Setback 😨 for PM Modi’s housing 🏠 scheme in Maharashtra

In a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet low-cost housing scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), three construction projects approved by the Centre in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region have now been shelved.

While the Modi government's Centre State Monitoring Committee for PMAY had earlier granted locational clearance for building 6,415 low-cost houses at these sites, it has now emerged that the lands in question were already reserved for other public purposes.

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), the nodal agency for implementation of the PMAY in the state, had approached the state's Urban Development (UD) department for changing the plot's land use, but the latter declined the request citing environmental loss.

On the same lines, a project for building 1,100 plots on a four-hectare plot in Raigad's Pen, also cleared by the Centre's committee, was shelved, following the UD's report that the plot was already marked for various public reservations including a primary school and a playground in the region's Development Plan.

*Heavy rain ☔️ continues in Mumbai‼️*

As thundershowers accompanied by heavy rain and lightning lashed the city for the second consecutive day Saturday evening, the weather bureau has predicted thunderstorms for the coming three days.

While moderate rain is predicted on Sunday, Mumbai is likely to receive heavy rainfall in the coming week until Wednesday.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Colaba received 51.4 mm rainfall and Santacruz received 13.6 mm in a span of three hours from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm on Saturday.

Skymet Weather has predicted that the intensity of rain is likely to increase in the city.

*79 per cent polling 👆🏼 in 3131 gram panchayats 👏 in Maharashtra*

Elections to 3,131 gram panchayats spread across 16 districts to directly elect sarpanches registered 79 per cent voting on Saturday according to the state election commission. The results will be declared on October 9.

State election commissioner J S Saharia said the poll process for 7,500 gram panchayats is under way. The elections in the second phase, covering 18 districts for 4,119 gram panchayats will be held on October 16.

The district-wise break-up of gram panchayats where elections took place: Nashik 150, Dhule 96, Jalgaon 101, Nandurbar 42, Ahmednagar 194, Aurangabad 196, Beed 655, Nanded 142, Parbhani 126, Jalna 221, Latur 324, Hingoli 46, Akola 247, Yavatmal 80, Washim 254, and Buldhana 257.