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Prajatantra 2024: Building Blocks of Democracy

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Prajatantra 2024: Building Blocks of Democracy

Mumbai : Prajatantra 2024: National Youth Festival was inaugurated today, marking the sixth edition of this annual celebration of democracy. Prajatantra offers Indian youth a distinctive platform to gain first-hand experience and understand how city governments operate. Participants take on the roles of fictional city government officials, such as Mayors, Chairpersons of Municipal Committees, and Councillors, to present their ideas, visions, and policies for effective governance.

This year, Prajatantra highlights the importance of Active Citizenship through the theme, ‘Citizen Participation: Building Blocks of Democracy’. Under this theme, participants are encouraged to envision how city governments can meaningfully involve citizens in local decision-making. They will propose policies on topics such as creating participatory budgets, integrating technology to make citizen engagement more accessible, developing civic engagement infrastructure, and actively involving marginalised communities, among other sub-themes.

Prajatantra 2024, is proud to host 418 teams, representing over 100 cities from 28 states and seven union territories, have registered for this event. These participants come from diverse educational and socio-economic backgrounds. Today, they gathered virtually for the Opening Ceremony. The event featured addresses by Ms Debolina Kundu, Director (Additional Charge) at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, Ms Parul Agarwala, Country Manager at UN Habitat, and Mr Nitai Mehta, Founder and Managing Trustee of Praja Foundation. They spoke on topics of governance and youth engagement.

“It is crucial for today’s youth to collaborate and engage with decision-makers like us to shape their future,” said Ms Agarwala in her opening remarks. “I am deeply committed to empowering young people, and through the mandate of UN-Habitat and all UN Agencies, we are dedicated to providing platforms and forums that amplify your voices on the global stage.” Ms Agarwala also praised the significant growth of Prajatantra over the years at the national level.

Mr Mehta shared, “Praja was established in 1997 with the mission to reform urban governance. It is vital that the three key stakeholders—elected representatives, the administration, and citizens—actively participate in dialogue to create solutions at the local level. Prajatantra brings young people together to develop these solutions. Every year, we witness remarkable ideas from youth across the country on urban governance.”

In her concluding remarks, Ms Kundu underscored the significance of urbanisation and the role of youth in this process. “Urbanisation is an inevitable trend, with an increasing number of citizens living in urban areas. The youth represent the largest demographic, and it is imperative that we harness their potential. How we can leverage this demographic dividend through employment and skill development is a key focus area for NIUA.”

Following the Opening Ceremony, Prajatantra participants will engage in competitive events throughout the weekend. The Qualifying Rounds will be followed by the Semi-Finals in September 2024. Finalists will convene in Lucknow in November for anin-person Grand Finale.

Maharashtra

Afzal Shaikh arrested for abusing a doctor at Kurla Bhabha Hospital

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Mumbai: The police have claimed to have registered a case against two youths for misbehaving with a female doctor at Bhabha Hospital in Kurla area of ​​Mumbai. On March 23, Afzal Sheikh had suffered a head injury and entered the emergency ward of Bhabha Hospital for treatment. Where the doctor was treating other patients, she identified Afzal Sheikh and then said that it was a minor injury. In such a situation, Afzal Sheikh became angry and started misbehaving with the female doctor and also started recording a video. The doctor called the police and then he also called one of his friends and started misbehaving with the doctor. On the complaint of the complainant Dr. Anuja, the Kurla police registered a case. The Kurla police of Mumbai have arrested one of the accused, Afzal Sheikh, in this case, while the other is said to be absconding. The police are investigating the matter further.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: 55-Year-Old Priest Killed On Spot After Accident With BEST Bus On SCLR

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Mumbai: A 55-year-old priest lost his life in a tragic road accident involving a BEST bus on the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) in Kurla, Mumbai, on Thursday afternoon. The deceased has been identified as Trivikram Shripad Acharya, a resident of Nehru Nagar in Kurla West.

According to police, the incident occurred around 12:30 pm when an electric bus operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) allegedly rammed into his scooter. Following the collision, Acharya fell onto the road, after which the rear wheels of the bus reportedly ran over him, leading to his death on the spot.

The Kurla Police have taken the bus driver, Kamlesh Kumar Baranlal (42), into custody and booked him for causing death by negligence. Officials confirmed that prima facie there is no evidence of drunk driving, though the driver underwent a medical examination as part of standard procedure. A formal case is being registered and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events.

In a separate incident earlier the same day, a major accident was narrowly averted in Prabhadevi when another BEST bus lost control and mounted a road divider while trying to avoid a collision.

The incident took place around 7:49 am near the Bombay Dyeing bus stop. The bus, operating on route number 167, was travelling from P.K. Kurne Chowk towards Prabhadevi railway station when a car coming from the opposite direction suddenly took a U-turn. In an attempt to avoid a crash, the driver applied emergency brakes, causing the vehicle to veer off and climb onto the divider, where it got stuck.

Passengers on board experienced moments of panic due to the sudden jolt, but no injuries were reported among commuters or pedestrians. Authorities later managed to bring the situation under control and clear the obstruction.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Local Train Update: Technical Glitch At Borivali Disrupts WR Services; CR Commuters Report Delay Due To Cancellations

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Mumbai: Morning rush hour in Mumbai was hit by disruptions on Friday, March 27, after a technical glitch at Borivali station delayed several suburban train services on the Western Railway line.

The delays, particularly on trains heading towards Churchgate, left office-goers and daily commuters stranded and frustrated. Services were reportedly running 10 to 20 minutes behind schedule, causing overcrowding at multiple stations during peak hours.

Several commuters took to X to express their frustration. A passenger travelling from Bhayandar highlighted recurring delays, stating that the fast local (No. 90186) scheduled to depart at 7:40 am arrived late, reaching Bandra nearly an hour later. Others pointed out that delays of 10–15 minutes have become routine, even after infrastructure upgrades like the addition of the fifth and sixth railway lines.

Responding to complaints on social media platform X, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Mumbai Division acknowledged the issue. “Dear passenger, your train got delayed due to technical failure at Borivali station. Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” the official said.

The ripple effect of the disruption was felt across the network, with overcrowding intensifying at key stations. Many passengers complained about missing multiple trains due to congestion and delays.

Meanwhile, commuters on the Central Railway line also reported issues, including last-minute cancellations and severe overcrowding. One user sarcastically described the situation as a “perfect start to the day,” citing packed trains and difficulties boarding both AC and non-AC services amid rising temperatures.

“What a great start to the day thanks to #CentralRailway. Train cancelled last minute. AC train = human stampede. Non-AC train = even worse. Had to leave 2 trains. And the #Mumbai heat just adding to the experience. 10/10 morning. Would totally recommend,” wrote a user, Shefali, in a frustrating post this morning.

Railway authorities have not yet provided a detailed explanation of the technical fault or a timeline for full normalisation of services. However, efforts were reportedly underway to restore schedules and minimise inconvenience.

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