Nagpur: The second day of the Maharashtra Legislature’s Winter Session on Tuesday saw the opposition staging a forceful protest over what they termed the state government’s “continued neglect” of farmers.

Accusing the MahaYuti government of apathy, opposition leaders said that despite repeated assurances, the situation on the ground has worsened, with farmer suicides reportedly averaging eight per day.

Leaders, including Vijay Wadettiwar and Aaditya Thackeray, said the government had “misled” farmers with promises of a comprehensive loan waiver that remains unimplemented.

They also criticised the administration for failing to ensure a fair Minimum Support Price (MSP) for key crops.

The opposition further alleged that the government’s decision to reduce import duty on cotton to zero has triggered a surge in foreign cotton imports, severely hurting domestic growers.

They said soybean procurement centres are yet to start operations this season, adding to farmers’ distress. They also hit out at the government for the delay in disbursing bonus payments for paddy.

Soybean farmers have said that they are compelled to sell their produce in the open market below the MSP level, which hardly covers their costs. This, they say, has deepened their financial crisis in rural households.

Raising slogans such as “Deceitful Government!”, “Waive Farmers’ Loans!” and “Ensure Fair Prices for Cotton and Soybean!”, opposition MLAs accused the government of making announcements without delivering meaningful relief.

They also pointed to rising cases of farmer suicides to argue that the administration lacks seriousness in addressing agrarian distress.

The opposition claimed the government’s lack of urgency became evident when the Union Agriculture Minister recently stated that the Centre had not yet received any proposal for aid for rain- and flood-hit farmers from the state.

The state government later clarified that it had submitted the proposal on November 27.

Nagpur, Dec 9: The Maharashtra government has received complaints against 719 government employees for allegedly using fake disability certificates to avail benefits under various welfare schemes, Divyang Welfare Minister Atul Save informed the Assembly on Tuesday.

Minister Save said the verification of disability certificates has been made mandatory following directives from the central government as well as the state Divyang Welfare Department.

He assured that strict action would be taken wherever irregularities are detected. The Minister was responding to a question raised by NCP (SP) MLA Bapu Pathare in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Under government rules, any employee found using a fake certificate or possessing a certificate showing disability below 40 per cent will face action under Section 11 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, in addition to disciplinary proceedings.

A government resolution issued on October 9, 2025, had directed all departments to complete verification of disability certificates and submit detailed reports within three months, by January 8, 2026.

“So far, complaints related to fake UDID (Unique Disability ID) certificates have been received from 719 employees, and the concerned departments have been instructed to verify these cases and initiate action as per rules,” Minister Save said.

Only individuals with benchmark disabilities of 40 per cent or above are eligible for benefits such as reservation in government jobs, promotions and other government schemes, he added.

The Minister also noted that the government recently issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) aimed at strengthening protections for Divyang (differently-abled) persons against exploitation, abuse and violence.

The SOPs empower District and Sub-Divisional Magistrates to act swiftly to ensure immediate and effective intervention in such cases, in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Mumbai: air travel operations remained disrupted on Tuesday as IndiGo’s nationwide aviation crisis stretched into its eighth consecutive day, causing large-scale cancellations and commuter chaos across the country. But Mumbai, one of IndiGo’s busiest and most critical hubs, continued to bear a brunt of the meltdown, with passengers facing uncertain schedules and repeated last-minute cancellations.

By 9:30 am, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport had already logged 31 IndiGo cancellations, including 14 inbound flights and 17 outbound departures. Long queues, anxious passengers and repeated rescheduling announcements dominated Terminal 2 through the morning peak hours, leaving thousands scrambling to adjust their plans.

Across India, more than 200 IndiGo flights were cancelled today. Bengaluru topped the list with 121 cancellations, followed by Hyderabad (58), Chennai (41) and Kerala with four. But for Mumbai passengers, many of whom rely on IndiGo for frequent business and leisure travel, the interruptions continued to be especially disruptive.

The turmoil, which began last Tuesday, has snowballed into a full-blown operational crisis. Over 4,500 flights have been cancelled between last week and Monday. Even though IndiGo claimed on Sunday that operations were ‘stabilising,’ the airline saw over 500 fresh cancellations on Monday alone, leaving passengers stranded overnight at multiple airports, including Mumbai.

The root of IndiGo’s meltdown has been linked to the airline’s inability to implement the second phase of India’s updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which came into effect in November. The revised norms, aimed at cutting pilot fatigue and extending rest periods, required IndiGo to restructure crew rosters. However, the airline has reportedly been struggling with a pilot shortage, leading to a mismatch between the new regulations and its available manpower.

To reduce pressure on airlines and mitigate the ongoing disruption, aviation regulator DGCA temporarily relaxed certain night-duty and weekly rest requirements for pilots. This relaxation is expected to help airlines stabilise operations through emergency rostering flexibility.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told Parliament that IndiGo did not raise any concerns during a crucial meeting on December 1, just a day before the cancellations spiralled. He attributed the chaos to the airline’s internal system rather than regulatory pressure.

The government has now decided to sharply cut IndiGo’s winter schedule. The airline, which operates 2,200 flights a day and commands nearly 60 per cent of the domestic market, will see its schedule curtailed, with several routes handed to other carriers to prevent further passenger inconvenience.