Heena Sharma Blog

  Coronavirus Update : The Maharashtra government has asked the authorities to ensure there is no complacency in testing and said labs should be functional in every district and municipal corporation limits. A circular from the government's health services directorate dated November 11 said a second wave of the pandemic is likely in January-February based on what is happening in Europe. If we talk of the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has pointed at pollution as a reason for the spike and hoped to control its spread in the next 7-10 days. The number of Covid-19 deaths in Delhi rose by a record high on Thursday to 104 as the city also reported the greatest number of infections (7,053) in India. Read More

  The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the Maharashtra government over the 2018 abetment to suicide case against journalist Arnab Goswami and said that it would be a travesty of justice if personal liberty of a person is curtailed like this. A vacation bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee asked the state whether there was any need for custodial interrogation of Goswami as the issue pertains to personal liberty.   The bench observed that Indian democracy is extraordinarily resilient and the Maharashtra government must ignore all this (Arnab's taunt on TV). Whatever be his ideology, least I don't even watch his channel but if in this case constitutional court's do not interfere today, we are travelling the path of destruction undeniably, Justice Chandrachud said, adding, the point is can you deny personal liberty of a person on these allegations. Read More

  Holding that the FIR registered in Bihar's Patna over the death of Sushant Singh Rajput was legitimate, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the case. The single-judge bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy also said that the Bihar Government was competent to recommend transfering the case to the CBI. The apex court also asked Mumbai Police to hand over all the evidence collected so far in the case to the CBI. State of Maharashtra refused the option to challenge the order, Justice Roy said. The apex court had, in its last hearing on August 11, reserved its judgment and asked all the parties to file their respective submissions in the case. Former Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, appearing for the Bihar Government, had submitted that Bihar Chief Minister had not interfered in the case and added that the recommendation for a CBI probe was based on the advice of the concerned authorities. Read More

Tata Power on Friday said its wholly-owned arm had bagged a contract to develop a 100-Mw solar project in Maharashtra. " Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) has received a letter of award from Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd (MSEDCL) to develop a 100 MW solar project in Maharashtra," the company said in a filing to BSE. The energy will be supplied to MSEDCL under a power purchase agreement, valid for a period of 25 years from scheduled commercial operation date. The project is required to be commissioned within 18 months from the date of execution of the PPA. "With this award, the cumulative capacity of renewables will be 3,557 MW," Tata Power CEO and MD Praveer Sinha said. Read More

The Indian Railways restarted on Monday Mumbai suburban train services for transporting essential staff identified by the government. The Western Railways will run 73 pairs of suburban services, including eight between Virar and Dahanu Road, while the Central Railways will run 200 services – including 130 between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kasara and 70 services between CSMT and Panvel. The first suburban train started from Virar for Churchgate on Monday morning. An estimated 125,000 essential staff, as identified by the state government, is expected to travel by these trains. “These special suburban services will not be for general passengers/public & will be strictly for essential staff as identified by the State Government of Maharashtra only,” said a railways statement. Read More

Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Friday clarified that the lockdown in the state will not be extended and also appealed people to avoid crowding in order to halt the spread of coronavirus . At present, the lockdown is imposed in the state till June 30. "Lockdown will not be re-announced. Chief Minister Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has requested and appealed to the people not to crowd anywhere. Follow the instructions given by the government and take care of yourself," the Maharashtra CMO tweeted. The statement from the CMO came after several reports surfaced that the government may further extend lockdown in the wake of the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state. Read More

As the number of Covid-19 cases is rapidly surging in Mumbai, almost all intensive care unit (ICU) beds for the Covid-19 patients are occupied here, as per Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) data. As of May 27, of the 645 ICU beds, 99 per cent were occupied while a total of 65 per cent of the 4,292 beds with oxygen support were occupied. Seventy-two per cent of 373 ventilators were in use. A total of 1,438 people tested positive for coronavirus in Mumbai on Thursday taking the total number of cases in the city to 35,273. The metropolitan city reported 38 deaths on the day due to the disease. Read More

Here is a round-up of important articles from across Indian publications on Covid-19 . From the role of a constitutional court, to why increasing indebtedness is not the wisest solution, and the chances of catching Covid-19 on a plane — read these and more in today’s India dispatch. Expert Speak Govt’s stimulus package would increase indebtedness, not the wisest solution: The increased allocation to India’s rural jobs programme may help to some extent, but some of it will fund the increased wage-rate announced earlier, and only a fraction may be available to increase the mandays of work available. Read More

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday asked people not to panic over Centre's health team projections about a surge of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai, stating that the number of hot spots in the state had reduced to five from 14. He also said that the rate of doubling of cases in the state had improved to 7.01 days from 3.1 days earlier this month. "There is no need to panic over the central government's team projections that Mumbai might have 42,604 cases by April 30 and 6.50 lakh patients by May 15," Tope said in an online address to people. Read More

More than 1,000 migrant workers in Mumbai gathered outside the station in Bandra on Tuesday and demanded transportation arrangements to go back to their hometowns, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the ongoing nationwide lockdown till May 3. Surviving on food from charitable institutions and living in cramped houses, the distressed people swarmed the station at around 3 pm on Tuesday, without any plan in mind. A case has been registered at Bandra Police station under section 143, 147, 149, 186, 188 of IPC read with Section 3 of Epidemic Act against 800-1000 unidentified people in connection with the incident of gathering in Bandra. Union Home Minister Amit Shah called up Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and expressed concern over the gathering of migrant workers in Bandra. The Union Home Minister stressed that such gatherings weaken India's fight against the coronavirus and the administration needs to stay vigilant to avoid su...

All shops, establishments and offices excluding those engaged in essential services will have to remain shut till March 31 in Mumbai metropolitan region, Pune and Nagpur, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced on Friday. Groceries, milk centres, pharmacies and banks are exempt from the restrictions which come into effect from today midnight. All government offices will function with 25 per cent attendance and local trains and buses will continue to operate as usual in Mumbai. "Residents have responded positively to our appeals to work from home and crowds have lessened. But we need to be careful and have to take precautions for next fifteen days," Thackeray said. Trains and buses will remain operational to allow smooth functioning of essential services in the city. Read More

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will on Thursday evening join the league of seven leaders who got the chief minister's post in Maharashtra when they were still not member of either the state Legislative Assembly or Council. Congress leaders A R Antulay, Vasantdada Patil, Shivajirao Nilangekar-Patil, Shankarrao Chavan, Sushilkumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan are among the leaders who were not members of any of the state legislature Houses when they occupied the top post. The then Congress leader and current NCP chief Sharad Pawar also finds name among these leaders. Thackeray, 59, to be sworn in as chief minister at the Shivaji Park here on Thursday evening, will become the eighth such leader. According to provisions of the Constitution, any leader who is not a member of the Assembly or Council has to become member of the legislature within six months of taking oath of the post. Antulay became the first such leader in the state when he was sworn in as the chi...

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will take oath as chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening at the Shivaji Park here. With the swearing-in of 59-year-old Thackeray, the state will have a chief minister from the Sena after 20 years. The oath taking ceremony will be held at the sprawling Shivaji Park, where his father and Sena founder Bal Thackeray addressed his famous Dussehra rallies. The last Sena man to occupy the chief minister's chair was Narayan Rane in 1999, after Manohar Joshi, who in 1995 became the first CM from the party. The swearing-in ceremony follows days of dramatic political developments, which included a three-day government formed by an unexpected support from NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who has since returned to the Sharad Pawar-led party fold. The Sena, along with the NCP and Congress constituted the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' to form a non-BJP government in the state. Read More

Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, apparently to discuss the political situation in Maharashtra. The meeting was convened amid an ongoing political stalemate in the state where no party has been able to form the government so far after the assembly election last month. The prime minister is to leave for Brazil this afternoon to attend the BRICS summit.