To attract investments, Maharashtra has rolled out a red carpet for the Gujarat textile sector. State textile minister Naseem Khan plans to lead a high level delegation to Ahmedabad in May to ask the textile industry in Gujarat to invest in Maharashtra in order to take the benefit of the newly released textile policy and the sops offered for development of textile parks in the state.

Maharashtra textile policy offers a 10 per cent capital subsidy for new textile projects in Vidarbha, Marathwada and north Maharashtra, and 12.5 per cent interest subsidy on long-term loans linked to centrally-sponsored Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme for new projects.

On Monday, at 8pm, Bandra resident Benedict Suarez noticed a blood-stained carcass of a dolphin at the Bandstand promenade.

Maharashtra has secured the top position in the country for effective implementation of panchayati raj system in rural areas.

The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra which has gained notoriety for its farm suicides, is also reporting a high incidence of child deaths. Data compiled under the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that in Yavatmal district alone 565 children below five died due to various causes between January and September 2011. In addition, the district reported 489 still births for the same period.

Yavatmal is second only to Amravati district which reported 910 child deaths between January and September 2011 and 516 still births. Bandu Sane, activist from the NGO KHOJ in Melghat, sought information on child deaths in Vidarbha under RTI.

The lifeline of any city, public transport is a critical component of sustainability

The water table levels in almost all 2,300 dams in Maharashtra, and four main dams in Mumbai, are dipping fast.

A group of agriculturists from Raigad and Thane districts has written to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan that the expansion of Mumbai city has adversely affected the quality of agricultural land in these areas.

The farmers demand that the state government should direct the collectors of both the districts to examine the issue and submit a report to the state government.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has directed schools and other educational institutions to stop the sale of tobacco and other tobacco products within 100 yards of any educational institutions and also to minors. The civic administration will now take stringent steps to ensure that no tobacco products are sold outside school and college campuses.

The BMC has directed that licence of all vendors, hawkers or shopkeepers found selling tobacco products near the vicinity of schools and colleges should be revoked.

Rising trends in malnutrition among children under six here and in other cities have prompted the Maharashtra government to introduce an Urban Malnutrition Mission from next month, official sources said. A quarter of children below six years in the city weighed at anganwadis are underweight, according to the latest monthly progress report (MPR) of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Non-governmental organisations point to a severe crisis of primary health services and lack of adequate number of anganwadis in slum areas.

After a number mosquito-breeding spots were found in upmarket localities, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to spread malaria control awareness in residential localities this monsoon.

The civic administration is preparing to put up posters carrying malaria prevention messages in over one lakh residential colonies and apartments. Manisha Mhaiskar, Additional Municipal Commissioner, said, “The popular perception is that mosquities breed only in slums or construction sites,

Pages