Connect with us
Saturday,31-October-2026
Breaking News

Maharashtra

Maharashtra Government Approves ₹25 Crore Fund To Strengthen Haffkine Vaccine, Announces DCM Ajit Pawar

Published

on

Mumbai/Pune: A meeting was held on Tuesday to address the challenges of the Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation under the leadership of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The discussions included pension concerns of retired staff and officers, as well as measures to strengthen its vaccine manufacturing capacity, particularly at the premises located in Vallab Nagar, Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Ajit Pawar took to X (formerly Twitter) and announced the meeting. He said, “The Haffkine Institute has made invaluable contributions to the field of vaccine production. It has played a significant role in the eradication of polio from the country. The Government of India has a demand for 268 million doses of oral polio vaccine.”

Pawar further said, “In today’s meeting, an in-principle approval was granted to provide a fund of ₹25 crore to the Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation from the two per cent cess of the Haffkine Procurement Cell for the production of these vaccines.”

Pawar further said that a committee headed by renowned scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar has been appointed. Its purpose is to strengthen the Haffkine Institute and Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation. The committee has submitted its report to the government.

This committee will include the secretaries of the medical education, public health, and planning departments. They were instructed to prepare a five-year roadmap for the empowerment of Haffkine.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the Haffkine Institute, which specialises in antivenoms, currently has 1.5 lakh doses of the anti-snake venom vaccine ready. “The snake venom vaccine produced by Haffkine is effective and potent. Instructions were given that the Maharashtra Medical Goods Procurement Authority should purchase these vaccines directly from Haffkine,” said Ajit Pawar.

Despite these developments, Haffkine continues to grapple with significant challenges at its Pimpri-Chinchwad premises. media earlier report had revealed the problems with the facility. Originally envisioned as a key hub for vaccine manufacturing, Haffkine suffers from underutilisation and delayed modernisation.

Hearing reports about this, Maharashtra FDA Minister Narhari Zirwal visited the premises a fortnight ago. He was told about infrastructure bottlenecks, outdated equipment, and slow-moving approvals in Haffkine, which have hampered production expansion at the site. Employees voiced concerns over uncertain operational schedules and inconsistent government support. 

Bollywood

Tiger Shroff firing case: 12th accused sent to police custody till Nov 6

Published

on

A Mumbai court on Saturday sent Amar, the 12th accused arrested from Haryana’s Sonipat in connection with the firing incident on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff, to police custody till November 6.

On Thursday, a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court had sent 11 other accused arrested in connection with the firing on Shroff’s car to police custody till November 6.

The latest accused was arrested from Rohna village in Sonipat.

Earlier in the day, the Mumbai Police had produced Amar before a court, which sent him to police custody until November 6.

According to officials, Amar is accused of having transferred money, allegedly used in the commission of the crime, online. The funds were reportedly used for various expenses, including the purchase of a motorcycle and booking hotel rooms linked to the case.

According to the preliminary investigation, Amar is a friend and neighbour of Kunal, who was arrested earlier in the case. Police investigations have revealed that Kunal allegedly transferred Rs 40,000 to Amar’s bank account.

Amar subsequently transferred Rs 12,000 to Radha’s bank account, another accused arrested earlier, allegedly on Kunal’s instructions.

The Mumbai Police are investigating these financial transactions to establish the purpose of the transfers and determine the connections between the accused. The money trail is being examined as part of the wider investigation into the firing incident.

Amar, who studied up to Class 10, works at a supplements shop. His parents reportedly earn their livelihood through daily-wage labour.

Meanwhile, Amar’s family has claimed that he is innocent and alleged that he has been falsely implicated in the case.

With nine of the 12 arrested accused reportedly belonging to Sonipat, the district has emerged as a key focus of the Mumbai Police investigation.

The police are examining the financial dealings and personal connections among the accused to establish the sequence of events and identify the roles played by individual suspects.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

36-year-old absconding accused arrested from Gujarat in Mumbai non-bailable warrant

Published

on

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch has claimed the arrest of a wanted suspect, against whom a non-bailable warrant had been issued by the court in connection with a theft case. The 29-year-old complainant was en route to deliver diamonds, gold jewelry, and cash from his shop when, in front of the main entrance of the Panchratna Building, four unidentified individuals—acting in conspiracy—threatened him with a revolver and a knife. They injured him and forcibly stole the diamonds, jewelry, and cash, valued at approximately 2,048,964 rupees. A case was subsequently registered at the D.B. Marg Police Station. Following further investigation by Crime Branch Unit 2, a charge sheet was filed in court. The 59-year-old suspect involved in this crime had repeatedly failed to appear in court during the proceedings, leading to the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against him. The Crime Branch carried out this operation to execute the said warrant.

Acting on direct intelligence and technical analysis, the police team tracked down the 59-year-old suspect—who was a wanted individual subject to a non-bailable warrant—and took him into custody on October 30th in Gaonpur, Vadodara district, Gujarat. This operation was conducted under the directives of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, with the involvement of Joint Police Commissioner Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner Krishna Kant Upadhyay, and DCP Raj Tilak Roshan.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Mumbai Crime Branch succeeds in Mumbai kidnapping case, convicts accused

Published

on

In a kidnapping case in Mumbai, the accused have been found guilty following the prosecution’s presentation of the case by the Crime Branch. Based on the evidence provided, the court convicted the accused and handed down sentences. On August 3, 2018, within the jurisdiction of the Kurla V.B. Nagar Police Station, a 13-year-old boy was abducted by unknown individuals while he was alone at home. A complaint was filed at the Vinoba Bhave Nagar Police Station, and a case was registered under Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code (Case No. 223/2018). Given the highly sensitive nature of the crime, the investigation was transferred to Crime Branch Unit 4, Mumbai. Subsequently, the case was re-registered by the Crime Branch (Case No. 47/2018), and the investigation was initiated. During the investigation into the aforementioned crime, five suspects were apprehended on August 6, 2018, and the kidnapped boy was successfully recovered. Following the collection of all evidence against the suspects, a charge sheet was filed in court—invoking Sections 363, 364(A), 328, 365, 324, 343, 506, and 120(B) of the IPC, along with Section 37(1) of the PESCO Act. On September 30, 2026, the court handed down sentences to the accused: 3 years under Section 328, 2 years under Section 363, 2 years under Section 324, and 1 year under Section 343, in addition to a fine of Rs. 3,500. This operation was carried out under the supervision of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Anil Kumbhare, and DCP Raj Tilak Roshan.

Continue Reading

Trending