National
Richa Ghosh can’t wait to emulate MS Dhoni-like heroics for India against Australia

India wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, one of the stars in the thrilling second T20I victory decided via Super Oval at the D.Y. Patil Stadium here, is itching to emulate MS Dhoni-like heroics as a crucial third T20I comes up against Australia at Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday evening.
While revealing in the pre-match presser that she idolized Dhoni in her growing-up years and saw him script great finishes for India, Richa also expressed her desire to meet him in the future.
“Since childhood, I’ve followed Dhoni and how he used to finish the game. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet him yet. There have been times when he would leave just before we were in for a camp or a match at a venue. Hopefully, I’ll meet him someday.”
Richa also credited her father for teaching her cricket and backing her dream of playing for India. “The rest I have learned from my dad. My family and father helped me a lot and he would always accompany me to my games. He could not play for long, so he backed me to chase my dreams.”
Richa produced some superb late hitting in her 26 not out off 13 balls, including three huge sixes, and even hit a six on the first ball of the Super Over against Heather Graham to set the base for India clinching a thrilling victory over the Alyssa Healy-led Australia in front of 45,238 fans in the stadium to leave the five-match series 1-1.
Richa called her performance in the second T20I her best knock. “Smriti didi (Mandhana) had told me ‘Khatam karke aana’ (get us over the line), so I just did that. We were just following our plan and I was trying to get as many runs in the middle (overs) so that helped us to achieve the target in the end.”
“Whenever I bat, I always think about how to help my team win a game. I have always focused on power-hitting. I worked hard on it and also focused on my mental toughness. It all went according to our plan.”
Both Richa and opening batter Shafali Verma will join up with India’s Under-19 squad later this month ahead of the inaugural U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup that will happen in South Africa from January 14-29. It means that the duo could miss the final T20I against Australia, but Richa insisted her focus is on the ongoing series against Australia.
“We are only thinking about this series for now. Once we join the Under 19 camp, we will focus on those things. It won’t be a problem to get used to that setup because both Shafali and I have known them for a while.”
Alyssa had a front-row seat to Richa’s magnificent display of power hitting in the second T20I and issued a warning to other teams ahead of the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
While Ghosh struggled to make much of an impact during the 2021/22 WBBL in Australia, scoring only 162 runs in 14 innings at an average of 12.46, Alyssa believes the sky is the limit for the 19-year-old.
“She came over to the WBBL and probably did not have quite the impact as she is having in this series. It’s an interesting one for us, but the confidence that she is coming out and batting with is probably a little terrifying for a lot of Under 19 World Cup sides out there.”
Maharashtra
ICC, BCCI, ECB and CA to bankroll plan to support Afghan women cricketers: Report

Mumbai, April 16: The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) plans to support the exiled female cricketers from Afghanistan will be bankrolled via contributions by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Cricket Australia (CA), a report claimed on Wednesday.
The initiative to assist Afghanistan’s displaced women cricketers, which will include coaching and mentorship, “will be constituted through a dedicated fund,” and it will be fully funded by the ICC and the three boards.
An ICC spokesperson confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the fund will not include any contribution from the Afghanistan Cricket Board. The ACB will continue to receive its full amount from the ICC.
The ICC has recently announced that it will put in place a plan to support women cricketers exiled from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country and banned the participation of females in sports and disbanded the teams.
“Last year, the prospect of ring-fencing an amount for women’s cricket from the ACB’s portion of the ICC’s revenue distributions was discussed but that plan did not come to fruition. The ACB is the only Full Member board that does not field a women’s team, and is not able to because of the severe restrictions on women’s rights after the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021,” the report claimed.
The report also said, the ICC’s latest plan to engage with Afghanistan’s female cricketers neither amounts to official recognition nor does it clear the path for Afghanistan to field a women’s team, as such a team can only be ratified by the ACB. Instead, the ICC hopes to work with Afghanistan’s female cricketers to provide them with both access to the game and funding for further education.
“The ICC does not select a team for Afghanistan. Rather, we are committed to addressing the complexities of the issue and finding a solution that fits within the ICC’s legal and constitutional framework,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report.
The report also confirmed that the ICC’s initiative will not be limited to the 19 Afghan cricketers resident in Australia but, “the plan is to include all displaced Afghan women cricketers regardless of their location.”
The ICC has so far not clarified on what will the Afghanistan women cricketers in exile do after getting coaching and mentorship from this fund.
National
Maha Cabinet clears amendments for removal of presidents of municipal councils, municipal panchayats & industrial towns

Mumbai, April 15: The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday approved the amendment to the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Municipal Panchayats and Industrial Towns Act, 1965, empowering the members to remove the presidents of Municipal Councils, Municipal Panchayats and Industrial Towns.
As the state legislature is not in session, the state government will issue an ordinance.
Earlier, for the removal of the president from office, a proposal with the signatures of fifty percent of the elected members needed to be sent to the District Collector. After that, action was taken at the government level to remove the president from office. Instead, now the elected members will be given the power to remove the president from office.
Accordingly, a proposal with the signatures of two-thirds of the elected members will be sent and based on which the District Collector will have to hold a special meeting within ten days and take a decision through voting.
In a related development, the Cabinet also approved to harmonise the rules for leasing real estate of municipal corporations and properties in municipal councils, municipal panchayats and industrial towns. It was also decided to issue a notification regarding new rates, Rules were framed on November 6, 2023, regarding the lease, renewal and transfer of immovable property of Municipal Corporations in the state.
Accordingly, uniformity will be brought in the transfer of properties in all urban local bodies in the state. For this, Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Towns (Transfer of Immovable Property) (Amendment) Rules 2025 will be framed on the lines of the Municipal Property Transfer Rules. The properties of the Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayat, and Industrial Town have been classified as residential, educational, charitable, and public, commercial, and industrial.
According to the revised rules, the lease rate of properties for residential, educational, charitable, and public use will not be less than 0.5 percent of the current market value (ready reckoner).
The Cabinet also approved the provision for the lease rate for properties for commercial and industrial use, which will be less than 0.7 per cent of the market value. The valuation, lease rate and security deposit of these properties will be determined by a five-member committee headed by the District Collector of the respective districts. Objections and suggestions will be invited regarding these rules, and then a final notification will be published.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also cleared the Abhay Yojana for property tax dues in Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayat, Industrial Township areas by waiving penalties. The government release said that there is a provision to impose a penalty of 2 per cent per month on the arrears of property taxes in the municipal council, municipal panchayat and industrial town areas.
Due to this, the total arrears of the property holders increase, and the amount of the penalty often exceeds the original tax amount. Since the penalty amount is more than the original tax amount, property holders are reluctant to pay the tax.
As a solution to this, the Abhay Yojana will be implemented by waiving the penalty on the arrears of property tax. There is no provision for such a penalty waiver in the previous Act. The Cabinet approved the inclusion of such a provision in the Act.
Crime
Muslim woman heckled in B’luru for being with Hindu man, asked to hand over burqa

Bengaluru, April 15: In a shocking case of moral policing, a young Muslim woman was harassed in a park in Bengaluru by a group of individuals for being seen with a Hindu male companion.
The incident came to light after a 2-minute-14-second video went viral on social media on Tuesday. The police are currently verifying the details of the incident.
In the video, one of the men, who appears to be recording the couple, authoritatively asks the young woman to hand over her burqa and is seen threatening her.
The video shows the group approaching the couple and asking the young woman her name. When she tries to hide behind the youth, they question him, saying she is a Muslim and he is a Hindu — how can they be sitting together?
The youth responds that they are friends. One of the men in the group claims that they are more than friends and says he has the full video as evidence.
The man continues to heckle the young woman, demanding that she come to him and reveal her name as he is calling other members of his group to come to the spot. He repeatedly insists that she state her name.
He further says, “If you want to do all this, do it without wearing the burqa. She belongs to our (Muslim) community. Give me my burqa,” he demands.
When the young woman holds her friend’s hand and tries to leave, the man follows them and insists she hand over the burqa before leaving.
He continues to torment her, saying, “What antics are you up to? You want to hold his hand? Do you have any respect for the burqa? I want you to hand it over,” he insists.
“You go to hell — we don’t care. First take off the burqa, then go,” the man is heard telling her.
The woman pleads with them not to create an issue. However, the man accuses her, claiming they had been watching her since she entered a hotel. He questions her, asking how she can behave like that as a Muslim.
On April 11, the Karnataka Police arrested four individuals, including a minor, in connection with a case of moral policing reported under the Chandra Layout police station limits in Bengaluru.
The accused allegedly confronted a Muslim woman for speaking with a youth from another community. They verbally abused her and attempted to assault her.
DCP (West) S. Girish s, “Within the limits of Chandra Layout police station, a boy and a girl were sitting on a bike in front of a park. Upon seeing them, a group of four to five men approached and began questioning them. The woman was wearing a burqa.”
“The accused questioned her about why she was at the location and whether she had informed her family. Based on the young woman’s complaint, we registered a case and arrested the four accused. We have also taken the minor involved into custody,” the DCP said.
Police sources stated that the young Muslim female stood her ground and confronted the group, questioning their interference in her personal matters. She reportedly told them that the person she was speaking to was her classmate and asked why she should give out her family’s contact information. Her family lodged a police complaint later.
-
Crime3 years ago
Class 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra7 months ago
Mumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra6 months ago
Mumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra7 months ago
False photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News6 months ago
Ministry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Crime6 months ago
Baba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report
-
Maharashtra5 months ago
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News7 months ago
J&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface