Latest news with #Fadnavis-led
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Devendra Central Jail and Rehabilitation Centre': ‘Saamana' hits out at Fadnavis for ‘will put corrupt in jail' remark
Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana on Saturday asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to name his ministry the 'Devendra Central Jail and Rehabilitation Centre'. 'Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he will send those who indulge in corruption to jail. His statement is laughable. In the past, he had warned of putting those who indulge in corruption in jail. However, now he is showering praise and petals on the same people daily. The chief minister is making ridiculous statements giving them the honours of being 'Turangshree' and 'Yugpurush',' the editorial in the paper published on Saturday said. The paper said: 'Fadnavis has claimed that Maharashtra was ahead in foreign investment. In reality, Maharashtra is ahead in corruption, atrocities on women and criminalisation of politics.' 'In the ensuing cabinet meeting, minister Chhagan Bhujbal should move a proposal to name the Fadnavis-led ministry as Devendra Central Jail and Rehabilitation Centre…The government should sound the bugle for it,' the paper added. Taking a jibe at the BJP, the paper said: 'We are living in times when people are told to brazenly indulge in corruption and then join the BJP. They will be pardoned for all crimes if they join the BJP.' Pointing out that two Sri Lankan ministers have been jailed for corruption, the paper said: '…in India, instead of sending the corrupt to jail, they are joining the state and central ministries'. The paper said: 'The chief minister recently made the announcement that those who indulge in corruption will be sent to jail. He should actually clarify, which jail? Currently, Fadnavis's cabinet is serving as a jail. And the criminals in the cabinet are occupying lavish bungalows. This is the 'Sindoor' image of Maharashtra's corrupt.'
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Decode Politics: Amid Fadnavis govt's Savarkar push, why a research Centre is in the spotlight
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday announced the establishment of the Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Study and Research Centre at Mumbai University's Kalina campus. While the Hindutva ideologue has been celebrated by the Maharashtra governments in the past, this is the first time that it is setting up a study and research Centre on him. The Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government has decided to sanction Rs 100 crore for this Centre project and has also declared its plan to build a Savarkar statue on Mumbai University's campus. Besides, Fadnavis asserted that the Maharashtra government would also start correspondence with the relevant authorities in the United Kingdom to get Savarkar's barrister degree restored. Savarkar had completed his law education from Gray's Inn in London. But he was denied the barrister degree as he refused to pledge his allegiance to the British crown – a mandatory requirement then to obtain it. Here is a look at various aspects of the proposed Savarkar Centre and its scope as compared to such initiatives in the past. The Centre will document, preserve and archive the biography of Savarkar and his works, exploring his writings, speeches, and other available material. It will also offer various courses including the certificate, diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes on Savarkar. Prof Ravindra Kulkarni, the Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University, told The Indian Express: 'The Centre will enable students, educators, and researchers to study ideas related to social reform, freedom, and national thought. Through this, we will strive to establish a global intellectual platform by encouraging scholarly debates and discussions on similar ideas.' Savarkar was himself a student of Mumbai University and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from here in 1906. While it was revoked by the British government in 1911 due to his participation in India's freedom struggle, it was restored posthumously in 1960. Prof Kulkarni said that in 2022, while researching on the distinguished alumnus of Mumbai University, the idea of a Centre on Savarkar began taking shape. Mumbai University has also other centres on different iconic figures. In 2020, the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Research Centre for Social Justice was announced by Mumbai University with a budgetary allocation of Rs 1 crore. In 2019, a stone-laying event was inaugurated for the Professor Bal Apte Centre for Studies in Students and Youth Movements at Green Technology Building at Mumbai University by then Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao. In 2006, the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Contemporary Studies was set up by the then Congress-NCP government. The Ambedkar International Research Centre for Social Justice remains on paper, even as a land has been identified for it at Mumbai University's Kalina campus. The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Contemporary Studies has a building which offers a few programmes. However, some Mumbai University officials said it has not been running properly. The Bal Apte Centre for Studies in Students and Youth Movements, officials said, is however running smoothly, which recently issued advertisements for the recruitment of some teaching and non-teaching staff. While studying in the UK, Savarkar joined other Indians abroad who planned to fight the British rule back home. In March 1910, 27-year-old Savarkar was arrested over these activities. While being extradited back home, he escaped from a steamer near the coast of France, and swam ashore. As that episode made headlines, Savarkar was rearrested and handed over to the British. At the age of 28, Savarkar was sentenced to two life terms and sent to Cellular Jail in the Andamans. The prison was meant to break the most hardened of prisoners, and Savarkar also faced torture and brutality. He was released from the prison in 1924 following contested 'mercy petitions' and a promise to not participate in political activities. A new chapter in Savarkar's life started with his election as the president of the Hindu Mahasabha at Ahmedabad in 1937. He continued in this position until 1943. After Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in January 1948 by Nathuram Godse, who was a member of the Hindu Mahasabha, Savarkar was also tried as an accused, but was eventually acquitted by the court. He has continued to remain a major figure for the BJP. During the BJP-led NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a profile of Savarkar was published by the government in February 2003 to mark his death anniversary, and a portrait of his was installed in the Central Hall of Parliament by then President A P J Abdul Kalam on February 26, 2003. The Opposition parties such as the Congress and the Left had boycotted the function.
The Print
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
How Maharashtra trying to popularise Right to Services Act, brainchild of CM Fadnavis
The government has set a deadline of 31 May for all departments to notify public services—only notified services come under the ambit of the law—under the Right to Services Act. The failure to do so will result in penalties. The Fadnavis-led government plans to launch a mobile app for ease of registration for availing of services under the act, and also include chapters on the legislation in Class 9 and 10 textbooks of the state board, officials said. Mumbai: The Maharashtra government is launching special initiatives to popularise and expand its Right to Services Act—under which authorities are mandated to provide designated services to citizens in a transparent and timely manner. The provision was rolled out by Devendra Fadnavis during his first stint as chief minister in 2015. 'Ten years have passed, but we are still notifying services, which is a cause for concern. However, 1,027 services have been notified under the Act, up from 500 services last year,' said Manu Kumar Srivastava, a retired IAS officer who is now the chief commissioner of Right to Services. He was speaking at a civic engagement session organised by non-profit Mumbai First at an auditorium in Bandra Kurla Complex on Wednesday. Srivastava and his colleagues Baldev Singh and Dilip Shinde, both retired IAS officers, explained how to use the Right to Services, and also about the improvements the state government is bringing about in the service. Singh is the divisional commissioner for the Konkan division for Right to Services, while Shinde is the divisional commissioner for Pune. Right to Services, officially known as the Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act, came into force on 28 April 2015 to provide transparent, efficient, and timely public services in Maharashtra. Under the Act, public authorities were mandated to notify outside their offices and on websites public services they provide within three months along with the details of fees, designated officers and appellate authorities. 'The Right to Services is not well-known amongst the public because it came into existence only in 2015, 10 years after the RTI Act was implemented in 2005. The RTPSA aims to reduce compliance burden on citizens by using information technology to provide transparency and accountability in accessing public services, and only applies to notified services in a government gazette. Unless a public service is notified, the Act does not apply to it,' Chief Commissioner Srivastava said. He also announced the government is planning to introduce a chapter on the RTPSA in 9th and 10th standard school textbooks to raise awareness. Also Read: Why Maharashtra wants focus on urban population as metric for fund devolution under Finance Commission 95 percent disposal rate Over one crore people have registered on the RTS-Aaple Sarkar Portal—the site for gaining access to public services—which currently provides 583 services online. The deadline for integrating the remaining services on the portal is 15 August 2025 as decided by the Maharashtra government, Baldev Singh said. The portal has achieved a 95 percent disposal rate of applications since the implementation of RTPSA, 2015. As of 13 May 2025, 18,89,98,924 applications were received, of which 17,79,44,747 were disposed. Under the Act, a citizen can appeal a decision with the first and second appellate authorities up to 30 days after their application has been rejected and no service has been provided. The penalty for non-compliance by a designated officer ranges between Rs 500 and Rs 5,000. A user-friendly mobile application that provides easy access to citizens for services is currently under development, with features like a payment gateway and a designated workflow of officers. 'Poor interface, problems with helplines' During the question and answer segment, audience members raised multiple issues, such as 'poor' user interface and design of the website, 'non-response' to citizen complaints, problems with helpline numbers, 'poor' website servers, and 'non-compliance' by appellate authorities. Dharmesh Jhaveri, a businessman who had applied for revenue services six months ago, said he didn't receive any response despite repeated appeals for a report in relation to re-measurement of a land survey. 'I tried registering for revenue services on my land parcel last year on the Aaple Sarkar Portal, and paid the required fees. Despite trying multiple times to appeal the non-compliance with appellate authorities and the commissioners, I did not receive any response even after sending screenshots of the problem via mail,' said Jhaveri. Srivastava then asked Jhaveri if the service he was seeking had been notified, and assured him of looking into the matter if the problem wasn't resolved. 'The Act only provides for rules of 'notifying' service provisions and doesn't entail any complaint or redressal mechanism. Unlike Bihar, Maharashtra does not have rules for raising complaints with officers who do not comply on time. However, the government of Maharashtra plans to bring in a complaints mechanism soon, in line with Bihar's policy,' Srivastava said. He further added that the website sometimes faces server issues, which is why documents do not upload very quickly on the portal, and the mobile application will be launched soon for easy citizen service access in Maharashtra. Pooja Bhatia is an intern with ThePrint. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: Maharashtra govt to train ITI students in disaster management as India-Pakistan tensions rise
