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Punjab farmers end protest on Chandigarh borders; consensus on demands

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4 years ago

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The stalemate between protesting farmers and the Punjab government led by Bhagwant Mann ended on Wednesday with a consensus on most of their demands, comprising beginning paddy sowing from June 10.

They later called off their protest that began a day earlier on borders of the state capital Chandigarh, similar on the lines of the year-long protest against the Centre’s farm laws at the Delhi borders that ended with the revoking of the three Central farm laws.

The meeting between the Chief Minister and leaders of 23 farmers’ unions under the banner of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha that lasted for over two and half hours here.

After the meeting, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal reached the protest venue in Mohali, near here, where thousands of farmers had been staging a sit-in protest since Tuesday.

He said the meeting of the farmers with the Chief Minister was fruitful and the farmers accepted to end the protest. There was a consensus on 12 out of 13 demands of farmers.

The prominent demands include minimum support price (MSP) for the purchase of maize, basmati and moong (pulses) that the government has assured, ending staggered paddy cultivation from June 18, electricity prepaid meters not to be installed, besides a compensation of Rs 500 per quintal for those who suffered losses due to early onset of early summer.

The farmers on Wednesday threatened to break the barricades set up on borders to march to the Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh if their demands were not met.

After the meeting, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal told the media that the Chief Minister has accepted their demand to divide the state into two zones for sowing of paddy instead of four.

“Now half of the state would be able to sow paddy from June 14, while the rest from June 17. We have been asked to divide the districts into two zones. Earlier, the government had ordered that the sowing would start from June 18 in a staggered manner in the four zones,” he said.

The government assured the farmers that they would get MSP on moong (lentils) and a notification in this regard has already been issued.

At the meeting, the Chief Minister asked the farmers to immediately go for paddy nursery so that paddy transplantation could be ensured within the stipulated time schedule.

He apprised the farm leaders the government has already issued a notification to procure the entire crop of ‘moong’ on MSP of Rs 7,275 per quintal.

He also assured them that the government is already in the mode of finalizing modalities to procure maize too on MSP to give boost to its ambitious programe of crop diversification.

On the issue of MSP for basmati, the Chief Minister said he would call on Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to impress upon the government of India to immediately announce MSP on basmati so as to encourage the farmers to go for its cultivation in a big way by shifting from water guzzling paddy.

He also told the farmers that he would also take up the contentious issue of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) with Shah for expeditious resolution to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.

Mann urged the union leaders to give him some time for at least one year to bring farmer-friendly reforms in the agriculture sector.

At the same time, he urged them to shun the path of agitation and if they had any grouse against the government they should sit across the table to finally find an amicable solution.

Responding to another issue raised by the farm unions, Mann said the government would soon come out with a comprehensive policy for bestowing ownership rights on the cultivators who had been in possession of panchayat land and cultivating the same since long to convert the barren land into cultivable.

In a related development, the Cabinet led by the Chief Minister approved Rs 1,500 per acre incentive to the farmers for sowing of paddy through the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technology.

A sum of Rs 450 crore has been earmarked to provide incentive to the farmers for promotion of less water consuming and cost effective DSR technology.

This step would be instrumental to save nearly about 15-20 per cent water as compared to the conventional puddling method during the lifecycle of crops.

The alarming situation arisen out of fast depleting groundwater mainly due to water guzzling traditional method of paddy transplantation needs bold measures to check this serious trend instantly.

At present, the water table is falling at rate of 86 cm per year, leading to a precarious situation, where no underground water will be available across the state in coming 15-20 years.

According to a spokesperson for the Chief Minister’s Office, this technique will encourage majority of farmers to adopt as it needs far less water for irrigation, improves percolation, reduces dependence on farm labour and improves soil health and help enhancing yield of both paddy and wheat by 5-10 per cent.

The tempers of the protesting farmers had ran high a day earlier as the Chief Minister failed to meet the leaders over their demands and left for Delhi.

Late in the evening, Mann said the agitation was “unwarranted and undesirable” and asked the farm unions to join hands with the government for checking the depleting water table.

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Maharashtra

Concreting of roads, cleaning of drains should be continuously inspected till monsoon works are completed properly: Mayor Ritu Tawde

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1 day ago

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May 2, 2026

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Mumbai: Pre-monsoon works are in full swing in Mumbai (Mumbai city and suburbs). However, until these works are completed properly and on time, we will continue to inspect concreting of roads, removal of silt from drains and other works, said Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde. At the same time, Mayor Tawde has directed the administration to work very diligently in relation to roads, drains and water. Along with the roads of Chembur, Mayor Ritu Tawde inspected the silt removal works in the drain and Mithi river this morning (May 2, 2026). M-West Ward Committee President Asha Marathe, L-Ward Committee President Vijayendra Shinde, F-South and F-North Ward Committee President Mansi Satmkar, Corporator Mrs.

Sakshi Kanojia, Corporator Kshish Phulwaria, Deputy Commissioner (Zone 5) Mrs. Scindia Nanded, Assistant Commissioner West, B-West Commissioner Scindia Shankar, Sakshi Kanojia. (L Division) Dhanji Harlekar, Chief Engineer (Roads) Mantaya Swamy, Deputy Chief Engineer (Storm Water Channels) Sunil Russell, Sunil Karjatkar and concerned officers were present.

Mayor Ritu Tawde initially inspected the works. The Mayor inspected Road No. 21 and 11 in Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyan area. The quality of road work, condition of various utility channels, trees along the road and water drainage system were inspected very closely. Besides, to check the quality of footpath construction, he has arranged a basic test to check the cement, concreting, iron used in it, nets etc.

Talking to the media during the visit, Mayor Tawde said that the Municipal Corporation has implemented the cement concreting project of roads in Mumbai as a long-term initiative. The road work is going on at a fast pace. The administration has been instructed to complete these works before the monsoon.

However, there should be no delay in the construction and maintenance of the quality of roads while increasing the pace of work. The completed roads and their water drainage pipes should be cleaned thoroughly. So that water does not get mixed in the cement and the pipes do not get blocked. Water should not be allowed to accumulate on the roadside. Along with this, Tawde directed that care should be taken that no tree is affected by cement concrete.

Meanwhile, while inspecting the roads in Chembur, the Mayor also interacted with the local citizens. The citizens expressed satisfaction with the road work and thanked the Mayor, public representatives and the administration.

After inspecting the roads, Mayor Tawde inspected the sludge removal works at three places – Mahol Nallah in ‘L’ section, JK Chemical Nallah in ‘F North’ section and Methi Nadi. Regarding the cleaning of drains, Mayor Tawde said that the target is to remove 8.28 lakh metric tonnes of sludge from drains before the monsoon this year. Out of this, about 45% or 3.76 lakh metric tonnes of sludge has been removed by May 1, 2026. The garbage removal work should be expedited and it should be ensured that all drains are free from sludge before the monsoon. Where necessary, protective walls should be constructed along the drains. CCTV monitoring facilities should be provided so that the administration and local public representatives can also see the actual status of the drain cleaning work. It should be ensured that the wheels of vehicles carrying silt are washed before plying on the roads. Tawde also gave instructions so that the roads do not become unsafe due to mud.

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Maharashtra

Census 2027 campaign launched in Maharashtra, appeal to citizens to participate spontaneously in the national census: Devendra Fadnavis

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2 days ago

on

May 1, 2026

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Verma and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today (May 1, 2026) launched the Census-2027 campaign being conducted by the Government of India by conducting digital self-enumeration from Mumbai. The Governor and the Chief Minister also appealed to the citizens to participate in this national census themselves. The first phase of Census-2027, i.e. self-enumeration, is being implemented by the Government of India from May 1, 2026. In this context, Maharashtra State Governor Jishnu Dev Verma launched the Census-2027 campaign at an official office of the Census Bureau in Mumbai. The Governor’s wife Sudha Dev Verma was present on the occasion. Maharashtra State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis conducted the self-enumeration at Varsha’s official residence in Mumbai and enrolled in Census-2027. The Chief Minister’s wife Amrita Fadnavis and daughter Smt. Devija Fadnavis were present on the occasion. Meanwhile, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Chandrashekhar, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker, Advocate Cultural Affairs and Information Technology Minister Rahul Narvekar and Mumbai Suburban District Caretaker Minister Advocate Ashish Shelar, Minister for Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Co-Caretaker Minister of Mumbai Suburban District Mangala Prabhat Lodha, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde, Deputy Mayor Sanjay Gadi and other dignitaries also participated in the census drive by counting themselves. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) and Additional Principal Census Officer Dr. Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. (Ms.) Ashwini Joshi, Maharashtra Principal Census Officer Dr. Nirupama J. Dange, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern) Joint Commissioner (Additional Municipal Commissioner). (Function) M. Devendra Singh, Secretary to the Governor Dr. Prashant Naranwar, Joint Director (Census) Santosh, Deputy Registrar General of Census A. N. Rajiv, Census Officer of Municipal Corporation Dr. Santosh Gaikwad and other concerned officers were present on the occasion. Municipal Corporation Commissioner and Principal Census Officer Ashwini Bhide were present on the occasion. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Dr. Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr. Avinash Dhakne, Census 2027 is being conducted in urban areas.
In this regard, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) and Additional Principal Census Officer Dr. Vipin Sharma said that Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, citizens will have to do the self-enumeration digitally from May 1 to 15, 2026. For this, you will have to register on the website https://se.census.gov.in and do the self-enumeration. In addition, you will have to answer the 33 questions given in it. It is possible to do the self-enumeration in just ten minutes. Under this, the census takers will go door to door from May 16 to June 14, 2026 to verify and verify the information. The second phase of the census will begin in February 2027. In which the actual enumeration will be done door to door. In the Mumbai (Mumbai city and suburbs) area, about 25 thousand employees are working for the census on behalf of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Mumbaikars should participate spontaneously in this census. In addition, Dr. Vipin Sharma has appealed on behalf of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation administration to provide accurate information and cooperate with the enumerators visiting homes for the census.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Kandivali shopkeeper attacked by gangster, attacker arrested, trying to create terror

Published

2 days ago

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May 1, 2026

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Mumbai: A shopkeeper was attacked and killed in a shop in Kandivali Lokhandwala, Mumbai. The Samtanagar police have claimed to have arrested Bala Patil, a gangster who demanded money from a cross, on charges of attempted murder. According to the police, the accused tried to attack the shopkeeper last afternoon, along with which his employee was injured in the attack. Several criminal cases have been registered against the accused and he was also sent to the city for abduction. His aim was to create terror and chaos in the area with this incident. Therefore, the police have arrested him for creating terror and the murderous attack. The CCTV footage of the incident also went viral, after which the police have arrested the gangster and taken action.

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