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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Government Form Committee To Explore Revenue Through Liquor, Cigarette Sales Amid Fund Issues

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8 months ago

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State governments, when drowning in debt, have no option but to tweak the excise policy on sin goods like cigarettes and liguor. Maharashtra may be no exception to the norm.

With its income sources already stretched thin, the cash-strapped Mahayuti government has decided to pop open a bottle of opportunity—appointing a five-member committee to explore liquor production and sales as a new revenue stream.

The committee, chaired by the additional secretary for the housing department, Appoints Committee to Study Liquor Policies for Revenue e Generation brings together a medley of bureaucrats: the additional chief secretaries from finance and state excise, the commissioner of state GST, and the member secretary, the state excise commissioner.

Together, they’ll be tasked with reviewing policies on liquor production, sales licenses, excise duties, and, crucially, revenue-maximizing practices adopted by other states, Expect a menu of recommendations on how to spice up state coffers. The committee’s. main course? A proposal already served up by the state excise commissioner, aimed at increasing annual income through liquor production and sales.

The plan? Crack down on illegal liquor sales and serve up more licenses for retail outlets. If this proposal is uncorked, it could boost the state’s revenue while also tidying up the department’ existing operations. ‘Why the sudden thirst for extra revenue, you ask? Blame the evergrowing list of populist promises made ahead of the state elections, which now need to be fulfilled. Take the Ladki Bahin scheme, for example—it demands a whopping Rs 46,000 crore annually.

Add to that loan waivers for farmers and covering electricity bills for agriculture pump sets, and you’ve got a recipe for fiscal trouble. To top it off, the state needs an extra Rs 600 crore to hike the Ladki Bahin disbursement from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100. Then there’s the debt. With loans soon expected to touch Rs 8 lakh crore, the state needs a sugar rush of revenue to keep things running smoothly. Aside from GST, Maharashtra relies heavily on VAT from petrol and diesel, stamp duties, vehicle taxes, and—of course—excise revenues. And so, the state is eyeing liquor sales as a cash cow.

But here’s the rub: the state’s current policy freezes the number of retail liquor licenses, a decision made back in 1974. With Maharashtra’s population growing and new urban areas cropping up, the demand for wine shops and country liquor outlets is higher than ever. The state excise department believes it’s high time to revisit this policy. Currently, there are 1,720 licenses for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and 4,346 for country liquor, not including those granted to restaurants with permit rooms. As population booms and urbanization spreads, the excise department is suggesting that the state loosen its grip on liquor licenses and let more outlets sprout up, bringing in fresh revenue while reducing the black market’s grip.

So, is the state taking the path of least resistance, or is it simply opening a new bottle of opportunity? Only time (and the committee’s recommendations) will tell—but it seems like Maharashtra is preparing to raise a glass to new ways of keeping the state’s finances in the black.

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Maharashtra

Attention Mumbaikars! Central Railway To Operate Mega Block Between Thane And Kalyan On Sunday, Sept 14 For Essential Maintenance

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1 day ago

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September 13, 2025

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Central Railway, Mumbai Division will operate Mega Block on its Main line suburban sections, on 5th and 6th line between Thane and Kalyan stations for carrying out various engineering and maintenance works on Sunday, 14.09.2025.

Block on 5th & 6th lines between Thane and Kalyan stations from 09.00 hrs to 13.00 hrs.

Following UP Mail/Express trains will be diverted on UP Fast line between Kalyan and Thane stations and will arrive destination 10 to 15 minutes late..

11010 Pune-CSMT Sinhagad Express

17611 Hazur Sahib Nanded-CSMT Rajyarani Express

12124 Pune-CSMT Deccan Queen

12134 Mangaluru Jn-CSMT Express

13201 Patna-LTT Express

17221 Kakinada-LTT Express

12126 Pune-CSMT Pragati Express

12140 Nagpur-CSMT Sevagram Express

22160 Chennai-CSMT Express

22226 Solapur-CSMT Vande Bharat Express

12168 Banaras-LTT Express

12321 Howrah-CSMT Express

12812 Hatia-LTT Express

11014 Coimbatore-LTT Express

Following DOWN Mail/Express trains will be diverted on DOWN fast line between Thane and Kalyan and will be handed over 10 to 15 mins late.

11029 CSMT-Kolhapur Koyna Express

11055 LTT-Gorakhpur Godan Express

11061 LTT-Jaynagar Express

16345 LTT-Thiruvanathapuram Netravati Express

61003 Vasai Road-Diva MEMU departing Vasai Road at 09.50 hrs will be short terminated at Kopar

61004 Diva – Vasai Road MEMU will short originate from Kopar and will depart Kopar at at 11.45 hrs.

There will be no Mega Block on Harbour & Trans-Harbour line (except Traffic block on Kurla-Tilaknagar section)

These maintenance mega blocks are essential for infrastructure upkeep and safety. Passengers are requested to bear with the Railway Administration for the inconvenience caused.

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Maharashtra

Demand to cancel Bhiwandi Road footpath expansion project will only benefit builder lobby: Azmi alleges

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1 day ago

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September 13, 2025

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Mumbai Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has demanded from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to stop the demolition of religious places, houses and projects in the name of road and footpath expansion in Bhiwandi and protect religious places, temples, mosques and houses. Earlier, the government and MMRDA had spent an additional Rs 1700 crore on projects to protect the victims of the metro project. Abu Asim Azmi demanded from Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde that in the new development project of Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation, a proposal has been made to widen the road by 6-6 meters from Rajiv Gandhi Chowk to Tim Ghar Marg, which is expected to make thousands of people homeless and unemployed, and temples and mosques will also be affected by this project, so this project should be canceled immediately. Azmi alleged that this project is causing a lot of hardship to the people and also endangering the existence of many religious places, so this project and plan should be stopped and a new plan should be prepared. Azmi said that this project and the expansion of roads and footpaths will only benefit the builder lobby, so the government should consider it so that the citizens of Bhiwandi get justice.

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Maharashtra

Thane: 22-Year-Old Woman Assaults Employer At His Store Over Harassment; Probe Underway

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1 day ago

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September 13, 2025

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Thane: A 22-year-old woman allegedly harassed by her employer thrashed him at his store in Maharashtra’s Thane district, prompting the police to intervene in the matter, police said on Saturday.

The police are probing the incident that occurred in the Kalyan East area on Thursday evening, but no case has been registered, an official said.

In a video that surfaced on social media, the woman can be seen thrashing the 55-year-old shopkeeper with a slipper at his clothing store.

The woman has alleged that her employer harassed her by sending obscene text messages on her mobile phone.

According to eyewitnesses, the woman, accompanied by her mother, reached the shop on Thursday afternoon and confronted her employer about the obscene messages and continued harassment and demanded an apology.

A crowd gathered around the shop, and the woman assaulted him.

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