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MUMBAI: India’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.5% in June for the third consecutive month, even as urban labour force participation improved, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).The survey points to a resilient labour market supported by infrastructure, construction and services, but highlights a persistent challenge—women, particularly in urban areas, continue to have low workforce participation.The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), which measures the proportion of people working or seeking work, stood at 54.4% in June, unchanged from May and marginally higher than 54.2% a year ago. Urban LFPR rose to 50.1% from 49.8% in May, while rural participation remained steady at 56.6%.The Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which measures the proportion of people employed, remained stable at 51.4%, up 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier. Male WPR increased marginally to 72.9% from 72.5% in May.The unemployment rate held steady at 5.5%, indicating that the rise in urban labour force participation was largely matched by job creation. Rural male unemployment also eased in June after rising in previous months.However, female labour force participation remained largely stagnant at 32.7%, compared with 32.8% in May. Urban women’s participation remained low at 24.8%, underscoring a persistent structural gap despite modest improvement from a year earlier.The survey suggests that while the economy is generating enough jobs to keep unemployment stable, women continue to be underrepresented in the workforce. Analysts have said higher female labour force participation could significantly boost economic growth and household incomes.The NSO noted that southern and western states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Gujarat, continue to lead employment generation, driven by manufacturing and services.Major urban centres such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Delhi-NCR remain key employment hubs.The monthly PLFS, introduced in January 2025, provides more timely labour market data, enabling policymakers and businesses to monitor employment trends more closely.The June survey indicates that while India’s labour market remains resilient amid global economic uncertainty, increasing urban job creation and women’s workforce participation remain key policy priorities.

The CBI alleged that Amar Thakkar of Araha Hospitality, which provides catering services on Tejas trains, had bribed IRCTC senior executive Tridib Banerjee through a middleman, Deepak Parmar, for clearing his bills

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a senior executive of IRCTC, Tridib Banerjee, from his office in Mumbai, and Amar Thakkar of Araha Hospitality, who was allegedly found with Rs 4.6 lakh cash on him, in a bribery case. Araha Hospitality provides catering services on Tejas trains, and the CBI alleged that Thakkar had bribed Banerjee through a middleman, Deepak Parmar, for clearing his bills.The CBI produced the duo before the court on Thursday, where Banerjee argued that the money he received in his bank account from Parmar was a personal loan and not a bribe. But the court didn’t accept his explanation and remanded the two accused into CBI custody till July 27. The CBI also booked Parmar in the case.The catering service provider was awarded a tender to provide on-board catering and allied services in Ahmedabad-Mumbai and Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas trains by IRCTC. In Tejas trains, meal costs are included in the ticket fare, which is later claimed by the catering contractor from IRCTC by raising bills periodically. Banerjee allegedly accepted bribes from Thakkar for clearing his pending bills at Mumbai West Zone office.During the accused remand hearing, special public prosecutor Sandeep Singh, representing the CBI, informed the court that at the time of arrest in Banerjee’s office, Thakkar was found in possession of Rs 4.6 lakh cash, for which no plausible explanation was given by him.The CBI alleged that in April, Thakkar asked Parmar to give Rs 2 lakh to Banerjee. Parmar deposited the money into Banerjee’s bank account via four ATM transactions. In June, Thakkar visited Banerjee and requested him to clear more bills; again, on instruction of Thakkar, Parmar deposited Rs 2 lakh into Banerjee’s account.The CBI informed the court that after receipt of source information, necessary inquiry was done, during which the investigating officer came across the transcript of the call record between Banerjee, Thakkar and Parmar. All those transcripts, as per prosecution, indicate demand and acceptance of bribe, and Banerjee’s bank account details indicated cash credit from the month of January till June.

A Government Resolution issued on Thursday acknowledged that the rapid expansion of medical education had not been accompanied by a corresponding increase in public-sector postings. Eligible candidates were therefore left waiting for allotments, sometimes unable to fulfil the bond despite being willing to serve

Mumbai: Maharashtra has become the first state to abolish the mandatory one-year ‘social responsibility’ service required of MBBS graduates from government, municipal, aided, and private unaided medical colleges. It has, however, not been cancelled for postgraduate and superspeciality levels.Known simply as bond service, the policy was founded on a bargain: the state financed a medical education, and the young doctor repaid part of that public investment through a year of service in a government institution, local body or the armed forces. But the state now feels this policy designed to place doctors in underserved institutions has become a waiting room for doctors whose careers could not move forward.Thousands of graduates find themselves caught between an obligation they are required to fulfil and postings the govt cannot not provide. Some were reluctant to serve; others were ready, but had nowhere to go. For both, the consequences were the same: plans for postgraduate education were delayed by a requirement whose completion depended on the availability of govt jobs.A Government Resolution (GR) issued on Thursday acknowledged that the rapid expansion of medical education had not been accompanied by a corresponding increase in public-sector postings. Eligible candidates were therefore left waiting for allotments, sometimes unable to fulfil the bond despite being willing to serve. Because completion of the service was tied to eligibility for postgraduate medical education, an administrative bottleneck became an academic one as well.The govt also pointed to another contradiction. Many newly qualified doctors joined bond postings because the service was a gate they had to pass through before pursuing postgraduate studies. According to the GR, such candidates did not always contribute to their full capacity at their assigned institutions. As recent graduates, they were also not necessarily prepared to “manage emergency medical services” independently.The policy was reviewed at a meeting chaired by the chief minister on July 4, 2025. The Public Health Department subsequently proposed that the Medical Education Department reconsider and ultimately discontinue the one-year service requirement.Under the new decision, candidates who are eligible for bond service but have not received postings will no longer be required to complete it. Those who began their service but were unable to finish will not have to serve the remaining period.Doctors who have already joined their allotted institutions must, however, complete the prescribed tenure. Those who received allotment orders but have not yet joined will be exempted. Candidates currently serving may continue until their tenure ends.No fresh bond postings will be made from the date of the resolution. The online allotment portal operated by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research will be closed immediately. Candidates who previously paid the prescribed penalty to secure exemption from bond service will not receive refunds, the state said.Parent representative Sudha Shenoy said, “This decision comes with mixed feeling. While this is a big relief for students whose journey as a medical student is a long one. I wonder if this will lead to shortage of doctors in govt hospitals and whether this is an attempt towards promoting privatisation of health services.”The 2006 bond policy* “The objective of the 2006 bond policy for the graduates from Maharashtra’s government colleges was to make doctors available in the rural areas. However, the number of MBBS seats has tripled (4,555 in 2006 to 11,795 in 2025) in the interim period. Besides, the government’s policy to have one medical college in each district has resulted in sufficient doctors. Hence, the vacancies for medical officers have reduced,” read the minutes of the meeting held on July 4, 2025.* Interestingly, the introduction of rural bond was seeded in the tough times faced during the India-Pakistan war. When soldiers were dying on the border, there weren’t as many doctors to handle the patient inflow.* As former head of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research Dr Pravin Shingare recalled, Pune’s AFMC (Armed Forces Medical College) had turned to Maharashtra for doctors. “Not many stepped up then to serve in the border. So, the rural service was a national call and was introduced in the aftermath of the war. Maharashtra was the first state to implement it,” said Dr Shingare.* Like then, this time, the Covid pandemic saw the state grappling for doctors in rural pockets. “What will happen if such a situation arises again?” asked a DMER official.

Mumbai: Eleven years after a 35-year-old Mankhurd resident repeatedly stabbed the fiance of the woman for whom he had one sided feelings, a sessions court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for attempt to murder. The accused, Vijay Shegokar, was also fined Rs 15,000.The defence sought leniency, saying he had no criminal antecedents and had to maintain a wife, child and parents. The prosecution opposed leniency.Principal judge S S Adkar rejected the plea, saying, “The offence committed by the accused is of serious nature. The reasons given for leniency in punishment are of general nature. The accused should have thought about the consequences of his acts before doing the same.” Shegokar, who was on bail, was directed to be taken into custody.On whether the offence amounted to attempted murder, the court said the injuries were not grievous, but the circumstances showed intention. “But it cannot be forgotten that when the accused assaulted…Prashant Waghmode was inside his car and he had no escape route. He could save himself only because after the first attack, he caught hold of the knife.”The court concluded, “Therefore, considering the circumstances in which Prashant was assaulted and considering the weapon which was used by the accused for committing the offence, it is evident that the accused intended to cause his death.”The prosecution submitted that the incident took place on January 27, 2015, around 7.15 pm, when Prashant Waghmode had left home for jogging and was sitting in a car parked near Nadkarni Park, Wadala. According to the prosecution, Shegokar approached the car, knocked on the window, and told Waghmode that something was on the bonnet. When Waghmode rolled down the window, Shegokar attacked him on the neck with a knife.The victim, his fiancée, and an eyewitness deposed during the trial.The court accepted the evidence of Waghmode and eyewitness Vinod Sonawane. “The statements of…Prashant (Wahhmode) were not shattered during his cross-examination. He remained firm on material points.”The court further noted, “Admittedly, he was not knowing the accused prior to the incident. Therefore, he had no reason to depose falsely against the accused.”The court also relied on Sonawane’s testimony, recording that he had seen the assault from a distance of 25-30 feet. “Thus, he was in a position to clearly see what was happening. He was also not knowing the accused prior to the incident. Therefore, he had no reason to depose falsely against the accused.”The prosecution alleged that the motive for the attack was linked to Waghmode’s proposed marriage with the woman. The woman told the court that Shegokar had one-sided love for her and that she was not interested in him. The court accepted this evidence and observed, “Thus, the accused had a motive to commit the offence in question.”Medical evidence showed that Waghmode had suffered incised wounds on the neck and injuries on the left hand. The medical officer told the court that one neck wound required suturing.The defence argued that Shegokar had been falsely implicated because of caste differences and disapproval of an alleged relationship with the woman. The defence also raised an alibi, claiming Shegokar was in Alibaug at the time. The court rejected both arguments. On the alibi claim, the judge said that it was nothing but an afterthought.

Mumbai: A 38-year-old homemaker from Sakinaka, the wife of an auto-rickshaw driver, lost Rs 38,000 after she fell for a social media post and was later threatened and blackmailed with arrest and jail by scammers, Sakinaka police said.The FIR was registered on Wednesday after the woman was duped between July 4 and 6. Police said the scammer sent pictures in police uniform to her WhatsApp number, along with videos of people being beaten by the police, and threatened her with seven years in jail if she did not transfer money through UPI.Police said the fraud began on June 17 when the homemaker was watching reels on her Facebook account and saw a reel from a Facebook account named Indiawala. In the complaint, PS Gaikwad said: “In that reel, it was stated, ‘I am an orphan, my entire family died in a road accident. If anyone wants to connect with me, please send a ‘Hi’ to the mobile number given below.’ I felt pity for him and sent him a ‘Hi’ message. After that, I suddenly received a call from mobile number 7807594343.”Gaikwad said the caller claimed he transferred money to her account and demanded it back. “I am Aman and Rs 30,000 has been credited to your bank account. Please return it to me. I told him that I had not received any money. He then started abusing me, so I disconnected the call. Later I received multiple calls from various mobile numbers threatening me, saying the person is calling from the police station. If you don’t return the money, you will get seven years in jail,” said Gaikwad in the FIR.According to police, the scammer used a unique modus operandi and extracted money by making her transfer funds via UPI at least 28 times, including Rs 1,000 each 18 times and Rs 2,000 five times, before she realised she was duped. A police officer said, “Between July 4 and 6, they told her that if she wanted to get out of this, she should send money to the scanner they had sent, and she made 28 fund transfers for Rs 38,000 before suspecting something amiss.”Police said the complainant was left scared after the incident before she gathered courage to approach the police station with a complaint. “The team has sought details from the UPI payment and the bank’s nodal officer to track the accused. The complainant was left scared after the incident before gathering courage and approached with a complaint,” said a police officer of the Sakinaka police station.

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has set aside the minister of co-operation’s order that remanded proceedings for the bifurcation of a 52-year-old housing society in Borivli (East) to the deputy registrar for a fresh decision.Justice Sandeep Marne restored orders of the deputy registrar and divisional joint registrar holding that they “rightly” rejected the proposal by recording “cogent” reasons in their respective orders. “On the other hand, the hon’ble minister has failed to record even a single valid reason for remanding the proceedings,’’ he said in Wednesday’s verdict.Madhur Naina CHSL was common for two buildings, Naina and Veena with 16 flats each. In a May 2024 special general body meeting, 18 out of 25 members present voted against bifurcation. In June 2024 a proposed society of Veena was set up. In Jan 2025, its proposal under Section 18 (power to direct division etc) of Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act was rejected by the deputy registrar. In March 2025, the divisional joint registrar confirmed it. In Nov 2025, the minister set aside both orders.The society’s advocate Karl Tamboly said Veena’s eight members are against bifurcation. Advocate Shlokh Parekh, for the proposed society, said ten members support bifurcation and oppose redevelopment carried out by the petitioner-society.Justice Marne said the minister recorded “general and vague” findings. He ignored the deputy registrar’s specific finding about invalidity of the proposed society’s June 2024 resolution in absence of notice to all its members and “blindly” relied on it. Based on a feasibility report, the deputy registrar said if the society is bifurcated, members would suffer in terms of redevelopment benefits. Without considering this report, the minister recorded that the officer did not consider forming a cooperative housing association for looking after common amenities. While the minister said the deputy registrar’s order showed non application of mind about difficulties in the society’s functioning, the officer “rightly held” the dispute was only regarding redevelopment. “If at all there is any non-application of mind, the same is on the part of the hon’ble minister,” added Justice Marne.He said the proposed society took the bifurcation route to scuttle termination of an earlier developer. It was “unfortunate” that the minister “ignored this position and erroneously remanded the proceedings with a view to assist the proposed society in its devious plans of creating hurdles in the redevelopment process.” Noting that the buildings are demolished and all, except eight members, are receiving transit rent, Justice Marne said “re-adjudication of bifurcation proceedings would result in grave prejudice to other supporting members.’’