In a move aimed at supporting minorities, the Maharashtra state cabinet has approved a significant increase in the share capital of the Maulana Azad Minorities Financial Development Corporation, raising it from Rs 700 crore to Rs 1,000 crore. This decision follows a budget proposal tabled in July, where the state had also enhanced the loan guarantee for the corporation, boosting it from Rs 30 crore to Rs 500 crore. The Maulana Azad Minorities Financial Development Corporation provides essential financial services to minority communities, including student loans, term loans, and microfinance initiatives. BGMEA working on resolving salary issues; despite efforts 45 factories closed in Ashulia on Saturday The increased funding and guarantees are expected to expand the corporation’s reach and impact, helping more individuals from minority groups gain access to financial support. In addition to this, the state cabinet has also approved a salary hike for teachers working in madrassas, specifically those employed on contract to teach subjects outside the traditional curriculum, such as Mathematics, Science, and Hindi. The salaries of Diploma in Education (D Ed) teachers will double from Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000 per month. Meanwhile, teachers with a Bachelor’s degree (BA) and a Bachelor of Education (B Ed) qualification will see their monthly salaries increase from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,000. This move is seen as an effort by the state government to regain the support of Muslim voters, a key demographic that largely turned away from the governing parties during the recent Lok Sabha elections. The government's outreach efforts aim to improve educational opportunities within the community and provide financial relief to those in need. Source: Agencies     

Eleven people died from heatstroke, and many more were hospitalized after attending an awards event in India's Maharashtra state on Sunday (April 17, 2023). The government-sponsored event lasted several hours and was held in an open field under the scorching sun, reports BBC. Thousands of people attended the event to honor a notable social activist, it said. Following the event, several attendees complained of dehydration and other heat-related problems. Read more: Heat Stroke Prevention: Best foods, drinks to avoid heat exhaustion On Sunday, the highest temperature in Navi Mumbai, a city near Mumbai's financial hub, reached 38 degrees Celsius. Health experts have recommended that people stay out of the sun from 11 am to 4 pm, especially during April, which is one of the hottest months in India. Photos from the event showed thousands of people sitting straight in the sun, with no canopy or covering to provide shade. Officials told the media that refreshments were served at the location throughout the day, and booths were set up to offer people medical treatment, but opposition parties said the event was mismanaged and that it should not have been hosted at this time of year, the report said. The event was held on the grounds of the Kharghar International Corporate Park to honor social worker Dattatreya Narayan Dharmadhikari, also known as Appasaheb Dharmadhikari. Read More: Heat Stroke: Symptoms, First Aid, and Prevention The incident was described as "unexpected and painful" by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who awarded Rs 5 lakh in compensation to the relatives of each of the deceased. He stated that the government will offer free medical treatment to anyone who became ill during the event.

Cholera outbreak has claimed the lives of five persons from a single district in India's western state of Maharashtra and another 181 people have fallen sick, state government officials said Thursday. The water-borne disease outbreak was found in four villages in Amravati district of the state, 669 km east of Mumbai. Read: 6,789 people infected with cholera in Ethiopia: UN Maharashtra's state government has deployed a team to investigate the outbreak and provide guidance, and the state's public health department has sounded alert across the state asking all districts to take adequate steps to curb the spread of the disease amid rains and floods.  

At least 36 people have been killed in landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, officials said on Friday. All the deaths occurred in three landslides in the state's Raigad district, some 70 kms from capital Mumbai, on Thursday, where several houses were swept away following heavy rains and consequent flooding. "While 32 people died in Taliye village, four people were killed in Mahad city. Rescue operations are still on," Raigad district collector Nidhi Chaudhary told the media. In the neighbouring rain-hit Satara district, some 22 people are feared trapped at two different locations. "Choppers have been pressed into action to ferry people to safer locations," Satara's police chief Ajay Kumar Bansal said. Read: 2 Rohingyas killed in landslide at Rohingya camps Local TV channels beamed footage of live rescue operations in both the districts. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to offer condolences to the families of the deceased. "Anguished by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Raigad, Maharashtra. My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery." "The situation in Maharashtra due to heavy rains is being closely monitored and assistance is being provided to the affected," the PM added. Maharashtra is experiencing the heaviest July rains in four decades. Read: Indonesia landslides death toll rises to 126, dozens missing Barely five-six days back, some 30 people were killed in house collapses triggered by heavy monsoon rains in Mumbai. The deaths occurred in the hilly Chembur area, a suburb, and in the neighbouring Vikhroli area. The Indian PM then announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Building collapses are common in India, particularly during the monsoon months of June, July and August. Poor construction quality is often blamed for such collapses.

At least 22 Covid-19 patients on ventilator at a government hospital in the western Indian state of Maharashtra died on Wednesday after their oxygen supply ran out following leakage of the life-supporting gas from a tanker, officials said. The tanker was brought to Zakir Hussain Municipal Hospital in the state's Nashik district to replenish the oxygen cylinders at the medical facility for continuous supply to the 150-plus Covid-19 patients on life support. "As per current information, 22 people have died due to interrupted supply of oxygen at Zakir Hussain Municipal Hospital in Nashik," district collector Suraj Mandhare told the media. Local TV channels aired footage of oxygen leaking from the tanker stationed outside the hospital and firefighters trying their best to stop the leak by spraying water. Also Read: Indian capital gasps for oxygen Maharashtra's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the interrupted supply of oxygen could be linked to the deaths of the patients in the hospital and promised action against any negligence on part of the authorities concerned following a "free and fair probe". Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media to offer his condolences to the families of the deceased. "The tragedy at a hospital in Nashik because of oxygen tank leakage is heart-wrenching. Anguished by the loss of lives due to it," he tweeted. State Minister and son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhav Thackeray's son Aaditya also called the accident "extremely unfortunate". We all share in the grief of all these families. This unfortunate incident will be thoroughly investigated," he tweeted. The leakage of the life-supporting gas comes at a time when several Indian states are facing an acute shortage of oxygen cylinders. UNB also reported on Tuesday that several hospitals in the national capital were left with just a few hours of oxygen. Also read: 5 dead in fire at India's Covid vaccine facility Last week, India became the second worst-affected country in the world in terms of Covid cases. On Tuesday, India reported as many as 259,170 new cases and 1,761 fatalities in 24 hours, the highest daily death toll since the pandemic broke out in 2020. India's Covid tally and death toll currently stand at 1,53,21,089 and 1,80,530, respectively, according to the country's Health Ministry.

Fifteen people died and seven persons were injured in two separate accidents on Sunday night in India's western state of Maharashtra.