Mumbai: “The Prime Minister Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana marks a decisive step towards increasing farmers’ income and making them self-reliant,” said Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane. “After consistent efforts for farmers’ justice, this is a significant achievement. The Central Government has included nine districts from Maharashtra in the scheme, which will be inaugurated tomorrow in Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I urge farmers across the state to actively participate in this initiative,” Bharane added.

A state-level event for Maharashtra will be held tomorrow under the chairmanship of Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane at the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank Auditorium.

The Prime Minister Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) has been launched by the Central Government to improve the condition of farmers in regions with low productivity, limited irrigation facilities, and inadequate access to agricultural credit. A total of 100 districts across India have been selected under the scheme, including nine from Maharashtra—Palghar, Raigad, Dhule, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, Nanded, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, and Gadchiroli.

The scheme aims to promote agricultural improvement, crop diversification, productivity enhancement, and sustainable farming. It will be implemented over the next six years, with an annual budgetary provision of ₹24,000 crore. In the selected districts of Maharashtra, the focus will be on grain storage, processing, irrigation improvement, and local employment generation.

Minister Bharane welcomed the decision, saying, “This scheme will directly benefit farmers across the state. It will strengthen sustainable agriculture, water conservation, and the adoption of modern technologies—boosting farmers’ confidence. This initiative truly means ‘strength to farming, relief to farmers’.”

More than 300 progressive and innovative farmers are expected to attend tomorrow’s event. Under this program, 36 different schemes from 11 departments of the Central and State Governments will be implemented in convergence. The activities will be executed at multiple levels—Gram Panchayats, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agricultural Market Committees, Kisan Samriddhi Kendras, and Cooperative Credit Societies (PACS).

Currently, over 36 central and state agricultural schemes are being converged to boost crop productivity, ensure sustainability, and strengthen post-harvest technology and credit systems. The nationwide launch of the PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, Natural Farming, and Pulses Campaign will be conducted through live broadcasts at district headquarters, KVKs, taluka offices, Gram Panchayats, and agricultural institutions.

Representatives from local bodies, agriculture departments, universities, scientists, award-winning farmers, natural farming practitioners, and farmer producer companies will participate in these events.

Minister Bharane also extended his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for including nine districts from Maharashtra under this ambitious and farmer-friendly initiative.

Mumbai: Mumbai’s newly inaugurated Metro Line 3, the city’s first fully underground metro corridor, ran into a technical snag on its very first day of public operations on Thursday, October 9. A brief malfunction in the entry-exit flap barriers at Churchgate station during the evening rush hour caused chaos among commuters, leading to temporary crowding and confusion.

A video of the incident, which quickly went viral, was shared on Instagram by journalist Faizaan Khan. The clip showed large crowds stuck at the station as the automated flap barriers jammed. Metro staff were seen assisting passengers manually, opening the barriers one by one to allow people to pass.

“Massive crowd at Churchgate metro station on day one. Commuters faced serious inconvenience as only a few entry–exit flap barriers were open. During evening peak hours, the crowd was so huge that metro officials had to manually open barriers to let people through,” Khan wrote in his post.

Despite the technical hiccup, the newly opened Phase 2B of the Aqua Line, stretching from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade, witnessed an overwhelming response from Mumbai residents. According to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the metro recorded an impressive ridership of 1,56,456 commuters on its first day on the entire stretch from Cuffe Parade to Aarey (JVLR).

Passenger numbers rose rapidly through the day, from 97,846 by 6 pm, to 1,18,286 by 7 pm and 1,46,087 by 9 pm, reflecting strong enthusiasm for the long-awaited underground service.

MMRC officials said Vidhan Bhavan station also experienced unusually high footfall during peak evening hours. To manage the crowd, one of the station’s seven entry gates was temporarily closed for about 10 minutes. “The situation was efficiently handled by our on-ground staff and security teams to ensure passenger safety,” an official said.

The Mumbai Metro Line 3 phase 2B from Worli to Cuffe Parade, inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, October 8, completes the Metro network connecting Aarey JVLR in the north to Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai, covering 33.5 km with 27 stations, 26 underground and one at grade. Trains operate daily between 5:55 am and 10:30 pm, with end-to-end travel taking under an hour.

Mumbai: The Mumbai police have registered a first information report (FIR) against two persons after “azaan” was sounded using a loudspeaker at a mosque in the western suburbs, an official said on Friday.

Based on a complaint lodged by a police constable, a case has been registered against Shahnawaz Khan, a trustee of the mosque, and a muezzin who gave the call for “azaan” (early morning prayers) at a mosque in the Wanjewadi locality of Mahim, the official said.

He said the constable received a video showing the prayer call being given from a loudspeaker, and on enquiring, he didn’t receive a satisfactory response from the muezzin.

In January this year, the Bombay High Court directed the police to take prompt action against loudspeakers violating noise pollution norms and rules, noting that the use of loudspeakers is not considered an essential part of any religion.

The FIR has been registered under section 223 (disobeying the order of a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, he added.