Mumbai: In the State Drama Competition conducted by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, the institutions participating are reimbursed for the theatre production expenses after staging their plays. Likewise, when a theatre troupe stages its play at a centre other than its original location, the artists are given a daily allowance. Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar has taken a landmark decision to double all these amounts, and the government resolution in this regard was issued today.

Every year, the Directorate of Cultural Affairs organizes the Maharashtra State Drama Competition. Under this competition, categories such as Amateur Marathi, Hindi, Musical, Sanskrit, Children’s Drama, Drama for Differently-Abled Children and Professional theatre are held.

Institutions and artists participating in the State Drama Competition are awarded cash prizes. Additionally, the institutions are reimbursed for production costs after staging the play. Furthermore, if a troupe stages its play at a centre other than its original place, the artists are paid a daily allowance.

For many years, the participating institutions and artists had been demanding an increase in prize money, production expenses and daily allowance. Responding positively to this long-pending demand, Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar has taken the decision to double these benefits, and a government resolution has been issued accordingly.

The increased amounts for prize money, production expenses and daily allowance outlined in the government resolution will be applicable starting from the 64th Maharashtra State Drama Competition, commencing on November 3, 2025.

Palghar: Shiv Sena (UBT) has taken a strong stance against the many hazardous potholes, unsafe bridges, and inadequate concrete work on the roads. Only a few days remain until Ganeshotsav, and it has cautioned that the roads need to be fixed beforehand; otherwise, a significant protest will take place. In this context, during a meeting with Mahendra Kini, Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department in Palghar, he inquired about the dire state of the road while presenting a statement.

Even after nearly ten years since Palghar district was formed, it has not experienced comprehensive growth. In spite of several development projects such as the Bullet Train, Mumbai-Baroda Expressway, Vadhan Port, Murbe Jetty, Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, and the recently-launched Reliance Textile Park initiative, the district still remains in poor condition.

Students, emergency vehicles, and everyday people are experiencing significant hardship because of the bad state of the roads. Consequently, district leaders Ajay Thakur and Anup Patil have cautioned that Shiv Sena will initiate a vigorous demonstration if the potholes remain unfixed before Ganeshotsav according to a report by media.

At this time, a thorough conversation took place regarding the Udhwa Dhundalwadi road, roadways in the Chinchani region, potholes on the Safale-Varai road, and the perilous state of the Pargaon Bridge.

The holdup in pouring concrete for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway is creating significant traffic jams. Residents are spending four to five hours traveling to Mumbai, and the frequency of accidents and fatalities has risen. Hence, the Pal family has requested Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to allow the concreting to proceed and re-tarmac

New Delhi, Aug 21: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday met all seven Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs from the national Capital at her official residence in Civil Lines, a day after she was attacked by a man during a ‘Jan Sunwai’ programme.

On Wednesday, 41-year-old Rajesh Bhai Khimji Bhai Sakariya allegedly slapped and pulled CM Gupta’s hair at her Civil Lines residence. He has since been arrested and remanded to five days of police custody.

Additionally, CM Gupta has been provided Z+ security and the CRPF has been deployed outside her residence.

Sharing a photograph of the meeting, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said, “Today, along with all my fellow MPs from Delhi, I met our Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta and enquired about her well-being. The Chief Minister is completely healthy and, as always, is actively dedicated to the service of Delhi’s citizens.”

After meeting the Chief Minister, the MPs strongly condemned the attack.

BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri told Media, “It’s important to note that this minister never worried about her own safety. She was always concerned about the people… She has done a lot for my Lok Sabha constituency also. We used to advise her to increase her security, but she said she didn’t need to as she works for the people.”

Speaking to Media, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said, “We visited Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at her residence to ask about her health. I want to assure the people of Delhi that Rekha Gupta is a very brave leader. Her morale remains completely intact. This cowardly and critical attack has not affected her work style in the slightest.”

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari also said that the CM’s public hearings will continue as usual as she “remains committed to the public.”

“She will meet people in the next sitting and resume work from tomorrow. Even today, after meeting people, she has been working. We will wait for the police investigation. Apart from that, our Chief Minister is now fine. Yes, she was injured, but she is in good health,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s Section 109 (attempt to murder), Section 132 (obstructing a public servant), and Section 221 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions).

The police said a team from central agencies and the Special Cell is interrogating the accused to determine his motive.

Investigations revealed that Rajesh travelled from Rajkot to Delhi by train on Tuesday morning and stayed at Gujarati Bhavan in Civil Lines. He later went to CM Gupta’s private residence in Shalimar Bagh and mentioned this in a phone call to a friend.

Rajesh also has a criminal background, with at least five cases registered against him at Bhaktinagar Police Station in Rajkot. He was acquitted in four of them, while one case is pending in court, with the next hearing due on September 9.

Gujarat Police have been contacted for further details.