MaharashtaraJanuary–December

CurrentAffairs2017part1

Dr. Gaurav Garg

TIRELESSSOUL

GauravGarg888

Ajey Jhankar – TheNotedScriptwriterpassedaway

.Ajey Jhankar,thenotedauthorandfilmmakerpassedawayonApril3,2017.HewasbornonSeptember1,1959inPune.

ii.HeservedasaDirectorofMMActiv Sci-TechCommunicationsPvt.LtdfromJanuary2000.

HewasthewriterofMarathinovel"Sarkarnama".

In1998,Jhankar producedtheMarathimovieinthenameSarkarnamarelatingittohisnovel.

Film-fareAward,1998,ScreenAward,1998andMaharashtraStateFilmAward,1998

Kishori Amonkar aHindustaniclassicalvocalistpassedaway

ClassicalsingerKishori Amonkar passedawayattheageof84atherhouseinMumbaionApril3,2017.

Besideasinger,Amonkar wasalsoapopularspeakerandtraveledthroughoutIndiagivinglectures,mostnotablyonthetheoryof

rasainmusic.

Amonkar receivedPadmaBhushanin1987andPadmaVibhushanin2002.

In2010,shebecameafellowoftheSangeet Natak Academy,thenationalacademyofmusic,arts,anddance.

ShealsoreceivedSangeet Natak Academyawardinthatyear

SteelMinisterChaudhary Birender Singhinaugurated'IndiaSteel2017'inMumbai

3rd editionofInternationalConference andExhibitiononSteelIndustry'IndiaSteel2017'washeldatMumbaiExhibitioncenterinMumbai

ItwasinauguratedbyUnionSteelMinisterChaudhary Birender Singh.

India istheThirdlargestproducerofcrudesteelintheworld.

Thisexhibition-cum-conferencehasbeenorganisedbyFederationofIndianChambersofCommerce&Industry(FICCI)alongwithUnionMinistryofSteel

.TheobjectivewastoprovideaplatformforstakeholdersinSteelIndustrytointeract

witheachotherandexploremutuallybeneficialbusinessopportunities.

AReverseBuyer-SellerMeet,whichisfirst-of-its-kindinsteelsectorwasalsoorganised,whereinInternationalbuyersfromMiddleEast,SouthEastAsia,Africa,

AustraliaandSAARCcountrieswereinvited.

Duringtheinauguraladdress,Mr.SinghmentionedaboutfivethrustareaswhichUnionSteelMinistryhasbeenfocusingsinceJuly2016.

ThesethrustareashavebeensummedupasPRIDE:

P– ProductionandProductivityIncrease

R– ResearchandDevelopment

I– Indian-Madesteelconcept

D– Demandboostforsteel

E– ExcellenceinQualityandEfficiency

Mumbai,Chennaiamongtop20touristdestinationsinAPAC

Therankingshavebeenbasedintermsoftotalnumberofinternationalovernightarrivals,numberofnightsspentateachdestinationandcross-borderspending,accordingtoMastercardAsiaPacificDestinationsIndex

2017.

Overall,BangkokremainsthemostvisiteddestinationinAsiaPacificinthelistof171destinationsacross22countriesintheAsiaPacificregion.

ItistheworldsfastestgrowingregionforinternationaltourismbyGDPcontribution,withtourismmakingup8.5percentofAsiaPacifics GDPand8.7per

centoftotalemploymentlastyear.

With5.2millioninternationalovernightarrivals,Chennairankedat14thplace,whileMumbaibaggedthe15thspotwith4.9millionarrivals.

Intermsoftotalnightspent,Mumbairankedat13thplacewithtouristsstayedfor30.7millionnightsin2016,whileChennaiwasat15thpositionwith29.6million

nights.Chennaihasbeenranked13thwithanexpenditureofUSD4.6billionby

internationaltourists,andMumbaistoodat15thplacewithUSD4.4billionspend.

Chennaihasbeenranked13th withanexpenditureofUSD4.6billionbyinternationaltourists,andMumbaistoodat15thplacewithUSD4.4billionspend.

Overall,overnightarrivalstothe171AsiaPacificdestinationsin2016stoodat339.2millionledbyBangkokwhichattracted19.3millionvisitors.Singapore(13.1million)cameinsecondplace,followedbyTokyo(12.6million),Seoul(12.4million)and

KualaLumpur(11.3million).

In2016,visitorstotheregionstayedforatotalof1,768.7millionnights.Bangkoktooktheleadwith87.6millionnightsfollowedbySydney(87.5million),Kuala

Lumpur(76.7million),Tokyo(74.3million)andMelbourne(62.9million).

OveralltourismexpenditureintheAsiaPacificregionstoodatUSD244.9billion.

Whenitcomestooverallspending,SingaporeattractedthehighestspendingvisitorsatUSD254perday,followedbyBeijing(USD242),Shanghai(USD234),HongKong(USD211))andTaipei(USD208).

Maharashtrabansjunkfoodinschoolcanteens

Maharashtragovernmenttodayimposedabanonsaleof‘HighinFat,SaltandSugar’(HFSS) foodatschoolcanteensacrossthestate.

AGovernmentResolution(GR)issuedgavealistof12categoriesoffoodswhichcoverpotatochips,noodles,carbonatedsoftdrinks,pizza,burger,cakes,biscuits,buns,pastries,etc.,whichcannotbe

sold.

Italsogivesalistof20itemsthatcanbesold

UnionGovernmenthadsetupaTaskForceunderthechairmanshipofDirector,NationalNutritionInstitute,Hyderabadtopromote

consumptionofhealthyfoodbychildreninschoolsandtobansaleofjunkfood.

Thetaskforceinitsreportsaidthatjunkfoodcontaininghighlevelsoffat,saltandsugarandverylittlenutritionalcontentleadstoobesity,dentaldiseases,diabetesandheartailmentsinlaterlife.

Punedoctorssuccessfullyperformcountry'sfirstuterustransplant

Ateamofcitydoctorssuccessfullyperformedcountry'sfirstwomb(uterus) transplantona21-year-oldSolapur woman

Thewoman,whosuffersfrom congenitalabsenceofuterus sincebirth,wasfittedwithhermother'swombsothatshecanconceivenormally.

The minimallyinvasiveretrieval ofthewombcarriedoutmainlythrough keyholesurgery anditssubsequenttransplantperformedonly

throughopensurgerytookninehours

ThesurgeryhasopenedupanotherwaytomotherhoodbesidessurrogacyoradoptionforIndianwomenwhodonothaveauterus,orwhohaveauterusthat

doesnotfunction.

Pune's GalaxyCareLaparoscopyInstitute (GCLI),wherethesurgerywasdone,hasbeengrantedalicence bythestate'sDirectorateofHealthServicestocarryout

the uterustransplant.

Oncosurgeon Shailesh Puntambekar whoperformedthesurgeryalongwithteamof11otherdoctors

Thecomplicatedsurgerytookninehours

Around80percentoftheretrievaloforgan(uterus) wasdonelaparoscopically andonlytowardsthetailendofthesurgerywhenwehadtotakeouttheorgan(womb)fromdonor'sbodythatweadoptedopensurgerymethodbytakingasmallincisionsothatvesselssupplyingblood

totheuterusarenotsqueezedanddamaged,

Sincethemajorityoftheretrievalpartwasdonethroughminimallyinvasivekeyholesurgerymedically knownaslaparoscopicsurgery,the

donordidnotevenrequirebloodtransfusion.

PresidentdeclaresurbanMaharashtraopendefecationfree

PresidentRamnath Kovind onhismaidenvisittoMaharashtradeclaredtheurbanareasofthestateasOpenDefecationFree(ODF).

Twoyearsago,chiefminister DevendraFadanvis hadannouncedthe SwachchaMaharashtra abhiyan inlinewiththeSwachcha Bharatabhiyan.

Thegovernmenturbandevelopmentdepartmentthentookupthetaskofensuringtoiletstoallinthe384urbanareasinthestate.

thepercentageoftoiletsinruralareashadgoneupfrom44%to88%.

Fadanvis saidtheentirestatewillbeODFby2019.

MaharashtraGovtForms'GoodMorningSquad'ToMonitorOpenDefecation

TheMaharashtragovernmenthasdecidedtoform‘goodmorning’squadstomonitorandpreventopendefecationinvillagesanddistrictsacrossthestate.

Thesesquadswillcompriserepresentativesoflocalbodies,self-helpgroups,NGOs,studentsandsocialworkersworkingintheareaofsanitationandcleanliness.

Thesesquadshavebeenaskedtokeepaneyeontheareaswherethispracticeisprevalentandtoensurethatlocalshaveaccesstotoiletsthere.

FadnavislaunchSamwad Sabha toreachouttofarmers

MaharashtraChiefMinister DevendraFadnavis launcheda‘ShivarSamwad Sabha’toreachouttofarmersinthestateandaddresstheir

issues.

Thefour-dayinitiativewasbeinglaunchedamidtherisingresentmentamongfarmersacrossthestateoverdelayinprocurementoftur this

year.

Nearly4,000electedrepresentativesofthepartywillparticipateinthecampaignandholdmeetingswithfarmersatvariouslocations.

NagpurwillbethefirstIndiancitytogetelectricradiocabs

WithIndia'spledgetogoallelectricby2030,Nagpurbecomesthefirstcity inthecountrytoadoptelectricradiocabsasthecountrymovesastepclosertoitsgoal.

Thepilotprojectwillseearound200e-cabsinNagpurwiththelocalbodytoprovideforthechargingstationsacrossthecity.Whilethetrialrunsareongoingforthegrand

event,therearesometechnicalglitches.

Whilethetaxipermitrulesspecifythatthetaxisshouldhavecubiccapacitytobelistedasacab,theelectricvehiclesdonotfallunderthesamecategoryasotherCNG-fitted

cabsandcouldbeamajorissuefortheinitiative.

Thecentralgovernmentisworkingonwaystomakeamendmentstothisrules,sothattheelectricradiocabsareabletofunctionwithoutdisruptingthecurrentlaws.

Topromotetheusageofelectricandhybridcarsinthecountry,thegovernmentofIndiahadpassedtheFAME(FasterAdoptionandManufacturingofElectric

Vehicles)Indiaschemein2015.

UndertheFAMEIndiascheme,around99,000hybrid/electricvehicles(xEVs)arecurrentlygivendirectsupportbywayofincentivessincethelaunchonApril1,

2015.

TheDepartmenthasalsoapprovedpilotprojects,charginginfrastructureprojectsandtechnologicaldevelopmentprojectsaggregatingtonearlyRs155

crore.

Currently,MahindraandHondaarefewofthecar-manufacturerswhohaveelectricandhybridvehiclesintheirline-up.

India’sFirstBioRefineryPlantinauguratedinPune

UnionMinisterforRoad Transport,Highways andShipping Nitin Gadkari hasinaugurated India’sFirstIntegratedBio-refineryforRenewableFuels&Chemicals

forproducingethanolfromavarietyofbiomass.

TheplantissituatedatRahu inPunedistrictofMaharashtra.

The demonstrationplanthasbeenbuiltby Praj industries.

TheinauguratedBio-refineryplantiscapableofproducingonemillionlitres ofethanolperannumbyprocessingavarietyof biomass likericeandwheatstraw,cotton stalk,bagasse, canetrash,corncobs & stover with superior

productyields.

In2015,theGovernmenthasaskedOilMarketingCompanies(OMCs)totarget10%blending ofethanolinasmanyStatesaspossible.

Thefueldopingprogrammethatrequiredblendingof5%ethanolhadstartedinNovember2012.

ItwasnotifiedundertheMotorSpiritsActonJanuary2,2013.

TheGovernmenthasalsoallowedtheOMCstoprocureethanolproducedfromothernon-foodfeedstocks,likecellulosicand lignocellulosic

materialsincludingpetrochemicalroute.

Biofuel is cost-effectiveandpollution-free.Ethanol blending isthepracticeofblendingpetrolwithethanol.

GloballymanycountriesincludingIndiahaveresortedtoethanolblendingtoreducevehicleexhaustemissions .

Theinaugurationoftherefinerypavesthewayforsteppingup20%ethanolblendingprogramandcan reducetheimportburdenofcrude

petroleum.

MaharashtrabecomesfirstIndianstatetouseAutomatedWeatherStation

DevendraFadnavis,Maharasthra CMinauguratedthestate'sfirstautomaticweatherstationsforfarmersinDongargaon,Nagpur.

Around2,065suchweatherstationswillcomeinMaharashtraonPPP(publicprivatepartnership)modelsinthisyearand1000ofthesewillbesetupbyJune2017.

TheAutomatedWeatherStations(AWS)willbehelpfulinmeasuringthewinddirection,windspeed,airtemperature,relativehumidity,andrecordtheamountof

rainfall.

ThegatheredinformationwillbesharedamongthefarmersbymakingthemavailableonMahavedh portal(Maharashtraagricultureweatherinformation

network) aswellasontheSkymet mobileapplication

TheAutomatedWeatherStationsandtheirusage:

1. Skymet WeatherPrivateLtd,aweatherforecastingfirmwillbesettinguptheseweatherstations.

2.Farmersofthestatecanmakeuseofthisinformationforsowinginamuchbetterandplannedway,accordingtotheweatherconditions

.3.TheseweatherstationsaresignificantbecausetheIMDforecastislimitedtoonlyfourzonesandisnotmadeavailableatthetaluka level.However,AWSwillprovideforecastuptothetaluka level.Around12*12kmareaofthetaluka willhaveone

AWS,promisedtheCM.

4.Digitalkioskswillalsobeset-upineveryGramPanchayat togiveoutweatherrelatedinformationandexpertadviceoncroppatternstobefollowedbythefarmers.

Duringthefirstphase,theinformationwillbesharedviaSMS.Inthesecondphase,halfhourlyupdateswillbeprovidedtoalltheGramPanchayats.

TheAWSsensorswillbeabletorecordimportantfarmingparameterssuchastemperature,relativehumidity,windspeedanddirection,rainfall,solar

radiation,leafwetness,soilmoisture,atmosphericpressureandevapotranspiration.

ThestategovernmentintendstousetheAWSdataforbetterpreparationforlocation-specificagricultureadvisories,betterdisastermanagement,designing

cropinsuranceschemesandforestablishingaweatherdatabasebank.

Second-tallest'flagpostcomesupinKolhapur,Maharashtra

OnMay1st 2017(Maharashtraday),India’ssecondtallestflagpolehasbeeninauguratedinKolhapuratWesternMaharashtra.

Thepoleis90feetlongand60feetwide,weighs24tone,anditcostaround1.1crorefortheinstallation.

Thepolewhichis303feethighhasbeenconstructedatthePoliceGardenlocatedoppositeofSuperintendentofPoliceheadquartersintheKasaba Bawada

area.

OnMarch6th2017,theflagpolewith360footlongislocatedattheIndo-PakAttari BorderinauguratedtheFirsttallestFlagpole.

Nagpurbecomesfirstcitywithelectricmassmobilitysystem

Nagpurearnedthedistinctionofbecomingthecountry’sfirstcitywithelectricfleetof200electricvehicles,includingtaxis,buses,e-rickshawandautos.

RoadTransportandHighwaysMinister NitinGadkari alongwithMaharashtraChiefMinister DevendraFadnavis,inauguratedIndia’sfirstmulti-modalelectric

vehicleprojectattheNagpurAirportComplex

Thepilotprojectwillcommencewitha200-strongfleet,including100ofMahindra’snewe2oPlusvehicles.

TherestwillconsistofvehiclessourcedfromotherOEMs,includingTataMotors,Kinetic,BYDandTVS,amongothers.

Thesizeoftheautomobileindustry,whichisatRs4.5lakhcrore,isestimatedtogrowtoRs25lakhcroreandstressshouldbelaidonpromotingenvironment-friendlyvehicles

thatcausesminimumpollution

Withaneyeonpromotingeco-friendlytransport,thegovernmentwillbereadywithitselectricvehiclepolicybyDecember.

AcceleratedadoptionofelectricandsharedvehiclescouldsaveUSD60billionindieselandpetrolcostwhilecuttingdownasmuchas1gigatonne (GT)ofcarbonemissionfor

Indiaby2030.

TheNITIAayogreportestimatesthatIndiacanconservativelysaveupto64percentofanticipatedpassengermobility-relatedenergydemandand37percentofcarbonemissionsby2030.Atcurrentoilprices,thiswillimplyanetfuelcostsavingof

approximatelyRs3.9lakhcroreby2030,

MaharashtraGovernmentUnveilsthePortraitofSocialReformer‘Prabodhankar ThackerayatBMC

TheMaharashtraChiefMinisterDevendraFadnavisunveiledtheportraitofsocialreformer‘Prabodhankar Thackeray’inthegeneralassemblyhallofthe

Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation(BMC) .

Keshav Sitaram Thackeray,famouslyknownasPrabodhankar wasborninSeptember1885.Hewasasocialreformer,authorandkeyleadersofthe

SamyuktaMaharashtraSamiti whichsuccessfullycampaignedforthelinguisticstateofMaharashtra.

HeisthefatheroflateShiv Sena supremo BalThackeray.

Beforethis,thecorporationhallhadonlytwoportraits,oneofphilanthropistandpioneerofMumbai’sdevelopment NanaShankarsethandotherofDadasaheb Donde,oneofthe

leadersoftheSamyuktaMaharashtramovement.

Swacch Sarveskshan 2017

Gujarat has maximum of 12 cities among the top 50 cleanest, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 11 and Andhra Pradesh with

eight.

Swacch Sarveskshan 2017

Navi Mumbai-8, Pune-13,GreaterMumbai-29,Shirdi-56,Pimpri Chindwad-72,Chandrapur-76,Ambarnath-89,Solapur-115,Thane-116,Dhule-124,Mira

Bhayander-130,Nagpur-137,VasaiVirar-139,Ichalkaranj-141,Nashik-151,Satara-157,Kulgaon Badlapur-158,Jalgaon-162,Panvel-170,Kolhapur-177,Nandurbar-181,Ahmadnagar-183,Nanded Waghala-192,Ulhasnagar-207,Osmanabad-219,Parbhani-229,Yavatmal-230,Amaravati-231,Kalyan-Dombivili-234,Sangli MirajKupwad-237,Malegaon-239,Udgir-240,Barshi-287,Akola-296,Aurangabad-299,Beed-302,Achalpur-311,Wardha-313,Latur-318,Gondia-343,Hinganghat-355,

Jalna-368,Bhiwandi Nizampur-392,Bhushawal-433

Swacch Sarveskshan 2017

MaharashtraGovernmentBansuseofPurseSeineNetsforFishing

Purseseinenets arelargefishingnetsusedtocatchfishinbulk.

MaharashtraGovernmenthasbannedtheuseofPurseSeineNetsforfishingacrossMaharashtrafromJanuary1,2017to

safeguardtheFingerlings,afishspecies.

Themoveisaimedatcurbingtheexploitationoffishbysafeguardingthefingerlingsanditseggstoincreasetheir

population.

Thedecisionisexpectedtobenefitthetraditionalfishermancommunitythatusemuchsmallernetsinshallowwaters.

Itwillincreasefishcatchandprotectthefishpopulationaslargerporeswillallowfishlings andeggstoslipoutduringthe

dailycatch.

NGTordersstayonPuneMetroRailwork

The Pune MetroRailprojecthitamajorroadblock withtheWesternZoneBenchoftheNationalGreenTribunal(NGT)issuinganinterimstayontheproposedportionofthemetroroutepassingthroughtheMula –Mutha

riverbedinthecity.

Atwo-judgeBenchofjusticesU.D.Salvi andDr.AjayDeshpande passedthedirectiveactingonanEnvironmentalInterestLitigation(EIL) filedintheNGT

byagroupofprominentpersonalities.

Theproposedmetrorailalignment,a1.7kmstretchpassingthroughtheleftbankoftheMula-Mutha rivercouldspellthedeathknellfortheriverbank

ecosystemalongthatroute.

PuneMetroChina's Jinhua and India's Pune

PuneMetro isametrorailbased rapidtransit systemunderconstructiontoservethecityof Pune, India.

Itisestimatedtocost₹114.20billion(US$1.73billion).

On7December2016,the GovernmentofMaharashtra gaveapprovalfortheproject,whilethe MinistryofUrbanDevelopment hadalreadygivenapprovalfortheproject.

PrimeMinister NarendraModi laidthefoundationstoneon24December2016onhisvisittothecity.

TheprojectisexpectedtobecompletedbyDecember2021.

Phase Line Terminals Length(km)

Openingdate

PhaseILine1 Pimpri Swargate 16.59 2021

Line2 Vanaz Ramwadi 14.665 2021

PhaseIILine3 Deccan

GymkhanaBundGarden 11 2021

Line4 ASI Hinjawadi 18 2021

Projectisdividedintotwophases

MaharashtralaunchedIndia’sfirst24×7helplineforforests.

The ForestMinistry launchedthestate-wide'Hello Forest' helpline adayearlierthanpreviouslyannounced.

The HelloForest’helplinenumbercanbereachedbydialling '1926'fromanyphone.Asreportedearlier,itwillbeoperatedona24-hourbasisbyanagencylocatedin

Goregaon,Mumbaiwiththeoptionofthreelanguages- Hindi,Marathi,andEnglish.

Incaseofanemergencysuchasstrayingwildanimals,theforestofficerofthatregionwillimmediatelybecontactedandbriefedaboutthesituation.

"Thecallerwillalsobegiventheofficer'scontactdetailsbutactionwillbeinitiatedrightafterthehelplinecall.Allcallswillberecordedandtheirresponseswillbe

checked.

Awebsitefromwherecitizenscanenrollforthe'GreenArmy',avoluntaryforesthelpservice,wasalsolaunchedattheoccasion.

TataGroupinterimchairmanRatan TatawaspresentwhenTataTrustsignedamemorandumofunderstanding(MoU)withthe

forestdepartmentfordevelopmentofemploymentthroughtheBambooResearchandTrainingCentrein

Chandrapur.

MaharashtraGovernmentLaunchesCountry’sLargestWiFi Service

MaharashtraGovernmentlaunchedIndia’slargestpublicWiFi servicecalled‘MumbaiWifi‘instatecapitalMumbaiwithaimtoempowerpeopledigitally.

Itisalsoclaimedtobeoneofthelargestwifi serviceintheworld.ThefacilitywasinauguratedbyChiefMinisterDevendraFadnavis.

Initiallyinfirstphaseitwillprovide500Wifi hotspotsacrossvariouslocationsacrossMumbai.

Insecondphase,sateGovernmentwillprovide1200WiFi hotspots.

ManoharParrikarinauguratesInternationalConference&ExhibitiononReinforcedPlastics(ICERP)

EXDefenceMinisterManoharParrikar inauguratedthe8th editionoftheInternationalConference&ExhibitiononReinforcedPlastics(ICERP)atthe

BombayConvention&ExhibitionCentre(BCEC) inMumbai,India.

ThethreedayinternationaleventprovidedanidealopportunityfortheGlobalCompositesIndustrytofocusitsattentiontoIndia.

Theconferencefocusedonthelatestdevelopmentsonmechanization,automationandinnovationtomeetgrowingchallengesofenduserrequirements.

AboutICERP:

TheInternationalConferenceandExhibitiononReinforcedPlastics(ICERP)eventisorganizedbyFRPInstituteonceinevery

twoyears.

ThefirsteventontheICERPserieswasheldin2002.Thecurrentevent,ICERP2017isthe8th intheseries.

InternationalconferenceonDisabilityCommunicationheldinMumbai

TheInternationalConferenceon‘DisabilityCommunication:PerspectivesandChallengesinthe21stCentury(ICDC-2017)’washeldatRambhau Mhalgi

Prabodhini inMumbai,Maharashtra.

ThepurposeoftheICDC-2017wastoestablishaforumfordialogueonthestudyofinteraction,learningandidentityformation.

Themainaimoftheconferenceistobuildafoundationforthemaster’sdegreeinDis/Abilitycommunicationandthemainareaofinterestisaccessibilityforthose

whowanttodealwithdis/abilitycommunicationandexploreinthisfield.

The2011censusofIndiahighlightedthattherewere26,810,557personswithdisabilitiesinthesub-continentofIndia.

The11th planinIndiaestimatesthatapproximately5-6%ofthetotalpopulationcomprisesofpersonswithdisability.

Ashish Shelar appointedasMCA president

Ashish Shelar hasbeenappointedasMaharashtraCricketAssociation(MCA)president.

Shelar takesoverfromtheformerICCpresidentandpoliticalheavyweightSharad Pawar.

HeisthepresidentofMumbaiunit ofBhartiya Janata Party(BJP)

HehasbeenappointedastheMCApresidentafterPawar steppeddownfromthepostofficiallyduetothereformsannouncedbytheLodha panel.

Pawar’s age madehimineligibletocontinueinthepost,asLodha panelhadrecommendedthatBCCIofficebearersshouldnotbeovertheageof70,had

steppeddownafterheadingthestateassociationforover15years.

PunePoliceLaunchesBeatMarshallMonitoringMobileApp.

ThePuneCityPolicehaslaunchedthe“BeatMarshallMonitoringMobileApp”onexperimentalbasistomapthereal-timelocationsofpatrollingteamsfrompolice

stations.

TheapplicationwillbeinstalledonthecellphonesofBeatMarshalsorpatrollingcopssotheirmovementscanbemappedreal-timebythecontrolroomstaffers.

Thedatacollectedwouldthenbeusedforeffectiveresponseduringtheemergencies.Theappwouldmakethedispatchofpatrollingpartieseasierintimesofemergency.

TheApphasbeendevelopedbyPunebasedITfirm“Sapience”andisbeingusedbyPuneCityPoliceonexperimentalbasis.

FormerMinisterofMaharashtraChandrakantChhajed passesaway

SeniorCongressleaderandformerMaharashtraministerChandrakant Chhajed passedawayinPune,

Maharashtra.Hewas67.

Chandrakant wasaformerMinisterofStateforTourismin2003

Heservedthepartyasastateunitgeneralsecretaryandco-ordinator oftheCongressLegislaturePartytillthe

last.

MaharashtraApprovesRs.250croreCloudSeedingProgramme

MaharashtraGovernmenthasapprovedRs.250croreCloudSeedingProgrammeduring2017monsoonseasontoproducesufficientrain.

Underthisprogramme,weatherscientistsusingaircraftswillspraychemicals(silveriodide)overcloudsclouds hoveringaboveSolapur district,arain

shadowregionofWesternGhatsinthestate.

ThisprogrammeiscoordinatedbytheIndianInstituteofTropicalMeteorology,willbethefirstcontrolledexperimenttoquantifytheextentto

whichcloudsformwaterdropslargeenoughtomakerain.

Seedinginvolvessprayingchemicalsintoclouds.

Chinausedthetechniqueduringthe2008Olympicstoveerrainawayfromtheinauguralvenueandnowhasafull-fledgeddepartmentthatblastsrocketsinto

cloudstoinducerainandcontrolpollution.

Cabinet’splan

MaharashtrahasfrequentlytoyedwiththeideaofcloudseedingbecauseofdroughtsovertheVidarbha region.

TheStateapprovedaplantoseedcloudsfor113hourswitharainfalllevelof1,381mm,atRs.28crore. Howeverabove-normalrainspushedtheplantothe

back-burner

Fortheirexperiment,scientistswillflytwoaircraftandspraydryiceandsilveriodideon100cloudsandcomparethemwith100unseededclouds.

Groundradarwilltrackthecloudsandverifywhichonescontributedrainandbyhowmuch.

Theprogrammewillaccountforthenaturalvariabilityofthemonsoon.

ThemoveispartofalargerexperimentoftheEarthSciencesMinistrytounderstandhowcloudsandaerosols(fineparticlesinvehicleexhaust,

deodorantsandsoon)interactandinfluenceclimate.

ExRailwayMinisterSureshPrabhuunveilsAntyodaya Expressforcommonman

ThetrainisEquippedwithcushionedseats,aluminiumcompositepanels,andLEDlights,theAntyodaya Express,anewfullyunreservedtrainforthecommonmanwithspeciallydesigned

colourful coaches.

ThefirstAntyodaya ExpresswaslaunchedbetweenMumbaiandTatanagar,andthesecondwillbebetweenErnakulam andHowrahshortly.

IntheRailBudget(2016-17)govthaddecidedtolaunchfournewpassengerservices.Thesewere:Humsafar,Antyodaya,UDAYandTejas

FirstHumsafar waslaunchedandnowAntyodaya.

Thefarestructurewillbebetween10percentand15percent morethantheregularfare.

MEA&GatewayHouseCo-Hosts2nd GatewayofIndiaGeoeconomicDialogue

TheMinistryofExternalAffairsco-hostedtheSecondGatewayofIndiaGeoeconomicDialoguewithGatewayHouseinMumbai.

Theme:WhereGeopoliticsmeetsBusiness

ThisisIndia’spremiergeo-economicsconferencewiththefocusonbuildingsynergiesbetweenbusinessandforeignpolicy.

TheconferencewillhavevariousseveralpaneldiscussionsontopicslikeSovereignFunds,GlobalTaxation,DigitalEconomy,Indo-Pacific,India’sDefence-IndustrialBase

MumbairichestIndiancitywithwealthof$820billion:Report

Accordingtothelatest NewWorldWealthreport,India'sfinancialcapitalhereishometo46,000millionairesand28billionaires,andisfollowedintermsof

wealthbyDelhiinsecondplaceandBengaluruinthirdplace

Delhiishometo23,000millionairesand18billionaireswithtotalwealthof$450billion.

WhileBengaluruhas7,700millionairesand8billionaires andanaggregatewealthof$320billion.

Hometo9,000millionairesand6billionaires,Hyderabad isnextwithatotalwealthof$310billion.

Pune,withatotalwealthof$180billion, has4,500millionairesand5billionaires

ThetotalwealthheldinIndiaasofDecember2016amountsto$6.2trillion,whilethecountryishometo264,000millionairesand95

billionaires,thereportadded.

ThreePoetsFromMaharashtraConferredwithVishakha Awards

ThreepoetsfromMaharashtrahavebeenconferredwiththeVishakha AwardsonFebruary26,2017attheKalidas Kalamandir HallinMaharashtraduringthe

occasionofMarathiBhasha Gaurav Din.

‘MarathiBhasha Diwas’iscelebratedonFebruary27everyyeartomarkthebirthanniversaryofnotedMarathilitterateurV.V.Shirwadkar alias‘Kusumagraj’.

Kusumagraj,bornon27February1912,wasaneminentMarathipoet,playwright,novelist,shortstorywriterandhumanist. Inhiswritings,hewroteaboutfreedom,

justiceandemancipationofthedeprived.

ThegovernmentstartedcelebratingthebirthanniversaryofKusumagraj asMarathiRajbhasha Gaurav DinaftertheJnanpeeth awardeesdemisein1999.

Marathiranks19th inthelistofmostspokenlanguagesintheworldandhasthefourthlargestnumberofnativespeakersinIndia.

ThefirstprizeofRs21,000wasgiventoDrYogini Satarkar-Pande fromNanded forherbook‘Janivanche Hirve Komb’.SheisanEnglishprofessoratSwamiRamanand

Teerth Marathwada University.

ThesecondprizeofRs15,000wasgiventoMohanKumbhar fromSindhudurg forhisbook‘Jagnyache Gatha’.HeisaprofessoratBVDesaiCollege,Kankavli.

ThethirdprizeofRs10,000wasgiventoVishnuThore ofNashik forhisbook‘Dhulpera Usvata’.HeisafarmerandanartistfromChandwad tehsil townandhas

designedover450bookcovers.

SachinTendulkar adoptsanothervillagefor transformation

AftertransformingthelivesofvillagersinPuttamraju Kandriga inAndhraPradesh,Indian cricketiconandRajya Sabha MP SachinTendulkar hasnowadoptedDonja inOsmanabad (Maharashtra) undertheSansad Adarsh Gram

Yojna.

Tendulkar hassanctionedoverRs4crorefromhisMPLAD fundfordevelopmentofDonja.

Theamountwillbespenton developmentofanewschoolbuilding,awaterSupplyschemethatwouldprovidepotablewatertoeachhousehold,concrete

roadsandasewagelineattachedtothesame

CentralRailwayunveilsIndia’sfirstair-conditionedrailambulance.

CentralRailwayzoneofIndianRailwayhasunveiledIndia’sfirstair-conditionedrailambulance thatwillrushtotheaidofinjuredpassengers

duringthevital'goldenhour'

Thefour-coachACambulancewillbestationedatKalyan (Maharashtra)

ItismodifiedversionofACcoachesusedforpassengerservices.Thisrailambulancecancarryandtreat50patientsatonetime.

Italsohasinhouseoperationtheatretocarryoutminorsurgeriesandprovideimmediaterelief.

Itwillbemainlybeusedduringtrainaccidentsasitcancarryaccidentvictimstohospitalinashorttime.

However,innormaltimes,itwillbeusedforprovidingmedicalfacilitiesinlargecongregations

ThisrailambulancewasdesignedattherailworkshopatMatunga inMumbai

FirstfullyIndia-madetrainflaggedoffatDadar station

Themuch-awaitedmade-in-Indiarake,Medha,isontracksoftheWestern Railway.

ExRailwayMinisterSureshPrabhu,viavideoconferencing,flaggedoffthemaidenrunofthetrainfromDadar toBorivali,atLokmanya Tilak

Terminus.

The12-coachtrainonthefasttrackhaltedatBandra andAndheristations.

Medha rakecosts₹43.23crore,whichisapproximately₹1crorelessthanGerman-madeBombardierrake,whichis₹44.36crore.Thecostwill

comedownifmorerakesareordered.

Medha hasbeenmanufacturedbytheIntegralCoachFactory(ICF)inChennai,whichhasinstalledLEDlightingtoreduceenergyconsumption.

Thiswillsaveenergybyapproximately30-35%ascomparedtotheexistingrakes.Thisrakehasin-builtsystemstominimise breakdownsduringthetravel.

Therakecanrunataspeedof110kmph,whereaslocaltrainsdon’trunabove90or100kmph.

Also,thereisaGPS-basedinformationsystemtoindicatethestations

Therakehasacapacityof6,050passengersandthenumberofseatsis1,168.

18theditionofAsia’slargestconventiononthebusinessofmediaandentertainment“FICCIFrames-2017

The18theditionofAsia’slargestconventiononthebusinessofmediaandentertainment“FICCIFrames-2017”tookplaceinMumbai.

Thethemeofthisyear’sconventionis“Digital-DivideorDividend”.

Canada ispartneringtheeventforthefirsttimethisyear.

The3-dayinternationalconventionwillcoverstheentirespectrumofMedia&EntertainmentlikeFilms,Broadcast(TV&Radio),DigitalEntertainment,Animation,

Gaming,VisualEffects,etc.

withnearly2000Indianand800foreigndelegatesencompassingtheentireuniverseofmediaandentertainmentexpectedtoattendtheevent.

The2017InternationalDiamondConferencewasheldatHotelHyatt,Mumbai.

TheGemandJewelleryExportPromotionCouncilofIndia(GJEPC) hostedtheInternationalDiamondConferenceon19-20March2017atHotelGrandHyatt,Mumbai.

Theme: MinestoMarket2017

TheconferencewasheldwithanobjectiveofbringingtogethertheleadingMiners,Diamantaires,Retailers,BankersandAnalystsfromacrosstheglobeonaplatformto

discussthesupplyanddemandissuesfacedbytheGlobalDiamondIndustry.

“Indiaisthelargestcutandpolisheddiamondmanufacturerintheworld.93percentofitsproductionisexported.

AboutGJEPC

♦ TheGem&JewelleryExportPromotionCouncil(GJEPC)wassetupbytheMinistryofCommerceandindustry,GovernmentofIndia(GoI)in1966.Itis

headquarteredatMumbai.

♦ ItwaslaunchedbytheIndianGovernmenttoboostthecountry’sexportthrust,whenIndia’spostIndependenceeconomybeganmakingforaysinthe

internationalmarkets.

♦ TheGJEPCistheapexbodyofthegems&jewellery industryandtodayitrepresentsover6,000exportersinthesector

MohanBhagwat GetsHonoraryDegreeofDoctorofScience

RSSchiefMohanBhagwat was conferredhonorarydegreeofDoctorofScience(DSc)bythecity-basedMaharashtraAnimalandFisherySciences

University.

MaharashtraGovernorVidyasagar Rao awardedthedegreetoBhagwat,aveterinarydoctorbytraining,attheconvocationofthevarsity.

Hewasconferredthedegreeforhiscontributioninthefieldofveterinarysciences andsocialwork.

InclusionOfFiveIndianCitiesInWorldHeritageSite

i.Inrecentnews,UNESCO(UNITEDNATIONSEDUCATIONALSCIENTIFICandCULTURALORGANISATION)hasaddedfiveIndiancitiesinitslistoftentative

worldheritagesite.

Thesecitiesinclude

1.HistoricCityofAhmedabad,

2.Delhi– AHeritageCity,

3.JaipurCity,Rajasthan,

4.EkamraKshetra- TheTempleCity,Bhubaneswar

5.TheVictorian&ArtDecoEnsembleofMumbai.

Vishwanath Mahadeshwar electedMumbaiMayor

Shiv Sena nomineeVishwanath Mahadeshwar waselectedthenewmayorofMumbaiinanelectionwhichhadturnedpredictableaftertheBharatiya Janata

Party(BJP)pulledoutofthecontest.

Mahadeshwar’s electedasthe76th mayoroftheBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation,India’srichestcivicbody.

TheBJP,inanapparentlyfriendlygesturetowardstheSena,votedforMahadeshwar inanelectionwhichwasconductedthroughashowofhands.

Mahadeshwar secured171votesdefeatingCongresscandidateVithal Lokharewhoreceived31votesattheBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation(BMC).

MITPune&IBMJointlyUnveilsRobot‘Chintu’

MaharashtraInstituteofTechnology(MIT),Pune,incollaborationwithIBMintroducedChintu -- arobotdesignedtoassistseniorcitizensinconducting

everydaytasks.

Chintu,whowasunveiledduringtheongoingMITTechFest'Texephyr',candoeverythingfromsettingreminderstodancingtoGangnam Style.

AboutChintu:

Chintu istwo-foottallandweighsaround5kgs.Ithasamicrophone,multiplecameras,multipleon-boardsensorsandaninternalmemoryof8GB.TheMITteamisworkingonnotonlyenhancingexistingfeatures,butaddingnewones

too.

Chintu getsitsintelligencefromIBMWatson-- acognitivetechnologythatcanthinklikeahuman-- andtheIBMBluemix Cloudplatform.WatsonAPIs

poweredbyIBMBluemix guidetherobotthroughsolvingdaytodayproblems,theAmericantechnologygiantsaidinastatement.

WithsupportfromWatson,Chintu isperfectlycapableofreadingtextandcanthushelptheelderlyinreadingnewspapers,books

MeteorologistSikka PassesAway

FormerdirectorofPunebasedIndianInstituteofTropicalMeteorologyDevRajSikka waspassedawayonMarch19,2017.Hewas85.

Sikka hasproposedalinkbetweentheElNinophenomenonandtheIndianmonsoonandhewasthefirstMeteorologisttoreportthisconnectionin

1982

HewasalsotheChairmanoftheMonsoonMissionoftheMinistryofEarthSciences,aprogrammetoimprovemonsoon-relatedforecasts.

SeniorAdvocateTRAndhyarujina PassesAway

EminentJuristandSeniorAdvocate,Tehmtan R.Andhyarujina passedaway

HehasbeenanintegralpartofthelegalandconstitutionalhistoryofIndia.Attheageof38,hewasdesignatedasthesenioradvocate.

Andhyarujina servedastheSolicitorGeneralofIndiafrom1996to1998.BeforethathewastheAdvocateGeneralofMaharashtrafrom1993-95.

HisfirstlegalConstitutionalcasewastheKesavananda Bharati Casepopularlyknownasthefundamentalrightscase,whichledtotheintroductionoftheDoctrineofBasicStructureor

FrameworkoftheConstitution.

Hehasalsoauthored“TheKesavananda Bharati Case:TheuntoldstoryofstruggleforsupremacybySupremeCourtandParliament“aboutthelandmarkJudgmentinKesavananda

Bharati Case.

Maharashtratostagespecialdrivefortransgenderstoregisterasvotersforthefirsttime

Maharashtrawasthefirststatetolaunchaspecialawarenessdrivetoensurethattransgendersinthestateregisterasvotersingreaternumbers

.ThestatebranchoftheElectionCommissionofIndia(ECI)launchedthedriveonApril

15,celebratedasThirdGenderDay.

AccordingtoECIofficials,despitetheapproximatepopulationofthirdgendersinMaharashtrabeingpeggedatmorethan10lakh,onlyabout1,700areregistered

voters.

TheECIhaspreparedatwo-and-a-half-minutefilm,slatedtorunin400theatresfourtimesadayoverthenextweek.The commissionhasalsoputuppostersontwo12-rakelocalsaskingtransgenderstoregisterasvoters

Itistobenotedthat15thApriliscelebratedas‘ThirdGenderDay’tocommemorateSupremeCourtjudgement in2014torecognise transgenders

as‘Thrd Gender’

India’sfirstsearopewaytolinkMumbaiandElephanta island

India’sfirstandlongestropewaytoconnectMumbaiwiththefamousElephantaIslandintheArabianSeaisplannedtobeconstructedbytheMumbaiPortTrust.

The8-kmropewaywillbeginfromSewri inMumbai’seastcoast andendatRaigaddistrict’sElephanta Island,globallyrenownedforElephanta Caves,aUnesco World

Heritagesite

KnownlocallyasGharapuri Caves, thesmall16sq.kmislandhasseveralarchaeologicalremainspointingtoitsrichculturalheritage,includingthefamous

templescarvedoutofrocks.

E-taxitrialruntobegininNagpur

Thecountry’sfirstelectrictaxitrialinthecountrywaslaunchedinNagpur

ThefirstprojectofitskindwillbeundertakenbyNagpurMunicipalCorporation.

MahindraandMahindraissettoprovide200taxisfortheinitiative.

Governmentstrivestoaddresstackleincreasingpollutioninthecountrybyunveilingvariousschemes.

ElectriccartaxiisoneoftheambitiousprojectsandformsasapartofitsUNDPmillenniumgoalstotacklepollution.

India'sfirstbookvillagetocomeupinMaharashtra'sBhilar

Bhilar isasmallhamletintheSatara districtofMaharashtra,locatednearthescenichillstationofPanchgani andtheBritish-erahillstationofMahabaleshwar.Thevillage,whichispopularforitsstrawberries,willsoongetanotheridentityas

India'sfirst'bookvillage'.

LedbyEducationMinisterVinodTawde,theprojectwasundertakenbytheMarathiBhasha department.

Inspiration:Hay-on-Wye

Theconceptisinspiredby Britain'sHay-on-Wye,aWelshtownknownforitsbookstoresandliteraturefestivals.Itisoneoftheworld'slargestsecond-handand

antiquarianbookcentres

Knowabouttheinitiative:

1. Underthisinitiative,touristsandlocalscancomeandreadbooks,magazinesandnewspapersstackedat25artisticallydecoratedlocationsaroundthevillage.

2.Thesubjectsofthedisplayedbookswillincludeliterature,poetry,religion,womenandchildren,history,environment,folkliterature,biographiesand

autobiographiestofestivalspecials.

3.Thestatehasalsoprovidedseveralotherfacilities,suchaschairs,tables,decoratedumbrellasandglasscupboardstovillagelocalstoenhancethereading

experienceofliteraryenthusiastswhocometovisit.

Allthesebookswillbeavailabletoreadfreeofcost.Anybodycanpickupabookoftheirchoiceandreadisforaslongastheywant,andkeepitbackforothers.

ThegovernmentisalsoplanningtoholdliteraryfestivalsinthevillageduringsummerssincealotoftouristsvisitPanchgani andMahabaleshwar,theneighbouringhill

stations.

Thesefestivalswillincludetalkwithauthorsandpoets,readingsessions,presentationofessays,teachingworkshopsandexhibitionswherepeoplecanparticipatefreely.

There'sanothercityofbooksinIndia. The'Boi para'ortheColonyofBooksisa1.5kmlongstreetinCentralKolkatalinedonbothsidesbybookstores-- carryingbothnew

andsecondhandbooks

CollegeStreetistheworld'slargestsecond-handbookmarketandhasattractedthecity'sintelligentsiafordecades

AdvancedFarming– EnrichedFarmersSchemeinMaharashtra

ThestategovernmentofMaharashtrahasannouncedanewschemefortoincreasethefarmer’sincome.

Namedas“AdvancedFarming– EnrichedFarmers”,theschemeaimstodoubletheincomeoffarmersbyincreasingtheoutputandcuttingthe

costofproduction.

TheschemewillbelaunchedfromtheupcomingKharifseasoninthestate.

UndertheAdvancedFarming– EnrichedFarmersscheme,thestategovernmentwoulddeclareeachtehsil ofthestateasaunitwhichwillbe

usedforplanningonagri-development.

Followingarethemaintaskswhichwillbeperformedunderthescheme:

Increasingtheproductionofmajorcropsinthestate.

Diversificationofthecrops.

Makingfarmer’sawareofthemarketingtechniques.

Generatingaunitamongfarmersthroughfarmproducercompanies.

Makingfarmersfinancialstable.

Mechanisation offarmingontractors,machinesforpolishing,gradingandpackingofproduces,powertillersandtransplanters wouldget60%morefundswhichwillbetransferreddirectlytothebankaccountofthefarmer

linkedwithAadhaar.

Thestategovernmentwouldalsorunacampaignnamedas“FarmerOutreachCampaign”underthescheme.

Inthecampaign,thefarmerswouldbeinformedaboutthelatesttechniqueswhichcanbeusedduringtheKharifseasontoincreaseproductivityand

efficiency.

Underthescheme,eachunitwillbegivenatargettoproducemorecropssothattheincomegeneratedbythefarmer’sismorethantheamountofloan

takenbythem.