Mumbai (PTI): Basic military training will be imparted to students from Class 1 in Maharashtra in a move to instill a sense of patriotism, discipline and promote the habit of regular physical exercise, state School Education Minister Dada Bhuse has said.

Retired soldiers will be roped in for training the pupils, he said.

"A decision has been taken to give basic level military training to students from Class 1. This will help inculcate love for the country, encourage habits like doing physical exercise regularly and discipline that will benefit the students," Bhuse said.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has responded positively to the proposal, he noted.

To implement the proposal, help of 2.5 lakh ex-servicemen will be taken along with sports teachers, National Cadet Corps (NCC), Scouts and Guides, the Shiv Sena minister added.

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Mumbai (PTI): An empty double-decker electric bus was gutted in a fire during servicing at a BEST depot in Mumbai's Kurla area on Sunday, officials said, adding that nobody was injured.

The blaze broke out inside the Kurla BEST bus depot near Kanakia Building at 4.14 pm, according to preliminary information from the Mumbai Fire Brigade.

The parked bus was unoccupied at the time of the incident.

Fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. The exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, they said.

No injuries were reported in the incident, officials added.

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has hired 50 electric double-decker buses from Switch Mobility in its fleet of around 2,700 buses.