Mumbai: Municipal Corporation (BMC) has presented its deficit budget for the current financial year. It has presented a budget of Rs 80,952.56 crore for the financial year 2026-27, against an estimate of Rs 89.84 crore. Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani presented the budget along with Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde.

The new expenditure is higher than the previous year’s budget of Rs 74,427.41 crore. The civic body said it has adopted a policy of reducing administrative expenditure and has made strong arrangements for development works.

The corporation currently has Rs 81,449 crore and 32 lakh crore. Of this amount, Rs 44,826 crore and 23 lakh crore are earmarked deposits and cannot be used. The remaining amount of Rs 36,623 crore and 09 lakh crore can be used for other civic projects.

Officials said the corporation may break some deposits to fund infrastructure and development initiatives.
A key policy decision in the budget relates to outdoor advertising. The civic body has imposed a complete ban on billboards larger than 40 by 40 feet. It will also not allow billboards on footpaths or building roofs. No new approvals will be given for such structures. The move is aimed at improving public safety and curbing dangerous hoardings.

The budget has provided Rs 5,237 crore for the health department for 2026-27. The civic body also said that 1.35 crore citizens have availed services at the Hindu Hardai Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Hospital. It plans to introduce free AI-based treatment for diabetes and eye diseases at the hospital.

To tackle the rising air pollution in the city, the corporation has allocated Rs 159.82 crore for environment and cleanliness. The budget includes Rs 1,000 crore as grant to BEST. The education department has been allocated Rs 4,248.8 crore. Solid waste management gets Rs 580.82 crore, while the storm water drainage department gets Rs 1,800 crore.

The allocation for infrastructure is Rs 6,875 crore for roads and transport, Rs 9,650 crore for bridges, Rs 950 crore for coastal road project, Rs 1,330 crore for water engineering and Rs 6,600 crore for sewerage project works. Rs 800 crore has been allocated for parks and zoos. The budget emphasizes administrative expenditure for infrastructure development.

Mumbai: Addressing journalists at Vidhan Bhavan after a video of children being beaten up in a madrasa in Maharashtra went viral, Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane has poured venom against madrasas, calling them a base for terrorism and demanding their closure and has said that instead of madrasas, Marathi and other language schools should be allowed. He said that what is the need for madrasas in a Hindu nation? Are we allowed to teach Bhagavad Gita in Muslim countries? He said that the way children have been beaten up in a madrasa is completely wrong. If this incident of beating had happened in my constituency, what would have happened to it? Then no one would dare to torture a child. Nitesh Rane said that the way only Urdu is taught in madrasas and only Quran and Sharia are taught, that is why the students of madrasas are ignorant of other languages. Nitesh Rane said that in the same way that the Chief Minister in Assam has imposed audit and other conditions on madrassas, in Maharashtra too, audit of all madrassas should be made mandatory and monitoring should be kept on them. This demand will be made to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis soon. This country is a Hindu Rashtra, the rights of Hindus will be discussed here. Commenting on Kerala Story 2, Nitesh Rane targeted Muslims and said that those who do love jihad will not like this film because it has exposed love jihad and presented the facts. He said that this film is based on how Hindu girls are oppressed after love jihad. If there is an objection to the film, then stop love jihad.

Mumbai: The B-4 entry/exit gate of the Vidhan Bhavan Metro Station on the Mumbai Metro 3 (Aqua Line) has been reopened to passengers, while Gate B-5 continues to remain closed as per instructions issued by the Mumbai Police. The update was shared by Mumbai Metro Line 3 authorities on the social media platform X on Wednesday. Commuters have been advised to plan their travel accordingly.

The B-4 and B-5 gates were temporarily shut from February 23 to February 25 following directives from the Mumbai Police due to heightened security measures around the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly’s Budget Session. Both gates provide direct access to the Vidhan Bhavan complex, where proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council are currently underway.

Given the presence of several senior political leaders and ministers in the vicinity during the session, authorities had tightened access points around the complex as a precautionary measure.

At present, Gate B-4 has resumed operations for public use, while Gate B-5 remains inaccessible until further notice. In addition to B-4, commuters can use alternate entry and exit points, including A1, A2, A3, B1, B2 and B3 gates of the Vidhan Bhavan Metro Station.

Officials have urged passengers to factor in possible movement restrictions and minor delays while planning their commute through the station during the session period.

The Maharashtra Budget session commenced on Monday, 23rd of February, with the traditional joint sitting of both Houses, addressed by Acharya Devvrat. His address began after the House resonated with Vande Mataram, the National Anthem and the State anthem Jai Jai Maharashtra Maza.

The state budget for 2026 is scheduled to be presented on March 6 by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Notably, this session marks a rare instance in the state’s legislative history, with the post of Leader of Opposition lying vacant in both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.