Multi-drug resistant TB cases down 28% in 3 yrs, frontline workers say testing low | Mumbai News
Mumbai: The legislative council on Monday cleared Wildlife Protection (Maharashtra Amendment Bill), 2026, that empowers the chief wildlife warden to relocate and sterilise leopards without the Centre’s approval.The assembly had approved it on March 18. The bill will need the governor’s ratification and the President’s assent before it can be enacted. It was introduced to prevent delays in capture of leopards since many have entered human settlements. While clearing it, legislators cautioned against its misuse. Wildlife experts, particularly those who have studied leopards, reacted cautiously. Some wondered if sterilisation could result in behavioural changes. They expressed relief at state forest minister Ganesh Naik’s assertion that leopards will continue to retain their Schedule 1 protection. Naik asserted that the bill does not permit the killing of leopards. He said their population has increased so much that the state plans to set up leopard safaris in every district. “We shall reserve 3,000-5,000 acres for this in every district, where we will plant fruit-bearing trees and create a boundary wall with bamboos that cannot be penetrated.” Section 12 of the bill allows the chief wildlife warden to grant permission, subject to state approval, to any individual or institution for scientific management, including controlling population or translocation of wild animals. Krishna Tiwari, who has studied Mumbai’s leopard situation for two decades, welcomed the move to minimise human-animal conflicts, but cautioned that the outcome of sterilisation will have to be assessed. Honorary wildlife warden Pawan Sharma, who is also an activist from urban wildlife conservation non-profit RAWW, said if leopards are sterilised, their overall behaviour may change, which can affect their survival in the forest.
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has stirred debate over Riyan Parag being appointed captain of Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026, suggesting that the 24-year-old may have benefited from preferential backing within the franchise.Parag is set to take over the leadership role from Sanju Samson, who was traded to Chennai Super Kings for Rs 18 crore in a high-profile deal that saw Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran move in the opposite direction ahead of the mini-auction last December.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth questioned the decision to hand Parag the captaincy over more established names within the squad. “Everyone knows how he became the captain. That is their decision but he is treated like the king there. Parag didn’t have a good season last year, but the year before last, he did brilliantly. Last year, he didn’t do anything deadly,” he said.With Samson sidelined due to injury last season, Parag had already led the Royals in eight matches, managing just two wins. Despite that record, the franchise backed him ahead of other contenders such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and the newly acquired Jadeja.Parag’s individual performances, however, offered glimpses of his attacking potential. He scored 393 runs at a strike rate of 166.52 last season and also etched his name in IPL history by becoming the first player to smash six consecutive sixes in a single innings, achieving the milestone against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025.Having been picked as a teenager in IPL 2017, Parag has remained a constant presence for Rajasthan Royals. Across 84 matches, he has accumulated 1566 runs, including seven half-centuries, though inconsistency has often been a talking point.Assessing the Royals’ chances, Srikkanth offered a mixed outlook. While acknowledging their potential, he warned about their unpredictability. “It’s a decent side. They have the potential to upset sides. But they are also a side that will self-destruct. Yet, if two in their top five click, they will smash the opposition. The Jaiswal-Suryavanshi opening stand is their biggest plus. They are capable of winning matches singlehandedly. So they are a good side but not a dangerous one. They are not a championship-winning side. They are 50-50 even for playoff qualification,” he remarked.
Does Jasprit Bumrah have an injury ahead of the IPL 2026 season? The priceless question has suddenly erupted on social media platforms, as the Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer is spotted at the BCCI’s Center of Excellence (CoE), where players naturally go to recover from an injury or to improve their fitness level.
According to the Times of India report, he is at the facility in Karnataka and has not yet joined the Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2026 preparations. It is yet to be clearly known the reason behind Jasprit Bumrah’s visit to CoE just before the IPL 2026 season, which is scheduled to start from March 28.
There is another theory regarding the pacer’s late joining of the Mumbai Indians. Previously, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene informed that the players who played the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 are allowed to join the MI camp later. The Final match of the T20 World Cup 2026 was held between India and New Zealand on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Your daily dose of cricket!
“Every year, we aim to get there (win the IPL trophy). But I know it’s a long season. So pre-season will start the way we usually start, working hard, getting new boys into the setup. And with our (T20) World Cup guys, we’ve given them a bit of an extended break so that they will join us next weekend.”
“The overseas guys also flew home, and then they will join us. But they’ll have a good one-week training with us before the first game,” MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene said last week at the MIG Cricket Club Ground, during the closing ceremony of the MI Junior season.
Since the IPL 2013 season, Bumrah remains as a vital member of the franchise, who helped Mumbai Indians to claim 5 IPL trophies. Last season, he was in tremendous form; even the batting department was struggling to get momentum in the early stages of the IPL 2025.
Jasprit Bumrah concluded the IPL 2025 season with 18 wickets under his belt in 12 matches for an economy rate of only 6.67. In terms of the economy rate, it was so far his best season in the Indian Premier League.
Ahead of the IPL 2026, multiple cricket experts believe that the right-handed pacer will again shine for the Mumbai-based franchise and can emerge as one of the best bowlers in the edition as well.
It is worth noting that Jasprit Bumrah was named the best performer of the Final match of the T20 World Cup 2026 for taking 4 wickets in exchange for only 15 runs against New Zealand. Cricket pundits praised him for keeping the rhythm intact throughout the elite tournament.
Before that, concerns over Bumrah’s fitness suddenly rose. It is yet to be clear why the seamer visited BCCI’s CoE.
Read More: 3 players who are SRH’s biggest burden in IPL 2026 – ft Liam Livingstone
The Los Angeles Lakers will have Luka Doncic when they play the Detroit Pistons on March 23, 2026, at Little Caesars Arena. His was recently given a one-game suspension listing that was rescinded by the NBA, thus, removing his 16th technical foul from Saturday’s win over the Orlando Magic.There was a mismatch between the league’s decision and the official game report. The technical foul was rescinded on Sunday, which should have cleared him. However, he was still listed as out due to suspension. The listing appears to have solved that issue and Doncic is expected to be available for this game.
The Lakers enter the game with a 46-25 record and are third in the Western Conference. They are on a nine-game winning streak. The Pistons lead the Eastern Conference at 51-19 and have been strong at home with a 26-8 record.Doncic has played a major role since joining from Dallas in February 2025. He is averaging 33.4 points this season and scored 33 points in his last game. Without him, the Lakers lose a key scorer from a team that averages 116.5 points. Detroit allows 109.5 points per game, which makes this matchup more difficult for Los Angeles.
Luka Doncic is officially listed Available for this game. There are no new injuries linked to his absence. He was cleared from a hip issue earlier, and LeBron James and Austin Reaves are also available after recent concerns.He is expected to return on March 23 for the next game.
| Player | Status | Injury | Est. Return |
| Maxi Kleber | GTD | Back | Mar 23 |
Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, and Nick Smith Jr. are listed as game-time decisions. LeBron James, DeAndre Ayton, and Austin Reaves are available.
The Lakers will depend on players like Luka Doncic, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Bronny James to handle the extra workload and keep the winning streak going.Also read: Los Angeles Lakers vs Detroit Pistons injury report: Who’s playing, injured and questionable players, head-to-head records, team stats, and more (March 23, 2026)Detroit will look to push the pace through Jaden Ivey and Ron Holland. Their home record and defense make this a balanced matchup where both teams will need contributions across the roster.
Mayank Yadav has opened up about a major shift in his approach to fitness and recovery after battling multiple injuries, admitting that he previously neglected his body before a surgery forced him to rethink everything. The 23-year-old fast bowler, who represents Lucknow Super Giants, went through a difficult phase that began with an injury during IPL 2024, followed by a serious back problem that kept him out for the remainder of the 2025 season. Having completed his rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, he is now gearing up for a comeback. Reflecting on his journey, Mayank acknowledged how drastically his mindset has changed post-surgery. “Everything has changed for me post-surgery. Earlier, I never used to take care of myself. Whenever I had to do a recovery session, I used to avoid it and neglect many aspects. But after the surgery, I paid a lot of attention to recovery, nutrition and sleep. The more I respect my body, the more my body respects me on the field,” he said on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’. During his time at the National Cricket Academy, Mayank found valuable guidance from Jasprit Bumrah, who had undergone a similar procedure. The young pacer described Bumrah as a mentor figure during the recovery phase. “When I was in rehab at the NCA, Bumrah bhaiya was also there. I have a very good bonding with him. He is like a teacher to me. He also had the same surgery, the same scenario,” he said. “Bumrah bhaiya shared his experience of how to come back after surgery and what things to pay attention to. He told me how the body will be during recovery, how it will react. Sometimes it will feel good, sometimes not. Whenever we talk on call or messages, he shares his experience as much as possible,” he added. Mayank, who recorded the fastest delivery by an Indian during IPL 2024, also spoke about when he first realised his ability to bowl at extreme pace. “When I came to the IPL for the first time, our trainers used to measure our bowling speed with a speed gun. At that time, I came to know that I have this talent, I have this gift. So now I have to respect it,” he said. He also acknowledged the physical and mental challenges associated with fast bowling. “With fast bowling, things are always a little dicey whether you can do it or not. There is a lot of stress on the body, physically and mentally.” Tracing his love for pace back to childhood, Mayank said he was always inclined towards fast bowling rather than spin. “When I used to play in the streets, I didn’t know how to bowl spin so I used to bowl only fast bowling. My craze for fast bowling began since childhood. My father also used to show me a lot of fast bowling videos. “Mostly, when India used to play in South Africa, I used to watch a lot of those matches. I really liked two of their pacers, our current bowling coach Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn. Through them, I got the craze to bowl fast,” he said.
SRINAGAR: Ladakhi delegates have said environmentalist and Leh Apex Body (LAB) member Sonam Wangchuk should be included in the next round of talks with the Centre.Addressing a gathering LAB had organised to welcome Wangchuk in Leh on Sunday, its co-chairman Tsering Dorjay Lakrook said any future dialogue should include the environmentalist, given his prominent role and the public support he enjoys.Lakrook said Ladakhi representatives were approaching negotiations with sincerity and urged the government to respond in the same spirit. He termed Wangchuk’s release a positive step. However, he said, the broader struggle for Ladakh’s demands would continue.He also called for the withdrawal of cases against those arrested after the Sept 24, 2025, protests in Leh in which four people were killed in police firing and around 80 others were injured. The protesters were demanding statehood for the region and its inclusion in the sixth schedule of the Constitution to grant greater autonomy.On March 14, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) revoked Wangchuk’s detention under National Security Act (NSA), stating that the “government remains committed to providing all necessary safeguards for Ladakh”.The MHA also said that “it remains hopeful that the issues concerning the region will be resolved through constructive engagement and dialogue”.Police in Leh had arrested Wangchuk on Sept 26, 2025, and booked him under NSA before lodging him in a Jodhpur jail for allegedly provoking the violent protests two days earlier.The first round of talks between the MHA panel and Ladakhi representatives from LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance was held in New Delhi on Oct 22 last year after the MHA ordered an inquiry into the Sept 24 firing. The most recent round of talks took place on Feb 4 but remained inconclusive. Ladakhi leaders have sought another round of talks soon.
JAMMU: A committee of experts constituted by the University of Jammu to review the syllabus of MA Political Science course has recommended the dropping of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Mohammad Iqbal from the chapter on ‘Modern Indian Political Thought-Minorities and the Nation’.J&K minister Jal for Shakti, Javed Ahmed Rana, and a BJP leader have strongly condemned the reported recommendation by the Department of Political Science at the university to drop poet Iqbal and Sir Syed Ahmed Khan from its academic curriculum.The university set up the committee after protests on Friday by ABVP over the inclusion of Jinnah in the revised postgraduate political science syllabus under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. According to officials, during a meeting of the faculty and departmental affairs committee held on Sunday (March 22), the participants unanimously resolved to recommend the removal of topics covering Jinnah, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Iqbal. The recommendation has been forwarded for consideration to the Board of Studies, which is scheduled to meet online on Tuesday to deliberate on the matter, said officials.ABVP Jammu and Kashmir secretary Sannak Shrivats said teaching about Jinnah and the others was unacceptable, as these were the same individuals who propounded the two-nation theory and were responsible for Partition. He also warned of intensifying protests if the syllabus was not revised.Minister Javed Rana, however, said in a post on X that the recommendation to remove Iqbal and Sir Syed Ahmed Khan from the curriculum, was “a laughable, anti-scholarly act of intellectual vandalism”, and “a deliberate attempt to manufacture ideological bigots rather than nurturing inquisitive citizens”. “JU must stop acting as a laboratory for historical revisionism,” he added.BJP leader Jahanzaib Sirwal, too, demanded reconsideration of the proposal, and wrote to Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday, seeking his intervention. “The proposed omission of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Iqbal from the syllabus risks diminishing an important part of India’s intellectual and educational inheritance, which must be preserved for future generations,” Sirwal said.
Mumbai: Water supply to some areas of the H-West ward will be shut, while some areas will have low pressure supply on March 29, while few areas will be affected on March 28. The BMC will carry out work to commission a new 750 mm diameter main water pipeline between Ramdas Naik Marg, Swami Vivekanand Marg and RK Patkar Marg junction at Bandra West for 16 hours. The work will be carried out from 11 pm on March 28 March to 5 pm on March 29.As a precautionary measure, citizens have been requested to store necessary water and use water sparingly during the repair period. Also, as a precautionary measure, citizens are advised to boil and filter water before drinking for the next four to five days. The areas where water supply will be affected on Sunday are Khar West, Santacruz West and some parts of Bandra West. Bazaar Marg, Jain Mandir Marg area, D’Monte Road area, Hill Road, Perry Road, Manuel Gonsalves Road, St. Andrews Road, St. Paul Road, Dominic Road, R. K. Patkar Road, New and Old Kantwadi, Ranwar Gaon, Waroda Marg, Carter Road, Palimala Marg, Chimbai Gaon, Sherly Gaon, Rajgaon, Malagaon and Paligaon in Bandra West, Khardanda Koliwada, Dandpada, Chuim Gaothan, some parts of Gazdarbandh slum will also be affected.Areas where supply will be affected on Saturday include some parts of Khar West, areas along Dr Ambedkar Marg, Pali Gaothan, Pali Plateau, some parts of Bandra West.
TOI correspondent from London: Fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi appeared in person at the London circuit commercial court on Monday to fight another legal battle — a claim against him of over Rs 100 crore by Bank of India.He was a litigant in person until last week, but at the eleventh hour hired a barrister, Vivek Kapoor of 39 Essex Chambers. Nirav arrived 90 minutes late in a prison van dressed in a black suit and white open-neck shirt and sat in a Victorian-era dock surrounded by metal bars.The case centres around a loan Bank of India gave Nirav’s company Firestar Diamond FZE in Dubai on July 2, 2012. Originally it was for $5 million (about Rs 46 crore), increased to $15 million (close to Rs 140 crore) in 2013, and reduced to $12 million (approximately Rs 112 crore) in 2017. Nirav provided a personal guarantee on the loan dated Aug 3, 2013. As the loan was not repaid on demand when terminated in early 2018, at the time allegations of Nirav’s fraud on Punjab National Bank surfaced, on May 9, 2018 the bank filed a claim in the HC against Firestar, and on Oct 22, 2018 Nirav was added as a party to the claim.On March 8, 2024, the bank was granted summary judgment against Firestar of $8.4 million (about Rs 78 crore). This has not been paid and the two corporate guarantors are in liquidation.On Oct 2, 2025, the bank issued a letter of demand to Nirav in relation to the debt. The bank claims it also sent a demand on April 6, 2018, but Kapoor disputed his, claiming this demand was never served on Nirav, saying the Oct demand was “time-barred” under law. He also argued the guarantee was defective and no “default event” had occurred when the termination of the loan took place.The bank says Nirav now owes it in excess of $10.7 million (over Rs 100 crore), including interest.Kapoor is calling for the case to be dismissed. He said the bank’s claim is “riddled with deficiencies and flaws” and the bank was using the “media allegations of fraud allegations” as an “excuse to gloss over the flaws in the bank’s case.”Tom Beasley, representing the bank, argued that it had the right to terminate the loan as there were allegations from Jan 2018 that Nirav owed PNB over $2 billion, potentially having an adverse affect on his ability to repay their loan.