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Maharashtra

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

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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.

Maharashtra

Mumbai Weather Update: City Sees Clear Skies After Heavy Overnight Downpour, Yellow Alert Issued; Overall AQI In Moderate Range At 63

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Mumbai: After heavy rains lashed the city on Friday, bringing brief waterlogging and traffic disruptions, Mumbai woke up to sunny skies on Saturday morning. However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) cautioned that the respite may be short-lived, as the city remains under a Yellow Alert with a forecast of partly cloudy skies and a possibility of moderate rain or thunderstorms through the day.

According to the IMD, temperatures are expected to hover around 34°C during the day and dip to about 25°C at night. The brief spell of unseasonal rain not only cooled the weather but also brought a remarkable improvement in the city’s air quality, which had deteriorated sharply post-Diwali due to increased pollution and stagnant winds.

Overall AQI In Moderate Category

Real-time data from AQI.in showed that Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 63 on Saturday morning, placing it in the moderate category, a notable recovery from the unhealthy levels recorded earlier in the week.

Among the city’s monitoring stations, Wadala Truck Terminal reported the highest pollution level with an AQI of 190, followed by BKC (75), Kurla (73), Worli (73) and Chembur (72). While mild traces of smog lingered in some of these areas during the early morning, visibility and air freshness improved significantly across most parts of Mumbai.

On the other hand, several localities recorded remarkably clean air. Thakur Village in Kandivali reported the city’s best air quality with an AQI of 25, while Parel-Bhoiwada (32), Malad West (38), Borivali East (40), and Kandivali East (43) also registered good air quality, offering much-needed relief to residents.

As per AQI.in’s classification, readings between 0–50 indicate “Good” air, 51–100 “Moderate”, 101–150 “Poor”, 151–200 “Unhealthy”, and above 200 “Severe” to “Hazardous.”

Friday’s rain marked the third unseasonal spell after the official monsoon withdrawal and was accompanied by lightning, thunder and gusty winds. The IMD had issued a Nowcast warning late Friday evening, alerting of potential thunderstorms and moderate rainfall over Mumbai and adjoining districts. Meanwhile, most parts of Maharashtra, excluding the Vidarbha region, continue to remain under a Yellow Alert for the next few days.

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Maharashtra

Brave officer risked his life to save injured girl

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Mumbai: Mumbai Police Traffic Officer has shown bravery in saving a young girl from the clutches of a cruel lover, after which this officer is being praised. He took the injured and bleeding girl to the hospital and risked his life to free her from the armed youth, after which the youth committed suicide.
‎Today at 10:17 am, a call was received from the MTP helpline of the Byculla Traffic Department Group that two-wheelers and four-wheelers were parked on the footpath in front of Meoresh Building, Dataram Lad Marg, Kalachowki, causing inconvenience to the passers-by. In response to the said call, Rider Police Constable Karan Suryavanshi of the Byculla Traffic Department reached the spot. When he was taking action at the said place, some people present there told the officer that a boy was attacking a girl with a knife in the cabin of Astha Nursing Home. Seeing the seriousness of the incident, Kiran Suryavanshi immediately went to the spot and tried to free the victim girl from the clutches of the accused boy and took her out of the nursing home. Since she was in an injured condition, he showed haste and without a moment’s delay, put the girl in a taxi and brought her to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital, Ranibag. The girl was given first aid there. Officers and personnel from Kalachowki took the injured woman to JJ Hospital for further treatment.

Besides, in this incident, the attacker also stabbed himself and was taken to KEM Hospital with the help of Kalachowki Police Station.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4, Assistant Commissioner of Police as well as Senior Police Inspector of Kalachowki Police Station visited Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Railway Hospital.

The girl is undergoing treatment at Sir JJ Hospital. Police officers from Kalachowki police station are conducting further investigations. The officer is being praised for protecting the girl without caring for his own life and saving her from the clutches of her heartbroken lover.

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Maharashtra

Samajwadi Party is not part of Mumbai Municipal Corporation Vikas Aghadi: Abu Asim Azmi

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Mumbai: The Samajwadi Party will not enter into an electoral alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, not will it be part of this alliance. Those who objected to the release of innocent Muslims imprisoned for 19 years but remained silent on the release of the accused in the Malegaon blasts. Those who express pride in the demolition of the Babri Masjid, take the names of Lord Ram and Lord Vishwanath, but call the holy water of the Sangam smelly and make Uttar Bharatiyas and North Indians a target for violence. This is a province where the Pawars go to do their country’s panddan. Those belonging to such provinces insult and subject North Indians and Biharis to violence.

If such people are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Samajwadi Party will never be part of it.

The Samajwadi Party does politics of justice, secularism, constitutional values ​​and Ganga-Jamuni culture. Therefore, we cannot be part of any alliance that includes forces that spread hatred and divide the country. This kind of explanation has been given by Mumbai Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi. Elections are approaching, in such a situation, Mahayoti and Maha Vikas Aghadi are very serious about their allied parties. In such a situation, the Samajwadi Party has clearly refused to enter into an understanding with Maha Vikas Aghadi and has called it biased. Now there is curiosity about the expected entry and entry of MNS in Maha Vikas. In such a situation, the Samajwadi Party has denied it and said that it is unable to participate in the elections with those who incite violence on the basis of regionalism.

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