The Maharashtra government sanctioned over Rs 1 crore for development works at a temple linked to Ashok Kharat, a self-styled godman accused of rape, in 2018. The funds were approved under the regional tourism development scheme. Kharat was arrested on March 18 after being accused of repeated rape.
'Tourists from long-haul markets such as the US, UK, and Western Europe are especially sensitive to such news, and short-term cancellations or postponements of planned trips can be expected.'
For Aniket Dhar and Rupankar Bhattacharjee, the goal is simple: turn a persistent environmental challenge into a sustainable solution that benefits both nature and people.
The Maharashtra government has amended a policy to allow serving and consumption of alcohol on premises near dam backwaters, aiming to curb illegal liquor sales and promote tourism.
The government's Budget announcements providing tax holiday for data centres, setting up of city economic regions (CERs) and funding to improve infrastructure in Tier-II and -III cities may give an indirect boost to India's realty sector, said industry executives.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde launched a veiled attack on Uddhav Thackeray, invoking characters from a film to criticize Thackeray's leadership and policies ahead of upcoming municipal elections. Shinde highlighted government initiatives and defended his position, while also criticizing the opposition's performance.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will develop an international-standard exotic birds park at Nahur to create a new tourism attraction. The park will feature 24 independent habitats designed to replicate the birds' natural environments and will house rare and colourful species from Australia, Africa and America.
The last rites of veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Shivraj Patil were performed with full state honours in his home district, Latur, in Maharashtra on Saturday, with many top leaders in attendance.
Most Shiv Sena ministers in Maharashtra's BJP-led government were absent from a cabinet meeting, signaling tensions over defections between the parties. Only Deputy CM Eknath Shinde attended. Sena ministers later met with the Chief Minister to express their displeasure.
Milind Ramji Narote, a BJP MLA from Maharashtra's Gadchiroli, had filed a complaint against Tejashwi Yadav on Friday.
Efforts are on to connect Rahuri in Ahmednagar district, which will serve pilgrims going to nearby Shirdi, Koyna dam (which will help tourists going to Mahabaleshwar) and Pune.
The government has identified 50 public-private partnership (PPP) projects worth over Rs 60,000 crore, significantly surpassing the original targets of the National Monetisation Pipeline, said Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at the Business Standard Infrastructure Summit on Thursday.
One of the key attractions of the park, which houses a wide array of plant, animal and bird species besides ancient caves, the revamped toy train is set to provide an elating and exciting experience to visitors, especially children.
'There are tall personalities who have utilised Mumbai and Maharashtra for their career growth, but they never thought it is their responsibility to learn Marathi.'
An alleged attack on a Marathi-speaking family by a government employee in Thane district sparked outrage in the Maharashtra Assembly, where the BJP-led government assured justice and condemned the incident. Opposition parties demanded immediate action against the accused, Akhilesh Shukla, and his wife, who have been arrested. The incident has raised concerns about discrimination against Marathi people and fueled tensions in the state.
Maharashtra Finance Minister Ajit Pawar presented the state budget, announcing the construction of numerous memorials dedicated to historical figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and others. These memorials aim to preserve and celebrate the legacy of these prominent figures, contributing to the state's cultural and historical landscape.
These organisations said their campaign will continue till the display of such certification on their products are banned.
Abu Farhan Azmi, son of Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi, has denied brandishing a weapon in a fight in Goa, calling the incident a "small thing" that got out of hand. He maintains he is not against the coastal state and has been visiting Goa for 20 years. Azmi's father has recently faced criticism for comments praising Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.
Pulling up the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) for "failing" to develop tourist facilities, the CAG has noted that the number of foreigners visiting the state has dropped and those availing its infrastructural facilities were negligible.
'I am not an aspiration-oriented politician.' 'This is the time to redefine politics.' 'Politics of power is not real politics.'
Shiv Sena's Dadaji Bhuse is the new school education minister while Uday Samant continues to be the industries minister.
The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation's open deck tourism buses will give tourists' in Mumbai a taste of the city's heritage.
Malik used to criticise the BJP-led Central government and the then opposition leader in Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, when he was a cabinet minister in the erstwhile MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray.
Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Monday said he is not bothered about his criticism by others and is only concerned about what key leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance say.
Raising toast to 25 successful years, India's largest wine maker Sula Vineyard is eyeing a sustained double-digit growth in revenue over the next five years, buoyed by growth in the premium and elite categories and expansion of its new ranges. It was during Covid that the vineyards shifted focus to its own brands and pivoted towards growing the premium and elite segment of the market.
Apart from Sardesai, the chief minister's son Aaditya Thackeray, who is an MLA from Worli in Mumbai and head of the Yuva Sena, was also present at the meeting held at the state secretariat on Monday.
The focus will be on soft skills and personal hygiene.
Poor governance and mediocre short-sighted politics are destroying the paradise that Goa was as its environment, water table, culture and way of life is drastically threatened by tourism and migration, points out Ramesh Menon.
Is a sulking Eknath Shinde on the way out as Shiv Sena chief?
The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has adopted some innovative marketing strategies to aggressively promote the Rs 30 crore worth prestigious Deccan Odyssey luxury train.
'We pressurised him (to accept the deputy chief ministership).' 'Being out of power would have made him weaker.'
'We don't have a say which MP stays where. We prepare everything and allot according to the list we get from Parliament.'
Besides the not-so-hidden unease between Modi and Adityanath, Modi chose to address the Lok Sabha to ensure that he could personally claim all the kudos, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar was given the finance and planning portfolio on Friday, nearly two weeks after he broke away from the original party and took oath as Maharashtra's deputy chief minister.
'Afzal Guru became a victim of Pakistan's conspiracy. He was used as a means, just like all other innocent Kashmiris.'
After launching expressway projects worth almost Rs 1 trillion, the Uttar Pradesh government is now betting big on the aviation sector to propel the state's economic growth. Air travel, comprising both business and leisure, is expected to give a fillip to the socioeconomic landscape by attracting fresh investment. It would also ramp up infrastructure and create jobs.
All eyes are now on the Sena factions, led by CM Shinde, backed by the BJP, and his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray, and their performance in the coastal belt in the November 20 polls.
The present legislative framework on betting and gambling in India is sketchy, at best.
With this allocation of portfolios, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has got most of the 'plum' ministries.
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