Connect with us
Friday,11-July-2025
Breaking News

Maharashtra

Prajatantra 2024: Building Blocks of Democracy

Published

on

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

Mumbai Accident: Speeding BEST Bus Crashes Into Seized Truck In Goregaon, 5 Injured

Published

on

Mumbai: A speeding BEST bus collided with a stationary truck in Mumbai’s Goregaon on Friday morning, leaving five people injured, including the bus driver. The truck, notably, had recently been seized by the police in a theft case and was parked at the site when the crash occurred. Vanrai Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Video Shows Damage Caused To BEST Bus After Crash

A video from the scene that surfaced online shows the BEST bus with its front completely mangled and the passenger exit door twisted from the impact. The rear end of the truck also appears badly damaged. Both vehicles were left obstructing the road, while onlookers gathered around to document the scene on their phones.

Police have launched an investigation to determine whether negligence or speeding was the primary cause. It is speculated that the seized truck was left in a lane without clear markers, contributing to a potentially avoidable accident.

BEST Bus Collides With Poultry Tempo

The incident follows another accident involving a BEST bus just weeks ago. On June 23, near the Sayani Road signal, a minor collision occurred between a BEST bus and a poultry-carrying tempo. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the incident.

Details On The Crash

The bus, on Route 162 between Worli and Sewri and operated by the Tata Motors-led BVG Group, was moving through the intersection around 7:15 am when the tempo (MH 10 CR 9534) abruptly veered from the left and struck the front-left portion of the bus. Although the front windshield was shattered and the bus sustained minor exterior damage, there were no injuries in that incident.

Officials from the Worli Bus Depot acknowledged the June 23 incident and confirmed that all required protocols were followed, with a complaint lodged at the Dadar Police Station.

Continue Reading

Crime

Anti-Narcotics Cell cracks down on Mumbai drug dealers, two drug dealers arrested, drugs worth over Rs 2 crore seized

Published

on

The Mumbai Anti-Narcotics Cell has claimed to have arrested a drug dealer from the Andheri Lokhandwala area of ​​Mumbai’s suburbs.

The ANC Azad Maidan unit had received information that a person was going to come to Lokhandwala to sell drugs. On this, the ANC recovered Rs 18 lakh in cash, 703 grams of hashish and 104 grams of Mephedone MD from the person’s possession. After this, in the second operation, the ANC on July 8 arrested a suspect in the case of selling illegal heroin in the Andheri Versova area and recovered 306 grams of heroin from his possession. Along with this, it was revealed that the accused sells drugs in Andheri and surrounding areas.

Action was taken against both of them under the NDPS Act and both of them have been arrested. It has been claimed that drugs worth over Rs 2 crore have been seized from their possession. The 46-year-old arrested from Andheri Lokhandwala The accused and the second accused are 31 years old and both are under investigation. The operation was led by Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti and was conducted by DCP ANC Nunath Dhole.

Continue Reading

Crime

Maharashtra Crime: 3 Arrested For Rape & Suicide Case Of 16-Year-Old Girl In Sangli

Published

on

Mumbai: In an disturbing incident, Sangli police on Wednesday arrested three men linked to the alleged rape and suicide of a 16-year-old girl in Kargani village, located in Atpadi tehsil. The girl, a Class 10th student, reportedly took her own life on Tuesday after being sexually assaulted and threatened by the accused.

Investigations reveal that the accused had been harassing the girl for several days. They allegedly raped her in the presence of her sister and, along with the others, as reported by Hindustan Times. They also mentioned that the accused allegedly filmed an obscene video and threatened to make it viral.

As per the report, the minor informed her parents about the incident. However, before they could file a police complaint, she died by suicide on Sunday. The suspects, Raju Gend, Anil Kale, and Rohit Kharat, have been taken into custody. A fourth accused, Ramdas Gaikwad, was beaten by angry villagers before being handed over to the police. He is currently receiving medical treatment and will be arrested once discharged.

The sub-divisional police officer, Vipul Chhaya Vijay Patil, mentioned that “We have arrested three accused in this case, while the fourth accused is undergoing medical treatment at a hospital,”

The Vinay Bahir, PI, Atpadi police station said, “Police also enquired about the sister of the deceased girl, and she also didn’t know much about the incident.” Based on the complaint, the police filed a case against the accused for charges of rape and abetment of suicide.

In a separate crime story from Maharashtra, a 16-year-old girl from Adivali in the Dombivli area of Thane was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a 20-year-old man during a train journey to Akola. Senior Police Inspector Pandhari Kande from the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Kalyan reported the case on Monday.

According to the police, the incident occurred on June 30. The man took the girl on a train from Thane to Akola, where he assaulted her during the journey, as reported by the news agency PTI. Upon their arrival in Akola, the man’s parents refused to allow them into their home. He then abandoned the girl at the Akola railway station and returned to his residence.

Continue Reading

Trending