BMC administration is accountable to the Constitution and our Constitution is secular. It is unconstitutional for students to organise an educational field trip to an institution with religious purposes.” Shaikh also referred to an incident during the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in January 2024, when BMC schools had organised a competition on the life and character of Lord Ram. The move faced opposition at the time. Shaikh said, “Regardless of which BMC school The political party is in power, the administration cannot work for religious purposes, said the Shaikh. He also demanded that the institutional legacy of the BMC be preserved and not compromised.

Mumbai: Police Station: In view of Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH), the police station has also issued an alert. After the poisonous conspiracy of Fayyaz in Muharram, Mumbai, now the police station will be under special surveillance on the distribution of Niyaz and Langar in the Muhammadi procession and the police will also register the organizations that distribute Langar and Niyaz. Along with strict security arrangements on the route of the procession, the police will also keep an eye on social media. If anyone tries to create a disturbance in the procession or spoils the atmosphere, strict action will be taken against him. This warning has been given by the police station police commissioner Ashutosh Dombre. He said that a meeting has also been held before the procession in the police station. Along with this, instructions have also been issued regarding the guiding principles and law enforcement in the meeting of the Mohalla Committees and Peace Committee. Police Commissioner Dombre has appealed to the lovers of the Prophet to avoid superstitions, triple seats, rush driving and violation of the law in the procession because in a state of compulsion, the police is forced to take action against them. Ashutosh Dambre has clarified that the necessary permits are provided for the Muhammadi procession and no undue conditions have been imposed. According to the law, the police allow everyone. It is wrong to accuse the police of any kind of bias or prejudice in this. A video went viral on social media regarding the procession flag in Bhiwandi, which the Police Commissioner has clarified because there was an objection to the length of the flag. Police Commissioner Dambre said that according to the law, every festival is allowed and there is no question of prejudice or additional conditions in this. Dombre said that special attention should be paid to children in the procession and they should not be allowed to sit on the tip of the truck because it poses a risk of accident. He said that surveillance has also been intensified on social media during Eid Milad-un-Nabi. If someone posts a controversial post on social media that threatens to worsen the situation and create hatred between the two sects, immediate action will be taken against such people. He added that the hate agenda on social media is intolerable, it affects communal harmony and those who create distance in society will not be spared. In areas like Thana, Mumbra, Bhiwandi, Kalyan Rao, Bodi, Dombivali, processions are taken out on Eid Milad-un-Nabi with great enthusiasm. It is also necessary to take special care that the youth do not lose consciousness in the procession. He said that misuse of social media leads to deterioration of the environment, therefore unverified content and content should not be shared because in such a situation, action can also be taken against those who advance their agenda and hateful content. Speaking to a contemporary Urdu daily and an Urdu website here, Ashutosh Dombre claimed special arrangements for Eid Milad-un-Nabi. He said that the police are ready in every way to monitor the procession and strict arrangements will be made on each of its routes. Commissioner Ashutosh Dombre has requested the lovers of the Prophet to maintain order and law because the Holy Prophet is the messenger of peace and has come as a mercy to the worlds. Therefore, we should participate in the procession by maintaining peace and order on the path and teachings of the Prophet. Dombre said that special attention will be paid to sectarians during the Muhammadi procession. Along with this, action will be taken against anyone found disturbing the environment and violating the law.

Mumbai, Aug 22: The Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray, on Saturday claimed that the Union Government’s ethanol-blended petrol (E20) policy is the primary catalyst for the current supply shortage and sharp rise in domestic sugar prices.

It pointed out that the spike has sparked widespread public dissatisfaction ahead of the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri festivals, with retail sugar rates surging by Rs 17 in the last 15 days to reach Rs 65–Rs 70 per kilogram.

The Thackeray camp, in the party mouthpiece Saamana editorial, said that the core issue stems from the diversion of sugarcane towards ethanol manufacturing to meet the government’s target of 20% ethanol-blended petrol. Despite annual sugar production increasing from 25.8 million tonnes last year to 27.6 million tonnes this year, domestic availability remains inadequate to cover total demand alongside ethanol processing commitments.

The editorial said that sugarcane typically processed for refined sugar is increasingly being routed to produce ethanol under government incentives, directly constricting the domestic sugar supply.

“As usual, the ruling authorities have woken up late. Now, the government claims to have taken strict measures against the sugar price hike, tightening rules and restrictions against sugar hoarding. Why do the government’s ‘strict’ and ‘tough’ measures regarding inflation and price hikes always arrive a day late and a dollar short? Why can’t the government foresee that a sugar shortage might occur in the country, causing a price blow to the public?” asked the editorial.

The Saamana editorial characterised recent government measures—such as tightening anti-hoarding limits on traders and proposing ethanol production restrictions—as delayed actions that failed to foresee the market shortfall. According to the editorial, new regulatory limits restrict traders from holding more than 10% excess stock for longer than 15 days. Additionally, plans are underway to import 1 million tonnes of sugar to stabilise domestic supply.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena said that if policymakers in government lack the basic foresight to realise that an ethanol policy would cause shortages of sugar and other grains, hitting the public with inflation, they should be deemed unfit to govern. Due to their incompetent governance, not just sugar, but jaggery prices have also skyrocketed. Is this price hike benefiting sugarcane farmers? Not at all; as usual, the profits are going straight into the pockets of traders.

“The price increase is not limited to refined sugar; jaggery (gur) prices have also escalated sharply. Furthermore, the financial benefit of these higher prices is largely accruing to market intermediaries and traders rather than sugarcane farmers. The surge in sugar costs adds to broader inflationary pressures currently impacting household essentials, including fuel, dairy, onions, potatoes, and public transportation fares,” observed the editorial.

The Thackeray camp said that the Modi government confidently boasts about a five-trillion-dollar economy, yet the ‘Vishwaguru’ lacks the simple foresight to see that their own ethanol policy would create a sugar shortage, causing unprecedented price hikes that make the common man’s Ganesh and Navratri festivals bitter.

“The Modi government’s administration operates entirely on guesswork. As a result, a wildfire of price hikes has spread from petrol and diesel to gold and silver, jaggery and sugar to milk, onions, potatoes, and even auto-rickshaws, taxis, and state transport buses. The common man is getting scorched in the process, and this sin belongs entirely to the Modi government, claimed the editorial.