Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar Maharashtra unit president Shashikant Shinde on Saturday said his party chief Sharad Pawar and other leaders had no prior knowledge about the decision that Nationalist Congress Party's Sunetra Pawar would take oath as the state deputy chief minister.
Currently, the weekend lockdown is in force from 8 pm on Fridays and last till 7 am on Mondays.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said the lockdown rules will remain unchanged in the state will May 3. Tope said there was no clarity in the Centre's latest order regarding reopening of shops.
The minister said the state government is keeping a close tab on the present situation and it will take the "right decision at the right time" based on the prevailing scenario.
"The Serum Institute of India (SII) has informed the state government that it can supply the 'Covishield' vaccine only after May 20," Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.
Tope also informed that the Centre has asked the state to reduce the number of inoculation centers from 511 to 350, saying the government should focus on other emergencies also.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that mucormycosis or black fungus, which has claimed 90 lives in the state so far, is a matter of prime concern for it at present, and the state government needs more supply of the medicine used in its treatment.
The Maharashtra Health Minister said that the rise in the number of patients is a major cause of concern and people's cooperation is needed to fight out the outbreak.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday refuted talk of his stir not being a factor in the Maharashtra assembly polls, which were swept by the Mahayuti comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party.
He said in the last 8-10 days, the active cases in the state stood in the range of 5,000-6,000.
The move will put a burden of Rs 6,500 crore on the state's coffers, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said.
The new rates will be Rs 900, Rs 1,400 and Rs 1,800 per test, adding it was the fourth time rates had been revised from the original Rs 4,500.
The day before, the state government banned assembly of more than five persons in public places between 9 pm to 6 am and restricted the number of people allowed at public functions in view of a spurt in coronavirus cases.
This is for the first time that Maharashtra is going through such "worst situation", she said, and held the Union government responsible for it.
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.
"Lockdown is not an option but restrictions will be made more strict," Tope told reporters in Mumbai.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Health Minister Rajesh Tope told reporters.
Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said that the peak of COVID-19 third wave is over in the state as COVID-19 cases are reducing in cities like Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Palghar that were worst hit.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope warns that the state government will go aggressive if appeals to reduce social distancing are not adhered to.
Seeking to allay concerns over shortage of Remdesivir, the minister said the government held talks with pharma companies and ensured sufficient supply of the medicine for COVID-19 patients.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said the restrictions will continue after June 1, and will be relaxed later in a phased manner.
Tope said only 35,000 vials of Covaxin are currently available with the state government for administering the second dose to the people above 45 years.
With this decision, Malik will be left with no portfolio in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
Out of the 24 NCP MLAs who attended the session, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, cabinet ministers Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil, Hasan Mushrif, Aditi Tatkare, Sanjay Bansode, Dhananjay Munde, Anil Patil and Dharmarao Atram were seated on the ruling side.
The Maharashtra government has capped the prices of N-95, double and triple layer masks for suppliers and private hospitals in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, state health minister Rajesh Tope has said.
On the mathematical model which predicts 42,000 cases in the state by April end, the minister said, "The model is based on some scientific ground but it has taken the state's doubling rate of COVID-19 cases at 3.8.
Tope, however, stressed that there was no need to panic as the count of active cases in the state still stood below 1,000, while the number of cases per million in the state was far less than other states.
State health minister warned against indiscriminate use of steroids to treat COVID-19 patients.
Amid mounting concerns over the new 'XE' variant of Covid and a day after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation reported its first case in Mumbai, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday said the state health department has not received any confirmation about the variant and thus cannot confirm it.
Patil, who heads the Maharashtra NCP unit, also scotched speculation that he was set to join the Ajit Pawar-led group in the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government.
The daily requirement of medical oxygen in the state has witnessed a rise, it said, adding that the present demand is 400 metric tonnes.
Health Minister Rajesh Tope said saving lives is the government's priority.
'I think nobody is creating any hurdle into this issue. The case was with the Maharashtra police, who are well-known for their functioning.'
Tope said action would be taken against those buildings where FSI more than four had been utilised. There are 588 such buildings. He, however, said the government would soon make the roads free of encroachment.
Further relaxing the Covid-19 curbs, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday decided to allow malls and restaurants to remain open till 10 pm with a 50 per cent capacity from August 15 onwards, provided the entire staff is fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Shops are also allowed to operate till 10 pm.
"I think there is no community spread of coronavirus in Maharashtra. The state government has been able to trace almost every COVID-19 patient and his or her source of infection. Hence, in my opinion, there is no community spread in the state," he said.
Early detection will bring down the mortality rate, the minister said, adding that the government plans to increase institutional quarantine facilities.
The BMC decision follows the state government's appeal to citizens to avoid bursting firecrackers this Diwali as the resultant pollution could cause breathing problems among COVID-19 patients.
"The second wave of the pandemic is not over yet. But there is no favourable condition for a third wave as of now. The state task force has cautioned of a third wave post the Diwali season. We are assessing the situation," health minister Tope said.
A delegation of the Maharashtra government, comprising ministers, on Tuesday failed to convince Manoj Jarange, whose hunger strike for Maratha quota entered the 8th day, to withdraw his protest.
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