283 people booked for drunk driving in Mumbai during New Year celebrations
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai Police have registered cases against 283 people for driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol during the New Year celebrations here, an official said on Monday.
The police's traffic branch organised a campaign against drunk driving in the 12-hour period ending at 8 am on Monday during which security personnel were deployed at various important locations in the city, he said.
During the campaign, the police caught 283 people for drunk driving, the official said.
Cases were registered against those people for violation of traffic-related norms and fines were also imposed on them, he said.
Thousands of Mumbaikars gathered at the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Girgaum Chowpatty and other places on Sunday night to ring in the New Year amid tight security arrangements.
Many chose to visit religious places, including the famous Siddhivinayak and Mumbadevi temples, and churches.
Get-togethers were also organised in various housing societies in the city and on terraces of buildings.
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AI chatbot 'MahaChatur' to offer skills, jobs, entrepreneurship support on 1 platform: Fadnavis
Mumbai (PTI): An artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot developed by a Maharashtra government department will provide skill training, employment avenues, entrepreneurship support and guidance to youth on a single platform, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday.
He called the AI chatbot, 'MahaChatur', a "transformative initiative" and noted it will make the transition from education to employment easier for young people while helping industries access skilled manpower quickly.
The chatbot, developed by the Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department, is the first such initiative by any state government in the country, the CM said.
Fadnavis was speaking at the launch of the chatbot and the signing of multiple MoUs here.
Skill Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, senior officials, diplomats and representatives from industry and academic institutions were present at the event, an official release said.
Highlighting India's demographic advantage, Fadnavis said nearly 65 per cent of the population is below 35 years of age, and equipping this workforce with relevant skills is critical to economic growth.
He said the MahaChatur chatbot, a digital assistant built to converse with users, will act as a bridge between job-seeking youth and industry requirements.
The AI-based platform will function as a one-stop solution, offering information on skill training, job opportunities, entrepreneurship guidance, application processes, assessments and market linkages. It will be easily accessible through WhatsApp, enabling wider outreach, he stated.
The chief minister emphasised the initiative will be particularly useful for employment-oriented youth seeking guidance.
He said efforts such as setting up centres of excellence, modernisation of ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes), increased participation of women in skill programmes and global partnerships will help strengthen the skill ecosystem.
Speaking on the occasion, Lodha said the state government aims to bring together the unorganised skill sector on a single platform to strengthen Maharashtra's growth.
He noted that while AI may disrupt some jobs, it will also create new employment opportunities, and the Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department is working to connect youth from the state to global job markets.
The department has also launched the chatbot to streamline apprenticeship processes under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and the Maharashtra Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (MAPS). The platform enables registration in about 15 minutes, significantly reducing the earlier time of two to three days, Lodha maintained.
Developed in partnership with the Right Walk Foundation, 'MahaChatur' operates on government servers using open-source AI and ensures data security. It will provide end-to-end information -- from training to placement -- for both rural and urban youth, officials said.
In the CM's presence, MoUs were signed with several organisations, including IPE Global Ltd, National Skill Training Institute, Mumbai, Shrimad Rajchandra Educational Trust, Shri Shri Rural Development Programme Trust and UN Women for collaboration in areas such as women's skill training, data security, prison skill development and youth employment initiatives, the release said.
Representatives of several industry partners, including Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd, Bajaj Auto Ltd, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd and others, were felicitated for their contribution to skill development.
Six ITI students selected for apprenticeships in Germany were also honoured and presented offer letters at the event.
Panel discussions on "Industry Leadership Dialogue" and "AI for Public Service Delivery" were held, focusing on emerging opportunities in skill development and AI-driven services.
The initiative is expected to significantly improve transparency, grievance redressal and access to employment-linked services, the release said.
