1. BJP Takes Step Towards Shiv Sena, Says Doors Open to Talk
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got into damage-control mode on Tuesday, amid speculation that its ally, Shiv Sena, could stake claim to form the next government in Maharashtra with support from the Opposition, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress.
BJP, which is the single largest party with 105 seats, requested Sena renew their power-sharing discussions, but also said it had not yet received any formal proposal from the latter. The party, however, said it was confident that a saffron alliance led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis would soon form the government.
Meanwhile, in what could be a positive development for BJP, a senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, said party president Sonia Gandhi during her meeting with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday disapproved the idea of supporting a Sena-led government.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Police in State on High Alert Ahead of SC’s Ayodhya Verdict
Ahead of the Supreme Court (SC) verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, expected before November 17, Maharashtra police is making special arrangements to ensure law and order is maintained in the state. Police said all leaves have been cancelled, and that they would make a list of suspects, take preventive action and conduct meetings with ‘peace committees’ – comprising activists and community leaders – to dispel rumours and misinformation.
On Saturday, state director general of police Subodh Jaiswal called a high-level meeting that included all inspector generals and commissioners. According to those at the meeting, police personnel have been instructed to keep an eye out for miscreants and anti-social elements. The cyber cell of police stations have also been asked to curb misinformation online.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. In Civic Schools, 3% Kids Underweight, 1% Overweight, Reveals RTI
Civic schools in Mumbai not only have a significant number of underweight children, but also several overweight students, data obtained through Right to Information (RTI) recently has revealed. In 2018-19, at least 1,421 children were found overweight, while as many as 7,383 were found underweight, it stated.
The data, released by Praja foundation, a non-profit organisation, Tuesday, also revealed that while the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had allocated Rs 25 crore for supplementary nutrition of schoolchildren, the budget had not been utilised at all. “The BMC said it is yet to finalise the contract for supplementary nutrition.
“They plan to give peanuts to children apart from regular mid-day meals,” Jennifer Spencer, project coordinator at Praja, said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. At Tata Memorial Hospital, Free Meals at OPD for Kin of Patients
The Sikh community in Mumbai on Tuesday inaugurated a langar (free meal) service, named Rasoi 550, for friends and families of patients at the outpatient department (OPD) at Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel. The service was started by the Sri Guru Singh Sabha or Dadar Gurudwara, the apex body of the community in the city, ahead of the 550th year of Guru Nanak Gurpurab in 12 November.
“According to the teachings of Guru Nanak, we are required to serve society and feed the hungry. What better way to kick off the start of Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations than to cater to friends and families of cancer patients? There are thousands of them who come to Tata Memorial Hospital everyday,” said Manmohan Singh, general secretary of Sri Guru Singh Sabha.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. MMRDA to Deploy More Workers to Finish Infrastructure Projects
To speed up major infrastructure projects in the city, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to deploy additional manpower on different infrastructure projects undertaken by it.
Starting with the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project (MTHL), the authority has upped its manpower by 5,000 on the construction site. While the project is expected to be completed by 2022, the authority plans to finish it six months earlier. The MMRDA is constructing the sea bridge at a cost of Rs 17,843 crore and has nearly completed the geo-technical investigation and casting yard work.
Of the 5,000 people deployed for the project, 4,300 form skilled and unskilled labour while 700 are technical engineers. Additional manpower has been deployed to ensure that the authority meets the deadline, officials said. The authority has completed 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the work on the MTHL project.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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