Politics
Maha portfolio allocation: Ajit Pawar gets Finance, Aaditya Thackeray gets Environment, Tourism
Maharashtra portfolio allocation: Days after the government was formed in Maharashtra and ministers took oath on December 30th, their much speculated portfolios got allotted on Saturday evening. Thackeray inducted a total of 36 ministers in his one-month-old coalition government comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress.
As per Nation Next sources, here’s the final list that has been sent to Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari by CM Uddhav Thackeray for approval:
???????? ?????? ??..
(?) ????? ????? (???????????) – ??????? ??????? ? ????? ?????????? (General Administration Department, IT, Law and Judiciary)
(?) ????? ????? – ??? ?????/MSRDC (Urban Development Department, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation)
(?) ????? ????? – ??????/MIDC (Industries)
(?) ???? ??? – ??????/?????? ????? (Transport and Parliamentary Affairs)
(?) ???? ???? – ???? (Agriculture)
(?) ?????? ????? – ????????/?????? (Tourism, Environment and Protocol)
(?) ???? ????? – ?? (Forest)
(?) ??? ????? – ???? ? ????? ?????? (Higher and Technical Education)
(?) ??????? ???? – ???????? (Water conservation)
(??) ???????? ????? – ???? ?????? (Water supply and sanitation)
(??) ??????? ????? – ?????? ???/????????? (Employment Guarantee and Horticulture)
(??) ???? ???? (?? ???????????) – ????? ? ?????? (Finance and Planning)
(??) ???? ????? – ??????? (Irrigation)
(??) ??? ????? – ???? ? ????? ?????? (Food and Civil Supplies)
(??) ???? ?????? – ??? (Home)
(??) ????? ???? ????? – ??????? ?????/?????? ????? (Excise/ Skill Development)
(??) ???? ???? – ??????/???????????? (Labour/Minority)
(??) ????? ????? – ??????? ????? (Social Justice)
(??) ????????? ????? – ?????/??? (Co-operation)
(??) ???????? ?????? – ?????????? (Housing)
(??) . . ????? – ??????? ????? (Tribal Affairs Department)
(??) ????? ???? – ?????? (Public Health Department)
(??) ????????? ????? – ????? – (Revenue)
(??) ???? ???? – ??????/???????????? (Minority Affairs)
(??) ???? ?????? – ????????? ??????? (Public Works Department)
(??) ????? ????? – ????? ? ??? ??????? – (Dairy and Animal Husbandry, Youth and Sports welfare)
(??) ????? ??????? – ????? ?????? (School Education)
(??) ???? ?????? – ???????? ?????? (Medical Education and Cultural Affairs)
(??) ???? ?????????? – ???/????????/??? ???? (OBC ministry, Relief & Rehabilitation, Salt-pan development)
(??) ?????? ????? – ????? ? ??? ?????? (Women and Children Welfare)
(??) ????? ???? – ????? (Power)
(??) ??? ??????? – ????? ????? (Rural Development)
(??) ???????? ?????? – ???? ? ??? ??????? (Food & Drugs Administration)
(??) ????? ??? – ????????????/????/?????? (Textile, Fisheries and Ports)
Minister of State:
Abdul Sattar (Shiv Sena) – Revenue, Rural development, Port, Salt pans
Satej Patil (Congress) – Home (Urban), Housing, Transport, IT, Parliamentary Affairs
Shambhuraje Desai (Shiv Sena) – Home (Rural), Finance, Excise, Skill Development, Marketing
Bachchu Kadu (Prahar Party) – Irrigation, School Education, Women and child Welfare, Labour, OBC Ministry
Dattatraya Bharne (NCP) – PWD, Forest, Dairy Development, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, General Administration
Vishwajeet Kadam (Congress) – Cooperation, Agriculture, Social Justice, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Minority Development and Marathi Language Development
Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar (Independent) – Public Health, Medical Education, FDA, Textiles
Sanjay Bansode (NCP) – Environment, MSRDC, Employment Guarantee, Parliamentary Affairs, Water Supply and Sanitation
Prajakt Tanpure (NCP) – Urban Development, Power, Tribal Affairs, Higher and Technical Education, Relief and Rehabilitation, Disaster Management
Aditi Tatkare (NCP) – Tourism, Industries, Protocol,
Below: Check the government’s official list

Also read: Anil Deshmukh to be new Home Minister of Maharashtra
COVID-19
Thane Municipal Corporation adds 25 beds as COVID cases rise
Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) added 25 additional beds in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital Kalwa apart from arranging a special ward dedicated to COVID-19 patients. The total number of active patients in the city stood at 252 while five succumbed to the virus. Meanwhile, TMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said a ‘death audit’ of patients who died of COVID would be conducted. The TMC has ensured it has additional stock of oxygen concentrators, testing kits, medicines, to name a few. Bangar told HT, “Due to the increasing number of Covid patients, it is necessary for everyone to be alert.”
He added, The number of Covid tests should be increased to stay one step ahead of the disease. As a result, the number of patients is likely to increase due to increased testing. However, as per the ‘test, isolate, treat’ protocol for Covid, it becomes necessary to isolate and treat more and more patients. The testing centres will not remain closed even for a single day. At the same time, more arrangements for testing will be made immediately in public places, markets, railway stations, malls.”
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
Also read: Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
Politics
After Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, his namesake who contested from Wayanad disqualified

Rahul Gandhi
An independent candidate for Lok Sabha elections named Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from contesting polls for failing to lodge account of election expenses. Gandhi, who’s name figures as ‘Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma’ in an Election Commission list of persons, had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent and had received 2196 votes from the Wayanad seat in Kerala – a constituency from where ex-Congress MP Rahul Rajiv Gandhi had won with over seven lakh votes.
However, since it is mandatory for all contestants to submit their account of election expenses among other mandatory requirements under EC rules and the Representation of the People Act.
Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma stood disqualified to contest polls from September 13, 2021 till September 13, 2024. According to Section 10A, the Election Commission can disqualify a contestant for a period of three years from the date of the order if he/she has failed to lodge an account of election expenses within the time and in the manner required by law and has no good reason or justification for the failure.
Also read: ‘CBI under UPA govt. pressurised me to frame Modi,’ recalls Amit Shah
Nagpur News
Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
A total of 22 patients tested positive for COVID-19 in Nagpur in past 24 hours on Thursday. Almost 242 people were tested in the city, out of which 15 belonged to urban area while and 6 were from the rural areas, and one from outside Nagpur district.
At present, there are 72 active patients in the city. Three new cases of the new XBB.1.16 variant of COVID-19 were detected that took the total tally to five in the district.
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
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