Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed confidence that Maharashtra will lead the country in the fields of maritime trade and industry through the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed today. A total of 15 MoUs were signed in the presence of the Chief Minister during India Maritime Week 2025, held at NESCO, Goregaon.

Also present were Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane, Additional Chief Secretary (Ports) Sanjay Sethi, CEO of Maharashtra Maritime Board P. Pradeep, and representatives of the companies involved in the agreements.

Chief Minister Fadnavis said that several MoUs have been signed with different companies to develop the maritime ecosystem, involving investments worth approximately ₹56,000 crore. These agreements will help position Maharashtra at the forefront of maritime trade and development. Facilities related to ports, transport, industry, and commerce will be upgraded to global standards.

“Water transport is very important for Mumbai. The Ro-Ro ferry service has received an excellent response from citizens. Now, a water taxi service between Gateway of India and Navi Mumbai Airport will be launched, which will significantly reduce travel time. Additionally, a fleet of electric vessels (EV vessels) will be introduced to ensure clean and eco-friendly water transport.”

The state is developing water sports centers, shipbuilding industries, and blue economy projects. A major port is being established at Vadhavan, which will make Maharashtra a leader in the country’s maritime sector. The Vadhavan Port will be connected by road to key cities across the state, ensuring its benefits reach all regions of Maharashtra, the Chief Minister said.

Maharashtra Set to Become the Center of India’s Maritime Growth

— Minister of Fisheries and Ports Nitesh Rane

Minister Nitesh Rane said that this is a proud moment for Maharashtra. Due to the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, vast opportunities for growth have been created in the maritime sector. Maharashtra is emerging as a frontrunner in shipbuilding policy, passenger water transport, and marine tourism.

He added that Maharashtra will soon become the epicenter of the nation’s maritime development, and the MoUs signed today will give Maharashtra’s maritime industry global strength. A new chapter of investment in port development, shipbuilding, ship repair, and maritime transport has begun, he said.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. — Development of Dighi Port and related infrastructure as a mega port; Investment: ₹42,500 crore.

JSW Infrastructure Ltd. — Expansion of existing Jaigad and Dharamtar ports; Investment: ₹3,709 crore.

Chowgule & Company Pvt. Ltd. — Shipbuilding, ship repair, rig repair, offshore and energy project development; Investment: ₹5,000 crore.

Synergy Shipbuilders & Dock Works Ltd. — Shipbuilding, ship repair, and ship recycling yard; Investment: ₹1,000 crore.

Goa Shipyard Ltd. — Shipbuilding, ship repair, and ship recycling yard; Investment: ₹2,000 crore.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay — Establishment of a Centre of Excellence for research and development in ship design and construction.

IIT Bombay — Development of training facilities in marine engineering and infrastructure.

IIT Bombay — Capacity building and skill development programs for Maharashtra Maritime Board employees.

Knowledge Marine & Engineering Works Ltd. — Shipbuilding and repair yard project; Investment: ₹250 crore.

TSA Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. — Development of Container Freight Station (CFS), shipyard, and flotel project at Vadhavan Port; Investment: ₹500 crore.

Candela Technology AB (Sweden) — Establishment of a shipyard for the construction of passenger water transport vessels.

Abu Dhabi Ports Group (UAE) — Agreement to enhance maritime cooperation between Maharashtra and the UAE.

Atal Turnkey Projects (Netherlands) — Agreement for maritime cooperation between Maharashtra and the Netherlands; Investment: ₹1,000 crore.

Echandia Marine AB — Establishment of a marine battery energy storage system assembly and manufacturing facility for tugboats; Investment: ₹10 crore.

Mumbai Port Authority — MoU for mutual cooperation to strengthen passenger water transport within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

Total Expected Investment: ₹55,969 crore

These MoUs will bring large-scale investment into port development, shipbuilding, marine research, and technical training in Maharashtra. Major projects such as Dighi Port and Vadhavan Port will enhance the state’s maritime trade capacity, while collaboration with IIT Bombay will promote innovation and skill development.

This initiative will create thousands of employment opportunities, attract new industries, and accelerate progress toward the Developed India 2047 vision.

Both central and state governments emphasized that these MoUs mark a significant step forward in strengthening India’s maritime future through joint efforts.

Mumbai: After a night of heavy showers, Mumbai woke up to clear skies and bright sunshine on Tuesday, offering residents a refreshing break from the lingering post-Diwali haze. However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) cautioned that the pleasant weather may not last long, placing the city under a yellow alert for today and the next two days. The forecast predicts partly cloudy skies with the likelihood of moderate rain or thunderstorms later in the day.

According to the IMD, maximum temperatures are expected to reach 32°C, while the minimum could drop to around 25°C. The unseasonal showers, arriving soon after Diwali festivities, have temporarily cooled the city and significantly improved air quality, which had deteriorated due to pollution and stagnant winds.

Real-time data from AQI.in showed that Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) on Tuesday morning stood at 64, placing it in the moderate category, a clear improvement from the unhealthy levels recorded over the past week. The cleaner air brought visible relief, as haze lifted and visibility improved across much of the city.

Among the city’s monitoring stations, Jogeshwari recorded the highest AQI at 83, followed closely by Colaba (82), Wadala Truck Terminal (75), Chembur (73), and Bandra-Kurla Complex (72). While traces of smog lingered in some areas during the early hours, most parts of the city experienced significantly fresher air.

On the other hand, several neighbourhoods reported exceptionally clean air. Mulund West topped the list with an AQI of 48, followed by Kandivali East (50), Malad West (52), Bhandup West (53), and Parel-Bhoiwada (55), all falling in the “good” to “moderate” range.

As per AQI.in’s classification, readings between 0–50 denote “Good” air, 51–100 “Moderate,” 101–150 “Poor,” 151–200 “Unhealthy,” and above 200 “Severe” to “Hazardous.”

Meanwhile, the IMD reported that isolated pockets of Mumbai continued to experience rainfall accompanied by gusty winds and thunderstorms on Monday evening. A yellow alert remains in place for Mumbai and neighbouring districts, Thane, Palghar and Raigad, until October 30.

The weather department attributed the unseasonal rains to an upper air cyclonic circulation over the Arabian Sea. The alert also extends to Marathwada, North Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Konkan regions, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and winds reaching speeds of 40–50 kmph.

Jaipur, Oct 27: In a major breakthrough, the Jhalawar Police in Rajasthan have busted an interstate cybercrime network that infiltrated several central and state government welfare portals, including the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Jan Aadhaar, Raj SSP (Social Security Pension), and the Disaster Management Department’s DMIS portal.

Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said that the crackdown codenamed “Operation Shutdown” has led to the arrest of six accused and detention of two others across Delhi, Punjab, and multiple districts of Rajasthan, including Jaipur, Bharatpur, Dausa, and Jodhpur. Police have so far frozen Rs 1 crore across 11,000 suspicious bank accounts linked to the gang.

SP Kumar said the gang was involved in large-scale financial fraud worth crores by exploiting loopholes in government welfare schemes.

“This was an organised and well-connected interstate gang operating at both the state and national levels,” he said.

SP Kumar said that during the operation, which began on October 22, police recovered Rs 53 lakh in cash, note-counting machines, thousands of chequebooks, passbooks, and ATM cards, along with 35 laptops, 70 mobile phones, and data related to over 11,000 bank accounts.

“Luxury vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and tractors, used by the accused were also seized,” SP Kumar said.

He said that among those arrested are Mohammad Laiq (Jaipur), identified as the State Nodal Operator of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, accused of creating unauthorised IDs using his official credentials and performing illegal land seeding for ineligible beneficiaries.

“Subhash (Delhi) provided land seeding data for fake beneficiaries in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Mohammad Shahid Khan (Bharatpur) is a former Land Development Bank employee who aided in fraudulent activations. Rohit Kumar and Sandeep Sharma (Jalandhar, Punjab) designed and managed clone websites resembling government portals. Sunant Sharma has been identified as the main handler of the gang,” he said.

SP Kumar said that two others, including Ramesh Chand (Phalodi Collectorate employee) and Bhag Chand (Dausa), were detained for facilitating bulk registrations and enrolling the highest number of ineligible beneficiaries in Jhalawar district.

“The gang exploited dormant or inactive registrations of ineligible beneficiaries. Data collected from rural agents was routed to operators like Laiq, who used official credentials to generate unauthorised nodal IDs at night. These IDs were used to bypass OTPs and reactivate accounts for ineligible beneficiaries, siphoning government funds overnight before deleting or disabling the login IDs by morning,” he said.

SP Kumar said that in the DMIS portal, criminals abused vulnerabilities in the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS).

“They accessed 1,500 SSO IDs and official emails — from collectorates to patwaris — to divert compensation funds meant for farmers into fake accounts. Forensic analysis of seized devices revealed sophisticated cyber tools used to bypass Aadhaar verification and gain access to e-Mitra Plus systems,” he said.

SP Kumar added that police have also recovered thousands of Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) and account details from social security schemes.

“Suspicious fund transfers were detected for over 17,000 beneficiaries in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Sikar, indicating widespread data theft and manipulation. To dismantle the network, a six-member Special Task Force (STF) was constituted under Jhalawar Police, with support from cyber forensics units and intelligence agencies across multiple states,” he said.

He further pointed out that authorities say the investigation is ongoing, with more arrests likely as data analysis and inter-state coordination continue.