Education minister Dada Bhuse

Mumbai: State education minister Dada Bhuse announced in the assembly on Monday that the government would undertake a special inspection drive to enforce the teaching of Marathi in all boards in the state from Standards 1 to 10. This includes central boards and international boards like the IB and IGCSE.“If any violations are found during the inspections, strict action will be taken against the schools and officials concerned,” Bhuse said. He said that schools are expected to conduct examinations in each standard.He urged MLAs to inform the state about violations to the mandatory Marathi language rule in their constituencies.The issue was raised during a question by BJP MLA Atul Bhatkalkar, who flagged concerns over several schools allegedly not implementing the mandatory teaching of Marathi.Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai alleged that some IB schools had declared that they would not teach Marathi. “How many schools have been sent notices by the government?” he asked.Shiv Sena UBT MLA Sunil Prabhu claimed that several schools taught Marathi but did not conduct exams in the subject.Bhuse said, “The state made it mandatory to teach Marathi in schools from Standards 1 to 10 since 2020. The first violation invites a notice. After that, the penalty is a Rs 1 lakh fine.”In April 2026, the government had introduced a new rule stating that the licence of schools which violate the rule will also be revoked.Bhuse spoke about the inclusion of the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in school textbooks, stating that the coverage had been significantly expanded.He said that while textbooks of other education boards earlier devoted only about one-and-a-half columns to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the content has now been expanded to 22 pages with the approval of the Centre, enabling students to know more about the Maratha king.In the council, concerns were raised over a decline in the number of Marathi-medium schools in Mumbai from 461 to 337. Legislators pointed to a growing preference among parents for English-medium schooling, citing the perceived importance of English in a globalised era as a key driver behind the shift.An MLC said that several Marathi schools face dwindling enrolment, with some being merged into English-medium institutions. As per norms, schools with fewer than 20 students are not allotted teachers, often leading to closure. Poor infrastructure and conditions in some Marathi schools across the state have further accelerated migration to private English-medium institutions.Members also flagged the impact on teachers, many of whom face displacement. An MLC stressed that even schools with small enrolment should be supported, urging the government to ensure teachers are provided and Marathi-medium schools are not shut down.(With inputs from Somit Sen)

Mumbai: The State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) is reviving the forgotten practice of auditing blood banks across the state, but with a twist: instead of transfusion officers, the ultimate responsibility for the quarterly audits will now lie with the institution heads, such as the deans of state-run medical colleges, the director of BMC hospitals, and the heads of private, trust-based blood banks.The final reports of these audits must be submitted to the FDA and the SBTC. The move comes after the FDA took action against the JJ Mahanagar Blood Bank over the improper disposal of blood bags, defective equipment, and inadequate sterilisation in blood component production.However, for the past decade, this self-audit, the report of which had to be submitted to the FDA, had come to a halt. “Blood transfusion officers had stopped conducting them, and the FDA had also stopped asking for them. They had an 11-page checklist document,” said a blood bank officer from a BMC hospital.Notably, FDA still conducts annual inspections of blood banks. A recent SBTC circular stated that the revived audits will require an evaluation of both technical standards and available resources within each blood banks.Among the many audit conditions, one is to ensure that processing charges for blood and blood components are transparently displayed in a visible spot within the blood bank. Inspectors are also required to audit the physical stock of blood bags. This includes checking for damaged, unused, or discarded stock, the total number of bags purchased or received against the actual blood collected, and the remaining empty bags. The audit further requires blood banks to disclose any excess collection against their average requirement over the past three years. “If bulk transfers are being made from that blood banks to other states, information regarding the rate at which it is being distributed must be provided,” the circular states.Dr Shailesh Mohite, director of major BMC hospitals, said chief medical superintendent Dr Chandrakant Pawar would be responsible for six blood banks across peripheral hospitals. Dr Pawar was unavailable for a comment.One BMC hospital blood bank is already outsourced, and the other five in peripheral hospitals are to be run on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis. SBTC director Dr Suhas Mohnalkar said, “It is still the BMC that would be responsible for their audits. We did not ask them to run them on a PPP basis. It continues to be their responsibility as long as it is within BMC premises.”He added that for private, trust-run banks not affiliated with any public institutions, their respective trust heads would be held responsible for these audits.

Mumbai: Safety infrastructure on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, also known as Atal Setu, will be strengthened on priority, the Maharashtra government told the legislative council on Monday after a series of suicides from the sea bridge triggered concern. Replying to a calling attention motion, industries minister Uday Samant said the government will issue a directive to complete barricading along the entire 22-km stretch at the earliest “so that nobody can jump and commit suicide”.The statement follows the recent death of a young man from Pune who allegedly leapt into the sea from the country’s longest sea bridge.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has also decided to appoint a high-level committee of senior govt officers to recommend multiple preventive measures. The panel will examine structural interventions, surveillance, and response protocols to deter attempts and enable rapid rescue.Official data tabled in the house showed there were six incidents in 2026, of which four proved fatal, and six incidents in 2025, resulting in five deaths. In all, there were 15 suicides in three years in which 11 people died since 2024.Legislators across parties pressed for immediate safeguards on a corridor that carries high-speed, high-volume traffic. Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap suggested integrating coast guard surveillance to improve response times during such emergencies. “With coast guard surveillance in the area, we can get better emergency response in such untoward incidents,” he said.Samant said that the government will “discuss with the Coast Guard and take their assistance as well”.The state has already deployed emergency resources on the bridge, including three motorbikes, two ambulances, three patrol vehicles and two speed boats to aid search and rescue operations, he said. However, members argued that prevention must be the primary focus.Raising the motion, MLC Uma Khapre flagged gaps in safety preparedness despite continuous vehicular movement on the corridor. She called for high barricades on both sides and emergency communication systems at regular intervals, including dedicated call points or mobile-based contact centres for commuters in distress.While Atal Setu has significantly cut travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, the government indicated it will now prioritise comprehensive safety upgrades to ensure such tragedies are not repeated on this critical link.

The airport sector in India is gearing up for an investment boom

MUMBAI: India’s airport infrastructure sector is poised to attract investments of nearly Rs 4.2 lakh crore by 2029, as operators race to expand capacity amid sustained growth in domestic air travel and the rollout of new greenfield airports, according to a report by Brickwork Ratings.The report estimates that projects announced and under implementation account for investments of about Rs 3.7 lakh crore, while another Rs 50,000 crore worth of airport projects are expected to be commissioned by 2029.More than 65 airport projects have been announced till FY26, with the sector expected to add capacity for 500-600 million passengers over the next few years.The outlook assumes particular significance for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, where the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to ease congestion at Mumbai’s existing airport and emerge as one of the country’s largest aviation hubs.Along with the Jewar airport near Delhi, the project is expected to anchor the next phase of India’s aviation growth.Brickwork Ratings expects domestic passenger traffic to grow 8-10%, driven by rising disposable incomes, improved regional connectivity under the UDAN scheme and expanding air travel demand from Tier-II and Tier-III cities.The agency, however, cautioned that international traffic is likely to remain subdued in the near term because of geopolitical tensions in West Asia, route restrictions and elevated fuel prices.Since the Middle East accounts for nearly 38-40% of India’s international passenger traffic, disruptions in the region continue to weigh heavily on overseas travel.According to Niraj Rathi, Senior Director-Ratings at Brickwork Ratings, the first half of FY27 is likely to remain muted, but demand is expected to recover sharply during the second half as airlines add winter schedules and newly commissioned airports ramp up operations.The ratings agency has maintained a stable credit outlook for the airport infrastructure sector despite heavy capital expenditure.It estimates operating margins to improve to 53.8% in FY26 from 44.4% in FY25, and further to 54.5% in FY27, aided by the commissioning of new terminals that generate higher-margin non-aeronautical revenues such as retail concessions, food courts and commercial leasing.The report also points to improving financial health among airport operators. Sector debt-equity ratios are projected to decline from 3.8 in FY25 to 2.7 by FY27, reflecting repayment of construction loans as airports begin generating stronger cash flows.However, the expansion story is not without risks. Despite healthy operating margins, the sector continues to report consolidated net losses because of high depreciation, interest costs and large capital investments. Volatile aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices remain another concern.Since fuel accounts for roughly 40% of airline operating costs, sustained increases can hurt airline profitability, delay fleet expansion and ultimately slow passenger growth, affecting airport revenues.Long regulatory timelines for tariff approvals and high maintenance costs also remain structural challenges.

Why it matters for Mumbai

For Mumbai, the findings reinforce the strategic importance of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is expected to decongest the saturated Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and support long-term passenger growth.Airport operators are increasingly relying on commercial revenues, from retail, hospitality, advertising and real estate, rather than just passenger charges, making modern terminal development a key driver of profitability.The report also suggests that while India’s airport sector remains one of the country’s strongest infrastructure growth stories, investors and lenders will closely watch the pace of project execution by the Airports Authority of India and private operators, including Adani Airports, besides the trajectory of fuel prices and geopolitical developments that influence international traffic.

Mumbai: Two officials of the state-run JJ Mahanagar Blood Bank, the largest in Maharashtra, have been sacked over allegations of irregularities in the handling and distribution of blood units, it was announced in the council on Monday.“Their services are being terminated and an FIR is being registered,” minister of state for health Meghana Bordikar told the house.The Mahanagar blood bank was sealed on Friday by the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to severe blood safety violations.On Monday, allegations of serious irregularities in the handling and distribution of blood units at the blood bank came under sharp scrutiny following a calling attention motion moved by MLC Chitra Wagh. The motion flagged that of 77 blood bags collected during a donation camp in Chinchpokli, nearly 50 to 55 units were allegedly transferred to a private blood bank in Badlapur without authorisation.Bordikar responded, terming the lapse as “serious and illegal” and added that the bank’s nodal officer Dr Hitesh Pagare and another official, Ajay Bhise, had been found guilty. “Their services are being terminated,” she told the house.She said that to prevent recurrence, the state will introduce a standard operating procedure (SOP) for all blood banks and roll out QR code-based tracking of blood packets to ensure traceability from collection to utilisation.The minister noted that blood banks operate under licences issued after inspection by FDA, and Maharashtra currently has 417 such facilities. She also announced that a third-party audit of blood banks across the state is being planned.Separately, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) has ordered recovery of Rs 55,000—calculated at Rs 1,100 per bag—for the 50 units alleged to have been diverted, from the staff responsible. The complaint also points to discrepancies between the number of units collected at donation camps over the past three years and those recorded in the official registry of the JJ blood bank, prompting demands for an independent audit.Raising the issue, Wagh sought a full accounting of collection and utilisation, alleging the existence of a “blood mafia.” Concerns were also raised over patient welfare, with complaints that patients suffering from thalassemia, hemophilia and sickle cell anaemia faced harassment despite possessing valid donor cards, leading to financial and mental distress.