Nationalist Congress Party’s new working president Supriya Sule vowed to work hard with the rest of the party members after she was appointed to the top post by her father Sharad Pawar on Saturday. Pawar named Sule and Praful Patel as the working presidents of the NCP, thus, sidelining Ajit Pawar.

Pawar made the announcement at a function to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Nationalist Congress Party here.

Sule will be in charge of NCP affairs in Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, and issues related to women, youth, students and the Lok Sabha.

By making Sule in-charge of Maharashtra, Pawar had effectively made nephew Ajit Pawar report to her on party matters, a move that could lead to unease in the party.

“I am grateful to NCP President Hon. Pawar Saheb and all the Senior Leaders, party colleagues, party workers and well wishers of for bestowing this huge responsibility of Working President along with Hon. @praful_patel Bhai.

“To my fellow members of the party, because of whom we have come this far,I will work diligently along with all of you to further strengthen the NCP and we collectively will serve the nation for the larger good of our fellow citizens,” Supriya Sule tweeted.

Ajit Pawar, who had joined hands with the BJP in 2019 and was sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister in an early morning swearing in ceremony with Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister, appeared visibly upset with the announcement and left the party office here without interacting with the media.

An elated Patel said he was surprised by Pawar’s announcement and would continue to work for the party.

“I have been working alongside Pawar saheb since 1999. So, this is nothing new for me. Of course, I am happy at being elevated as Working President. I will continue to work to increase the footprint of the party,” Patel said.

Pawar also made Patel party in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Goa, and Rajya Sabha.

Madhavi Salve has made history by becoming the first woman to drive a bus for the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on the Nashik to Sinnar route.

This momentous occasion took place when six women were inducted as bus drivers-cum-conductors into the MSRTC on June 6-7, marking a significant milestone in the state’s public transport history.

Madhavi’s Journey

Madhavi Salve, a 34-year-old mother of two, originally from Mahiravani village in Trimbakeshwar taluka had been driving a light commercial vehicle since 2016. She expressed her gratitude towards the warm welcome she received from her male colleagues at the MSRTC depot in Sinnar.

Salve’s journey to becoming a bus driver has been fueled by her passion for driving buses and her determination to break gender barriers. Despite facing skepticism from some friends and relatives, she pursued her dream with the support of her family.

MSRTC’s Recruitment

As many as 206 women drivers had qualified in a direct recruitment scheme in 2019, and so far 28 of them have been recruited. Since their recruitment process began in 2019, these women have undergone rigorous training and tests on MSRTC buses.

The MSRTC, which has a fleet of more than 16,000 buses, already has more than 5,500 women conductors in its ranks. A total of 12 women drivers have been recruited. Among them, four are serving at Sinnar depot, three at Pimpalgaon depot, two at Peth depot, and one each at Lasalgaon, Peth, and Kalwan depots in Nashik district.

This progressive step by the MSRTC signifies their commitment to gender equality and opening up new opportunities for women in the transportation sector.

They officially joined the service in June and are now proudly serving passengers with the slogan “Pravashyanchya Sevesathi” (for service to passengers).

The Pakistan government has proposed a roughly 16 per cent increase in the defence budget as the country continues to face internal and external security challenges, the media reported.

Interestingly, all three services — Army, Navy, Air Force — were given an equal increase in the budget, although the military takes the major share given its size and the role, The Express Tribune reported.

Pakistan’s defence spending is now 1.7 per cent of its GDP, showing a decline compared to last year.

The defence spending in 2022-23 was around 2 per cent of the country’s GDP, the size of which has grown due to the rebasing of the economy, The Express Tribune reported.

Defence spending has always been the subject of discussions with some seeking greater transparency and open debate about the military’s budget.

In recent years, the government provides more details about the defence budget.

However, there has never been open debate within the parliament on the subject.

Observers believe that the increase in the defence budget is justified given the impending external and internal security challenges, The Express Tribune reported.

Despite the US troops withdrawal from neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan still deploys thousands of troops along the western border as well as in the erstwhile tribal areas to deal with the threat of terrorism.

The budget document shows that defence outlay for 2023-24 would be 1,804 billion PKR compared to the revised defence spending of 1,591 billion PKR earmarked for the outgoing fiscal year.