News Analysis India

Tag: Satej Patil

  • Maharashtra Minister Satej Patil’s photo used with ‘gramsevak’ caption in CBSE book, claims his office

    By PTI

    PUNE: Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Satej Patil’s photograph from a public function has been used with the caption calling him ‘gramsevak’ in the CBSE’s Social Science book for class 3, a release from the minister’s office has claimed.

    “Minister of State for Home Satej Patil’s photograph from a public function has been printed with a caption calling him Gramsevak in a CBSE book. The picture has been printed on the page 70 in a lesson on the duties and importance of Gram Panchayat. The lesson is in the Social Science book of class 3,” it said.

    Patil’s personal assistant Prashant Patil has sent an email to CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) chairman Manoj Ahuja demanding the immediate removal of the photograph, the release stated.

    “It is surprising that the reputed central board has printed the photograph without any verification. Patil is a senior Congress leader and reputed politician from Maharashtra. He has been serving his second term as a minister and has been a member of the Legislative Council. No wrong history should be taught to the children of this country. We hope the error is rectified by the board immediately,” an official from the minister’s office said.

  • Maharashtra government to roll out ‘Dial 112’ project soon to improve police response time

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government will soon launch ‘Dial 112’ project across the state, which will enable the police to reach out to the complainants quickly in case of an emergency, a minister said on Saturday.

    MoS Home and IT Satej Patil said in a statement that this technology-driven project will ensure that the police response time improves to 10 minutes in urban areas and 15 minutes in rural areas. Under the project, there will be state-of-the-art control rooms at all 45 police commissionerates and district police offices across the state, he said.

    “As many as 1,502 four-wheelers and 2,269 two-wheelers used by police will have a mobile data terminal and GPS system. Of them, 849 four-wheelers and 1,372 two-wheelers have already been installed with the system that is technically foolproof. The technology has enabled these vehicles to be ready in the service of the people round-the-clock,” Patil said.

    Tweeting about the project, he said, “We are training 15,000 police personnel and officers for use of this technology. ‘Dial 112’, powered with the high-end technology, will enable people to contact police and other emergency agencies by using mobile applications, SMS service, e-mail or through chat. Once rolled out, the project will help the police in responding in 10 minutes in urban areas and in 15 minutes in rural areas.”

    Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar recently chaired a meeting at the Mantralaya (state secretariat) in Mumbai to review the progress of the project. Apart from Satej Patil, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil and key officials of various departments attended the meeting.

    Patil said that the project will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray soon, but before that, there a test and safety audit of the project will be conducted next month. The project will enable us to make Maharashtra safer for the people of the state, he added.

  • Centre’s social media rules are dictatorial: Maharashtra Minister

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: A Maharashtra minister on Saturday opposed the central government’s regulations for social media platforms and over-the-top (OTT) players, terming them as “dictatorial” and a “threat” to the democracy.

    The Minister of State for IT Satej Patil also said these regulations need to be opposed strongly as they infringe the privacy of individuals and free speech given by the Constitution.

    “This move by the Centre needs to be fought tooth and nail. Such dictatorial regulations will not be accepted by the people of this democratic country,” he said.

    Some bureaucrats deciding on what needs to be published and what not on any media platform is nothing but an attack on the freedom of press in India, Patil added.

    “Such orders will not have any standing in the court of law,” he said.

    Talking about the arrest of activist Disha Ravi for her alleged involvement in sharing a “toolkit” on social media related to the farmers’ protest, the senior Congress leader from Kolhapur said the entire episode was an act to suppress the voice of those who are exercising their freedom to speech.

    A Delhi court recently granted bail to the activist.

    The Centre on February 25announced sweeping regulations for social media firms, such as Facebook and Twitter as well as OTT players like Netflix, requiring them to remove any content flagged by authorities within 36 hours and setting up a complaint redressal mechanism with an officer being based in the country.

    The regulations also make it mandatory for platforms such as Twitter and WhatsApp to identify the originator of a message that authorities consider to be anti-national and against security and sovereignty of the country.

  • Maharashtra minister Satej Patil tests positive for COVID-19

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Satej Patil on Tuesday informed that he had tested positive for novel coronavirus.

    Taking to social media, the minister of state for home in the MVA government said, “I have tested positive for COVID-19.

    My health condition is good and have started medication as advised by doctors.

    ” Sources close to the minister said he had recently come back from the United States of America and had got himself tested as a precautionary measure, and the report returned positive.