Palghar: The Maharashtra government has initiated a major push toward strengthening economic prospects for women in rural and tribal regions, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stating that women’s economic empowerment remains the administration’s top priority.

On Monday, the Umed–Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM) under the Rural Development Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Raah Foundation to expand sustainable livelihood opportunities for women across the state.

Fadnavis said the collaboration would play a crucial role in enhancing income-generation avenues for women in remote and tribal regions. “This MoU will significantly help in expanding livelihood opportunities for women by tapping into their inherent skills and local resources,” he said, highlighting ongoing efforts to create economic development pathways across rural Maharashtra.

The agreement aims to empower women in Palghar, Nashik, and Raigad districts—regions with a large tribal and rural population—by integrating climate-resilient practices, smart agriculture, water security initiatives, and nature-based livelihood programmes.

The partnership will combine the technical expertise of the Raah Foundation with Umed’s extensive network of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), enabling rural women to access training, resources, and market linkages.

Under the collaboration, two nursery development and bio-production centres will be set up in each of the three districts, expected to benefit more than 5,000 women and farmers. Additionally, a women-led Food Forest Project will be launched, with each participant expected to earn up to ₹1 lakh annually.

The initiative will also integrate multiple government schemes—including the Van Dhan Scheme, PMFME, NHM, and RSETI—to ensure women farmers receive support in the form of credit, insurance, training, and market access.

Officials said the collaboration aligns with Maharashtra’s Vision 2030, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and India’s National Climate Commitments (NDCs), positioning the project as a scalable model for women-led, sustainable economic growth.

The government expects the initiative to create measurable improvements in income, resilience, and financial autonomy for thousands of rural women—ushering in a transformative shift in livelihood opportunities across the state.

Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested three people on charges of attempted murder. According to details, on November 22, the complainant Zohaib Naeem Baig, 22, was passing by on his motorcycle at the RA signal in Goregaon. Due to the signal being off, three unknown assailants attacked him and snatched the motorcycle keys and stabbed him in the stomach with a sharp weapon for no reason. After which the police registered a case of attempted murder and started searching for them. According to the statement of the complainant and his friend, two people have been arrested from the Goregaon area, along with one from the RA. The motorcycle and the knife used for the attempted murder have also been recovered from their possession. The accused have been identified as Naeem Shahabuddin Dhobi, 26, Sameer Shahabuddin Dhobi, 30, and Vinod Kumar Padiyaji, 29. This operation was carried out on the orders of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti and the accused have been arrested and the murder weapon has also been seized.

Mumbai: The idol of Kali Mata in the crematorium of Chembur Vashi village was changed into the shape of Mount Mary, after which tension spread in the area, but the police have claimed to have arrested a priest in this matter, who had done the above act, which had hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. The police brought the situation under control and also solved the case. After this incident, an attempt was made to spoil the atmosphere, but later the priest was found to be involved in it, after which peace has now prevailed here. A shocking incident has come to light in Mumbai, in which the idol of Kali Mata installed in the crematorium of Chembur Vashi village was redesigned to resemble Mount Mary. This incident has caused a wave of shock and anger among the residents of the area.

On receiving the information, the RCF police reached the spot, assessed the situation and arrested the priest involved. The police have also registered an FIR in connection with the incident.

During initial interrogation, the accused priest told the police that he had received a “dream instruction” to redesign the idol of Kali Mata to resemble Mount Mary. Following this alleged “dream instruction”, he tried to change the shape of the idol.

Given the seriousness of the matter, police officers are conducting further investigations. The motives behind the change, and whether there was any other reason or conflict behind the change, are also under investigation.

Local people and some Bajrang Dal workers expressed satisfaction with the police action and said that any kind of change without permission at religious places is unacceptable. DCP Sameer Shaikh said that the accused who changed the shape of the idol has been arrested and the investigation is ongoing. The police are also investigating why the accused committed such a questionable and controversial act, who is behind it, and on whose instructions he changed the shape of the idol. Investigations are ongoing on all these points. However, due to the situation, the police have deployed additional arrangements here and the situation is also being monitored. At present, there is peace but tension remains.