Mumbai, Aug 9: Milk prices in Maharashtra will increase by Rs 2 per litre for both cow and buffalo milk from August 11 after the Milk Producers and Processors Welfare Association decided to revise retail rates, a move that is expected to impact consumers across the state.

The price hike comes amid ongoing debates over milk pricing and efforts to balance the interests of dairy farmers with those of consumers facing rising household expenses.

Producers and processors have argued that higher procurement and operational costs have necessitated the increase.

The development follows the Centre’s recent clarification that it has no proposal to introduce a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for milk, maintaining that prices will continue to be determined by cooperatives and private dairies based on prevailing market conditions.

In a written reply to a starred question in the Lok Sabha last month, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, said milk pricing remains a market-driven process and that the government is not considering an MSP mechanism for the sector.

The minister said the government is implementing a range of measures aimed at safeguarding dairy farmers’ interests, stabilising milk prices, protecting consumers and strengthening quality monitoring across the dairy value chain.

According to the government, efforts are underway to bring more producers into the organised dairy sector.

As of March 2026, a total of 36,283 new village-level Dairy Cooperative Societies had been established, while 31,150 existing societies had been strengthened.

The government also created milk chilling capacity of 168 lakh litres per day and distributed 76,748 milk quality testing devices across the country.

In addition, projects with a combined milk processing and value-addition capacity of 418 lakh litres per day have been approved to enhance infrastructure and improve efficiency in the dairy sector.

The government highlighted the strong growth in India’s milk production over the past decade.

Milk output rose to 248 million metric tonnes in 2024-25 from 146 million metric tonnes in 2014-15, registering an increase of about 69 per cent.

Nagpur, Aug 9: In continuation of its operation against smuggling of precious metals, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized gold worth over Rs three crore from a train passenger at Nagpur in Maharashtra, officials said on Sunday.

Upon receiving a tip-off that gold, smuggled across the India-Bangladesh border, was being transported further by train, a DRI Nagpur team conducted an operation at Nagpur Railway Station and detained a passenger.

An official statement said that the passenger was arrested with 2.165 kg of gold. The estimated value of the seized gold is reported to be Rs 3.09 crore.

According to the intelligence received, the gold had been smuggled into India via the India-Bangladesh border. DRI officials subsequently learned that the gold was to be transported to its next destination by an individual travelling on the 12102 Dnyaneshwari Express.

Acting on this information, DRI Nagpur officials laid a trap at Nagpur Railway Station. The passenger was searched upon his arrival at the station, during which the concealed gold was discovered.

Officials have seized 16 gold bars from the accused passenger.

Recently, the DRI carried out a series of operations and arrested 20 accused, including five foreigners, seizing foreign-origin gold, heroin, MDMA and other contraband, an official said.

The seized articles included hydroponic weed, red sanders, prohibited wildlife products, e-cigarettes, foreign-origin poppy seeds and areca nuts, the DRI said in a statement, adding that around 9.5 kg of gold valued at around Rs 14 crore was seized and nine accused were arrested.

The arrest of 20 accused, including five foreign nationals, involved in smuggling and trafficking activities and exposed sophisticated concealment techniques employed by organised criminal syndicates, said the statement.

Sharing details of gold seizures, the DRI said that on July 29, two foreign nationals who had arrived from Dubai were arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, leading to the seizure of 40 foreign-origin gold bars weighing 4 kg from cavities in their baggage.

In separate operations conducted jointly by DRI and Border Security Force personnel along the Indo-Bangladesh border, officers seized around 3.2 kg of foreign-origin gold, said the DRI.

Mumbai: Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital, run by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, is witnessing a large influx of patients seeking various medical treatments. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Verma Longare has directed that both cash and digital payment options be made available for various healthcare services. He also directed that the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) be implemented effectively within the hospital.

The Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital in Mumbai is currently undergoing a capacity expansion project. Prajakta Verma Longare visited the hospital today (August 8, 2026) to personally inspect the progress of the expansion work. He visited the Emergency Department, various wards, MICU, and CCTV control room, among other areas.

Patients and their families currently have to pay cash for various medical services, such as X-rays, MRI scans, Outpatient Department (OPD) case papers, and medical service fees. Point of Sale (POS) machines should be provided at these locations to facilitate digital payments. Additionally, a dedicated counter for digital payments should be set up inside the hospital to help reduce queues. Ms. Verma-Laungaree noted that digital payment options will provide greater convenience to citizens, patients and their relatives.
Officers and staff including Deputy Commissioner (Public Health) Sharad Oghade, Deputy Commissioner (Zone-2) Prashant Sapkale, Director (Medical Education and Major Hospitals) Dr. Shailesh Mohte and Assistant Commissioner (F-North) Mr. Arun Kasher Sagar were present.

Mrs. Verma-Laungaree inspected the ongoing works in the main building (Phase 2A), Oncology building and other areas of the hospital, while also reviewing the status of the project. He directed that recreational areas be created for the citizens as well as the resident doctors and staff within the newly developed hospital. He directed the hospital administration to ensure the availability of barrier-free walkways for the citizens at the entrance of the hospital and within the premises. He also directed that staff should be regularly deployed in the control room. The staff working in the hospital should be monitored through the CCTV control room so that the employees leave the premises before their scheduled time. Notably, the human resources department at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters is already monitoring the attendance of the staff using artificial intelligence. He further directed that steps be taken to implement a public address system operated from the control room.

Giving priority to cleanliness in the hospital, he directed that specific uniforms be provided to the staff. Steps should also be taken to keep the hospital free from the nuisance of rats and stray dogs. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Verma-Laungare directed that the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) be implemented in the hospital.