Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has warned all app-based mobility aggregators operating in the state to complete their registration under the newly notified Aggregator Policy by September 1, 2026, failing which strict legal action will be initiated against companies running passenger transport services without authorization.Issuing a strong message to app-based transport platforms, transport minister Pratap Sarnaik on Thursday said the state is committed to ensuring that passenger transport services remain safe, transparent and fully compliant with regulatory norms. He emphasized that unregistered aggregators or entities operating outside the framework of the law will not be allowed to continue services after the deadline.With app-based mobility services witnessing rapid growth across Maharashtra and being relied upon by millions of commuters daily, the government is moving to establish greater accountability among aggregator companies. The policy seeks to ensure passenger safety, verify the legitimacy of vehicles and drivers, and define the responsibilities of digital mobility platforms.“Technology-driven services must benefit citizens, but no one will be permitted to bypass the law in the name of convenience and compromise passenger safety,” Sarnaik said.Under the state’s Aggregator Policy 2026, all aggregator companies will be required to register with the Transport Department through the prescribed process. Vehicles attached to aggregator platforms must possess valid permits and registration documents. Additionally, all bikes, autorickshaws and cabs used for commercial passenger transport must be legally registered and authorized as commercial vehicles.The minister clarified that private or unauthorized vehicles cannot be used for commercial passenger transport without a valid aggregator licence. Any such operations found violating the regulations will attract enforcement action.The policy also mandates adequate insurance coverage for vehicles operating under aggregator platforms. Companies have been directed to establish and maintain robust passenger-safety mechanisms during rides and create systems necessary to provide services in accordance with statutory norms. The Transport Department has been instructed to ensure strict compliance with these provisions.Highlighting the government’s priorities, Sarnaik said passengers remain at the centre of the transport ecosystem and are entitled to safe, reliable and lawful services.“Government is not opposed to the aggregator business model. However, these services must operate within the framework of the law. All companies should complete the registration process before September 1. Any illegal passenger transport activity detected thereafter will invite strict legal action against both the concerned aggregator entities and vehicles without any leniency,” he said.The Maharashtra government maintains that the objective of the policy is not only to regulate the rapidly expanding aggregator sector but also to protect the interests of compliant operators, drivers and passengers. Authorities believe that enforcing uniform standards will enhance commuter confidence while creating a level playing field for legitimate service providers.The minister has urged all aggregator companies not to wait until the final deadline and instead complete documentation and compliance requirements at the earliest to avoid regulatory action.Ends

The advisory says admission should be based on “medical need rather than fever alone”. Patients with uncomplicated fever can usually be on an outpatient basis, it says, while prescribing admission criteria for viral fever, pneumonia and acute gastroenteritis

Mumbai: In a move aimed at curbing “unnecessary hospitalisation” and rising health insurance claims, General Insurance Council (GI Council) has issued clinical guidelines advising hospitals and nursing homes on when patients with common fevers and infectious diseases should be admitted and considered eligible for cashless insurance.The advisory says admission should be based on “medical need rather than fever alone”. Patients with uncomplicated fever can usually be on an outpatient basis, it says, while prescribing admission criteria for viral fever, pneumonia and acute gastroenteritis.GI Council is an industry association.The move has alarmed doctors and nursing home owners, who fear insurers could use the advisory to deny cashless approvals and reject claims, particularly at smaller hospitals.However, Dr S Prakash, GIC’s CEO (Health Insurance Ecosystem), told TOI the document is only advisory. “We respect clinical judgement,” he said, “but we want to avoid scenarios where a patient is admitted on the first day of high fever when a confirmatory test can only be done on the third day.”He said, “Every monsoon, insurance companies receive hundreds of claims that appear to misuse the privilege of health insurance. This isn’t unique to India; it happens globally. There is hence a need for guidance on which patients genuinely require hospitalisation.” This is not a restrictive document but an effort to promote rational hospitalisations, he added.The advisory recommends admission only for patients with warning signs such as persistent high fever, breathing difficulty, dehydration, altered consciousness, organ dysfunction or other serious complications. It also covers elderly patients with significant comorbidities, children with seizures, lethargy, inability to feed, severe malnutrition or prolonged fever, and those with danger signs such as bleeding, repeated vomiting and severe abdominal pain.It cites recommendations of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), World Health Organization (WHO), National Health Mission (NHM) and Union health ministry.An industry executive said that the reduction of fraud, abuse and wastage was required to keep health insurance affordable since claims had to be paid out of premium collected.Dr Deepak Baid, who runs a hospital in Ghatkopar, said the advisory sets benchmarks for hospital admissions. “Medicine isn’t a pure science. If we don’t admit a patient today and the patient deteriorates tomorrow, it could further strain the doctor-patient relationship. We cannot blindly apply Western insurance standards here,” he said.Gautam Khanna, CEO of Hinduja Hospital and president of Association of Hospitals, described the document as advisory rather than mandatory. “We have discussed it with our members. It is up to individual hospitals whether to follow it,” he said.Dr Sudhir Naik, trustee of Association of Medical Consultants and a nursing home owner, said, “While GIC says clinical judgement remains supreme, the document could become a weapon in the hands of insurance companies to deny claims.” He added that the worst affected would be patients visiting smaller hospitals which may not have the negotiating power of corporate hospitals for “fever packages”.

Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Tukaram Mundhe

MUMBAI: Three hospitality industry bodies have urged the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not to publicly name hotels and restaurants accused of food safety violations until due legal procedures are completed, warning that premature disclosure could cause serious damage to businesses, jobs and consumer trust.The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) (HRAWI), the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), and the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR) made the appeal on Thursday while supporting the FDA’s crackdown on food safety violations.In a joint statement, the associations welcomed the regulator’s efforts to improve food safety standards but called for a balanced enforcement approach that protects public health while ensuring fairness to businesses.They said Food Business Operators (FBOs) should be given an opportunity to rectify deficiencies before strict action is initiated. The associations urged the Maharashtra FDA to continue issuing improvement notices under Section 32 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, wherever applicable, before suspending or cancelling licences.The industry bodies also objected to the publication of names, photographs and videos of establishments based on interim inspection findings, saying businesses should not be labelled as violators before corrective measures are completed and legal procedures are followed.They said many hospitality establishments have been built over decades through investment, compliance and consumer trust, and that premature disclosure of inspection findings could lead to reputational damage, threaten livelihoods and affect business confidence even if violations are later rectified.The associations requested the FDA to exercise restraint while announcing enforcement actions, pointing out that inspection findings are often only an initial stage of the compliance process.Reiterating that food safety remains a priority, the industry groups said they have consistently worked with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Maharashtra FDA through awareness campaigns, stakeholder consultations and training programmes to improve compliance.They added that the hospitality sector remains committed to maintaining high standards of food safety and hygiene while continuing to work with regulators to strengthen compliance and protect jobs in the industry.

Mumbai: Medical aspirants in the state will have at least 200 more seats to choose from this year. While 150 seats will be coming up in a newly approved private medical college in Aurangabad, 50 have been added to the Government Medical College (GMC) on Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) campus in Nashik.Of the new private medical colleges approved by National Medical Commission (NMC) this year, one is from Maharashtra. Shiva Trust, based in Aurangabad, which runs nursing, physiotherapy and Ayurved colleges, among others, has received NMC’s nod to start a new medical college, BSP Medical College and Hospital, with 150 seats from this academic year.While the NMC approval has come through, the trust is awaiting the release of a state govt resolution. “Once the GR is out, the MUHS inspection will be carried out and the seats will be added to the seat matrix. We are hoping that all the approvals are in before the counselling process starts this year in the second week of Aug,” said Balasaheb Pawar, president, Shiva Trust. This will be the fourth college in Aurangabad, which currently has one govt, one private and a deemed medical college. The college has already recruited some teachers and some are in the process, said Pawar. It has an attached hospital with a capacity of 605 beds.The total seats in MBBS in Maharashtra, including govt, private and all-India quota seats, currently are at 10,028. The addition of the 200 new seats will take the total intake capacity to 10,228.This year, the central govt has given approval to 25 new medical colleges, including govt and privately run ones. These approvals have led to an increase in the intake capacity across the country by over 2,000 seats.

File pic of BEST electric buses. Adani Electricity had disconnected power supply to Majas, Ghatkopar, and Gorai electric charging bus depots, operated by EVEY Trans, over non-payment of outstanding electricity bills

Mumbai: Hundreds of BEST commuters faced inconvenience during Thursday morning peak hour rush as Adani Electricity disconnected power supply to three electric charging bus depots at Majas, Ghatkopar, and Gorai operated by EVEY Trans over non-payment of outstanding electricity bills.Adani sources said the power supply was stopped since Wednesday afternoon following “non-payment of outstanding electricity bill dues of over Rs 8 crore”. “This was an action of last resort. We had been following up for regularisation of the account. The explanation consistently was that payments from BEST had not been received. However, the dues continued to mount,” an Adani source added.Following discussions between EVEY Trans and Adani Electricity, power supply to all three depots was restored by Thursday afternoon after the former gave assurances regarding payment of the outstanding dues, sources said.BEST committee member Ajay Singh said this was ‘unwarranted’ and claimed it had led to shortage of buses on roads. He wrote a letter to panel chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao, demanding a probe as “a significant number of e-buses remained idle at the depots without being charged”. The action also disrupted vehicle charging schedules on Thursday, he added, while demanding stringent action against the wet-lease bus contractor.A source in EVEY Trans, while denying that services were majorly impacted, said : “At Majas depot, 22 of the 63 buses were unable to operate due to the charging disruption, while Gorai and Ghatkopar depots managed to maintain full turnout despite the crisis. Our operations teams had to make emergency adjustments to minimise the impact on services.”The source maintained that delayed payments from BEST had strained the company’s finances. He said that nearly 30% of payments from April onwards were pending, affecting the operator’s ability to meet rising operational costs, including electricity expenses. The company pointed out that electricity consumption has increased significantly due to fleet expansion and high charging demand, pushing operating costs higher.A BEST spokesperson said a pending amount was paid to the contractor late and the power disconnection did not impact the bus turnout on Thursday.However, Adani Electricity warned that the dues must be cleared within the agreed timeframe and that further action could be taken in case of continued delays.

MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s fishermen’s unions expressed disappointment on Thursday after learning that the government’s monsoon ban on deep-sea fishing will end on August 1, instead of August 15 as announced earlier. Koli fishermen said the sudden reversal would mainly benefit large commercial operators whose trawlers are better equipped to venture into deep waters than traditional fishing boats. “Traditional fishermen are not prepared to resume fishing yet, whereas wealthy boat owners, who are equipped and ready, will gain an unfair 15-day advantage,” said Devendra Tandel, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti. In May and June, Koli fishermen had welcomed the Maharashtra government’s decision to extend the monsoon fishing ban until August 15 to help conserve marine life and allow fish to breed. However, the Central government had already notified a separate policy for fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) beyond 12 nautical miles, under which the ban ends on July 31. Fishermen said the state government did not inform them about this difference. Angry fishermen’s unions met Maharashtra Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane on Thursday evening to raise the issue. Tandel said, “The state govt itself announced a ban until Aug 15. Trusting this decision, thousands of fishermen planned maintenance of their boats, engines, fishing nets and the engagement of crew members. However, at the last moment, the govt has now announced that fishing beyond 12 nautical miles (24 km) will be permitted from Aug 1. If the govt was aware since March that the Centre’s EEZ fishing ban would end on July 31, why weren’t we informed? Moreover, fisheries laws are enacted not for fishermen but for the fish which need to be conserved and protected. Fish do not know the 12 nautical mile concept. They are migratory in nature.” Versova Koli leader Pradeep Tapke said local boats remain idle because their owners had planned to repair and paint them before August 15. “We cannot suddenly rise and head out to sea Aug 1. Riding a boat is not like driving a car where you just fill petrol and start the engine. Each trip calls for planned investment, diesel stocks, labourers, food and equipment. The authorities should plan better.” Kalina Koli leader Nayana Patil asked whether the government would compensate fishermen who risk their lives by venturing into the sea in rough weather before August 15.