Maharashtra
Haj 2022 will be fully online, with a ‘swadeshi’ touch: Naqvi
After two years’ ban on Haj owing to the Covid-19 crisis, the Indian government has announced the 2022 schedules for the most important pilgrimage of Muslims, with a fully online process and a ‘swadeshi’ touch, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said here on Monday.
All Muslims who are fully vaccinated and desirous of proceeding for Haj next year, including women without male companions, can apply online or through the upgraded Haj Mobile App before the deadline of January 31, 2022, the minister said.
With an emphasis on ‘Vocal For Local’, Haj 2022 pilgrims will go with indigenous products, which will be bought in India.
“Earlier, Haj pilgrims used to buy bed sheets, pillows, towels, umbrellas and other items in Saudi Arabia in foreign currency. These will be available in India at about 50 per cent lower prices compared with Saudi Arabia,” said Naqvi.
All these items will be given to Haj pilgrims at their respective embarkation points in India, the minister told mediapersons with the Vice Consul-General of Saudi Arabia in Mumbai, Mohammed Abdul Karim Al-Enazi, Joint Secretary at the Centre Nigar Fatima and Haj Committee of India CEO Mohammed Yakoob Shekha, present.
For decades, Haj pilgrims used to buy all these items in Saudi Arabia in foreign currency, and though most products were Indian-made, they were available at twice or thrice the rates in Saudi Arabia, he pointed out.
According to some estimates, this will save crores of rupees for the Indian pilgrims, around 200,000 who go to perform the annual Haj pilgrimage, barring the 2020-2021 seasons.
The selection process will be as per the criterial and guidelines of both India and Saudi Arabia.
This time, the embarkation points for Haj 2022 have been slashed by half from 21 to just 10 in India, the minister said.
The embarkation points are: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Cochin, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Srinagar, with their respective states and other neighbouring regions in their jurisdiction.
A Digital Health Card, ‘E-Masiha’ and ‘E-Luggage Pre-tagging’ will provide all information pertaining to accommodation or transportation in Mecca-Medina to all the pilgrims, he said.
Naqvi said that over 3,000 women without male companion had applied for the last two years’ Haj seasons which were cancelled and their applications would be valid for Haj-2022.
Besides, other women can also apply fresh for Haj-2022 and all these applications under the without ‘Mehram’ category shall be exempt from the lottery system.
Maharashtra
Abu Asim response to Nitesh Rane’s statement that madrasas are the base of terrorism: Rane is a liar

Mumbai: Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane, while demanding a ban on madrasas, called them a haven for terrorism and showed hostility towards Muslims, on which Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim has called Nitesh Rane a liar. He said that Nitesh Rane is lying about madrasas. No training for terrorism is given in madrasas in our country. This is the brainchild of Nitesh Rane. If there is any doubt, then madrasas should be monitored 24 hours a day with cameras. Defaming madrasas is just part of divisive politics. The fact is that madrasas educate orphans and poor children and make them good human beings. If we look at history, the students of these same madrasas sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom. The purpose of madrasas has always been to serve humanity. BJP’s politics is now limited to Muslims, mosques, prayers and madrasas. He said that the way BJP and Nitesh Rane are conspiring to defame madrasas, they can never succeed in their goal because this madrasa is not your lair, but the people are made from the soil of this place. Politics is involved in all the allegations made against madrasas and that is why there is no need to pay attention to Nitesh Rane’s words, his job is to spread poison and divide Hindus into Muslims.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Municipal Corporation presents budget with deficit of Rs 80,952.56 crore for 2026-27, 8.77% increase in expenditure over last year’s estimate

Mumbai: Municipal Corporation (BMC) has presented its deficit budget for the current financial year. It has presented a budget of Rs 80,952.56 crore for the financial year 2026-27, against an estimate of Rs 89.84 crore. Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani presented the budget along with Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde.
The new expenditure is higher than the previous year’s budget of Rs 74,427.41 crore. The civic body said it has adopted a policy of reducing administrative expenditure and has made strong arrangements for development works.
The corporation currently has Rs 81,449 crore and 32 lakh crore. Of this amount, Rs 44,826 crore and 23 lakh crore are earmarked deposits and cannot be used. The remaining amount of Rs 36,623 crore and 09 lakh crore can be used for other civic projects.
Officials said the corporation may break some deposits to fund infrastructure and development initiatives.
A key policy decision in the budget relates to outdoor advertising. The civic body has imposed a complete ban on billboards larger than 40 by 40 feet. It will also not allow billboards on footpaths or building roofs. No new approvals will be given for such structures. The move is aimed at improving public safety and curbing dangerous hoardings.
The budget has provided Rs 5,237 crore for the health department for 2026-27. The civic body also said that 1.35 crore citizens have availed services at the Hindu Hardai Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Hospital. It plans to introduce free AI-based treatment for diabetes and eye diseases at the hospital.
To tackle the rising air pollution in the city, the corporation has allocated Rs 159.82 crore for environment and cleanliness. The budget includes Rs 1,000 crore as grant to BEST. The education department has been allocated Rs 4,248.8 crore. Solid waste management gets Rs 580.82 crore, while the storm water drainage department gets Rs 1,800 crore.
The allocation for infrastructure is Rs 6,875 crore for roads and transport, Rs 9,650 crore for bridges, Rs 950 crore for coastal road project, Rs 1,330 crore for water engineering and Rs 6,600 crore for sewerage project works. Rs 800 crore has been allocated for parks and zoos. The budget emphasizes administrative expenditure for infrastructure development.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Ajit Pawar plane crash, Marine Drive police station refuses to register case against MLAs

Mumbai: Police has refused to register a case in the Ajit Pawar plane crash case. NCP leader MLA Rohit Pawar along with other MLAs had today gone to Marine Drive police station and demanded that a case be registered in the Ajit Pawar plane crash or conspiracy case. The process of recording his confession statement was also going on, but in the meantime, the DCP and Additional Police Commissioner refused to register a case and said that a case cannot be registered in this matter. Expressing his displeasure, Rohit Pawar said that the purpose of registering an FIR today is that the DGCA has issued a circular on the basis of which action has been taken regarding the VSR company, on this basis the VSR company is responsible for this plane crash, yet the police have refused to register a case. He said that any citizen can register a complaint at the police station, this act says, but contrary to this, the police have refused to register a case. He said that efforts are underway to save the VSR company. He said that the police register cases for other crimes including assault, but why is the police not registering a case on the incident that happened with a Maratha leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar? This is completely wrong. Our struggle will continue until justice is achieved. He said that tomorrow morning we will try to register a complaint at the Baramati police station. Rohit Pawar expressed his disappointment and said that if a Deputy Chief Minister does not get justice, then what will happen to the common man? Regarding the registration of a case in the case of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the ruling party BJP has also taken its stand that a case should not be registered in this matter, while it has also recommended a CBI inquiry into this matter, but despite this inquiry, we have the right to register an FIR, yet we are being deprived of it and have refused to take an FIR.
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