Latest news with #Sangli-based
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Mahindra, Toyota, JSW among 25 firms to revamp govt's industrial training institutes
MUMBAI: In a major boost for the upgradation of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state, the skill education department has received expressions of interest from around 25 companies and non-profit organisations under its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Big industry names like Mahindra & Mahindra, Toyota, Chitale Bandhu, JSW and the Baramati Industrial Development Association are among those willing to adopt ITIs to improve their training standards. Mahindra, Toyota, JSW among 25 firms to revamp govt's industrial training institutes Employment and skill development minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said that ITIs had been bereft of the necessary upgrades for years. 'Through PPP and skill-based courses, we want to make these institutes more job-oriented and bring back their former reputation,' he said. Lodha revealed that JSW was interested in working on solar technology with several ITIs and Chitale Bandhu had evinced an interest in taking over a Sangli-based ITI. The state government approved the PPP policy for ITIs early this year. As part of the agreement, private partners have to invest a minimum of ₹10 crore for a 10-year term or ₹20 crore for 20 years. Half the amount will go towards upgrading infrastructure and modern equipment while the remainder will be used for staffing and training needs. The state had earlier reached out to over 5,000 companies and professionals to collaborate on ITI development. The state's skill education department, under the Maharashtra Startup, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy 2025, has designed 20 short-term courses across four categories: management, software, soft skills and New Age technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Each ITI will offer five courses based on local demand. 'Starting this academic year, ITI students in Maharashtra will have access to new short-term management and technical courses for free,' said Lodha. 'From September 15, courses in business analytics, marketing, production, finance and other management subjects will be introduced across all ITIs.' The courses, of three to four months (about 400 hours) each, aim to equip students with basic management and soft skills. While ITI students can enrol at no cost, others such as degree engineering and agriculture students can also join by paying a course fee. In addition to management training, new technical programmes in areas such as solar panel installation and maintenance, EV mechanics, industrial robotics and digital manufacturing will also be introduced. While talking on the Maharashtra Startup, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy 2025, Lodha said, 'To strengthen infrastructure, the government will establish micro-incubators in ITIs, polytechnics and other educational institutions, along with dedicated Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centres (RIECs) in every division. These centres will focus on high-potential sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, Deep Tech, FinTech, Med Tech, Cybersecurity, and Sustainability.'
Hindustan Times
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sangli suicide: No dues owed as he was a sub-contractor, says govt
MUMBAI A day after a Sangli-based contractor died by suicide allegedly over pending dues of ₹ 1.40 crore for work related to the state's Jal Jeevan Mission, the government claimed he was a sub-contractor, and not appointed by the government. (Representative photo) (HT) A day after a Sangli-based contractor died by suicide allegedly over pending dues of ₹1.40 crore for work related to the state's Jal Jeevan Mission, the government claimed he was a sub-contractor, and not appointed by the government. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and contractors' body have however termed the death as 'murder, a consequence of mismanagement of the state's finances'. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio, said, 'The incident is unfortunate, but he was a sub-contractor and the government had no role in paying his fees. There is a process for releasing contractors' bills. We will, however, probe the death.' While minister of water supply and sanitation, Gulabrao Patil, who belongs to the Shiv Sena, concurred with Pawar, officials from the department told HT anonymously that payment of dues amounting to ₹3200 crore for Jal Jeevan Mission was sent to the finance department in June, which responded only a few days ago citing paucity of funds for their inability to release the money. Opposition, assn criticize govt Maharashtra State Contractors' Association expressed displeasure over statements by Pawar and Patil, and shared details with HT about the deceased having completed four schemes for the project in Walwa and two in Shirala tehsils, and was indeed debt ridden. 'It is insensitive to see ministers washing their hands off the incident just because he was a sub-contractor. For the last one year, all contractors and associations have been raising their voice against pending dues. Yet, the government has not held any meeting over the issue related to the state's finances,' said Milind Bhosale, president of the association. Slamming the government, MVA leaders pointed to funds being diverted for populist schemes such as the Ladki Bahin Yojana. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut called it 'murder' and sought the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'Mr Prime Minister, look at this innocent face. He took his life yesterday. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, he completed works worth ₹1.40 crore, taking a loan of ₹80 lakh. But the government hasn't paid his dues, forcing him to take this extreme step,' Raut posted on X. Taking a dig at Ladki Bahin spends, NCP (SP) chief spokesperson Jitendra Awhad said, 'The scheme is not viable for the government. Thousands of crores were allocated for it, which have affected other government expenditures. I request the chief minister to look into the matter personally.' 'After farmers, now contractors are dying by suicide,' said Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar. 'This government pays thousands of crores to big contractors but has no sympathy for small players working in each district for government schemes.'
Hindustan Times
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sangli suicide: No govt dues, as he was a sub-contractor, says Ajit
MUMBAI: A day after a Sangli-based contractor died by suicide allegedly over pending dues of ₹1.40 crore for work related to the state's Jal Jeevan Mission, the government claimed he was a sub-contractor, and not appointed by the government. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and contractors' body have however termed the death as 'murder, a consequence of mismanagement of the state's finances'. Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others arrive at the Vidhan Bhavan for the Monsoon session of the state Assembly, in Mumbai, Friday, July 18, 2025. (PTI Photo) (PTI07_18_2025_000243B) (PTI) Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio, said, 'The incident is unfortunate, but he was a sub-contractor and the government had no role in paying his fees. There is a process for releasing contractors' bills. We will, however, probe the death.' While minister of water supply and sanitation, Gulabrao Patil, who belongs to the Shiv Sena, concurred with Pawar, officials from the department told HT anonymously that payment of dues amounting to ₹3200 crore for Jal Jeevan Mission was sent to the finance department in June, which responded only a few days ago citing paucity of funds for their inability to release the money. Opposition, assn criticize govt Maharashtra State Contractors' Association expressed displeasure over statements by Pawar and Patil, and shared details with HT about the deceased having completed four schemes for the project in Walwa and two in Shirala tehsils, and was indeed debt ridden. 'It is insensitive to see ministers washing their hands off the incident just because he was a sub-contractor. For the last one year, all contractors and associations have been raising their voice against pending dues. Yet, the government has not held any meeting over the issue related to the state's finances,' said Milind Bhosale, president of the association. Slamming the government, MVA leaders pointed to funds being diverted for populist schemes such as the Ladki Bahin Yojana. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut called it 'murder' and sought the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'Mr Prime Minister, look at this innocent face. He took his life yesterday. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, he completed works worth ₹1.40 crore, taking a loan of ₹80 lakh. But the government hasn't paid his dues, forcing him to take this extreme step,' Raut posted on X. Taking a dig at Ladki Bahin spends, NCP (SP) chief spokesperson Jitendra Awhad said, 'The scheme is not viable for the government. Thousands of crores were allocated for it, which have affected other government expenditures. I request the chief minister to look into the matter personally.' 'After farmers, now contractors are dying by suicide,' said Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar. 'This government pays thousands of crores to big contractors but has no sympathy for small players working in each district for government schemes.'
Hindustan Times
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Jal Jeevan Mission contractor dies by suicide over ₹1.40 cr dues from govt
MUMBAI: A thirty-five-year-old government contractor from Walwa tehsil, in Sangli district, who was working for the state government's Jal Jeevan Mission, died by suicide on Wednesday, allegedly as his pending dues of ₹1.40 crore were yet to be cleared by the government. The Sangli-based contractor had gone missing since Tuesday night, and his body was found in his farm on Wednesday. According to Vikram Patil, assistant police inspector from Kurlap police station, Walwa, he died by hanging himself to a branch of a tree. (Representative Image) While farmers' suicides have defined the state's agrarian crisis for over three decades, this is the first time that a government contractor was driven to take his life due to financial distress. (According to state government data, between January and April 2025, 869 farmers died by suicide across Maharashtra.) HT had reported on July 8 how the state's ambitious push to reach clean tap water to every household under the Jal Jeevan Mission had hit a roadblock as the central government had decided to withdraw its grant for the scheme. As a result of this, the state is now bearing the burden of the full cost of all ongoing projects and future works. It comes at a time when the state government is already struggling to clear pending bills worth ₹12,000 crore for completed projects. The ripple effect of paucity of funds in the state's purse has been felt by the government contractors for a year now, leading to protests in several quarters. The total outstanding amount due to contractors is around ₹90,000 crore which includes dues by the Public Works Department (PWD) of around ₹46,000 crore, Jal Jeevan Mission ₹12,000 crore, Rural Development Department ₹8600 crore etc. To add to the woes, the central government has not contributed to the Jal Jeevan Mission fund in Maharashtra since October 2024 – the state government informed this in a written reply to a question regarding Jal Jeevan Mission during the recently concluded monsoon session of the legislature. While raising alarm over pending dues since February 2025, Milind Bhosale, president of the Maharashtra State Contractors' Association and Avinash Patil, former president of Builders Association Of India, said 'the burden of pending bills may drive many contractors to the fate of desperate farmers'. The Sangli-based contractor had gone missing since Tuesday night, and his body was found in his farm on Wednesday. According to Vikram Patil, assistant police inspector from Kurlap police station, Walwa, he died by hanging himself to a branch of a tree. The deceased lived with his wife, a five-year-old daughter, two younger brothers and his parents. Patil said: 'A case of accidental death has been registered in connection with the incident. While no suicide note has been found so far, investigations are on.' 'He was a government contractor who worked on the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme and suffered a financial crisis as his bills of completed work to the tune of ₹1.40 crore were pending with the government. Given the delay, he was compelled to take a loan of around ₹65 lakh from money lenders to run his business,' said Bhosale. 'After the incident, a relative told us that he was under duress. He had shared with his friends that he was sandwiched between money lenders knocking at his door to recover the loan and the government not paying the bills.' He added, 'This has been our fear (for all contractors) for a year. If the government does not take this death seriously, many more individuals may choose this path.' Gulabrao Patil, minister of water supply and sanitation, which runs the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, said he was yet to receive any report on the contractor's suicide, 'but will inquire about it'. About the funds crunch, Patil said, 'We have sent a proposal to the finance department to release funds to clear the pending dues of contractors. We hope to receive it soon.' Veteran NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil, who belongs to Walwa, held the state government responsible for the contractor's death. 'Thousands of contractors like him kept trust in the state government and worked for the scheme. The Mahayuti government awarded contracts for various works to win elections, despite having no funds. This young contractor died by suicide as the governmnet did not pay his bills,' said Patil.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Time of India
Contractor booked on charge of laying substandard pipeline under Mhaisal lift irrigation scheme
Kolhapur: A contractor has been booked on the charge of laying a substandard pipeline along a 3.5km stretch of the extended Mhaisal lift irrigation scheme, following a complaint by an official monitoring the project. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The extended Mhaisal lift irrigation scheme aims to supply drinking and irrigation water to about 60 villages in Jat tehsil, bordering Karnataka state. A case in this regard was registered with the Umadi police in Jat tehsil on June 6. According to the complaint, Shivshakti Construction, a Sangli-based firm run by Mohan Kalayya Jangam, allegedly cheated govt of Rs 10.59 lakh by laying inferior-quality pipelines. Officials said the contractor firm was supposed to lay 180mm diameter pipelines with a pressure strength of 6kg/cm². Residents, however, complained in Jan that cheaper material was used in the pipeline, prompting local MLA Gopichand Padalkar to raise the issue with irrigation minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who ordered a departmental inquiry in Feb. After the enquiry, it was found that the pipeline used was of pressure strength 4kg/cm². Accordingly, the irrigation officials concluded that the contractor cheated govt of Rs 10.59 lakh, which is the cost difference between the pipes of the two different pressure strengths. "We issued a notice to the contractor, who has not yet responded," assistant police inspector Sandip Kamble said. Ajinkya Bharat Jadhav, assistant executive engineer who lodged the complaint, told TOI, "The work to lay the pipeline along a 96km stretch of the project is ongoing. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The contractor was hired for the entire project, of which he has completed the work on around 70km. We found the pipeline laid on a 3.5km stretch was of inferior quality than specified in the work order." A senior irrigation department official said the focus was now on completing the project. "The work started in 2022 and was supposed to get over in two years. The contractor is already facing delays in completing the project and has sought an extension again. We want the contractor to complete the work without compromising on quality. After the work is over, we can initiate the process to blacklist the contractor," the official said. State govt approved Rs 1,900 crore to lift water from the Krishna river to the border areas of Jat tehsil after the villages threatened to join Karnataka if Maharashtra govt failed to address their water woes. Maharashtra govt has reserved 7 TMC water from the Warna dam for the affected villages.
