
Lokrajya Urdu magazine discontinued, SP MLA urges CM to resume publication
Samajwadi Party
MLA Rais Shaikh wrote to chief minister
Devendra Fadnavis
, urging him to resume its publication.
In his letter, Shaikh urged the CM to direct the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) to restart the Urdu edition to cater to Urdu-speaking readers across Maharashtra.
The Lokrajya magazine, first published in Marathi in 1947, was later released in English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Urdu. According to Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) data, Lokrajya is one of the most widely read govt magazines in the country.
"However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Urdu edition was discontinued from April 2020. There are 75 lakh Urdu speakers in state. Urdu is the ninth most spoken language in India and is not limited to any one religion—it's a Hindustani language," said Shaikh.
Citing the legacy of Urdu journalism in the freedom movement and its contribution to Bollywood, Shaikh noted that around 25 dailies are published in Urdu in Maharashtra. "The Urdu edition of Lokrajya served as a crucial source of information on govt schemes and policy decisions," said Shaikh.
You Can Also Check:
Mumbai AQI
|
Weather in Mumbai
|
Bank Holidays in Mumbai
|
Public Holidays in Mumbai
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
42 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Detainees being released, but crackdown on ‘illegal immigrants' continues in Gurugram
In a major crackdown, the Gurugram police have detained individuals for allegedly staying in the city without valid documents as part of a special drive being carried out in adherence to orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs to identify and deport 'illegal immigrants'. Over the past week, hundreds of suspected 'illegal immigrants' were reportedly sent to detention centres for verification of documents. However, the drive has drawn widespread criticism over the alleged harassment of detainees and targeting of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from Assam and West Bengal. A visit on Sunday (July 27, 2025) to the special holding centres designated by the district administration showed that many detainees were being released. The special holding centre in Gurugram's Sector 10A, a dimly-lit hall at a community centre, stood empty with only a pile of carpets and a few packets of 'pav (bread)' lying in a dark corner. 'There were around 70 Bengali-speaking people kept in this room three days ago. Most of them were from Assam and West Bengal. They were all kept locked inside this room with four policemen keeping guard outside. But they were all let off two days ago,' said Krishna, the security guard at the community centre. Pritam, the lone sanitation worker at the centre, recalled struggling to keep the premises clean with numerous detainees sharing a single toilet. 'It's good that they have gone. The police personnel have also left. I hope they won't return,' he said. Three other such centres have been set up in Gurugram's Sector 40, Manesar's Sector 1, and Badshahpur to detain Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees found to be staying illegally in the country. The holding centre at Manesar is also currently empty. According to the security guard, 35 of the 45 detainees were released by the police a couple of days ago, while 10 were taken away in a police vehicle. A constable deployed at the centre said despite the reduced number of detainees, 10 police personnel remained deployed there. 'The holding centre has not been shut. No fresh raids are being carried out as the police are busy holding the two-day Common Eligibility Test across the State. More detainees could come tomorrow (Monday) morning,' said the constable from the Pataudi police station. He added that he was part of the team conducting raids to identify and apprehend 'illegal immigrants', but declined to be identified. 'Special teams have been constituted in each police station to hold the raids, which are mostly conducted in the early hours of the day. The raids have been going on for the past 20 days, but these centres were set up a week ago,' he said. At the centre in Gurugram's Sector 40, several policemen were found playing cards and they said there was currently only one detainee. 'We are here as more detainees could come,' one of them said. Gurugram Police spokesperson Assistant Sub-Inspector Sandeep Kumar confirmed that the drive was still ongoing and suspects would be brought to the holding centres for further probe. 'Only those suspected of staying illegally in the country are brought to these centres. Those without identity documents or found making calls to Bangladesh, raising suspicion, are detained for further investigation,' he said. Basra, a 50-year-old meat shop owner in Chakkarpur's 'Macchi Mandi', said there have been no fresh police raids in the area over the past two days. 'The police teams came two or three times last week to check documents, but there have been no raids now,' he said. Meanwhile, Nuh MLA and former Haryana Transport Minister Aftab Ahmed condemned the treatment of migrant workers from Assam and West Bengal, mostly Muslims, during the verification drive, calling it 'inhuman, shameful, and unfortunate'. Mr. Ahmed alleged that the drive was creating an environment of fear, forcing people to flee Gurugram. Drawing a parallel with the treatment of non-Marathi speakers in Maharashtra, he claimed the Gurugram police were similarly targeting citizens in Haryana. He added that he has brought this matter to the attention of the State Director General of Police.


Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Stampede at Haridwar temple failure of system: AAP
NEW DELHI: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday termed the stampede at Haridwar's Mansa Devi temple a failure of the system rather than just an accident, and demanded that accountability be fixed. The stampede that broke out at Haridwar's Mansa Devi temple on Sunday killed at least six people and left many injured, police said. Rumour of an electric current where the stairs to the temple begin sent the devotees into a panic, leading to the stampede, Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Singh Dobal told PTI Videos. In a post in Hindi on X, Kejriwal said, "The heart-wrenching incident of a stampede at the Mansa Devi temple in the holy city of Haridwar has deeply saddened me. May god give strength to those devotees who have lost their loved ones and grant peace to the departed souls." He added that such "horrific" incidents at religious sites expose the negligence in management. "This is not just an accident, but a failure of the system, and accountability should be fixed," the AAP national convenor said in his post. Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia said the incident was "extremely tragic". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo "Several devotees lost their lives and many others were injured in the incident. I pray to god to grant peace to the departed souls, strength to their families to bear this grief and a speedy recovery to all the injured," he said in a post in Hindi on X.

Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Nazi' BJP Targeting 'Bengalis': TMC MP Mahua Moitra's Explosive Interview On Gurugram Crackdown
/ Jul 27, 2025, 10:47PM IST In an exclusive interview with TOI Bharat, TMC MP Mohua Moitra tore apart BJP for allegedly picking up Bengali migrant workers in states where the party rules under the garb of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. In a freewheeling chat with Aditi Prasad on the recent crackdown on Bangladeshi immigrants in Gurugram, Mahua Moitra alleges that due process have not been followed while detaining Bengali-speaking migrants despite showing identity proofs. Moitra says legal migrants are being picked up on the basis of language, hinting at a sinister ploy to persecute people from Bengal. She has also issued warning that the issue will blow up in the face of BJP which aims to wrest power from Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal in the 2026 assembly elections.#mahuamoitra #mahuamoitrainterview #mahuamoitraspeech #tmc #bjp #pmmodi #narendramodi #amitshah #mamatabanerjee #bengal #bengali #gurugrambengali #gurugrambangladeshi #bengalimigrants #bengaliimmigrants #bangladeshi #bangladeshiimmigrants #illegalimmigrants #rohingyas #bsf #murshidabadviolence #bengalelections #bengalassemblypolls #toi #toibharat #bharat #trending #breakingnews #indianews