According to Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, the government is currently preparing the Technical and Financial Feasibility Report and Detailed Project Report (DPR) for 760-km-long Nagpur-Goa Expressway, which is also known as the Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Highway.

The expressway by MSRDC is a proposed six-lane access-controlled highway with a route alignment in Maharashtra that will connect Pavnar (near Wardha) and Patradevi (Pernem Taluk) and provide access to pilgrimage sites between Vidarbha, Marathwada, Western Maharashtra and Goa.

The expressway, which will be connected to Samruddhi Mahamarg Mumbai Nagpur Expressway in Wardha, will cut down the travel time between Nagpur and Goa to about seven hours from the current 21 hours.

Here are some details about the ambitious project: 

• Total Estimated Cost: ₹83,600 crore
• Projects Length: 760 km
• Lanes: Six
• RoW: 100m
• Status: Technical and Financial Feasibility Report preparation
• Land Acquisition Required: To Be Decided
• Deadline: To Be Decided
• Owner: Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC)
• Project Model: Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC)

The six-lane longest expressway project is named as the Shaktipeeth Expressway, as it will pass through three Shakti Peethas – Mahalakshmi, Tuljabhavani and Patradevi. 

The expressway will cover the below mentioned districts:

• Wardha
• Yavatmal
• Hingoli
• Nanded
• Parbhani
• Latur
• Beed
• Osmanabad
• Solapur
• Sangli
• Kolhapur
• Sindhudurg

Also read: G20 meet in Nagpur: Beggars, homeless living for 30 years asked to ‘return after 2 months’

Ahead of the G20 Meet supposed to be held in Nagpur, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Nagpur Police, helmed by Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, have begun clearing the streets off beggars and other homeless living over three decades.

Nagpur Police had issued an order prohibiting beggars from gathering at places like traffic junctions, footpaths, traffic islands and dividers in the city amid rising complaints of harassment of motorists and pedestrians. The order was issued on Wednesday under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which bans the gathering of four or more people in a particular area.

As per the order, under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), offenders could face upto six-month jail along with fine.  As per the order issued by Kumar, the restrictions got into effect from March 9 till April 30 ‘unless withdrawn earlier by the issuing authority.’  

Kumar said the order was issued due to several underlying issues and not just the upcoming G20 summit on March 19-20 and C20 meetings. 

Officials said apart from the inconvenience faced by commuters and walkers, there were also complaints of beggars obstructing the smooth flow of traffic and causing public nuisance.

Nagpur Police claimed that nearly 200 beggars had left the city on day one after Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar, on Wednesday, issued a notification that banned begging in the city from Friday, March 9.

Kumar claimed that beggars stationed at Kasturchand Park and Yeshwant Stadium vacated both the premises after they were told about the order of ban on begging. 

However, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) Deputy Commissioner Prakash Warade said the civic body manages seven shelters for the homeless where several beggars would be sheltered. Kumar said beggars at Meetha Neem Dargah were relocated to shelter homes too.

Indian Express quoted one of the members of the Pardhi community, who was forced to leaved Nagpur. It stated, “We were told that many ‘videshi’ (foreigners) will be visiting the city and so we must leave. We were told we could return two months later.”

She told the same publication that she lived with at least 10 other families at Yashwant Stadium for over three decades and was told by officials that they could return after two months.

Also read: Hislop College’s compound wall breaks as car rams into it | Nagpur

Oscars is giving out gift bags worth ₹1.3 crore to nominees who don’t go home with the Oscar award this year. Such is the value of the gift bag that brands pay an exorbitant fee just to be included in the hope that celebrities will promote them.

According to a report by Marketing Brew, brands pay a $4,000 (approximately ₹3.28 lakh) to have their product/service in the bag.

What is in the gift bag this time?

• Luxurious skincare products
• Bath ritual sets
• Celebrity-founded tequila
• Luxury vacations to Italy and Canada
• Art Lipo body sculpting
• High-tech meditation orb
• Flip flops
• Various luxury food items such as honey, biscuits and more
• One-square metre plot of land in Queensland, Australia 
• Cosmetic surgery vouchers
• Inside are skincare products from Miage
• Silk pillowcase from Blush Silks
• Travel pillow from PETA

Premium products from…

• Ariadne Athens Skin Wellness
• All Better Co., 
• Bored Rebel, 
• Daily Energy Cards, 
• Effecti-cal, 
• Kind Reason Co., 
• KnowingLabs, 
• Maison Construction, 
• NaturGeeks, 
• Rareté Studios, 
• ReFa, 
• Proflexa, 
• Oxygenetix,
• Millions-Billions-Trillions Brand, among others

Featuring over 60 items, the gift bag this year has several premium beauty and lifestyle gifts, luxury vacations including a $40,000  (over ₹32 lakhs) getaway to a Canadian estate called The Lifestyle, a stay for eight people in a restored Italian lighthouse and ‘a symbolic souvenir’ of a piece of land in Queensland in Australia!

Those wanting to renovate their homes can use the $25,000 (over ₹20 lakhs) worth project management fees for home restoration from Maison Construction apart from lipo-arm sculpting, hair restoration services and a facelift.

While over 50% of the products reportedly come from companies that are women and minority-owned, the gifts will be delivered in Havaianas suitcases this year. The least expensive gifts include a pack of Clif Thins priced at $13.56, and an $18 loaf of Japanese milk bread from Ginza Nishikawa.

Who receives this coveted gift?

The Oscar gift bags are given to the hosts and the nominees for Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Howevr, the recipients also have the right to refuse to accept gifts. Last year, actor Denzel Washington reportedly declined his gift and actor JK Simmons donated it to a charity auction, as did George Clooney in 2006. Moreover, the products and services in the bag are a gift, the recipient does need to pay taxes on it, as it is considered an income.

Also read: Oscars 2023: ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’ wins Best Original Song