Kartik Lokhande's blog

* At the end of financial year 2013-14, various departments were yet to submit 1,14,753 utilisation certificates worth Rs 71,563 crore By Kartik Lokhande  After a long spell of financial indiscipline, non-submission of utilisation certificates for funds released, and indecision over action against those involved in misappropriation of funds, finally the Finance Department of Maharashtra Government has decided to act tough. Finance Department has slammed other departments over financial indiscipline and has asked the officials of these departments to take seriously the objections raised by the office of Accountant General (AG) of Maharashtra. It has expressed strong displeasure over administrative departments not following the laid-down procedure. Drawing and Disbursing Officers of many a department have withdrawn huge amounts but have not furnished details of utilisation. As on March 31, 2014, all departments put together were yet to furnish details of utilisation of R

* MIHAN Industries Association had filed a petition before MERC seeking directions regarding supply of power to industries in MIHAN-SEZ area By Kartik Lokhande  Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has dismissed the petition of MIHAN Industries Association (MIA) regarding power supply to industries in MIHAN-SEZ area, on the ground of ‘non-appearance of the petitioner’ at the hearing held on October 9 in Mumbai. MERC held its hearing on October 9 in Mumbai. Adv Samir Malik represented MADC, and Adv Satish Shrikhande appeared on behalf of AMNEPL. However, surprisingly, no advocate or authorised representative appeared on behalf of MIA. In its order dated October 27, MERC observed that it had not received any communication in this regard from MIA. Relying on Regulation 70 of MERC (Conduct of Business) Regulations, 2004, MERC dismissed the petition of MIA for ‘non-appearance of the petitioner’. Regulation 70 of MERC (Conduct of Business) Regulations, 2004, la

* High-level Committee constituted to review six laws, asked to submit its report by October 29  By Kartik Lokhande  Various laws related to environment and forest have provisions that have become outdated and some have proven to be roadblocks in development. Against this backdrop, there has been demand from various quarters since long to review these. Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change has constituted a High-level Committee to ‘review’ the environmental laws and suggest amendments. Some time ago, during his visit to city-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar had hinted that the Central Government would look into the matter of ‘review’ of environmental laws. Accordingly, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change has constituted the committee. The committee under T S R Subramanian, former Cabinet Secretary, has been entrusted with the task of ‘revie

Congratulations to Devendra Fadnavis, the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra from Nagpur and also the first Chief Minister of BJP in Maharashtra. It is a moment of pride for all Nagpurians and Vidarbha people... Prime Minister Narendra Modi had rightly praised Devendra as 'Nagpur's gift to Maharashtra'. The sentiment of BJP workers 'Deshat Narendra, Rajyat Devendra' (Narendra Modi in Centre, Devendra Fadnavis in State) also has come true. Congratulations once again...      Profile of new Chief Minister of Maharashtra -- Devendra Fadnavis Name :- Mr. Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis Father: (Late) Gangadharrao Fadnavis  Mother: Sarita Fadnavis  Spouse: Amruta Fadnavis  Daughter: Divija  Address :- 276, Rao Saheb Fadnavis Park, Dharampeth, Nagpur - 440 010 ,India. Date Of birth :- 22 July1970 Educational Qualification :- • Graduate Degree in Law from Nagpur University, 3rd merit. Recipient of The Bose prize in Hindu Law. •

* The said website invites applications for 1,240 posts in Maharashtra Forest Department, asking candiates to deposit fees of Rs 410 in a given bank account * Forest Department says, no link between it and the said website By Kartik Lokhande  In an incident that may sound a modern-day tech-edge version of an incident that formed the story for recent movie ‘Special 26’, an unidentified entity has launched a fake website in the name of Maharashtra Forest Department. The intention behind launching the website is pretty clear from applications invited through it for recruitment to 1,240 posts ‘in Forest Department’. The said website has been launched with the URL http://mhforest.evenweb.com. It displays logo og Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Rest of the screen invites applications for 1,240 posts in Maharashtra Forest Department. The posts on the offer are ‘Field Officer’, and eligibility is merely SSC (Class X). The candidates should be in the age group of 16

Staff Reporter Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari, on Saturday morning, met Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat. However, Gadkari later told mediapersons that there was no discussion on Maharashtra political situation between him and Bhagwat. Importance was attached to Gadkari’s meeting with Bhagwat on Saturday morning. Gadkari rode to RSS Building in Mahal on his two-wheeler. After meeting Bhagwat, Gadkari talked to media briefly. He said that he had met RSS Sarsanghchalak, as had been his practice for 25 years. “I visit Sangh Building and meet Sarsanghchalak on the occasion of Dussera and Diwali every year,” he said. Replying to a question, Gadkari said that he did discuss certain ‘important’ issues with RSS chief but quickly added that there was no discussion on political situation in Maharashtra. “There was no discussion on the issue you have been playing up, and also not on Chief Ministership of Maharashtra,” he told mediapersons. Union Mi

* AICC chief Sonia Gandhi calls meeting of all state unit chiefs of party on October 28 in Delhi, to assess the situation Staff Reporter Defeated in Lok Sabha as well as Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, Congress has now started blaming ‘problem with EVMs’ for its rout. Manikrao Thakre, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President who resigned recently, said that the party was receiving several complaints from its candidates raising doubts over functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). “There is need for conducting a probe into this,” said Thakre while addressing a press conference in Nagpur on Saturday. However, he said that the party would not lodge official complaint against EVMs with Election Commission of India. “It is for the individual candidates to take appropriate decision,” he added. He told mediapersons that Sonia Gandhi, All India Congress Committee (AICC) President, had called a meeting with chiefs of all state units of the party

* Gadchiroli, Gondia districts ‘highly vulnerable’ to climate change due to impacts of ‘wrong recognition’ of forest rights under Forest Rights Act, says TERI report By Kartik Lokhande  Though the previous Democratic Front (DF) Government blew its trumpet on effective recognition of rights under Forest Rights Act (FRA), a study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has found that 14,668.96 hectares of forest land was recognised in Maharashtra ‘against’ the provisions of Forest Rights Act. TERI has observed that ‘wrong recognition’ of rights under Forest Rights Act (FRA) has resulted in loss of forest cover as well as increased vulnerability of forest-dependent communities to adverse impact of climate change. As per the study conducted by TERI, the forest-dependent communities became vulnerable to adverse impact of Green House Gases (GHG) emission for soil and water conservation, ecosystem services and access to forest produce ‘due to wrong recognition of rights u

  * Testing of 13 brands of fire-crackers conducted recently in city revealed 23 noise-level violations * MPCB to monitor cracker noise levels for 3 days from today By Kartik Lokhande  Do the fire-crackers you have bought comply to Noise Standards prescribed under Environment Protection Act? As far as the testing of 13 brands of fire-crackers conducted recently in the city by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) is concerned, they do not. Now, MPCB will be monitoring noise levels at 10 different locations in the city for three days from Wednesday. Bursting of fire-crackers creates ‘significant’ noise pollution during Diwali festival, as per the MPCB records. As part of creating public awareness, MPCB carried out a testing of fire-crackers at various places across Maharashtra in association with Police Department, local NGOs, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). The testing was carried out at Nagpur, Amravati, Chandrapur in Vidarbha, apart from Mumb

* WRD emphasises on video-conferencing to enhance efficiency of officers By Kartik Lokhande  The efficiency levels of more than 500 senior officers in Water Resources Department (WRD) has gone down due to poor health. And, their poor health is a result of attending various meetings, lectures, training sessions as part of official work throughout the State. This is not an off-the-cuff remark from a layman, but official observation of WRD. Taking a serious cognisance of ‘adverse impact’ on health of officers, WRD has now decided to make optimum utilisation of video-conferencing facility available at various district-level offices. The idea behind this is, sources said, to ensure that most of the senior officers stay at respective headquarters and also save time and money of the machinery. WRD has issued a circular in this regard on October 16. As per the circular, many a time the senior officers have to rush for meetings in Mumbai or other parts of Maharashtra arranged at

* Congress candidate Prafull Gudadhe-Patil finishes second, but polls less than half the votes polled by Fadnavis * Barring Fadnavis and Gudadhe, deposit of all other candidates forfeited By Kartik Lokhande  The victory of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state chief Devendra Fadnavis from South-West Nagpur constituency was a foregone conclusion. The only matter was the lead he secured. On Sunday, Fadnavis proved that he was the most bankable star of BJP, by securing a lead of 58,942 votes over his rival Congress candidate Prafulla Gudadhe-Patil. This was the highest margin of victory in all 12 constituencies of Nagpur district. Fadnavis, who secured lead over Gudadhe right from the first round, polled a total 1,13,918 votes while Gudadhe polled only 54,976 votes, which was less than half of the votes polled by BJP leader. Of total 17 rounds of counting of votes at Kurvey’s New Model School in Shraddhanand Peth area, Gudadhe scored a lead over Fadnavis in ninth round only. Tha

By Kartik Lokhande  NAGPUR, Oct 19: With Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning over 120 seats and falling short of majority in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls, its State chief Devendra Fadnavis said that all options were open as far as alliance required to form the Government in Maharashtra was concerned. Still, with BJP emerging as the single largest party with its best-ever performance, Fadnavis said confidently, “The next Chief Minister will be from BJP only.” Talking to mediapersons after his thumping victory in Assembly elections from South-West Nagpur constituency, Fadnavis said that the people had reposed faith in BJP as the credible alternative in Maharashtra. “This is the result of hard work done by BJP workers. We have been able to secure almost thrice the number of seats this time than we had in previous election,” he said. In the Assembly elections held in 2009, BJP had won 46 seats. This time, its tally has gone well over 120 seats till filing of th

By Kartik Lokhande  Devendra Fadnavis is a mass leader. He got elected as MLA for fourth time. He is Maharashtra chief of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is top contender for the post of Chief Minister. Everyone knows Devendra Fadnavis and these things about him, but not many know about his better half -- Amruta. On Sunday, when Devendra Fadnavis got elected from South-West Nagpur constituency of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly with a thumping margin, Amruta accompanied him right from the airport to the counting centre where he received certificate of his victory. Soon after receiving certificate, Devendra was gheraoed by mediapersons to get his comment on stupendous performance of BJP in State under his leadership. As cameras flashed and mediamen surrounded him, standing in a corner nearby Amruta was watching her husband with pride. BJP stalwart and South-West Nagpur MLA Devendra Fadnavis with his wife Amruta, and BJP leaders during victory rally after his election

  * BJP wins 44 out of total 62 seats establishing its clear dominance in the region, Congress biggest loser By Kartik Lokhande  It was a ‘Super Sunday’ for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in true sense in Maharashtra as well as Vidarbha region. Continuing with its spectacular performance in Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, BJP bagged as many as 44 out of total 62 seats of Legislative Assembly. Congress was reduced to be the biggest loser, followed by Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) registering a decline in their tallies in Vidarbha. In a never-before success, BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Vidarbha in the elections held earlier this year. Then, BJP and Shiv Sena alliance had secured a lead in 58 out of total 62 Assembly segments. Against this backdrop, it was anticipated that BJP-Sena alliance would outperform others in Assembly elections. However, BJP-Sena parted ways and so did Congress-NCP. As a result, these four parties contested Ass

Big upset for ministers, sitting MLAs By Kartik Lokhande  Legislative Assembly elections this time saw big upsets in Vidarbha region, as 22 incumbent MLAs got defeated mostly by debutants. Throughout the region, Congress' Yashomati Thakur proved to be the only woman winner; while Manohar Naik became the lone face-saver for NCP in Vidarbha. Some of the big names include Ashish Jaiswal (Shiv Sena) in Ramtek, Dinanath Padole (Congress rebel who contested as NCP candidate) in South Nagpur; Suresh Deshmukh in Wardha, Dadarao Keche (BJP) in Arvi, Ashok Shinde (Shiv Sena) in Hinganghat, Anandrao Gedam (Congress) in Armori, Vijayraj Shinde (Shiv Sena) in Buldana, Dilip Sananda (Congress) in Khamgaon, Raosaheb Shekhawat (Congress) in Amravati, Abhijeet Adsul (Shiv Sena) in Daryapur, Haridas Bhade (BRP-BMS) in Akola-East, and Sanjay Gawande (Shiv Sena) in Akot. For incumbent ministers of erstwhile Congress-NCP Government, this election proved to be the most shocking one.

SPECIAL REPORT * Delivering its most stupendous performance so far, BJP gained all 10 Lok Sabha seats in elections held earlier this year. BJP, which had alliance with Shiv Sena intact then, had secured a lead in 58 out of total 62 Assembly segments in 10 LS seats in the region. By Kartik Lokhande  Vidarbha has always been an important battleground for political parties, in Lok Sabha as well as Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. As all the major political parties are contesting independently, and many rebels are contesting as Independent candidates, the Assembly polls have become more interesting this time. Against this backdrop if one takes a look at the Assembly election results between 1962 and 2009, and Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, it comes out that Congress has been on a steady decline while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seen steady rise over the years. Congress has been reduced from 45 out of total 63 Assembly seats in 1962, to 24 in 20

* Former minister and senior NCP leader Ramesh Bang is seeking re-election following his defeat in 2009 after three consecutive terms * BJP has fielded debutant Sameer Meghe, son of veteran leader Datta Meghe * Shiv Sena’s former MP Prakash Jadhao and Congress’ young face Kunda Raut are adding more colours to the contest By Kartik Lokhande  Hingna, previously Kalmeshwar, has always been ‘elect a candidate at least thrice’ kind of constituency of Legislative Assembly. This time, former minister and senior NCP leader Rameshchandra Bang is seeking re-election after his defeat in 2009, while BJP has fielded debutant Sameer Meghe. Shiv Sena and Congress also have fielded good contestants, making the contest for Hingna seat more interesting. Since 1962, eleven elections have been held so far and this constituency has elected only five persons, of which three have been elected for three consecutive terms each. For first three terms since 1962, Kalmeshwar (now Hingna) constituenc

By Kartik Lokhande The month of September and Nathu La, one of the three traditional passes between India and China, have some relationship. For, in September 1967, Nathu La saw a bloody ‘skirmish’ between both the countries. After 47 years, in September 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and both the countries inked a historic pact providing for conducting annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for Indian devotees through Nathu La in Sikkim. Between 1967 and 2014, a lot many things have changed vis-à-vis Nathu La; the situation has changed from conflict to commerce; and with Mansarovar Yatra route, the relationship between India and China has moved beyond commerce also.   As is known to all, much of the business between India and China was carried through Silk Route via Tibet in old times. There are three traditional passes between Tibet and India – Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh, Lipulekh in Uttarakhand, and Nathu La in