MUMBAI: The canteen run by the Bombay Bar Association (BBA) inside the Bombay high court temporarily suspended its services on Thursday, a day after the high court directed the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to inspect government and semi-government canteens for compliance with food safety norms, according to news agency PTI.Earlier in the day, FDA officials visited the high court canteen. However, the BBA said the decision to temporarily stop operations was taken voluntarily and was not the result of any action by the regulator.“This is a step initiated by the association. No adverse communication or order or notice has been received by the association from the FDA pursuant to their visit on 30th July 2026,” BBA secretary Naushad Engineer clarified in a statement.The association said the canteen, located inside the high court premises in south Mumbai, would resume services shortly.On Wednesday, the high court questioned whether food safety rules were being implemented uniformly across the state. It directed the FDA to inspect all government and semi-government eating establishments, including the canteens at Mantralaya and the Bombay high court, and submit inspection reports along with video recordings.During the hearing, government pleader Neha Bhide told the court that the FDA was not following a “pick and choose” approach. She said canteens at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), KEM Hospital, the Cricket Club of India (CCI) and several other prominent clubs in Mumbai had also been inspected and shut for food safety violations.The matter will be heard again on July 31, when the FDA is expected to submit details of inspections carried out across the state.

Virar: A private tuition teacher from Virar has been booked for allegedly assaulting a 14-year-old student with a plastic pipe after the boy scored poorly in a mathematics practice test.The accused, a 40-year-old tutor who runs private coaching classes in the Narangi area of Virar East, has been served a notice by the police as the victim did not sustain grievous injuries.According to the police, the Class VIII student, a resident of Virar East, was attending tuition classes conducted by the accused. During a mathematics practice examination, the boy secured low marks, following which the teacher allegedly lost his temper and assaulted him with a plastic pipe.The boy sustained injuries to his head, left shoulder and left leg in the assault. After receiving the medical report, the victim’s mother approached the Virar police and lodged a complaint against the teacher.Based on her complaint, the Virar police registered an FIR against the accused under Section 118 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.“The child has not suffered serious injuries. A notice has been served on the accused teacher and further investigation is underway,” said Lalu Ture, Senior Police Inspector of Virar police station.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis launches the Drug-Free Mumbai campaign at NSCI Dome in Worli on Thursday

Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday launched the Drug-Free Mumbai campaign at NSCI Dome in Worli. The anti-drug awareness campaign seeks to tackle the drug menace among students.The government’s goal is to achieve a drug-free Mumbai in the next two to four years, said Fadnavis, adding that emphasis will be placed on rehabilitating addicted youth and bringing them into the mainstream. As part of the campaign, schools, colleges, counsellors, parents and various social organisations in Mumbai will be brought together to create awareness against drugs.Addressing students, Fadnavis said it is not just a law and order issue, but is related to the future of the country and hence collective efforts are required to fight it. “India is making rapid progress in the fields of science, technology, artificial intelligence, space research and defence. In such a situation a conspiracy is being hatched to weaken India from within by enslaving the country’s youth power in the grip of drugs. Drugs are the most important weapon in this secret war and every citizen should fight the fight against it,” said Fadnavis.He said a letter would be sent to all school and college principals with regard to the campaign and appealed to the people to provide information about people who are turning towards addiction as well as those who trade drugs. He assured the identity of those who provide information will be kept confidential and awards will be given to those providing useful information.The Drug-Free Mumbai campaign is part of the Drug-Free India campaign.

After weeks of uncertainty caused by a delayed monsoon, continuous rainfall has revived farming activity across rural Pune with paddy transplantation gaining pace in water-filled fields. “We thought we would not be able to cultivate our fields, but the good rains have finally arrived,” said Dipesh Chande, a farmer from Mulshi. “We started sowing late this year, but the rainfall now looks very good,” said Bhushan Patil, a farmer near Nandgaon

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has cleared a sum of Rs 9.9 crore towards publicity of its farm loan waiver scheme, the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karzamukti Yojana 2026.The loan waiver scheme, which was among the Mahayuti government’s electoral promises, was introduced on June 2 this year. It is meant to benefit over 54.5 lakh farmers and is expected to cost the exchequer Rs 36,585 crore at a time when it faces a debt of Rs 11 lakh crore.It is among the many sops introduced by the state government, including the pre-poll Mukhya Mantri Majhi Laadki Bahin Yojana which already costs the state over Rs 36,000 crore annually.The government resolution justifies the loan waiver publicity expense by saying, “For effective implementation of the scheme and to ensure that beneficiaries receive information in a transparent manner, it is necessary to give wide publicity to the scheme.”So far, the government has announced a list of 16.9 lakh beneficiaries from the 30.6 lakh farmers for the loan waiver. Of these, 7 lakh farmers have overdue loans from district central cooperative banks and 9.6 lakh from nationalised banks. This amounts to loans worth Rs 13,336 crore. The total funds estimated for the loan waiver scheme are Rs 36,585 crore

After weeks of uncertainty caused by a delayed monsoon, continuous rainfall has revived farming activity across rural Pune with paddy transplantation gaining pace in water-filled fields. “We thought we would not be able to cultivate our fields, but the good rains have finally arrived,” said Dipesh Chande, a farmer from Mulshi. “We started sowing late this year, but the rainfall now looks very good,” said Bhushan Patil, a farmer near Nandgaon

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government, which faces a debt of Rs 11 lakh crore, has cleared a sum of Rs 9.9 crore towards publicity of its farm loan waiver scheme, the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karzmukti Yojana 2026.The government resolution justifies the publicity expense by saying, “For effective implementation of the scheme and to ensure that beneficiaries receive information in a transparent manner, it is necessary to give wide publicity to the scheme.”The loan waiver scheme, which was among the key promises on the Mahayuti’s manifesto before the 2024 assembly polls, was introduced on June 2 to benefit over 54.5 lakh farmers. It covers short-term crop loans taken between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2025 and has three components: a debt waiver, one-time settlement and incentive benefits for those who regularly service their loans. The scheme is expected to cost the exchequer Rs 36,585 crore.Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karzmukti Yojana is among the many sops introduced by the state government which are straining the exchequer. The Mahayuti government’s pre-poll Mukhya Mantri Majhi Laadki Bahin Yojana already costs the state over Rs 36,000 crore annually.So far, the state government has announced a list of 16.9 lakh beneficiaries from the 30.6 lakh farmers for the loan waiver. Of these, 7 lakh farmers have overdue loans from district central cooperative banks and 9.6 lakh from nationalised banks. This amounts to loans worth Rs 13,336 crore. The total funds estimated for the loan waiver scheme are Rs 36,585 crore.

After weeks of uncertainty caused by a delayed monsoon, continuous rainfall has revived farming activity across rural Pune with paddy transplantation gaining pace in water-filled fields. “We thought we would not be able to cultivate our fields, but the good rains have finally arrived,” said Dipesh Chande, a farmer from Mulshi. “We started sowing late this year, but the rainfall now looks very good,” said Bhushan Patil, a farmer near Nandgaon

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government, which faces a debt of Rs 11 lakh crore, has cleared a sum of Rs 9.9 crore towards publicity of its farm loan waiver scheme, the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karzmukti Yojana 2026.The government resolution justifies the publicity expense by saying, “For effective implementation of the scheme and to ensure that beneficiaries receive information in a transparent manner, it is necessary to give wide publicity to the scheme.”The loan waiver scheme, which was among the key promises on the Mahayuti’s manifesto before the 2024 assembly polls, was introduced on June 2 to benefit over 54.5 lakh farmers. It covers short-term crop loans taken between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2025 and has three components: a debt waiver, one-time settlement and incentive benefits for those who regularly service their loans. The scheme is expected to cost the exchequer Rs 36,585 crore.Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karzmukti Yojana is among the many sops introduced by the state government which are straining the exchequer. The Mahayuti government’s pre-poll Mukhya Mantri Majhi Laadki Bahin Yojana already costs the state over Rs 36,000 crore annually.So far, the state government has announced a list of 16.9 lakh beneficiaries from the 30.6 lakh farmers for the loan waiver. Of these, 7 lakh farmers have overdue loans from district central cooperative banks and 9.6 lakh from nationalised banks. This amounts to loans worth Rs 13,336 crore. The total funds estimated for the loan waiver scheme are Rs 36,585 crore.

MUMBAI: A special court on Thursday acquitted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab and 10 others in a 2023 case related to the alleged assault and intimidation of a BMC official.Special Judge Mahesh Jadhav, who hear cases involving MPs and MLAs, ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the allegations against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. According to the prosecution, the incident took place in 2023 when Parab, along with Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, visited the chamber of the Santacruz (East) ward officer. The prosecution alleged that Parab questioned civic officials over the demolition of a Shiv Sena shakha and the destruction of photo frames of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Babasaheb Ambedkar. It further alleged that an assistant engineer was pulled, pushed and slapped by some of the accused and was also threatened. Parab, a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), and the other accused had been booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly aiding, abetting and using criminal force against a public servant to stop him from carrying out his official duties. During the trial, the prosecution examined five witnesses, including the complainant, the alleged victim and police personnel. The court observed that the BMC officials were performing their official duties at the time of the incident. However, it held that the prosecution failed to produce enough evidence to directly link the accused to the alleged assault, and acquitted all 11 accused.