Maharashtra

Mumbai, Jun 17 (PTI) Some 26.6 per cent government posts in the Group A-D categories are lying vacant in Maharashtra, the 2018-19 economic survey tabled in the state Legislature Monday informed.

As on July 1, 2018, sanctioned government service posts in group A, B, C and D were 7.17 lakh and the number of these vacant stood at 1.91 lakh, or 26.6 per cent, the survey stated.

Mumbai, Jun 17 (PTI) A suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was Monday found near a school in Kalamboli in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, police said.

Police were alerted after a watchman spotted the suspected explosive fitted with electric wiring and an attached battery, kept on a handcart near a gate of New Sudhagad School, an official said.

Mumbai, Jun 16 (PTI) Actor Ayushmann Khurrana says the country is unique because it has people of all kinds, but one should not be "blindly proud" of it.

The Bollywood actor, who is gearing up for the release of "Article 15" that tackles the issues of caste-based discrimination, says people of the country are sensitive towards each other.

Mumbai, Jun 17 (PTI) More than 40,000 doctors in Maharashtra are boycotting work on Monday as part of a strike call given by their apex body IMA in support of their agitating colleagues in West Bengal, an official said.

Doctors, from various government and private hospitals in the state, are mainly boycotting the OPD (Out-Patient Department) and other non-essential health services, he said.

Mumbai, Jun 15 (PTI) BJP Lok Sabha MP and Malegaon blast case accused Pragya Singh Thakur was Saturday exempted from appearance at a special court in connection with the matter.

Her lawyers sought an exemption from appearance from a Mumbai court as the regular Special Judge V S Padalkar, presiding over the case, was absent on Saturday, special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal said.

The exemption plea was granted by the in-charge court and matter was posted for hearing on Monday.

Mumbai, Jun 14 (PTI) India's service sector exports rose by 2.8 per cent to USD 18.06 billion in the first month of the current fiscal, RBI data showed Friday.

The services receipt or exports during April 2018 stood at USD 17.56 billion.

Services payments or imports in April 2019 were at USD 11.4 billion, up by 4.6 per cent from USD 10.92 billion in the same month of 2018-19, according to the RBI data on India's international trade in services for April 2019.

Mumbai, Jun 14 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case.

A division bench of Justices I A Mahanty and A M Badar granted bail to Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria and Rajendra Chaudhary.

"The petitions are allowed. The applicants shall be released on cash bail of Rs 50,000. They shall attend the special court on each day during the trial and shall not tamper with evidence or contact witnesses," the bench said.

Mumbai, Jun 12 (PTI) The alliance of opposition parties will contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls with full strength, aiming to dislodge the BJP-led government from power, NCP leader Nawab Malik said Wednesday.

Malik, chief spokesperson of the NCP, a key opposition party, said the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls have separate equations and added the anti-NDA parties will highlight the "failures" of the BJP-led government in the state ahead of the elections, due in September-October.

Mumbai, Jun 12 (PTI) Parts of Mumbai may face water cut by 10 to 15 per cent till June 14, the local civic body said Wednesday.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said water cut may be imposed after a technical snag was reported Tuesday in the supply system at Bhatsa dam, which supplies water to large parts of the financial capital.

Some media reports had earlier suggested Mumbaikars may face up to 25 per cent water cut till June 14.

Mumbai, Jun 12 (PTI) Mumbai and some neighbouring coastal areas of Maharashtra witnessed a windy Wednesday morning as cyclone 'Vayu' turned into a "very severe cyclonic storm", the weather department said.

As the cyclone continued to progress towards Saurashtra and Kutch regions of neighbouring Gujarat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded its severity condition.

"Cyclone Vayu has turned into a very severe cyclonic storm. It would cause gusty winds to blow at a speed of 145 kmph to 170 kmph by Thursday morning," the IMD said.