Even as the Central government extended the nationwide lockdown for two weeks, the city recorded the biggest jump in cases in a single day till now at 751, taking the total count for Maharashtra to 11,500.

However, Mumbai witnessed a dip in the number of deaths. State health department officials said that 26 COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state of which six were in Mumbai, including a resident of Uttar Pradesh. Eleven other deaths were reported in Pune, three in Jalgaon and one each in Sindhudurg, Bhiwandi, Thane, Nanded, Aurangabad and Parbhani. Among those who died, 14 were above the age of 60 years while 11 were between 40-59 years. Fifteen of the patients were suffering from other ailments like hypertension and diabetes. The death toll in Maharashtra has reached 485 of which 295 have been reported in Mumbai. More than 100 patients have been discharged after full recovery.

Maharashtra reported a total of 1,008 new cases on Friday. Civic officials said that among the 751 new cases in the city, 399 had tested positive in various laboratories between April 25-28 and they were added to the list after the civic body received their details. Based on the recent circular issued by the central government, asymptomatic COVID-19 patients can be allowed to stay in home isolation if it is feasible. Civic officials said that people living in slum areas need the COVID centres more since home isolation is not possible for them.

11,506
Active coronavirus cases in Maharashtra as of today

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Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced that all citizens will be covered under the state government's health scheme, and Maharashtra will be the first state to provide free and cashless insurance protection to its people. Speaking to reporters after a Maharashtra Day event in Jalna on Friday, Tope said 85 per cent of the state's population was covered under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY) at present and the cover will be extended to the remining 15 per cent.

A memorandum was signed to include government, semi- government employees and white ration card holders in the scheme in a bid to prevent private hospitals from overcharging patients, he said. "The government has signed a MoU with the General Insurance Public Sector Association (GIPSA) for treatment of COVID-19 patients at private hospitals in Pune and Mumbai," he said.

Similarly, different packages will be designed for all diseases, to standardise treatment fees at all hospitals, the minister said. Earlier, 496 hospitals were covered in the scheme, but now over 1,000 hospitals will come under it, he said. As per the Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Act, the state government has capped the fees of COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals, the minister said.

Hospitals that don't have tie-ups with the GIPSA will also have to standardise their treatment fees, he added.

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The prisons department of Maharashtra has released more than 5,000 inmates from various prisons of the state till Saturday, an official said. To prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in overcrowded jails, the prisons department is releasing those inmates who are serving sentences of less than seven years on bail, he said. At least 11,000 prisoners were expected to be released to decongest prisons, and so far 5,105 have been released on bail, the official added.

582 prisoners have been released from Arthur Road prison in Mumbai, 443 from Thane Central Jail, 498 from Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai, 388 from Yerawada prison in Pune, 214 from Amaravati prison, 216 from Nagpur prison, 187 from Solapur district prison, 177 from Aurangabad Central Prison and 134 from Nashik Central Prison, he said.

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Revising the COVID-19 lockdown guidelines further, the state government has allowed stand-alone liquor shops to reopen in Mumbai and its metropolitan areas from Monday.

However, shops in the demarcated containment zones in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), will remain shut. Permit rooms and restaurants serving alcohol have not been allowed to operate.

The order for liquor shops also applies to Pune Metropolitan Region and other red zones. The shops will have to comply with strict measures such as social distancing.

The local authorities like municipal chiefs and district collectors have been tasked with deciding the number of shops in each area for preventing mass gathering.

This information is subject to guidelines/conditions in the state government's notification dated 02.05.2020. Imaging/Uday Mohite/Suhas Kale

Sources said the state government has convinced the Centre despite national restrictions on non-essential business in red zones.

The Centre was told red zones had non-containment clusters that were unaffected. Liquor production and sale will also replenish the state's depleted coffers.

Several ruling leaders and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray have been demanding the opening of liquor shops for revenue's sake.

Alcohol retail shops will be open from 10 am to 6 pm. Only sealed (bottled) liquor is allowed to be sold. The shops will have to work on 50% staff strength and the employees will have to be tested for body temperature and other symptoms.

Liquor factories, which give maximum revenue on site, have also been allowed to start production. Thermal screening of staff and access control will be required.

In addition, urban standalone shops selling non-essential commodities like clothes, footwear, stationery, electronic and electrical/domestic appliances will be opened in non-containment zones, but only 5 shops will operate in one lane/street. Spas, barber shops and salons will not open in red zones.

"Medical shops and and grocers will not have a five-shop restriction and no restrictions on business hours," said Bhushan Gagrani, principal secretary, in-charge of media relations for COVID-19 mitigation plan.

Travel by air, train and metro, inter-state road movement, opening of educational institutions, hotels and malls, places of worship and large gathering will not be allowed anywhere.

However, goods supply will not be affected. Industry with access control and urban industry have been allowed in orange and green zones.

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Soon after Maharashtra government directive allowing standalone liquor shops to open in COVID-19 red zones (except the containment areas), AIMIM Lok Sabha MP Imtiaz Jaleel has said if liquor shops are opened in Aurangabad, he would force their closure, adding that it is not a time to sell alcohol and create problems for women.

"Government decides to open liquor shops even in red zone! If shops in Aurangabad open we will break lockdown restrictions and forcibly close these shops. Will make many women come out on the streets. This is not time to sell liquor and create problems for mothers and sisters," the Aurangabad lawmaker tweeted in a series of tweet.

Lambasting the Maharashtra government, he further asked what is the hurry to sell liquor in this difficult time. He further stated if this is the case then why not allow selling everything, why this "privilege only to liquor shops".

The state government had on Sunday issued a list of activities that will be allowed in different zones of the State during the lockdown."The state government has decided to allow standalone shops including liquor shops to open in red zone also except the containment zones. Though there is no restriction in the number of essential shops that can be opened, only five non-essential shops can be opened in each lane," the government order stated.

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After Kota, now hundreds from Maharashtra are stuck in Delhi and want to return home. They include students and candidates preparing for civil services examination. So far, around 1,500 of them have sought help.

Several of them took to Twitter to share their woes, prompting the student leaders in Maharashtra to extend assistance. Recently, the state government brought back around 2,000 students from Kota after they raised concerns about food availability, as many were staying in PG accommodation. Just like Kota students, those in Delhi are also dependent on instant food items, like Maggi, to survive.

Most of the 1,500 residents wanting to leave Delhi are candidates aspiring to be civil servants. One of them is Rajesh Bonawate, who is spearheading the students and his fellow candidates' efforts to return home. "Political leaders have made arrangement at Karol Bagh for people to collect food daily, but it is not convenient to go there during the lockdown. So, many of us are now dependent on instant food items that we buy from nearby shops. But how long can we sustain like this?" asked Bonawate. A professor from Pune, he is preparing for Union Public Service Commission in Delhi.

Bonawate believes the number of people wanting to return home would increase in a couple of days as the news about Maharashtra making efforts to bring back its residents has just started to spread.

"Many of us can pay for tickets to go home, but there are others who cannot as their parents have lost jobs. Some of their parents are farmers who have suffered major losses," he added.

Ashish Thakre, another student from Amravati, said, "We hope Maharashtra government takes swift action to help us."

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Zyada se zyada kya hoga? Mar hi jaunga na chalte chalte? (What's the worse that could happen? I'll die, right?) These disturbing words of a physically challenged migrant walking home to UP from Thane sum up the mood of hundreds like him trudging home. With no clarity from the government, the migrants continue to risk their lives on highways.

Hundreds of the migrant workers continue to walk to Uttar Pradesh and even Nagpur. As it is difficult to walk in the scorching heat, most rest during the day and walk at nights on highways. They poured their hearts out to mid-day.

A majority of the migrants work as labourers on at under-construction sites in MMR. They said they were leaving Mumbai as they had no access to food and essential items at their workplaces. At least 1,000 men, women and children were seen walking along the Mumbai-Agra highway between the Thane-Kalyan junctions.

Most of the migrants will walk over 1,600 km to UP. Pic/Ranjeet Jadhav

'Procedure not explained'
Some people expressed anger against the state and Central governments, alleging they were not taking the plight of migrants seriously, and this was happening because the authorities on the local level weren't cooperative. They alleged that local authorities were not explaining relevant procedures. Many have filled forms, taken medical certificates and got these and other papers stamped by the police to board the transport provided but say they are not being clearly told what is next.

Kisan Pawar who is heading back to his village near Nagpur with his wife, daughter and son, said they barely have any money left. "Staying in Thane with no job or money will be more burdening. So we started on the 800-km-long journey on foot," said Pawar. At night they rested at Kalyan phata for few hours. Most migrants have been resting or sleeping on the side of the highway.

Rajesh Pawar, 28, a resident of Gondia district in Maharashtra worked as a labourer at a construction site in Thane. Since work stopped and he has no money left, he and his wife have started walking with their two-year-old daughter. An emotional Rajesh said, "I pray that such difficult times don't befall anyone. No one really cares about the poor and that's why we have no other option but to walk. We don't even have money to buy tickets and food. We hope to reach our village because the safety of my daughter is very important."

'I would have died anyway'
A man with a deformed foot who did not wish to be named, will be walking over 1,600 km to reach his village in UP. "Aise bhi mar jaate kyon ki khaane ke liye kuch nahi hai. Us se behtar hai jahan tak chal saku wahan tak jaun, is umeed se ke ghar pohochunga. Jyada se jyada kya hoga? Mar hi jaunga na chalte chalte? (I would have died anyway because I wasn't getting any food. It's better that I walk as far as I can in the hope that I will reach home. What's the worst that could happen? I'll die, right?)," he said.

Suhel Ahmed and Irshad Khan who worked at a construction site in Thane, had approached local authorities to know about the procedure to go back home. But they claimed they weren't given clarity about when they would be allowed to go back, so they left for Uttar Pradesh on foot.

'No co-ordination'
Irshad Khan told mid-day, "We waited in Thane all this time because the government had told us it would make arrangements at the right time for migrants to go home. But there seems to be lack of coordination between the Centre and state. For the past two days, we ran from pillar to post getting medical certificates and filling forms but there was no clarity on what next. We have a few hundred rupees and before that too gets over, we want to reach home. God knows when we will reach."

The chairperson of an NGO says the government must instill confidence in migrants. Jalpesh Mehta, chairperson, Empower Foundation, said, "Walking on the highway for kilometres is a risky affair and may also see migrants die due to hunger or exertion and not because of COVID-19. We have worked with government authorities and police in Maharashtra and Gujarat to provide food to the migrants and the support on the ground from authorities has been excellent. The living conditions of the migrants and support from their employers is indeed very poor, but the need of the hour is instillation of confidence in the migrants by the government on the ground that they will be taken care of and there are planned exits — trains and buses to help them reach back home safely."

1,000
No. of people seen walking along Mumbai-Agra highway

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The Maharashtra government collected more than Rs 62 crore revenue in two days of liquor sale after relaxations in COVID-19 lockdown were announced, said a senior official on Tuesday. The amount was collected by the excise department by Tuesday night with just one third of the total number of liquor shops in the state remaining open, he said. An estimated 16.10 lakh litres of bottled IMFL, beer, wines and country liquor were sold, he said.

The state has over 10,000 licensed shops that sell country liquor, IMFL, wine and beer of which merely 3,500 operated on Monday and Tuesday, he said. The long queues of tipplers outside liquor outlets led to the excise department recording an estimated revenue of Rs 62.55 crore by Tuesday night, he said. Of this, Rs 11 crore was collected on Monday, the day one of liquor sale, the official said. Following relaxations in lockdown norms, long queues of tipplers were seen outside standalone liquor shops on Monday in various parts of Maharashtra though authorities in some districts decided not to permit alcohol sale.

All liquor shops were closed ever since a national lockdown was imposed across the country on March 25 to halt the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown was extended till May 17, but standalone liquor shops were permitted to operate as part of relaxations by the state government. There are 10,822 license holders in the state of which 3,543 opened for business. The long queues outside every shop have now reflected in states coffers with the sale of an estimated 16.10 lakh litres of bottled IMFL, beer, wines and country liquor.

"The estimated earnings from the sale stood at Rs 62.55 crore, said Kantilal Umap, state excise commissioner. There are 17 districts (out of total 36) in Maharashtra where liquor shops remained open. Collectors in nine districts have decided not to permit opening of liquor shops to avoid the spread of the coronavirus infection. Two districts - Osmanabad and Latur - had opened shops but due to crowding, the authorities immediately ordered their closure.

There are five other districts where liquor shops were not opened but the authorities are working out a plan to allow them to operate in the coming days. Maharashtra has three dry districts - Wardha, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur.

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The Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided to ply about 10,000 buses to ferry stranded people from one district to another within the state amidst the ongoing coronavirus-induced lockdown. "After the announcement of lockdown was made (on March 24), several people got stuck at distant locations from their homes. The government has now decided to ply 10,000 buses of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) for free to drop them to their native places," State Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said.

He said various procedural details and standard operating procedure will be put out in the next couple of days. The government had announced some relaxations during the third phase of the lockdown, which will remain in force till May 17.

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WITH 43 new deaths due to COVID-19, Maharashtra on Thursday recorded the highest daily toll. More than half of the deceased were from Mumbai, where the total number of confirmed novel Coronavirus cases has crossed 11,000, with 680 new infections as of Thursday.

The 26 victims of COVID 19 from the city included a resident of Manipur and Bihar each. According to state health department officials, seven deaths were reported in Pune, five in Vasai Virar, two in Solapur and one each in Akola, Palghar and Aurangabad.

Of the 43 deceased, 25 were senior citizens while 14 were in the age group of 40-59 years. And 29 of them were suffering from other ailments. The death toll in the state now stands at 694.

Focus on pregnant women too

Across Maharashtra, 1,216 new cases were confirmed on Thursday, taking the total count to 17,974. Officials said that 207 COVID-19 patients were discharged after a full recovery. Apart from senior citizens, civic officials are also focussing on pregnant women, especially those who are nearing their delivery date. Additional facilities have been made for them at Wadia Hospital, Surya Hospital and others, the officials added.

50 new cases in Dharavi

Meanwhile, cases in G North ward continued to rise, with 50 new cases reported in Dharavi and majority of the patients were below the age of 60 years. Five new cases were reported from Mahim and two from Dadar, including an 80-year-old man who lives near the Plaza Theatre. Currently, G North ward has around 945 COVID-19 cases and has the second highest number of infections in the city.

Owing to the high concentration of cases, a team from the Centre visited Dharavi on Thursday along with civic chief Praveen Pardeshi and IAS officer Ashwini Bhide who is handling the COVID-19 war room under the civic body. Civic officials, however, remained tight-lipped about the recommendations and observations made by the central government team.

1,900 Indians to land in city

The Centre on Thursday began the process of bringing back thousands of Indians stranded in other countries. As many as 14,800 Indians from 12 countries will return home via airplanes or ships. Around 1,900 of them will land in Mumbai from the USA, Bangladesh, the Philippines, the UK, Malaysia and Singapore.

The BMC has reserved 3,343 rooms in 88 two/three/four/five stars and budget hotels for the nationals returning home. All of them will be quarantined and tested for COVID-19 as a precautionary measure.

17,974
Active coronavirus cases in maha  as of today

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A day after most Maharashtra ministers rued the flip-flop on COVID-19 policies, indecisiveness and lack of coordination between empowered bureaucrats, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray received suggestions, objections and full cooperation at an all-party meet on Thursday.

The common sentiment was that everything wasn't right and needed timely correction at medical, social, economic and agricultural fronts, among others.

Thackeray told the leaders that the lockdown has been effective so far. "If all cooperate, we should be able to control the pandemic," the CM said during the video-conference attended by ex-CM and Assembly opposition leader, Devendra Fadnavis, Council opposition leader Praveen Darekar, MNS president Raj Thackeray, Prakash Ambedkar (BVA), Jogendra Kavade (RPI), Rajendra Gavai (RPI), Vinay Kore (Jansurajya Party), Mahadev Jankar (Samaj Paksh), Ashok Dhawale (CPM), Imtiaz Jalil (AIMIM), Kapil Patil (JD), Jayant Patil (PWP), DCM Ajit Pawar, senior ministers Ashok Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat.

Senior minister Chhagan Bhujbal and other ministers had raised voices against the bureaucracy which enjoys unlimited powers under Disaster Management and Epidemic Diseases Acts. Bhujbal said that bureaucrats at the top and district-level were unwilling to accept sane advice from political leaders and ministers. The minister's strong views were endorsed by his cabinet colleagues and junior ministers during the online meeting on Wednesday. Similar concerns were expressed in the all-party meeting too.

'Healthcare gone for a toss'

Former chief minister Fadnavis demanded Thackeray's urgent attention towards the healthcare system. He said the situation in Mumbai is serious and needed special, focused efforts. He added that hospital management isn't good and cited the incident of bodies kept around patients in a Sion hospital ward. He demanded timely and quality treatment for non-COVID-19 patients and better food and facilities at quarantine centres.

"Patients should know of beds available and other information on a dashboard. More and more healthcare staff are getting infected," he said, adding that contact-tracing was stopped for no reason and asymptomatic people were not tested. "Hiding the number of patients and dead is serious. The political leadership should enforce much-needed coordination between various arms of the government," he said.

Fadnavis protested against the growing attacks on police, which he said is demoralising the force already under duress. "The police force is increasingly getting infected but isn't getting adequate treatment," he said.

Council opposition leader Darekar said that in many cases test reports came after patients died of COVID-19. "It is wrong if people die without getting treated. The quarantine centres don't have proper facilities," he said.

Give jobs to locals: Raj

Asking for a lockdown exit plan, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said it was the right time to give local skilled and unskilled workers jobs as migrants are leaving the state. He also asked to register migrants to ease their return, if any. "Also ensure that migrant workers are screened when they return home. I had told earlier that these people would leave us in difficult times. We should have strong control over the entry and exit of migrant workers. A human approach doesn't work every time," he said.

Raj added that he had never seen Mumbai in such a state. "Please ensure that additional forces like SRPF relieve police personnel who have been on duty for two months. The containment zones need more police presence," he said.

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The state government on Thursday added evaluation of board papers in the list of essential duties for teachers to ensure that results of Std X and XII board exams are declared before June 10 as directed by the Supreme Court. But considering the ground reality, this seems highly improbable as there has been no planning in this regard and teachers are left confused about their travel and other arrangements.

The government circular allows travel for teachers but no details about the travel arrangements have been mentioned. Teachers have also complained that no precautionary measures have been listed for them. The confusion will hamper the deadline, teachers believe.

Rajesh Pandya, President of Teachers Democratic Front (TDF) said that along with local travel, another issue was that of some teachers having left cities to go to their native places. "They cannot be back in time to participate in the evaluation process. Moreover, if any teacher is infected with COVID-19 while on duty, who will take responsibility for it?" he questioned.

Teachers, he said, have been demanding for a long time to be allowed to take the board answer-sheets home for correction. "The COVID numbers weren't so high then. But the government took too long to make the decision," he added.

No evaluation guidelines

Also, areas in the red zones will definitely not be able to get any paper correction work done. The evaluation will happen only in the green zones and the results can't be declared till all the papers are assessed. "The repeaters' examination which is generally held in the month of July will also not be possible this year. There are no guidelines regarding the evaluation of Social Science for Std X, considering that one of the two papers — Geography — was cancelled," said Uday Nare, a teacher at the Hansraj Morarji school in Andheri.

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The Maharashtra government on Friday announced a compensation of Rs 500,000 to the next of kin of all the migrants who were run over by a goods train near Aurangabad. Expressing deep anguish over the incident which killed 16 migrants, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that all the expenses for the treatment of all those injured in the mishap will be borne by the state government. "We are in constant touch with the Centre to make arrangements for running as many trains as possible for the migrants to return to their homes. I appeal to them not to give up hopes," Thackeray urged.

The Chief Minister said that the victims were working for a steel company in Jalna and were proceeding along the railway lines, apparently to their homes in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. At night they slept on the railway tracks but early Friday a goods train ran over them, killing 16 and injuring many others.

Thackeray said in the past 4-5 days around 100,000 migrants have reached home safely and more trains are being organized, including from Mumbai, to send the other stranded workers to their respective states.

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In an attempt to prevent smuggling of liquor from neighbouring states during the lockdown, Maharashtra has sealed its borders with them and deployed adequate manpower at a dozen checkposts, an official said on Friday. The move by the excise department has come in the wake of lifting of certain coronavirus-induced curbs, which included allowing reopening of liquor shops. As the demand for alcohol has increased in Maharashtra, there is a possibility of liquor smuggling by inter-state organised syndicates, the official said.

Considering the threat from such syndicates, the excise department has deployed its flying squads and vigilance teams in districts located along the borders with neighbouring states, he said. To avoid any smuggling activity during this period, we have increased our vigil on 12 checkposts and sealed borders with adjoining states," he said. This will help in curbing illegal transportation of liquor or spirit, the official said. With the help of local police, the excise department has initiated action against persons involved in smuggling and transportation of liquor, he said.

Since the lockdown came into force in late March, at least 4,829 offences have been registered for illegal liquor transportation and 438 vehicles seized, he said. Besides, at least 2,104 persons have been arrested so far in such cases, the official said, adding liquor and other material worth Rs 12.63 crore have been seized since the shutdown.

The excise department has started a control room, where people can provide information related to illegal manufacturing or sale of liquor, he said.

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The state government on Friday directed schools across the state against introducing any fee hike this academic year in view of the crisis. It also asked schools to provide parents with options of instalments to pay the tuition fees and offer online payment services.

The Maharashtra state government's school education department on Friday issued the Government Resolution (GR) in this regard.

"For the academic year 2020-21, schools should not hike fees. If certain services at the school which are currently not offered and are, therefore, reducing the school's expenses, the management must try to reduce the fees. Considering parents' convenience, schools should offer different instalment options to pay the fees instead of asking for a complete annual fee at once. They must also offer online payment services for parents," states the GR which also mentions that this step was taken after receiving several complaints regarding schools forcing parents to pay complete fees at once.

Parents hail move

While the government had earlier suggested instalments for school fees, some schools had offered such options or even reduced fees in some cases. But the decision lacked uniformity and hence the GR was issued.

Anubha Sahai, president of Indiawide Parents' Association, said, "It is an excellent decision by the state government. It clearly states that no school shall force any parent to pay full fees during the lockdown."

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714 police officials have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra, including 648 active cases, as per information provided by the State Police. "So far, 61 officers have recovered after treatment; while five police officers succumbed to the lethal virus," it added. There have been 194 incidents of assault on police personnel during the lockdown period, and 689 accused have been arrested for that.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases across the country is 59,662, including 39,834 active cases of the virus.

Till now, 17,846 patients have either been cured or discharged while 1,981 deaths have been recorded in the country, as per data provided by the Ministry of Health.

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May 1 has a huge significance for the people of Maharashtra as this is the day when the existing state of Maharashtra was formed. It is also celebrated as Labour Day, and celebrities, especially those from the Marathi film and television industry, sent out Maharashtra Day wishes to their fans.

Amruta Khanvilkar took to Instagram to share a couple of photos of herself decked in Maharashtrian finery and also shared Labour Day wishes.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

#मराठीमुलगी #महाराष्ट्रदिन

A post shared by Amruta Khanvilkar (@amrutakhanvilkar) onMay 1, 2020 at 12:09am PDT

 

 

 

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A post shared by Amruta Khanvilkar (@amrutakhanvilkar) onApr 30, 2020 at 9:07pm PDT

Riteish Deshmukh, too, shared Maharashtra Day wishes with a picture of himself seeking blessings from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

लाभले आम्हास भाग्य बोलतो मराठी
जाहलो खरेच धन्य ऐकतो मराठी
धर्म , पंथ , जात एक जाणतो मराठी
एवढ्या जगात माय मानतो मराठी#maharashtraday #महाराष्ट्रदिन pic.twitter.com/fCrClVOvRB

— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) May 1, 2020

Sai Tamhankar, known for her Marathi as well as Hindi roles, took to Twitter to share Maharashtra Day wishes with her fans.

महाराष्ट्र दिन आणि कामगार दिनाच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा!!!
जय महाराष्ट्र!!!

— Sai (@SaieTamhankar) May 1, 2020

Siddharth Jadhav, know for his performance in Ranveer Singh's Simmba, sent out wishes through an Instagram video:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

जय महाराष्ट्र 🙏..... #maharashtradivas #Maharashtra #Labourday #MiMarathi @truptiakkalwar

A post shared by Siddharth jadhav (@siddharth23oct) onApr 30, 2020 at 10:18pm PDT

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Eighty-two more cases of COVID19 have been reported in Maharashtra on Monday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 2064. According to Maharashtra Health Department, out of the 82 new cases of COVID19, three are from Pune, 59 from Mumbai, 12 from Malegaon, five from Thane, one from Vasai Virar, and two from Palghar.

82 new COVID19 cases including 59 cases in Mumbai reported in the state today; the total number of positive cases in the state is now 2064: Maharashtra Health Department pic.twitter.com/vQFBOh4rqr

— ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2020

India's tally of positive COVID-19 cases rose to 9,152 following an increase of 796 cases in the last 24 hours, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Monday.

Out of the total number of cases, 7,987 patients are active cases while 857 cases have been cured/discharged and migrated. With 35 deaths in the last 24 hours, the death toll has mounted to 308.

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The Maharashtra government has taken serious note of complaints, alleging illegal collection of relief funds in the name of Covid-19 pandemic by certain organisations, according to officials here on Wednesday.

Following a specific complaint to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta asked the Home Department to take necessary action, said lawyer Vinod Tiwari, the complainant.

In his representation, the lawyer presented several social media posts and calls seeking funds for providing coronavirus relief.

"Most of these are solicited by registered or unregistered organisations, certain political parties, some media, individuals or entities without any credential checks by the authorities, like the Collector. This is in violation of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 53/54 and also the Income-Tax Act rules," Tiwari told IANS.

He said such collections were nothing but 'unjust enrichment' by some elements out to exploit the Covid-19 pandemic, as there were no accounts available of how much was collected or spent, and for what purposes.

"Besides, this is directly hampering the official fund-raising drive by the Chief Minister Relief Fund-Covid-19 or the PM-CARES Funds, which should be the only such means as accountable and permissible," Tiwari said.

He said similar shady fund collection drives were on all over the country, which must be immediately stopped and be acted against in the public interest.

Seeking the government intervention, he demanded seizure of all the illicit amounts collected by such entities, sealing their bank accounts and transferring the funds to the official PM-CARES Fund or the CMRF-Covid-19, besides initiation of criminal action against all them.

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With 466 new COVID-19 cases reported, the total number of positive coronavirus cases have risen to 4,666, said Public Health Department, Maharashtra on Monday.

Of the total tally, 572 patients have been cured and recovered as 65 patients were discharged from hospitals today. With nine new deaths in the state, the death toll rose to 232. The total number of coronavirus positive cases on Monday rose to 17,656 in India, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Out of these, 14,255 patients are active cases and 2,842 cases have been cured or discharged and migrated. The COVID-19 (/topic/covid-19) toll now stands at 559.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in India, Maharashtra remains the worse affected state with 472 fresh cases of coronavirus as per report in the state till 10 am on April 21. With this, the state tally stands at 4,676 cases with 232 deaths, the highest among all states reported in Maharashtra.

As per the latest report prepared by the Public Health Department analysed by the Medical Educations and Drugs Department of Maharashtra, out of the 472 fresh cases Mumbai reported 308 positive COVID-19 cases and seven deaths.

Data: Public Health Department, Government of Maharashtra

While Mumbai comprises the highest number of coronavirus cases in the state, places such as Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Kolhapur, Sangli, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, and Aurangabad among others have reported single digit cases of COVID-19. On the hand, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Malegaon, Pune, Sangli, Solapur, Yavatmal, Buldhana etc have reported coronavirus positive cases in double digit numbers.

Mumbai has 3032 positive COVID-19 cases followed by Pune (594), Thane 134, and Vasai-Virar (107) all reporting COVID-19 cases in three digit numbers. As per the data, with 4676 coronavirus positive cases and 232 deaths, Maharashtra's mortality rate is 4.96 percent with 572 people recovering from the deadly virus.

Another point to be noted is the age wise distribution of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra. The highest number of coronavirus cases has been reported in the age group 21 to 60 years with the highest number of deaths have taken place in the age group of 40 to 70 years. Of the 4,200 positive cases in Maharashtra, 2,529 are males while 1,671 are females.

As of Tuesday morning, Maharashtra has conducetd 75,838 sample test of which government labs have undertaken 38,255 and private labs undertaking 37,583 test for the novel coronavirus. Of 2,560 COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, 84 percent is asymtomatic cases while 14 percent is symptomatic cases with 2 percent of critucal cases of COVID-19.

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The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Maharashtra reported in the last 24 hours, according to the data of state's Public Health Department. The total number of deaths in the state, due to COVID-19, has climbed to 251 after 19 more deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours

With 1383 new cases and 50 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, India's total number of positive COVID-19 cases stands at 19,984, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. The total number of cases include 15,474 active cases and 640 deaths. As many as 3,869 people have been cured/discharged so far while one has migrated.

At a regular media briefing on COVID-19 situation in India, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry on Tuesday, said a total of 3,252 people have been cured of coronavirus in the country so far, including 705 patients who were discharged on Monday, taking the recovery percentage to 17.48 per cent.

Agarwal also said that the ministry has issued detailed guidelines to all the states that while focusing on COVID-19, all other services need to be provided.

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A total of 64 police personnel in Maharashtra have been found coronavirus positive till now, the state police said here on Wednesday. According to Maharashtra Police, "12 police officers and 52 policemen have been found coronavirus positive in the state till now."

As per the data, 62,987 cases have been registered under Section 188 of IPC for violating lockdown from March 22 till April 22. The number of persons found by police violating quarantine measures is 595. "477 accused have been arrested in cases of assault on policemen. The total number of incidents on assault on police are 134.

13,869 people have been arrested since March 22 till 4 am today for violation during coronavirus lockdown, the police said. A total of 44,135 vehicles have been seized.

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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray here on Thursday asked the state government to drop 'moral issues' and permit liquor shops and restaurants to resume forthwith to enable it earn badly-needed revenue for its near-empty coffers.

In a letter to his cousin and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the MNS chief said since March 18, the state was in lockdown -- first till March 31, then till April 14 and now extended to May 3 -- with no certainty when it would be lifted.

In such times, there was no harm in keeping this option (wine shops) open since it's not intended to cater to the needs of the alcohol consumers but to start generating income for the government, Raj Thackeray said.

"The excise duty generated for the state via liquor amounts to Rs 41.66 crore daily, or Rs 1,250 crore monthly and Rs 14,000 crore yearly," he said.

In view of the 35 days of lockdown till now and future extensions, the loss of revenue from this sector could be calculated till now and also the future losses that might happen if the shutdown was prolonged, he said.

"It's not that there was a liquor ban in our state and we are asking to remove that. Prior to lockdown, the wine shops were open. The state government should not try to get caught in some moral issues at such a crucial time and take the necessary action," Raj urged Uddhav.

His statement came a couple of days after Health Minister Rajesh Tope made an open-ended statement that there should be no problems in permitting liquor shops, provided they followed social distancing norms.

Taking up cudgels on behalf of restaurants, Raj said big and small eateries were a sheer necessity in Mumbai where millions live on the affordable 'rice plate'. Besides, there are homes that need their services as they don't have the supplies or resources for cooking meals, and the government must consider this category also.

Touching upon other essentials like food, vegetables and fruits, he said while these were open and available, they needed to be organised and coordinated to revive the economic cycle. The MNS said it pertained not just to Maharashtra but also all other states since when and how much central assistance would come was uncertain.

"Let's face the reality and find solutions instead. The need of the hour is to be economically self-reliant and this solution provided needs to be taken seriously," said Raj Thackeray.

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Three State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) officials of Maharashtra have tested positive for COVID-19, while 96 other SRPF personnel have been put under quarantine, an official said. The team of SRPF Group-2 was posted in Mumbai for about two months and they returned to Pune on Monday. After returning, some of them had developed symptoms.

Those having symptoms were tested and out of them, three have tested positive. The positive SRPF personnel have been shifted to hospital.

With 778 new coronavirus cases, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 6,427 in Maharashtra on Thursday, said the state's health department.

Out of the total cases, 840 people have been discharged, added the health department.

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The Maharashtra government may extend the lockdown in the coronavirus-hit urban areas of the state after May 3, an official said on Sunday. The state government is closely monitoring the situation in areas outside the cities of Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Amravati, a senior state official said. "It is the cities where most of the COVID-19 cases are concentrated. If the state has to relax its current stringent lockdown measures, it would be in rural and least affected
areas of the state. However, we are looking at the scenario as rural and urban areas are connected," he said.

Despite minimum COVID-19 cases in rural areas of Pune district, the industries there have not resumed because most of their workforce live in cities, he said. We need to work out some plans for every city or district-wise to get things moving. The administration needs more time to come up with solutions, hence it is highly unlikely to lift the lockdown restrictions May 3 onwards in all parts of the state, the official said.

State Health Minister Rajesh Tope had on Saturday said the number of COVID-19 cases in the state is not coming down. "The state is yet to reach a stage where the number of coronavirus cases would stabilise. Till then, we cannot take the risk of allowing people to gather at public places in large numbers, Tope said.

The minister, however, said the state government would take a collective decision on what to do once the nationwide lockdown ends on May 3.

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The mortality rate in Maharashtra due to coronavirus is 4.24 per cent said the State Health Department on Monday. "With 440 new COVID-19 cases, the total number of cases in Maharashtra has mounted to 8,068. Besides, the total number of deaths has reached 342 after 19 new deaths were reported," said an official statement from the Health Department.

The statement also said, "While India's mortality rate is 3.13%, the mortality rate in Maharashtra due to coronavirus is at 4.24 per cent."

According to the latest update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of coronavirus cases in the country stands at 27,892, of which 6185 have recovered/migrated and 872 patients have succumbed to the disease.

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A 35-year-old police constable on lockdown duty here in Maharashtra was injured after a man allegedly assaulted him and tried to set him ablaze, an official said on Wednesday. The accused, identified as Arun Sinh Jadhav, has been arrested, he said. The incident took place near Maloli village in Malshiraj tehsil of Solapur on Tuesday night when the constable was asking people to stay indoors, a duty officer at Velapur police station said.

"At that time, Jadhav came in his car and started abusing the policeman. The accused sought an explanation from the constable as to why he had gone to check his brother's hotel," the official said. Jadhav snatched the policeman's phone and threw it on the road. He then allegedly slashed the constable's left hand and face with a blade and started thrashing him, the official said. "The accused then took out a bottle of petrol from his car and allegedly poured it on the policeman. However, a
police patil (village-level official) and some others caught hold of Jadhav and stopped him from setting the constable on fire," the official said.

The constable, who is attached to Velapur police station, later lodged a police complaint in connection with the incident. The accused was subsequently arrested and booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), the official said.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a thunderstorm warning in several parts of the state for the next five days till May 1. IMDs Mumbai centre issued warning for 15 state across Maharashtra include places such as Kolhapur, Pune, Raigad, Satara, Sangli, and Latur among others.

WEATHER INFO-
Nowcast warning issued at 1515 Hrs IST Dated 28/04/2020
Thunderstorm accompanied with Lightning, Rain and Gusty winds with speed reaching 30-40 kmph likely to occur at isolated places in the district of Nanded and Hingoli during next 4 hours.

-IMD MUMBAI pic.twitter.com/Z70XbHQNeT

— K S Hosalikar (@Hosalikar_KS) April 28, 2020

While speaking to Mumbai Mirror, K S Hosalikar, deputy director general of meteorology, India Met Department said that the thunderstorms warning predicted by IMD is for the next five days until May 1. According to IMDs weather bulletin, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, aand rains will occur in several parts of Maharashtra amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Thunderstorm warnings by IMD today for Maharashtra for coming 5 days.
29 & 30 April, watch for severe TS in Madhya Maharashtra, south side with possibilities of hailstorms in some areas.
Pl Watch for all weather updates & nowcast warnings further daily.
Take appropriate care pl. pic.twitter.com/fK9HIsnr3P

— K S Hosalikar (@Hosalikar_KS) April 28, 2020

"Nowcast warning issued at 1515 Hrs IST Dated 28/04/2020. Thunderstorm accompanied with Lightning, Rain and Gusty winds with speed reaching 30-40 kmph likely to occur at isolated places in the district of Nanded and Hingoli during next 4 hours. - IMD," Hosalikar tweeted.

The IMD also stated that on April 29 and 30, there will be severe thunderstorms in Madhya Maharashtra, south side with possibilities of hailstorms in some areas. In an earlier tweet, Hosalikar urged people to follow all necessary safety guidelines during lightning/thunder issued by DM GoM and NDMA. He also urged farmers to look after their crops.

Thunderstorm warnings in Maharashtra for coming 5 days by IMD.
Keep watch on updates & pl follow up Nowcast warnings that would be issued daily afternoon onwards.
Request follow all necessary Safety Guidelines during lightning/thunder issued by DM GoM and NDMA.
TC of Crops too. pic.twitter.com/7bzT3rIO0D

— K S Hosalikar (@Hosalikar_KS) April 27, 2020

He said that the quality of air during the lockdown in Mumbai and Pune has been good. Throwing light on Mumbai's weather, IMD said that the maximum temperature in Mumbai on Tuesday was 35 degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature was 26 degree Celsius. IMD also stated that Mumbai will witness clear skies with a relative humidity of about 74 percent in Santacruz and 88 percent in Colaba.

While the total number of coronavirus cases in India reached 29,435, Maharashtra continues to remain the worst state with nearly 9,000 cases in the state.

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Twenty persons currently residing in Gurdwara Langar Sahib at Nanded in Maharashtra have tested coronavirus positive, an official said on Saturday. Swabs of total 97 people residing in the gurdwara had been collected for testing. Of them 20 have tested positive for the infection, civil surgeon Dr Neelkanth Bhosikar said. "They have been admitted to NRI Bhawan COVID Care Centre," he said.

The samples had been collected on April 30 and May 1, he said. Reports of 25 others have tested negative, while those of 41 others are awaited. Reports of 11 others are undecided, Bhosikar said in a statement.

With this, the number of COVID-19 patients in Nanded has reached 26, he added. "Two of them have died during treatmen

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t," he said.

Around 1,000 migrant labourers, mostly from northern parts of India, came on to the streets in Maharashtra's Chandrapur on Saturday to demand that arrangements be made for their return to the native places, police said. The incident took place around 9.30 am at Ballarpur in the district, an official said. "More than 1,000 labourers, mostly staying at a construction site in a government medical college, hit the streets and demanded that arrangement be made for their movement to their home states. They tried to block the highway and started walking towards the railway station," he said.

"The labourers want to go back to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Some of them are from West Bengal. They said they have been facing hardships due to the lockdown as their source of income has stopped," the official said. On being alerted, personnel from the Ramnagar Police Station rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control.

"The police staff told the labourers that proper procedure has to be followed if they want to return to their home states as special trains are being arranged. They were asked to fill the application forms to get a place in the special trains," he said.

The police provided food to them, he said that the labourers later returned to local residence.

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Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa requested his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray to release six TMC water from his state's reservoirs to rivers in Karnataka to meet acute drinking water shortage in North Karnataka. Yediyurappa pointed out that the North Karnataka districts, namely Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi, Yadagiri and Raichur are facing acute shortage of drinking water due to onset of summer during early days of March this year.

"I request you to kindly direct the concerned authorities to release 3 TMC of water from Warna/Koyna reservoirs to Krishna river and 3 TMC of water from Ujjaini reservoir to Bhima river on humanitarian grounds for drinking purpose," Yediyurappa said in his letter.

He reminded Thackeray that even in the past the Maharashtra government had released water from its reservoirs to meet the drinking water needs of both human beings and livestock in drought-affected areas of Karnataka.

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Maharashtra government has decided to allow standalone shops including liquor shops to open in green, orange and red zone areas, but not in containment zones.

As per the guidelines, only five non-essential shops can be opened in each lane. However, there is no restriction on the number of shops selling essential items opening.

The government has issued a list of guidelines informing what will be allowed and not allowed in different zones of the state

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The Maharashtra government has appealed to all central government departments to make available their hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the state. "Anticipating higher numbers of patients in the coming days, Maharashtra govt has appealed to all Central govt departments like Railways, Port Trust, Army, Navy etc to make available their hospitals for treatment of COVID patients in Maharashtra," said a statement from Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

As a part of planning, the State Government has requested hospitals, institutions & buildings under the management of the Railways, Mumbai Port Trust, Indian Army, Navy and other Central Gov. undertakings to make their facilities available across Maharashtra.

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) May 6, 2020

According to the Maharashtra CMO, "Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is himself in talks at the highest level in central govt." A CMO press note confirmed that the Maharashtra government has set up several quarantine and isolation centers at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Nehru Planetarium, Bombay Exhibition center, Richardson and Cruddas company and at various other places in the state.

But as the Center has warmed about a spike in cases during May, Maharashtra wants additional ICU beds and other medical facilities. So it has requested the central government departments which have hospitals in Maharashtra to make them available for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

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Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said that he will hold a meeting with the Maharashtra Chief Minister to discuss the worsening COVID-19 situation in the state, as 34 out of its 36 districts are affected by the infection.

"The situation in Maharashtra is certainly a matter of concern right now as 34 out of 36 districts are affected by COVID-19. I will hold a meeting with the Chief Minister as well to discuss further course of action to control spread of the virus in the state," the Minister said at a press conference here.

The situation in Maharashtra is certainly a matter of concern right now as 34 out of 36 districts are affected by #COVID19. I will hold a meeting with CM as well to discuss further course of action to control spread of the virus in state: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan pic.twitter.com/g2Ez09pNLM

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2020

"Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Solapur, among the 34 districts are a cause of concern for us," he added. The Union Health Minister further said the Centre's aim was to ensure that no new cases come up from districts in Maharashtra and assured all help to the state in the coming days.

"There are 1,026 containment zones in Maharashtra right now, as per my knowledge. The team from Centre and doctors are stationed there and we will give further help to Maharashtra as per the need," the Minister said.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra had 15,525 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday morning, including 617 deaths. However, 2,819 patients have been cured and discharged after receiving treatment for the disease.

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A 58-year-old assistant sub- inspector of police has died of coronavirus in Maharashtras Solapur district, an official said on Thursday. With this, five police personnel from the state have so far succumbed to the viral infection. The assistant sub-inspector, posted at Solapur MIDC police station, was admitted to the civil hospital there on Tuesday after he tested positive for coronavirus. He died while undergoing treatment at the hospital on Wednesday, the official said.

The victim, who was set to retire after four months, was on duty till last week, he said. Maharashtra Police expressed grief over the personnel's demise. "DGP and all ranks of Maharashtra Police offer their condolences to the bereaved family, the state police said in a tweet.

Constable Amit from @DelhiPolice succumbed to Coronavirus. Shri. Amit was serving the state of Delhi in these troubled times. May his soul rest in peace.

DGP and all ranks of Maharashtra Police offer their condolences to his family.

— Maharashtra Police (@DGPMaharashtra) May 7, 2020

Last month, three personnel of Mumbai Police and one of Pune Police died of COVID-19. So far, 456 police personnel, including 42 officers, have tested positive for coronavirus in the state.

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Fourteen migrant labourers were crushed to death early on Friday by a goods train in Maharashtra after they fell asleep on the tracks. The home-bound exhausted lot of workers were run over between Jalna and Aurangabad. A Railway Ministry official told IANS, "At least 14 people have died and two injured in the incident." A senior railway official confirmed that 17 migrant labourers were run over by the goods train running in the Nanded Division of South Central Railway.

The incident happened around 5.30 a.m. when the migrants, who were on their way back to their homes fell asleep on the railway tracks. The official said that an empty petroleum tanker train was proceeding from Cherlapalli in Telangana to Paniwadi, near Manmad in Maharashtra. "After passing Badnapur station, the locopilot saw some people on the tracks and tried to control it and sounded the horn also, but by the time he could do, it was too late," South Central spokesperson Rakesh told IANS.

According to information the workers were walking to Bhusawal from Jalna, and further onward to Madhya Pradesh. rakesh said these people were lying on the tracks. An enquiry has been ordered by the Commissioner, Railway Safety. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths on Twitter: "Extremely anguished by the loss of lives due to the rail accident in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

Have spoken to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and he is closely monitoring the situation. All possible assistance required is being provided." Railway Minister also tweeted: "Today received a saddening news of labourers sleeping on railway tracks run over by a goods train at 5.22 a.m. in Nanded division between Karnad and Badnapur railway station. Relief work is on and an enquiry has been ordered. I pray for the those who lost their lives."

Amid the nationwide lockdown, thousands of migrant workers stranded in several other cities have been on an unending toil to return to their native places on foot. The interstate bus service, passenger, mail and express train services have been suspended since March 24.

The Railways has started running Shramik Special trains to transport the stranded migrants to their native places since May 1. Till Thursday railways has run 201 Shramik Special trains.

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Pune:Pune Rural Police on Friday arrested and immediately suspended a Junior Ticket Collector, Kr Upendra Bahadur Singh, for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans during an event organised to pay tribute to CRPF jawans who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack.

Maharashtra: Pune Rural Police has arrested a Jr Ticket Collector, Kr Upendra Bahadur Singh, for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans during an event to pay tribute to CRPF jawans who lost their lives in #PulwamaAttack. He has been booked u/s 153(B) of IPC&is in police custody.

— ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2019

He has been booked under section 153(B) of the Indian Penal Code. Primary information revealed that he was frequently seen misbehaving even while duty. At least 45 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have been killed in an explosion in Awantipora area of Kashmir on Thursday, in one of the deadliest terror attacks on security forces in the valley in over a decade, police sources said. The incident took place when some 2,547 CRPF personnel were coming in a convoy of 78 vehicles from the transit camp in Jammu and headed to Srinagar. The attack took place at around 3.15 pm when CRPF convoy was moving from Jammu to Srinagar, they said. The convoy comprised 70 buses in which around 2500 personnel were travelling, according to Home Ministry sources in Delhi. The toll is expected to go up, the sources said.

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"'Yaar, main ja raha hun. Please khayal rakhna' (I am leaving, please take care of my family), was what he told me in our last conversation, before he resumed duty at Jammu," said Sudhir Tayde, about Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan Sanjay Rajput.

Sanjay was one of the 40 CRPF personnel who were slain in Pulwama on Thursday, when a car laden with explosives rammed their bus in a terror attack. He was also one of two jawans from Buldhana district, Maharashtra on it. The other was Nitin Shivaji Rathod. The duo, like others on the bus, was resuming duty after a holiday.

'Son will join defence forces'
Nitin Shivaji Rathod, 36, was a resident of Chorpangra village in Buldhana district. Nitin is survived by his parents, his wife Vandana, 28, and two children, Jeewan, 8, and Jivika, 5. He had joined the CRPF when he was 23.

Vandana recalled, "Just a week back we were together having meals and enjoying with everyone. I will dedicate my son to the defence forces too, as it was my husband's dream."

Sanjay Rajput

Villagers want revenge
The mood was sombre in Chorpangra village. No one has cooked since Thursday night when they got the news. All the villagers were at Nitin's house. Many people displayed their anger and said the government must take strong action against Pakistan.

Everyone remembered Nitin. Baburao Sawadkar, a teacher from Vasant Primary and Secondary Ashram School, who taught Nitin said, "Since his school days he was patriotic. He was good in studies and always participated in cultural programmes. He would always play an Army soldier in them. He would sing patriotic songs in these programmes and knew many of them by heart."

Nitin's childhood friend, Raju Rathod, said he was a hard-worker. They had studied together till they graduated. "Since age 13, he wanted to join the defence forces. During college he was often adjudged the best sports person. He was an excellent cricket and kabaddi player. He was also a good wrestler. In college days, he also worked as a labourer to pay for his education."

Extended service by five years
Sanjay Rajput, 49, the other jawan who was slain, was a resident of Malkapur in Buldhana district. He had recently shifted to Nagpur for his children's education. Sanjay had served the CRPF for 23 years and had extended his service by five years and was transferred to Jammu. He is survived by his wife Sushma, and two sons, Jay, 12, and Shubham, 11.

His brother recalled him as a brave person and said, "We had talked to him on Wednesday. He told us that due to snow, the roads were blocked and so they had to camp in another area. We have not informed our mother about his death, because this will be the second shock this year, as our elder brother died seven months back in a road accident." He too said once Sanjay's children each are 18 years old, he would want them to join the defence forces.

Prayers in mosques in memory of jawans
A condolence meeting was held and prayers were offered in memory of the CRPF jawans in many mosques in Pune city on Friday. Maulana Farukh Sahab of Noor-e-Hira masjid said, "The act is heinous and no religion talks about such inhuman acts. This act is against humanity and we condemn it."

Some youths from Pune, including local politician Amit Bagul and his friends, have written a letter in their blood, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to avenge the deaths of the CRPF personnel.

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Three men were arrested for allegedly attacking a policeman, who was on lockdown duty, at Ambejogai town of Maharashtra's Beed district, an official said on Friday. Govind Yelmate, who is attached to Amjogai police station, was beaten up by three men on Wednesday night, inspector Siddharth Gade said. Yelmate was investigating an offence at Yashwantnagar, where he spotted Kishor Lomte, Vaibhav Akhate and Tushar Shingare chatting at the street corner and questioned them, the official said.

The trio got angry and in turn attacked Yelmate, he said, adding that the accused were arrested under sections 353 (assault to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

Incidentally, the injured policeman had provided two- month ration to a disabled man in town a couple of days ago, he added.

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The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is working on a tie-up between hospitality provider Airbnb and locals for offering home-stay to tourists visiting the Elephanta Caves island located in Mumbai Harbour. The policy aims to overcome the security concerns due to high security installations facing the island that does not allow construction of hotels and night stay.

Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal said the 29th two-day Elephanta Festival, beginning January 27, will be held on the island itself again. After the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the festival venue was shifted to the Gateway of India in south Mumbai. "Seventy years after Independence, the island is soon to get proper electricity connection depending upon the testing of the electricity meters," the minister said. Rawal said there are about 1,200 to 1,500 homes on the Elephanta island, also known as Gharapuri Island, located east of Mumbai.

The minister said no new constructions are allowed on the island due to high-security installations of ONGC and the Navy. The Caves are declared a heritage site by the UNESCO and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Rawal said the government in a tie-up with the Mumbai Port Trust and the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) is planning a cable car over the sea for travelling to the island. The island is expected to get proper electricity connection within a week's time.

"The Elephanta festival will coincide with the culminating phase of the Mumbai Shopping Festival that will end on January 31," he said, adding that the Elephanta fest will comprise activities like treasure hunt at Elephanta, a sculpture and a painting contests with prize money. Besides this, the festival will have art, dance and music performances by Zia Nath, Sangeeta Trivedi, Sumeet Nagdev, Hans Raj Hans and others, Rawal said.

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Once a bed of colourful flora, the famous Kaas plateau in Maharashtra is now witnessing less blooms, worrying officials, tourists and nature lovers alike. The plateau, recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as a heritage site in 2012, is home to around 350 flowering plants, including some rare and endemic species.

Kaas Plateau. File pic

With the flowering already going down, a couple of fire incidents last month in the area, causing a damage to the flora at the site in Satara district, has now set off alarm bells for the administration. The state government has thus decided to take up a slew of measures, like better guarding of the place and inviting researchers to study why this picturesque site in the Western Ghats is losing its blooms, which were a big tourist attraction.

According to forest officials, human negligence, possibly lit cigarettes, could have caused the twin fires that gutted a portion of the world famous plateau recently. "The forest department, along with a joint management committee of forest officials and local villagers-turned-volunteers, has now decided to take certain safety measures to avoid incidents which could endanger the flora of the Kaas plateau," the range forest officer, Sachin Dombale, said.

He said those guarding the plateau have now been provided hand-held pressure water sprayers. "The plateau does not have big trees or plants. It is actually a grassland, so even if the grass catches fire, it can be doused with the help of these sprayers," he said. Earlier, six people used to guard the entire plateau of around 1,800 hectares. After the fire incidents, now 12 people are manning it in the day and six at night, he said.

Now, the visitors are frisked at the entry gate of the tourist site and are not allowed to carry inside combustible items like cigarettes, matchbox or lighters, he said. Somnath Jadhav, the president of the joint committee, said they have also started putting up "firebreaks" along the roadsides. "For the firebreaks, we burn the vegetation and grass in five metres of area along the roadside, so even if someone throws a combustible object, there won't be a fire," he said.
However, due to unavailability of power supply in the forest area of the plateau, they have not been able to put up CCTVs for keeping a watch.

"But, we are now thinking of using solar panels to address the power issue, Jadhav said. He said the gram sabhas of five villages (the locals of which are part of the committee), have also decided to put forth their proposals to safeguard the plateau and conserve its biodiversity and flora. One of the committee members said the state government should provide funds for proper maintenance of the site.

"We have to depend on the fees collected from visitors during the season, which is only for two months (September and October), to pay for the maintenance and salaries of the people working to guard the place," he said. "We seek government's attention, cooperation and funds so that this plateau of flowers can be conserved," he said. Jadhav said for last three to four years, the growth of some species of flowering plants on the plateau is on a decline, thereby calling for a study to find out its reason and restore the beauty of the place.

"We are now planning to write to various universities in Maharashtra to send some researchers and students of botany to study the reason behind this," he said. "We are making all-out efforts to conserve the plateau, which is home to some rare, endemic and threatened species of flowering plants, as it would then also lead to an increase in the number tourists at the site," he added.

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BANK OF MAHARASHTRA share price has zoomed 9% and is presently trading at Rs 10.

Meanwhile, the BSE BANKEX Index is at 22,787 (up 2.1%).

Among the top Gainers in the BSE BANKEX Index today is BANK OF MAHARASHTRA (up 8.6%).

Over the last one year, BANK OF MAHARASHTRA has moved down from Rs 15 to Rs 10, registering a loss of Rs 5 (down 35.9%).

On the other hand, the BSE BANKEX has moved down from 32,704 to 22,787, loss of 9,917 points (down 30.4%) during the last 12 months.

The top gainers among the BSE BANKEX Index stocks during this same period were [param_historic_top3].

What About the Benchmark Indices?

The BSE Sensex is at 32,089 (up 1.8%).

The top gainers among the BSE Sensex stocks today are HUL (up 3.0%), INDUSIND BANK (up 2.9%) and BAJAJ FINANCE (up 2.8%). Other gainers include AXIS BANK (up 2.7%) and RELIANCE IND. (up 2.5%). The most traded stocks in the BSE Sensex are RELIANCE IND. and SBI.

In the meantime, NSE Nifty is at 9,383 (up 1.5%). The top gainers in the NSE Nifty include DR. REDDYS LAB (up 4.1%), INDIABULLS HOU. FIN. (up 3.8%) and HUL (up 3.2%). Other gainers include HINDALCO (up 2.5%) and ZEE ENTERTAINMENT (up 2.3%) are among the top gainers in NSE Nifty.

Over the last 12 months, the BSE Sensex has moved down from 38,277 to 32,089, registering a loss of 6,188 points (down 16.35%).

BANK OF MAHARASHTRA Financial Update...

BANK OF MAHARASHTRA net profit declined 103.6% YoY to Rs 1 billion for the quarter ended December 2019, compared to a loss of Rs 38 billion a year ago. Operating income rose 14.0% to Rs 30.2 billion during the period as against Rs 26.5 billion in October-December 2018.

For the year ended March 2019, BANK OF MAHARASHTRA reported 328.3% increase in net profit to Rs 47.6 billion compared to net profit of Rs 11.1 billion during FY18.

Revenue of the company grew 2.2% to Rs 108 billion during FY19.

The current Price to earnings ratio of BANK OF MAHARASHTRA, based on rolling 12 month earnings, stands at 6.7x.

This article (BANK OF MAHARASHTRA Surges by 9%; BSE BANKEX Index Up 2.1%) is authored by Equitymaster.

Equitymaster is a leading 'independent' equity research initiative focused on providing well-researched and unbiased opinions on stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The COVID-19 situation is especially serious in 11 cities in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal, stated sources. The Ministry

In Maharashtra, COVID-19 toll climbed to 521 as 36 more deaths were reported on Saturday, the highest single-day figure so far in the state, while the

The Maharashtra Covid-19 case toll stood at 12,974, while Mumbai Metropolitan Region crossed 10K cases with 27 new deaths on Sunday, the eve of lockdown 3.

Coronavirus in Maharashtra has spread like a wildfire to infect a whopping 19,063 persons in only 60 days, stated sources. Since the past five days

Coronavirus claimed 13 lives in Maharashtra, while Mumbai recorded 132 new positive cases the highest in a single day, report officials. The state's

In 2 months, coronavirus positive cases in Maharashtra have zoomed from 2 to nearly 20k, revealed sources.

Company: Corporate Links and Services.
Qualification: Bachelor of Education (B.Ed)
Experience: 12 to 18
Salary: 8.00 to 9.00
location: Dhule / Dhulia
Ref: 24826500
Summary: Post- Vice Principal Location- Dhule- ( Maharashtra) Qual. & Exp.- Female below 40 years of age....