Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale offered tributes at the obelisk dedicated to the memory of the fallen in the 1818 Koregaon Bhima battle on January 1, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A large crowd, including political personalities, gathered at Koregaon Bhima in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Wednesday (January 1, 2025) to mark the 207th Shaurya Din (Valour Day) and honour the 1818 battle of Koregaon Bhima. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale also mentioned requesting the government to allocate ₹200 crores for the expansion of the Vijaystambh (Victory Pillar) premises, as every year the place sees such a huge influx.

“On this day, our people fought Peshwas and this pillar reflects their bravery. Every year Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar visited this place, and now people from across the country have started visiting this place. A huge memorial should be built around the pillar, the government have started looking into it, but work is not completed. I will meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and get the approval of ₹200 crore for the memorial,” Mr. Athawale said to the media in Pune on Wednesday.

Annual Shaurya Din celebrations are held at Koregaon Bhima to celebrate the Battle of Koregaon, fought on January 1, 1818, where 834 British East India Company troops, including 500 Mahar soldiers, defeated the Peshwa’s 28,000-strong force. British erected Vijay Stambh which commemorates the battle that serves as a symbol of Dalit pride.

Prakash Ambedkar, founder president of Vanchit Bahujan Agadhi, Minister Dattatraya Bharne, Anandraj Ambedkar, State Minister Madhuri Misal and other leaders were also in attendance at Koregaon Bhima.

Meanwhile, Anandraj Ambedkar conveyed disappointment over Maharashtra’s Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde’s failure to visit the Stambh. “They hold these positions as people voted for them. If this day bore any importance then they should come here. The common man is never invited, they come here out of faith,” he said. Anandraj is the founder of the Republican Sena, an Ambekarite organisation and grandson of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Security deployment

Every year the Koregaon Bhima on January 1, witnesses at least an influx of eight to 10 lakh people. As a part of special arrangements, atleast 5000 police personnel were deployed at the venue.

According to police, around 5000 police personnel and 2,000 home guards were deployed on bandobast duty around Jaystambh. The units from the State reserve police force, bomb detections, and disposal squad (BBDS) teams deployed to control the crowd.

On the technology front, CCTV cameras, drones, and face recognition cameras were installed to keep tabs on suspicious movements. Police have also made necessary arrangements concerning parking lots and other emergency services, including ambulances, and fire brigade.

Over 67 per cent of sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) in India belong to the Scheduled Caste category, according to official data.

In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said that out of 54,574 validated sewer and septic tank workers profiled under the ‘National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem’ (NAMASTE) scheme, 37,060 are from the SC category.

The statistics further show that 15.73 per cent of the workers belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 8.31 per cent are from the Scheduled Tribes (STs), while only 8.05 per cent come from the General category.

In total, 57,758 workers across 33 States and Union Territories have been profiled, out of which 54,574 have been validated. Data integration for states like Odisha and Tamil Nadu into the central NAMASTE database is currently underway.

The NAMASTE scheme, launched in 2023-24 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), aims to ensure the safety, dignity, and empowerment of sanitation workers.

Under the initiative, various measures have been implemented to enhance worker safety and provide socio-economic opportunities: A total of 16,791 PPE kits and 43 Safety Devices Kits for Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) have been distributed.

Ayushman cards for health insurance have been issued to 13,604 beneficiaries.

Capital subsidies totalling Rs 13.96 crore have been provided to 503 workers and their dependents for sanitation-related projects.

An additional Rs 2.85 crore has been released to 226 beneficiaries from the manual scavenger category for alternate self-employment projects.

To raise awareness on the hazards of unsafe cleaning practices, 837 workshops have been conducted since the scheme’s launch.

Efforts to mechanise sanitation work and reduce hazardous manual cleaning have also been prioritised. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, MoHUA has sanctioned Rs. 371 crore to 26 states and UTs for the procurement of 2,585 desludging vehicles. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Crediting the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana for the MahaYuti’s landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, on Saturday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) politics of abusing rivals, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, proved to be its undoing.

“Our victory has been made bigger by the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana,” Mr Athawale, who heads the Republican Party of India (A) which is part of the NDA, told IANS.

Under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, the Maharashtra government gives eligible women a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month.

Mr Athawale said the BJP-led MahaYuti was always confident of returning to power in Maharashtra but the crossing of the 200-seat mark has come as a happy surprise.

“PM Modi’s all-round development has been backed by voters from all sections of society, including women, farmers, youth and the poor,” he said.

He blamed the MVA’s regressive politics for its loss.

“They took to MahaYuti-bashing on a daily basis and lost the plot. This tactic, which worked for them in the Lok Sabha elections, flopped,” he said.

“Abusing Prime Minister Modi proved costly for them,” he said, adding that Maharashtra voters have rejected the MVA’s politics of personal attacks.

He said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut never spared an opportunity to abuse Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, adding, “Almost every day, Raut used to call Shinde a traitor.”

Talking about the key electoral issues, he said an attempt to convert the direct fight between the MahaYuti and MVA into ‘Vote Jihad’ and ‘Dharam yudh’ failed miserably.

Discussing issues related to government formation, the RPI(A) leader said, “Even before the declaration of results, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had assured that our party will be getting one Cabinet post and one MLC slot in Maharashtra.”

“Fadnavis had asked my party to be part of the government,” Mr Athawale said, referring to his discussion with the BJP leader before the declaration of results.

He also hit out at the MVA leaders for questioning the EVMs and said, “The EVMs were brought in during the Congress’ rule. When the EVMs lead to their victory in Jharkhand then these are labeled good, but when they lose in Maharashtra they start questioning them.”

Mr Athawale said there was no competition within the MahaYuti over the Chief Minister face and an amicable decision was likely to be taken by Sunday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said he has conveyed to senior BJP leader that his party RPI (A) wants to contest on eight to 10 seats in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls.

RPI (A) is part of the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.

Talking to PTI, the RPI (A) chief said the seat-sharing talks are underway, and he spoke to the BJP’s Maharashtra polls in-charge, Bhupendra Yadav, about his party’s demands.

“We told him that the RPI (A) should get eight to 10 seats. I believe in our alliance partners, BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP. The RPI (A) has a separate vote bank, and several people from the Dalit community are with the party, so we should get a part in the seat sharing,” he said.

Mr Athawale clarified that the party only asked for eight to 10 seats, which comes to one or two seats in every region to increase its strength.

The elections to 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra are likely to be held in November.

In the current assembly, the BJP is the single largest party with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena 40, NCP 41, Congress 40, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, NCP (SP) 13 and others 29. Some seats are vacant.

The Union minister said he met with Mumbai Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar to discuss the preparations for the death anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar on December 6.

“A meeting was held with civic and railway officials. This year, around Rs 11 crore have been approved for this, and arrangements will be made at Shivaji Park, Chaitya Bhoomi, among other places, for visitors who arrive in large numbers,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale told NDTV Wednesday his party, the Republican Party of India (Athawale), “demands the Government of India and state governments” provide quotas for private sector jobs for candidates from OBCs, or Other Backward Classes.

“Many people are there (looking for jobs in private sector companies) from SC and ST… but there is no reservation. Soon maybe government sector (companies) will also become private…” he said to NDTV.

“My party demands the Government of India and state governments give reservations to OBCs in the private sector. We are not opposing candidates from the General Category,” Mr Athawale said.

Ramdas Athawale is a Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment.

Mr Athawale’s demand comes amid controversy in Karnataka over a move to reserve 70 per cent of non-management private sector jobs, and 50 per cent at management-level, for Kannadigas.

READ | Karnataka Okays Bill For 100% Quota For Locals In Private Firms

Earlier Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed there would be 100 per cent reservation.

A social media post Tuesday making that announcement was deleted this afternoon. 

READ | In Row Over Karnataka 100% Quota Bill, Chief Minister Deletes Post

Reservation will be capped at 70 per cent for non-management roles and 50 per cent for management-level employees, Labour Minister Santosh S Lad clarified.

READ | Karnataka Job Quota May Force “Companies To Relocate”

The quota saw a mixed reception. Some business leaders called it “discriminatory” while others, like Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, said there is a need to ensure jobs for locals but added caveats.

As a tech hub we need skilled talent and whilst the aim is to provide jobs for locals we must not affect our leading position in technology by this move. There must be caveats that exempt highly skilled recruitment from this policy. @siddaramaiah@DKShivakumar@PriyankKhargehttps://t.co/itYWdHcMWw

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) July 17, 2024

It also comes amid rumblings in recent months about similar initiatives in other states, specifically BJP-ruled Haryana, which will hold an Assembly election this year. The state – dominated by the BJP in the past two general elections – saw the ruling party and the Congress split its 10 seats this time.

Given the close fight in the Lok Sabha election, the state election is likely to be hard-fought.

Reservations In Haryana, Other States

The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act was passed in 2020. It directed private firms in the state to hire local candidates – i.e., those with domicile certificates, for which the time requirement was dropped from 15 years to five – for 75 per cent of jobs paying less than Rs 30,000.

The proposal was piloted by the Jannayak Janata Party, then a BJP ally. Reservation for locals was a 2019 Lok Sabha poll promise by JJP boss Dushyant Chautala, who was also Deputy Chief Minister.

READ | “Unconstitutional”: Court Scraps Haryana’s 75% Quota In Private Sector

However, in November last year the Punjab and Haryana High Court struck down the law, calling it “unconstitutional” and saying the restrictions imposed could have a “far-reaching effect”.

And in Telangana, where the Congress recorded a big win in the November 2023 Assembly election, the party had promised 75 per cent reservation for locals in the private sector. The year before the Telangana government – then controlled by the BRS – reserved 95 per cent in all state-run companies.

READ | Jharkhand To Reserve 75% Jobs In Private Sector For Locals

In 2021 Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said his government intends to formulate a new domicile policy and reserve 75 per cent of jobs in the private sector for locals.

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