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Where was Maha FM in pre-budget meeting: MoS Finance Karad

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 Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Dr Bhagwat Karad made a sensational revelation that Finance Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Rao Pawar, who is also the deputy Chief Minister of the state, was absent in state finance ministers’ pre-budget meeting called by Union Minister of Finance Nirmala sitharaman to know the budget expectations from the state governments.

“He (Ajit Rao Pawar) was not present in the pre-budget meeting of all the finance ministers of state governments. we sent invitations to all, others were there, sans Maharashtra’s finance minister. This was an important meeting as the union finance minister wanted to know the budget expectations from all the state governments, it’s the platform where all state governments participate and let the union finance ministry know about their financial requirements, but unfortunately Maharashtra’s finance minister Ajit Rao Pawar didn’t attend the meeting, even after repeated calls”, revealed MoS Dr Bhagwat Karad.

This verbal spat started after Ajit Pawar commented that his state got nothing in this union budget-22, despite having a Union minister of state for finance from Maharashtra. This was actually a direct comment on MoS finance Karad, who hails from Maharashtra.

Dr Karad specially pointed out the pre-budget consultations with the Finance Ministers of States and Union Territories (with Legislature) for Union Budget 2022-23, chaired by the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on December 30. The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Finance, Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers, Finance Ministers, Ministers and Senior Officers from the States and Union Territories (with Legislature) and the Union Government.

“He (Ajit Pawar) is the finance minister of Maharashtra, why didn’t he come when he had an opportunity to convey his state’s expectations before the Union finance ministry regarding the union budget-22? They sent an IAS officer, who didn’t have any idea about the budgetary expectation of the state, what is the use?” added Karad.

Karad also mentioned one more meeting, where Ajit Pawar was invited as the deputy CM of Maharashtra, called by the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman via virtual conference on November 15, with a view to enhance the investment climate in the country in the wake of strong recovery and the opportunities accorded by a shift in geo-political realities post pandemic.

The states like Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi sent their deputy CMs in the meeting as their CMs were not available or the Deputy CMs have finance portfolios, but from Maharashtra, it was attended by state officials.

“I can understand that the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray was not keeping well at that time, so he was not in condition to attend the meeting, but what about the deputy CM of the state, Ajit Pawar? Remember, along with holding the finance portfolio, he is also the Deputy CM, but he didn’t attend”, said Karad.

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Mumbai BMC elections: Abu Asim Azmi appeals to disgruntled Samajwadi Party workers

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In the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has appealed to the claimants deprived of party tickets that if for some reason any candidate has not got a party ticket, the party leadership will provide them with an opportunity in the future, but in this election, they should show unity with the Samajwadi Party candidates for the problems and rights of the people. He said that in the BMC elections, the Samajwadi Party had decided to field candidates on 150 seats so that the socialist ideology would be promoted. The candidates on the party ticket were provided with tickets and the candidates also filed their candidatures, but unfortunately, many claimants did not get tickets because there were many difficulties in the distribution of tickets. Thank you to everyone for contesting elections on the party ticket in Mumbai and promoting the party’s ideology. Candidates were announced in several wards in a phased manner and 150 candidates have been fielded for the election phase. Abu Asim Azmi said that I appeal to all the workers and contenders to work for the party candidate instead of getting angry over the deprivation of the ticket because it is our responsibility to strengthen the party and promote the ideology of the Samajwadi Party. The candidates who have not been given a chance this time should not be unhappy. The election is not just for one candidate but for the ideology of the party. Whoever is given the ticket, he is the face and candidate of the Samajwadi Party. Therefore, the party should support the candidate and strengthen the party. It is a victory of unity. You will all work for the Samajwadi Party to raise your voice on the problems of the citizens and I am sure that the Samajwadi Party will make history this time.

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Crime

Mira-Bhayandar Crime: Kashigaon Police Arrest 3 Accused For House Burglary, Recover Cash And Gold Worth ₹2.36 Lakh

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Mira-Bhayandar, Jan 02: The Kashigaon Police Crime Detection Team has arrested three accused involved in a house burglary case and recovered stolen gold ornaments, cash and burglary tools.

According to the police, the incident took place on the morning of December 30, 2025, when the complainant, Shraddha Anil Shelar, a homemaker and resident of Hatkesh, Kashigaon, had locked her house and gone to Ramdev Park, Mira Road, along with her husband Anil Shelar to file nomination papers for the Ward No. 13 municipal councillor election.

When the couple returned home around 1.30 pm, they found the main door broken and household articles scattered. On checking the iron cupboard, it was discovered that gold ornaments weighing about 43 grams, including a gold chain, bracelet, earrings, nose ring and pendant worth approximately ₹2.16 lakh, along with ₹20,000 in cash, had been stolen.

Based on the complaint, Kashigaon Police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for theft and house-breaking.

During the course of investigation, the police tracked down the accused and arrested them from Bhayandar Railway Station while they were attempting to flee to another state.

The arrested accused have been identified as Irfan Yusuf Khan (25), Sagar Dilip Soni (23) and Ajay Vijay Torne (19), all residents of the Mira Road area. One of the accused is originally from Nepal, police said.

Police have recovered the stolen gold ornaments, cash and the tools used for committing the burglary from the accused. Further investigation revealed that accused Irfan and Sagar have prior criminal records, with theft and house-breaking cases registered against them at Nayanagar, Navghar and Mira Road police stations, and had previously served jail sentences.

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National News

‘Unacceptable’, Sena UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi Flags Misuse Of AI Apps To Sexualise Women, Seeks Urgent Intervention From IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

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Mumbai: Shiv Sena UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, on Friday, January 2, wrote to Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighting the increasing incidents of AI apps being prompted to sexualise and undress women by unauthorised use of their images on social media, calling it gross misuse of AI.

Moreover, the Rajya Sabha MP sought urgent intervention of the IT Minister and said that there have to be guardrails put in place by features such as Grok that do not violate women’s dignity, while big tech firms need to take the onus.

In a letter dated January 2, she wrote, “There have to be guardrails put in place by features such as Grok that do not violate women’s dignity, big tech firms need to take the onus. And I wish men indulging in such behaviour were educated better at their homes & schools to not become such sick perverts in their adulthood.”

She further added, “What is worse is that Grok is enabling this behaviour by adhering to such requests.”

She stated that similar incidents are “going absolutely unchecked” on other platforms. “I write to you as an active member of the Standing Committee on IT & Communication, to urge you as a minister to take this up strongly with X to ensure safeguards are built in their AI apps to make the platform a safe space for women,” she wrote in the letter.

“Our country cannot be a bystander to women’s dignity being violated publicly and digitally with zero consequences under the garb of creativity and innovation that condone such prompts. While we welcome AI and its role in making lives easier for the world, we will not allow a proliferation of such demeaning acts towards women,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

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