One out of six Maharashtra MLAs has attacked govt servants

A group of MLAs led by Ram Kadam and Kshitij Thakur attacking assistant police inspector (traffic) Sachin Suryavanshi at Vidhan Bhawan on March 19 is not an isolated case of elected representatives using force against government employees.

Scrutiny of affidavits filed by the 288 members of the 12th Vidhan Sabha before the 2009 Assembly elections reveals one in every six has done so — 50 MLAs have been booked under IPC section 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty).

Kadam and Thakur were also booked under this section.

Almost all parties have such MLAs, though Shiv Sena and BJP top the list (see box).

One in every three Sena MLAs has been booked for assaulting a government servant. Of the 45 party MLAs, 17, including senior leader Subhash Desai, have been charged under section 353.

BJP is a close second with one in four party MLAs accused of using criminal force against government employees. A dozen of the 47 party Assembly members, including state president Sudhir Mungantiwar and leader of opposition Eknath Khadse, have been slapped with section 353.

Four of 12 MNS legislators and five each of Congress and NCP are in the hall of shame.

The MLA with most cases, five, is R M Vani of Shiv Sena representing Vaijapur. Ironically, he is a member of the seven-MLA government panel probing the attack on Suryavanshi.

NCP MLA from Georai Badamrao Pandit faces four cases."This is a sad state of affairs and shows the undemocratic ways of our leaders. As soon as they get elected and enter public life they believe they are above law," former Bombay High Court judge Suresh Hosbet said.

The political class, however, defended itself. "Many of these cases were filed during public demonstrations," said NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik, himself booked but acquitted in a few cases.

source : Indian Express.com

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Transfers for 41 IPS officers in Maharashtra

Maharashtra government today effected the transfers of 41 IPS officers, including that of Additional DG (Establishment) Satyapal Singh and Additional CP (West Zone Mumbai) Amitabh Gupta.

Singh will take up his new posting as Additional DG (Law and Order), while Gupta has been promoted as Special Inspector General (IG) Training and special squad in Mumbai.

Rashmi Shukla, who was earlier Special IG training and special squad, has been promoted as Joint Commissioner of state Intelligence.

R N Wagh, who held the post of Joint CP, Special Branch, has been promoted as Additional DG (Anti Corruption Bureau).

Vishwas Nangre Patil, who was Superintendent of Police Thane rural, has been posted as Additional CP (West Zone Mumbai) in place of Amitabh Gupta.

Rajvardhan, who was awaiting appointment, has been promoted as Additional CP (Economic Offences).

pti

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Maharashtra college teachers to stage protest on April 18

Over 2,500 teachers from ten universities and affiliated colleges across Maharashtra will stage a protest on April 18 at Azad Maidan here seeking state government's attention on several pending issues including service regularisation and pension parity.

Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers Union General Secretary Tapti Mukhopadhayay today told reporters here that most teachers are facing hardships and losing on financial benefits due to various reasons.

Their main demands include: regularisation and promotion of those teachers who were appointed before the introduction of NET/SET, removal of discrimination in pension, implementation of Sixth Pay Commission for Engineering and Social Work College teachers, she said.

About retirement age, Mukhopadhyay said, although for teachers it has been fixed at 62 and for Principals at 65, it is becoming impossible to reap the benefits as there are many conditions attached to it.

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Ad hoc board Marathi Typing and Shorthand Exam - May 2011

Ad hoc board Marathi Typing and Shorthand Exam - May 2011 schedule is published in Government of Maharashtra Official Website

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DETAILS

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Medical students, resident doctors protest fee hike

Resident doctors and thousands of medical students of government-run medical colleges today observed a day-long protest against the latest fee hike.

Maharashtra state cabinet had recently approved a more than two-fold increase in the fees for MBBS and other courses in the government colleges.

Around 5,000 doctors of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) and about 15,000 medical students wore black bands or black dresses to vent their protest.

Fee for the MBBS course has been increased from the existing Rs 18,000 to Rs 45,000 per year from the next academic year. MARD said the hike will affect the poor students badly.

The hike will also hit the students of Ayurveda and Dental colleges, MARD secretary Dr Pankaj Nalawade said here.

According to state minister for medical education Vijaykumar Gavit, the increased fees would not be applicable to existing medical students.

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Census duty: HC gives partial relief to hospital staff

In a partial relief for the Wadia Hospital for Children and Wadia Maternity Hospital, the Bombay High Court today directed that only ten out of total 16 staff members would be summoned for the 15th National Census.

Division bench of Justices P B Majmudar and Amjad Sayed was hearing a petition filed by the hospital management stating that all the 16 staff members, including paramedics, clerks and technicians, have been summoned for Census duty.

"If the entire staff is working on Census, how will the hospitals function?" petitioner's lawyer Mihir Desai argued.

Advait Sethna, appearing for the central government, opposed the petition stating that the second phase of Census is to start from tomorrow and there is requirement of 600 enumerators.

The court however observed that there was a need to balance both Census and hospital obligations. "Even hospital work is important.

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Poor budgetary allocation plagues Maha Health services

        Maharashtra Health Department has come out with a report painting a sorrow picture of their infrastructure and services, and has attributed it to inadequate budgetary allocations by the state government for last six years.

      Contrary to the Centre's guidelines to increase budgetary allocation by 10 per cent annually for Health sector, the state Government has been allotting only two per cent of its total budget to the Department since 2004, the report said.

    In a presentation to the state cabinet last week, the Department submitted a report which mentioned that since 2004, the budgetary provision varies between 1.94 per cent and 2.57 per cent, which is holding it back from performing to the fullest.

    The Health Department has received only Rs 182 crore to set up health care centres and complete ongoing constructions against its demand for a whopping Rs 1,000 crore. 

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Classes till the seventh standard to be in primary section

          Maharashtra Government has decided to include classes till the seventh standard in primary section.


            The state cabinet passed a resolution for coming out with an ordinance to the effect, at a meeting here last night.

         As of now, students from class I to IV come under this section.

          The move comes in the backdrop of implementation of Right to Education Bill passed by the Central Government recently.
     
            According to the Bill, education to children in the age group of 6 to 14 is compulsory and free. A primary meeting to discuss the ways of implementation of the bill was held in Mumbai recently.

         Class VII has been included in the primary section as it will be easier to implement the Right to Education for school children between 6 and 14 years of age, an official said.

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CM TO FIND SOLUTION TO MAHARASHTRA TEACHERS STIR

Thirty-four days after college and university teachers struck work over non-implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, chief minister Ashok


Chavan on Sunday intervened in the matter. A 16-member delegation of teachers met Chavan at his Malabar Hill residence to discuss the matter. Teachers are also protesting that fact that those appointed between 1991 and 1999, but had not cleared the NET/SLET exam, have not been paid their dues.


Talks between the striking teachers and the state higher education department, which lasted 26 hours over a period of seven days, recently fell through.

'The CM understood the our issues. However, he said that he would need to talk to the education minister before coming out with a final decision. Talks will continue in the coming week,'' said CR Sadasivan, president of the Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teacher Organisations (MFUCTO), adding that teachers' unions were thankful that the chief minister had intervened in the matter.

"If the Maharashtra government implements the revised pay scale in its entirety, the Centre will fund 80% of the costs,'' said Sadasivan. "However, the government is apprehensive about implementing the scheme. Chavan told us that if certain benefits in the composite scheme are implemented for teachers, other employees may also make similar demands. This would involve a huge financial commitment that the government is not in a position to accept. The CM is ready to accept certain modifications in the composite scheme,'' added Sadasivan.

The CM said the NET/SLET issue should be resolved through a policy decision of the government, and not by sending individual cases of teachers to the UGC, Sadasivan added.

Striking college and university teachers have pointed out that, though the Maharashtra government only made the NET/SLET exams a necessary entry-level qualification for teachers in December 1999, they have penalised all teachers without the qualification appointed between 1991-99. Teachers have pointed to other state governments that have acted in a more just manner. For instance, a resolution passed by the Assam government in 2004, makes the NET/ SLET exam compulsory for all teachers, but exempts teachers appointed before December 24, 2008. "The Assam government has not implemented the rule retrospectively like the Maharashtra government has. The Maharashtra government is penalising teachers and withholding their dues because they do not have a qualification that was not mandatory at the time of their appointment,'' said CR Sadasivan, president of MFUCTO.

Source : Times of India

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MCD EMPLOYEES TO PROTEST FOR RELEASE OF ARREARS

To demand the release of the first instalment of 40 per cent arrears of the Sixth Pay Commission, the Sanitation Employees’ Welfare Association of Environment Management Services Department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has decided to stage a demonstration at Town Hall here on August 28.

The Association general secretary K. K. Lohat said: “The Bharatiya Janata Party which is in power took the credit for implementing the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission but till date the first instalment of 40 per cent of the arrear has not been released to the employees except for Class IV employees. This instalment was to be released in the last financial year and the undue delay has compelled municipal employees to stage a demonstration to demand release of the arrears.”

“Employees of other MCD departments will also support the demonstration. For the purpose, intimation has already been given to Municipal Commissioner K. S. Mehra , Mayor Kanwar Sain, Leader of the House Subhash Arya, Leader of the Opposition J. K. Sharma and all other agencies concerned,” he added.

Mr. Lohat demanded that the first instalment of 40 per cent of arrear be released at the earliest before Dussehera and Id festivals.

source;The Hindu

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