Latest news with #ExpressAdda
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Stretch from Mantralaya to Vidhan Bhawan to be developed as administrative district of state: CM Devendra Fadnavis
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the stretch from Mantralaya to Vidhan Bhawan encompassing ministerial bungalows will be developed as an administrative district of Maharashtra through a state-of-the-art development plan. Fadnavis said this at the Express Adda event held on Wednesday in Mumbai. He added that the design and development plans are already underway with an objective to create more space to accommodate administrative offices within the same premises. 'The Bombay High Court will be relocated to Bandra, but Mantralaya will remain in the same premises,' the chief minister said. However, he said, there are plans to make a new Mantralaya. 'All the bungalows of ministers and other structures between the Mantralaya and Vidhan Bhawan will undergo development and make the new administrative district of Maharashtra,' he said. The move is aimed at bringing all administrative offices, which are now scattered due to the lack of space and infrastructure, under one umbrella, he said. Fadnavis said that he is determined to take all the mega projects initiated during his first tenure as the chief minister to their logical end in the current tenure. The chief minister also said that Mumbai Metro projects criss-crossing through the city and its suburbs will change the mobility bringing huge relief to the Mumbaikars. With 70 lakh passenger capacity, it is almost parallel to Mumbai local trains which can carry 90 lakh passengers. The chief minister indicated that there are plans to make all local trains air-conditioned. The process of upgradation of local trains has led to better amenities to the commuters, he said. 'We have proposed to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for further enhancement of the local trains to bring it at par with Metro with the existing train fare,' Fadnavis said. On Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) city project, which is expected to be bigger than Mumbai, Fadnavis said, ' The detailed plans along with the process have already begun. Within NAINA, we plan an educational hub which entails collaboration with foreign universities. We will host the best foreign universities with ranking 50 to 100. Almost 12 foreign universities are likely to become a part of the hub. We have signed up with at least five best universities,' he said. According to Fadnavis, the Navi Mumbai airport will be completed in the next six months. The entire coastal road works will also be completed in the same tenure. 'The infrastructure driven development will not only help in connectivity and reduce travel time but also encourage people to switch to public transport. We are bringing integrated single ticket system which will allow people to use Metro, local train, bus or mono rail using the same ticket,' he said. According to the CM, the water taxi which is high on the government agenda will become a reality soon. Recalling how RoRo services was initiated during his first tenure, Fadnavis said the water taxi jetty work will be taken up near Radio Club. He lamented that there were some protests from South Mumbai residents. 'But gradually, once the Bombay Port Trust is developed, we will shift the water taxi infrastructure there,' he said. Fadnavis said that the land acquired for the coastal road stretch will be essentially preserved only for stated projects with environmental safeguards. 'We will not allow any real estate development on this claimed land,' he said, adding, 'The Race Course at Mahalaxmi will be preserved and not opened for any real estate development.'
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Devendra Fadnavis at Express Adda: ‘Corruption, in varying degrees, in existence… will fight it ruthlessly'
Emphasising his commitment to fight corruption 'ruthlessly', Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday outlined reforms undertaken by his government to bring more accountability and transparency. 'The issue of corruption, in varying degrees, has been in existence for long, but my government is committed to fight it ruthlessly… We will combat corruption firmly,' Fadnavis said at the Express Adda in Mumbai. Underlining his government's good governance agenda, he unfolded a decade-long plan for transformation of Mumbai and Maharashtra. All these reforms were being undertaken to bring administrative efficiency and root out complacency and corruption, he said. 'I will not allow any corruption in my government. If there is any corruption it will be dealt with firmly,' he said. Shortly after returning as CM last December, his government focussed on e-governance, including end-to-end digitisation, he said. Fadnavis also unveiled details of mega infrastructure projects, including upgradation of the suburban rail network, development of education and medical hubs at Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) city, and construction of another airport near Vadhavan port in Palghar. The Maharashtra CM was in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express. Responding to a question on the 'love jihad' issue, Fadnavis said: 'Initially, I, too, thought it was being exaggerated. But after a study, it came to light that there were many such instances in several districts… I am not against inter-caste or inter-faith marriages. But when girls are lured into marriages, exploited and dumped, it becomes a serious issue which cannot be overlooked.' He denied that these issues were an outcome of communal polarisation and vote-bank politics. Responding to another question, he said he had invoked 'nationalist forces' to effectively counter the role of 'anarchist forces' during the Lok Sabha elections. 'In a democracy, we are used to fighting political parties, not anarchist forces. I have said on the floor of the House that some organisations which were part of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra were banned during (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh's tenure,' he said. Saying that help was sought from nationalist forces like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said: 'Yes, RSS is a nationalist organisation. And there are others too.' On the Bombay High Court pulling up the police on Tuesday for the arrest of a 19-year-old student over a social media post during Operation Sindoor, Fadnavis said his government would follow court orders. 'But I want to state that when Operation Sindoor was underway, if someone writes against the Army, it naturally evokes strong sentiments. So, police took action accordingly. But if there is any excess action on our part, the courts reprimand… If we have erred, we will rectify,' he said. Fadnavis also listed some ambitious mega infrastructure projects — from the coastal road to airports, ports and Metro Railways. 'Navi Mumbai Airport will become operational from August. And within six months, the coastal road will be completed,' he said. On an underground Metro station in Mumbai being inundated with water earlier this week, Fadnavis said: 'Sixteen of the 17 Metro stations remained open. There were no problems in these. In only one station, the construction work on a wall was to be completed by June 10. Due to heavy rainfall, the water seeped in.' Saying that the work would be completed soon, he said: 'I promise that there will be no reason to complain.' The Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change. Previous guests at the Adda include Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, philanthropist Bill Gates, actors Pankaj Tripathi and Tabu, oncologist and writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, musician T M Krishna, ecologist Romulus Whitaker and writer William Dalrymple.
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Devendra Fadnavis Express Adda Live Updates: Maharashtra CM soon to be in conversation with Anant Goenka & Vandita Mishra
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Express Adda Live Updates: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is our guest at Express Adda in Mumbai. He will soon be in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express. A changemaker Fadnavis has emerged as a key political figure in Maharashtra, especially after the BJP 's victory in the recent Assembly polls, where they surpassed the two-thirds mark. Over the last 35 months, he has focused on strengthening the BJP and advancing major infrastructure projects initiated during his previous term. Notably, Fadnavis has demonstrated a unique ability to foster bipartisan relationships, contributing to alliance stability. What is Express Adda? The Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change. Previous guests at the Adda include Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, philanthropist Bill Gates, and actors Pankaj Tripathi and Tabu among others. © IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra CM, is guest at Express Adda today
JUST OVER six months ago, after significant losses in the 2024 general elections, he became the architect of a remarkable victory in the Maharashtra Assembly polls that saw the BJP and its allies cross the two-third mark and the BJP secure close to a majority on its own. Key to BJP's strategy of wresting power from the Maha Vikas Aghadi in June 2022, Devendra Fadnavis has over the past 35 months seen through the strengthening of the BJP and progression and completion of largescale infrastructure projects that began during his first term as Chief Minister, in Mumbai as well as rest of Maharashtra. From Atal Setu, the 21-km-long sea bridge connecting South Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, to the coastal road connecting Marine Drive with Sea-Link and the Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway — Chief Minister Fadnavis's vision is marked by his mission to transform Maharashtra so that it plays a crucial role in Viksit Bharat 2047. Fadnavis will be the guest at Express Adda in Mumbai on Wednesday. He will be in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express. In this polarised polity, Fadnavis is among the few at the top who can reach across the aisle — a skill that has also ensured stability in his alliance. Just a month after forming the new government, he signed a record number of MoUs for investment worth over Rs 15 lakh crore in the state at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January this year. With an illustratious political career spanning over 25 years, Fadnavis started as a corporator of Nagpur Municipal Corporation. He rose to become the country's second youngest mayor. Elected as an MLA for five consecutive terms since 1999, Fadnavis with his oratory skills always stood apart as a politician. In April 2013, he took over as the state BJP president and led the party to victory in the 2014 Assembly polls after which he became the Chief Minister for the first time. He completed the full five-year term in office. The 2019 post-polls developments were a body blow to Fadnavis as BJP ally Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray joined hands with the Congress and NCP to form the government. In 2022, he returned to power, although as the Deputy Chief Minister in the Eknath Shinde government. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls was a major jolt to the BJP, which won just nine of the 28 seats it contested. As questions were raised on his leadership, Fadnavis again bounced back, turning the party's fortunes within six months in the Assembly elections. Since he took oath as the Chief Minister on December 5, 2024, he has initiated a slew of reforms and policy initiatives to bring greater accountability and transparency in administration. The Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change. Previous guests at the Adda include Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, philanthropist Bill Gates, actors Pankaj Tripathi and Tabu, oncologist and writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, musician T M Krishna, ecologist Romulus Whitaker and writer William Dalrymple.
Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Daily Briefing: The (caste) numbers game
Big Story The last caste-wise data for India was taken in 1941, during the Second World War, but it was never published. Post-Independence, successive governments stuck to enumerating only Scheduled Castes and Tribes, leaving a yawning data gap. This led to a decades-long demand for caste enumeration in the national census. The reasoning was simple: the numbers are needed for welfare activities. Shyamlal Yadav traces the history in this explainer. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remained cagey on the subject for long. It has routinely dismissed state-led caste surveys, most notably in Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka—all under Opposition governments—as divisive stunts. But now, in a striking volte-face, the BJP seems ready to champion the cause it once derided. Why now? As my senior colleagues Vikas Pathak and Liz Mathew report, the timing is no accident. Post-Pahalgam attack, the government, enjoying public and the Opposition's support, is on its surest footing yet. The move also steals the thunder of the Opposition, mainly the Congress, which has long made it the mainstay of their demands, just in time for the Bihar elections. Questions: Hailing the move as a victory of their vision, the Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP, Rahul Gandhi, says it shows that they can pressure the government. His agenda now would be pushing the government to remove the 50 per cent quota cap. Gandhi said that while he welcomed the move, he also had a pertinent question: When will this exercise begin, given that the 2021 Census has already been delayed? Pahalgam aftermath 📌 Tensions have been flying high between India and Pakistan ever since the April 21 Pahalgam attack. The United States called upon the neighbours to 'de-escalate' the situation. Speaking to State Secretary Marco Rubio, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that the perpetrators must be brought to justice. 📌 In a routine weekly call between the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan, the former strongly objected to multiple ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC. 📌 India has also closed its airspace to Pakistani aircraft, days after Islamabad made a similar move against Indian airlines. However, this may not amount to much, as Pakistan has a limited international footprint, unlike India's booming aviation sector. 🎧 You can also tune in to today's episode of the '3 Things' podcast for the latest updates on the hunt for the terrorists. Must Read Express Adda: 'I can stand up to my govt… I am in the alliance, but I am not with the BJP.' In the run-up to the Bihar elections, Chirag Paswan, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries and one of the youngest political leaders in Bihar, joined us for the latest edition of Express Adda. He discusses identity politics, alliance governments and why caste still matters in the state. Game of chicken: The halt in trade between the world's largest economies, China and the US, in the face of steep tariffs on both sides, is untenable in the long run. The trade war must end, but who will blink first? Amid inflation concerns and empty retail shelves, Washington seems to be the ripe candidate. And Finally… Eleven Bihar revenue officials have been camping in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur for months. They have an unusual task: to identify, measure, and meticulously record details of tracts of land in UP that belong to the Bettiah Raj, a zamindari estate dating back to the 17th century. The land, spread across the Champaran region, was once owned by Harendra Kishore Singh, the last king of Bettiah Raj, who died heirless in 1893. In this fascinating, long read, we trace how the land exchanged hands and finally ended up with the Bihar government.
