0.1 million vaccines to be procured for lumpy skin disease: ZP officials

Pune: In an emergency procurement, the Pune zilla parishad is procuring 0.1 million doses of vaccines in addition to supply of vaccine from the state and union governments to check spread of lumpy skin disease. Ring vaccination would be carried out as a preventive measure to ensure that cases of lumpy skin disease are controlled, said officials.

PMRDA proposes to rent out land for planned development in Hinjewadi-Maan

PMRDA is leasing out 12 plots in five villages of Mulshi taluka for 80 years to offer better facilities to residents. The plots will be auctioned with a base value of minimum ?80 lakh and maximum ?9.65 lakh and the market value of plots is around ?36 crore. PMRDA expects to receive revenue of ?50 crore from the project.

PMC lays focus on merged areas in budget

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has earmarked ?400 crore for water supply and sewage management in the 34 villages merged with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). PMC has requested the state government to increase GST compensation for the merged villages. Vikram Kumar, PMC Commissioner, has presented the ?9,515 crore annual budget for the financial year 2023-24 with a focus on the merged areas.

Daily cases go up as Pune dist records highest Covid-19 caseload in state

Pune district has reported a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases, recording 571 active cases, the highest in the state. Two Covid-19 deaths have been reported in the year, both having taken two doses of the vaccine. 437 new cases were reported in Maharashtra on Saturday, taking the total cases to 8,141,457 with a recovery rate of 98.15%.

Complete Light House Project by May 20: U.P. CS tells officials

Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra has ordered officials to complete construction of the Light House Project by May 20 and maintain quality standards. The project seeks to provide modern, affordable housing to the poor quickly. At the 40th meeting of the PM-Awas Yojana (Urban), the detailed project report for 42,413 housing units in 29 districts was approved.

Sarus taken away from human friend reaches Kanpur zoo, quarantined

A sarus crane, which had been taken away from a man in Amethi who rescued it and was taking care of it for a year, has been quarantined in the Kanpur zoo. The bird had gone missing from the Samaspur Bird Sanctuary and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had criticized the government for taking the bird away. According to the Wildlife Act, it is illegal for individuals to keep sarus.

PCMC residents irked over hike in property registration, transfer fees

Citizens and housing societies in Pune have opposed the 500-fold hike in property registration charges by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). PCMC claims the levy is a one-time charge and justified, but residents are protesting and barring entry of civic staff conducting a survey of unregistered properties.

Watching over wildlife reserves: AI camera system set to revolutionise security

RESOLVE has developed the world's most advanced wildlife monitoring and security system, the TrailGuard-AI camera system, to revolutionise wildlife security in the country's tiger reserves. The AI-powered cameras are small and camouflaged, sending real-time images of endangered species, poachers and landscape to forest authorities. Two poachers were arrested during the trial period in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. The TrailGuard AI system will help protect and conserve wildlife, as well as reduce poaching and human-animal conflict incidents.

PMC’s wage bill increases 9 fold in 14 years

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) faces the challenge of a nine-fold increase in its wage bill in the last 14 years. The budget of ?9,515 crore for 2023-24 includes a third of expenditure on salaries, which has risen from ?386.24 crore in 2009-10 to ?3,143.75 crore in 2023-24. Reasons for the increase include the seventh pay commission, merger of 34 villages and recruitment of 400 new staff. PMC has 19,000 staff to cater to the 50 lakh population.

Jalandhar bypoll: Rajnath Singh meets Dera Radha Soami head at Beas

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh visited Dera Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 45 kms from Amritsar, and met its head Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon. The Dera has considerable following in Jalandhar Lok Sabha segment, which is set to have a bypoll. Rajnath was welcomed by senior BJP leaders and had a discourse with Baba Jee. He praised the voluntary work done by the RSSB for the welfare of the country and society.

Post office staffers booked for monetary fraud

Seven Indian Post office officials have been booked for embezzling millions of rupees from Term Depositors' accounts between 2014 and 2020. Complaint was filed at Vishrantwadi and Viman Tal police stations. Post department has already recovered the amount from the accused and no arrests have been made.

Katarniaghat Sanctuary may become research centre of aquatic animal, proposal sent to Centre

Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) in Bahraich, India, could soon become the second research centre for the National Aquatic Animal in the country. A proposal has been sent to the Centre seeking approval to set up a dolphin research centre along the bank of the Geruwa river. The proposal includes plans to improve the area and deploy a rapid action force to protect against poachers. Dolphins are found in the Ganga, Chambal and Geruwa rivers in Uttar Pradesh, and the Gangetic dolphin is listed as endangered. The proposal was sent in October 2022 and is pending approval. If approved, KWS would be the second dolphin research centre in the country.

Ocean away from home, Nigerian-Muslim medicos in Lucknow celebrate ‘Ramadan’ with fervour

Nigerian Muslim students studying at Integral University in Lucknow are observing Ramadan with equal fervour and spirit, mixing Nigerian and Indian cultures. They are missing their families and friends but are finding solace in their Indian friends and the streets of Lucknow. They are also learning about Indian delicacies and culture, and love the variety of food.

Foreign currency worth ₹4.5 lakh stolen

A residential break-in was reported in Pune's Ghorpadi area on March 23, where an unidentified thief stole foreign currency worth ?4.5 lakh from a digital locker. The victim, a 58-year-old man, has filed a complaint with the Wanawadi Police Station and the police are currently searching for the perpetrator.

In a hit-and-run case, man dies in Akurdi

26-year-old Gaurav Sanjay Deepak tragically died in Akurdi, Pimpri-Chinchwad after an unidentified car hit the motorbike he was riding on the old Pune-Mumbai highway. His friend, the pillion rider, sustained injuries and is in ICU. The driver of the unknown vehicle fled the scene. A case has been filed against them at the Nigdi police station.

Traffic police dragged on car’s bonnet; offender nabbed

A traffic constable was dragged on the bonnet of a car for around 100 metres by the driver after he attempted to stop him for violating traffic rules. The accused was arrested and a case has been registered under IPC sections 353, 332 and 336. The constable sustained injuries to both knees and has filed a complaint.