QMumbai: Milk Farmers Withdraw Protests; Shiv Sena Bats for BJP

All the city news you should read today.

1. Maharashtra Govt Says Dairies to Pay Rs 25 a Litre For milk, Farmers Call Off Agitation

MILK FARMERS in the state called off their agitation on Thursday, hours after the Maharashtra government announced that from July 21, dairies would pay them Rs 25 per litre to procure milk with 3.5 per cent fat and 8.5 per cent solid not fat (SNF).

The government also announced that it will provide a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre on milk to dairies for converting their excess milk into skimmed milk powder (SMP) or for non-pouch sale, at least for three months, and then review the decision. At present, farmers are paid between Rs 17 and 18 per litre for milk, which is procured by dairies and later sold at higher rates to consumers across the state.

Since Monday, Maharashtra has been on the boil, with farmers’ unions blocking the supply of milk to urban areas of Mumbai and Pune.

Source: The Indian Express

2. Sena On Board After Shah’s Phone Call

A bitter critic of its ally BJP, Shiv Sena surprised everyone by announcing that it will back the Narendra Modi government during the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The change of heart happened after BJP president Amit Shah dialled Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s phone number on Thursday. A senior Sena functionary said that Shah spoke to Thackeray at length and promised greater involvement in NDA affairs.

As part of the announcement, a three-line whip issued by the party’s chief Chandrakant Khaire on Thursday said, “All MPs must attend Lok Sabha session compulsorily and vote in favour of ruling dispensation.” Sena spokesperson Harshal Pradhan, however, said that no decision has been made. “Meeting of Sena MPs has been called on Friday morning at 10.00 am to announce Uddhavji’s decision.”

Source: Mumbai Mirror

3. Decomposed Body of a Woman Found at Marine Drive

The decomposed body of an unidentified woman was found on the tetrapods of Marine Drive on Thursday. The Marine Drive police have registered an Accidental Death Report in the matter and are trying to establish the victim’s identity.

According to the police, around 4.30 pm on Thursday, the body floated on to the shore. The police said a few people and a cop spotted the body and informed the police and fire brigade, who fished it out and sent the decomposed, unclothed body to GT Hospital for a post-mortem.

Source: Mumbai Mirror

4. Iconic Tata HQ to Reopen After a Year of Renovations

After nearly a year of delicate refurbishment and some touches of modernity, Tata Group’s iconic headquarters near Flora Fountain, the Bombay House, will reopen on July 29, the 114th birth anniversary of JRD Tata.

Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata and group boss N Chandrasekaran will inaugurate the renovated British-era structure, which was closed for business for the first time in its 94-year history in August last year.

Source: Mumbai Mirror

5. Govt Committed to 16% Reservation in Jobs for Marathas: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra will provide 16 per cent reservation in government jobs to the Maratha community, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the state Assembly on Thursday. Reiterating its commitment to the cause, the government said the recruitment drive would be taken up once Maratha reservation gets constitutional and legal sanction.

The Maratha politics had taken centre stage in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Assembly in Nagpur, after the community threatened to stop Fadnavis from performing the annual worship of Lord Vitthal in the temple town of Pandharpur on July 23.

Source: The Indian Express

6. 2-cm Needle Removed From Baby’s Hip Joint

In a challenging surgical procedure on July 10, doctors at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospitalfor Children in Parel successfully removed a 2-cm needle from a 22-day-old infant. The baby boy was brought in on June 29 with high fever and swelling in the right thigh. Suspecting an infection of the bone, doctors diagnosed osteomyelitis and performed an Xray.

To their surprise, the report showed a foreign body in the left buttock region. When the shadow persisted in the subsequent X-rays, a CT scan was done. The foreign object, the scan revealed, was a needle accidently left in the infant’s hip during an earlier vaccination schedule at another hospital.

Source: Mumbai Mirror

7. Man Held for Raping Minor Granddaughter

Following the detention on July 7 of a 17-year-old boy who was accused of raping and impregnating a 17-year-old girl in Mankhurd, the Mankhurdpolice have also arrested the victim’s 55-year-old grand father for allegedly raping her. The grandfather had himself filed a complaint in the case.

The victim, unaware she was pregnant, found out she was carrying only on June 21, after she fell unconscious and delivered a baby girl at KEM Hospital. After the delivery, the doctors at the hospital alerted the police, and a rape case was registered.

Source: Mumbai Mirror

8. Women’s Groups Write to Maharashtra CM, Say Victim Compensation Scheme Against SC Directions

RAISING STRONG objections to the changes made to Manodhairya, the state government’s victim compensation scheme, a group of women’s organisations has written to the chief minister seeking implementation of the scheme as per Supreme Court directions.

On May 11, the Supreme Court had approved a victim compensation scheme formulated by a nine-member committee appointed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and directed state governments in the country to implement it.

Source: The Indian Express