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Kamal Haasan seeks donations for his political party

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Superstar turned politician, Kamal Haasan has announced that he would seek donations from the public for his political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM).

The actor-turned politician in a statement said that he was seeking donations for changing the lives of people. He said that he was not seeking money not only for the well-being of people but also to ensure good livelihood for the next generation.

Kamal Haasan said that donations are being sought from the public for maintaining politics honestly. He said that he was pumping in his earnings after tax into the political party, but that was not enough to challenge the ‘corrupt rats’ in politics.

He said that many in the film industry used to address him as a prophet, but added that he doesn’t believe in prophecies but in convictions and work.

The MNM has already fielded candidates in most of the Corporations and municipalities and is expected to win a few seats in the Urban body polls, but the party has not yet got as many candidates to contest in town Panchayat seats.

The decision of Kamal Haasan to seek donations was earlier not welcomed by the general public and his own party men, but the superstar is pitching in for money from the public to carry forward the political party and its activities.

Maharashtra

Virar Building Collapse: Death Toll Rises To 14 As NDRF And Emergency Teams Continue Rescue Operations

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Palghar: The death toll has risen to 14 after a portion of a building collapsed in the Virar area of Palghar district, officials confirmed on Thursday. During the rescue operations conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), two people were rescued, and one person sustained injuries.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed two teams from its 5th battalion to the site.

Four-Storey Building Collapses in Virar

A section of the Ramabai Apartment, a four-storey building in Virar East, Palghar district, collapsed late Tuesday night, claiming two lives and injuring several others, officials said on Wednesday.

“14 people died when the rear portion of a four-storey Ramabai Apartments building located between Chamunda Nagar and Vijay Nagar on Narangi Road in Vasai collapsed yesterday. Rescue operations are underway,” NDRF said in a statement.

Further details are awaited.

In the initial manual and canine search, four people were pulled out; one was declared dead on site, and three were rescued alive. Tragically, a one-year-old child succumbed while being transported to the hospital.

Mumbai, Palghar NDRF Units Deployed

According to NDRF Deputy Commander Pramod Singh, “Two teams of the NDRF responded to the accident site–one from Mumbai and one from Palghar. As soon as the information was received at 12 am, the nearest team responded immediately.”

Emergency services, including the fire brigade and local police, are actively involved alongside NDRF teams. Authorities have set up barricades to maintain crowd control and are assessing the structural integrity of adjacent buildings. Several residents in adjoining buildings have been temporarily evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The incident occurred around 12:00 a.m., when the rear portion of the building collapsed onto an adjacent chawl, trapping multiple residents beneath the debris.

The rescued are receiving treatment at hospitals in Virar and Nalasopara, with some in serious condition.

Authorities are continuing their search to ensure no one remains trapped and are investigating the cause of the collapse further.

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Union Minister seeks apology from DKS for ‘Chamundi Hills not exclusive to Hindus’ remark

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New Delhi/Bengaluru, Aug 27: Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje has demanded an apology from Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over his ‘Chamundi Hills is not exclusive to Hindus’ remark.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Shobha Karandlaje said on Wednesday: “Shivakumar has hurt Hindu sentiments. He chose to do so in order to please the Congress high command and his bosses in Delhi. He created a controversy in the Karnataka Assembly session by singing the RSS anthem. That may have upset his bosses, and they are angry with him.

“To divert attention, he created another controversy by claiming that Chamundi Hills does not belong to Hindus. What does he mean by this? Across the country and in Karnataka, the Waqf Board has claimed lakhs of acres of land, and in land records these have been declared Waqf properties. Farmers are not getting loans, people cannot build houses. Amid this, why has Shivakumar made such a statement about Chamundi Hills?” Shobha Karandlaje questioned.

Lashing out at Shivakumar, who is also the Congress’ Karnataka unit chief, she questioned: “Why is it not a Hindu property? Whom are you trying to please, Mr. Shivakumar? After you sang the RSS anthem, your high command grew angry. Now, to divert the issue, you are making statements that Chamundi Hills does not belong to Hindus. What exactly are you trying to say?

“Chamundi Hills belongs to Hindus, and Goddess Chamundeshwari is the deity of Hindus. We worship her and pray to her. Navaratri is the festival of Chamundeshwari,” Shobha Karandlaje said.

Further criticising the Siddarmaiah-led Karnataka government for inviting Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Dussehra, she said: “How can the state government invite Booker awardee Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Dussehra? Banu Mushtaq does not believe in Goddess Kannada Bhuvaneshwari. For ages, the Kannada language has been equated with Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, and we respect the language by giving it the status of a goddess. Banu Mushtaq does not respect this and has even spoken against it.

“After insulting Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, now Goddess Chamundeshwari has been insulted. In this background, Shivakumar should immediately apologise to the people of Karnataka. We will not tolerate this conspiracy. The conspiracy of Shivakumar, CM Siddaramaiah, and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will not be tolerated by Hindus.”

Attacking the Congress-led government in Karnataka, Shobha Karandlaje said: “Earlier, the police had taken the idol of Ganesha and placed in a police vehicle. This year too, the government has introduced peculiar rules and regulations. Authorities have conveyed that it will not be easy to hold Ganesha festivities and cultural programmes in the state.

“I question the government—why have so many restrictions been imposed on the Ganesha festival? Once a year, people install Ganesha idols, worship them, celebrate, and take out processions. But the government is imposing regulations and curbing their celebrations. The restrictions must be rolled back immediately. Ganesha festival was an inspiration during the freedom struggle.

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Maha govt will explore new markets in wake of US tariffs: CM Fadnavis

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Mumbai, Aug 27: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that the Maharashtra government has established a war room to review the situation arising from the US government’s move to impose a 50 per cent tariff on India, effective from August 27.

“The government will make all efforts to convert the present crisis into an opportunity by exploring new market options. When one path is shut, many other paths open. We have kept our eyes open for new opportunities. We will take this challenge as a new opportunity,” claimed the Chief Minister while speaking to reporters at his official residence, Varsha, after performing Pooja on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.

He further added that the government has opened a war room to look for increasing trade opportunities in other markets and make improvements to be ready for global competition, adding that the government has set a target of making nearly 100 improvements, which include efforts to reduce production costs and export products to other markets.

The Chief Minister’s statement comes when the state government has already initiated discussions with the Union government to seek guidance to protect the interests of Maharashtra industries and employment to weather the US tariff shock.

He claimed that the state government is committed to safeguarding the interests of its industries and the economy.

The state government’s move to swing into action to tackle the imposition of a 50 per cent tariff by the US is important as Maharashtra is the second-highest exporting state from India in FY 2023-24 with IRs 5.56 lakh crore exports, which is 15.37 per cent of total exports from India.

Of the Rs 5.56 lakh crore exports, the state’s exports to the US were reported at Rs 111762 crore.

According to the state government data, the top five exporting districts from the state are Mumbai Suburban, Mumbai City, Pune and Thane, contributing 74 per cent of the state’s total exports.

The top 10 importing countries from the US are the UAE, Hong Kong, Belgium, the UK, China, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and Mexico. Top export products from Maharashtra are pearls, precious and semi-precious stones; drug formulations/ biologicals; gold and other precious metals, jewellery; motor vehicles and cars; and iron and steel.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that the Ganeshotsav Mandalas have responded positively to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to showcase Operation Sindoor during the ongoing festival.

He further added that the self-reliant India and Swadeshi have also been projected by the Ganeshotsav Mandalas.

“In response to the appeal made by the Prime Minister to the country, the people have responded by accepting it as a people’s movement,” he claimed.

On Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and his family visiting the cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Raj Thackeray’s home for Ganapati Darshan, CM Fadnavis said that it is good that both brothers have come together.

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