Ajit Pawar demands withdrawal of GR on contractual hiring
Mumbai (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Ajit Pawar on Wednesday demanded that the government withdraw a Government Resolution (GR) or order about recruitment on a contractual basis.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said it was the right decision, and also pointed out that it had been taken by the previous MVA government of which Pawar was a part.
He also said that contractual hiring would be done for only certain specific projects.
Speaking in the Assembly, Pawar said the hiring of government employees on a contractual basis puts a question mark on secrecy which government employees are supposed to maintain in certain official matters.
Also, some contractually hired employees end up getting more salary than the state's chief secretary, said the Nationalist Congress Party leader.
The GR, issued on Tuesday, states that recruitment in the industries, energy and labour departments will be done on a contractual basis through private agencies, Pawar said.
He also questioned the timing of the GR, saying that when government employees are agitating for the Old Pension Scheme, the government has decided to hire people on a contractual basis.
In reply, Fadnavis said the decision about hiring people in this manner was taken and the tender was issued during the MVA regime, and his government was implementing it because it was the right decision.
The GR was only about certain specific projects, he added.
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Missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damages a ship in the Red Sea
Jerusalem (AP): A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damaged a ship in the Red Sea on Monday, authorities said, the latest assault in their campaign against shipping in the crucial maritime route.
The attack happened off the coast of Mokha, Yemen, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. The ship was damaged in the attack, the UKMTO said, though its crew was safe and heading to its next port of call. The agency urged vessels to exercise caution in the area.
There was “an explosion in close proximity to a merchant vessel,” the UKMTO said. “Vessel and crew are reported safe.”
The US military's Central Command identified the ship damaged as the Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier. The military separately shot down a drone on a flight path toward the USS Philippine Sea and USS Laboon, the military said Tuesday.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack on the Cyclades and targeting the US warships in a statement early Tuesday.
Meanwhile Monday, the Italian Defence Ministry said its frigate Virgino Fasan shot down a Houthi drone that morning near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
“A missile exploded in the water in the vicinity of the escorted vessel, causing only minor superficial damage,” the Italian Defence Ministry said, not identifying the commercial vessel being escorted. “The frigate Fasan and the protected merchant vessel are continuing their southward route as planned to exit the Red Sea.”
Saree did not acknowledge that attack, though he claimed the Houthis also targeted a ship in the Indian Ocean. There was no immediate report or evidence to support that claim.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.
Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a US-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
American officials have speculated the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the US-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily for months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the past week. Early Sunday morning, the US military shot down five drones in the air over the Red Sea, its Central Command said.
The drones “presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region,” Central Command said in a statement.
The Houthis on Saturday claimed they shot down another of the US military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft. US Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defence Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a US Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.
