Maharashtra Govt Approves Rs 3 Crore for NASA Trip for 51 Science Expo Winners Nagpur: The Maharashtra government has approved over Rs 3 crore to send 51 school science exhibition awardees on an eight-day educational trip to NASA in the United States under the Mukhyamantri Vidyarthi Vigyan Yatri scheme. The initiative, conceived by state education minister of state Pankaj Bhoyar, was approved by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the recent assembly session. The scheme aims to enhance the quality of science exhibitions by linking them to educational opportunities at prestigious institutions like NASA and ISRO. The NASA trip will include 51 students, along with a male teacher, a female teacher, and two administrative officers. The expenditure will be drawn from the state education budget under the State Science Education Institute. Students will be selected from those who top the state-level science exhibition across general, divyang (persons with disabilities), and tribal categories in both primary and secondary groups. The allocation for the 51 seats is as follows: 17 for the primary general category, 18 for the secondary general category, four each for the primary and secondary divyang categories, and four each for the primary and secondary tribal categories. A committee chaired by the director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in Pune will oversee the selection and planning for the NASA visit. The scheme, cleared by the Cabinet on March 24, connects school science exhibitions at three levels—taluka, district, and state—to progressively higher-profile educational visits. At the district level, 180 students and eight supervisors will visit ISRO in Bengaluru, with a per-person ceiling of Rs 35,000, funded through DPDC allocations.#nasa #devendra_fadnavis #maharashtra_govt #pankaj_bhoyar #mukhyamantri_vidyarthi_vigyan_yatri
Maharashtra passes anti-conversion bill; MoS Bhoyar says law targets only forceful conversions Nagpur: The Maharashtra legislature passed the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act 2026 in both houses, with Minister of State (Home) Pankaj Bhoyar presenting the bill in the Legislative Council on March 17. Bhoyar described the legislation as a law the state had long awaited, emphasizing its intent to address forced religious conversions. He stated, "The law and the bill that the people of Maharashtra were waiting for over many years are now being brought forward with the courage and resolve shown by the govt working under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis." Bhoyar clarified that the legislation specifically targets coerced conversions, not the right to convert voluntarily. "We are not infringing upon anyone's rights," he said, adding that the law aims to verify whether a conversion occurred freely. Bhoyar explained the constitutional basis for the law, noting that while the Constitution guarantees the right to profess, practise, and propagate one's religion, this right is not absolute. He stated, "If the govt feels that someone is carrying out religious conversion through fraud, coercion, or inducement, the Constitution also provides scope for the state govt to enact a law against it." The Act defines illegal conversions as those involving allurement, coercion, fraud, force, enticement, mass conversion, or undue influence. Performing or assisting in such conversions is punishable under the law. The law mandates that any conversion or ceremony related to conversion must be reported to authorities 60 days in advance, with a declaration submitted to the education officer within 21 days. Failure to comply renders the conversion void.#nagpur #maharashtra #devendra_fadnavis #maharashtra_freedom_of_religion_act_2026 #pankaj_bhoyar
Maharashtra passes anti-conversion bill; MoS Bhoyar says law targets only forceful conversions The Maharashtra legislature passed the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act 2026 in both houses, with minister of state (Home) Pankaj Bhoyar presenting the bill in the Legislative Council on March 17. Bhoyar described the legislation as a law the state had long awaited, emphasizing the government's resolve under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. He clarified that the law specifically targets coerced conversions and does not infringe upon the right to convert. "We are not infringing upon anyone's rights. Rather, the provision for such registration is being introduced to ensure whether a conversion has truly taken place voluntarily or not," Bhoyar stated. Bhoyar explained the constitutional basis for the law, noting that while the Constitution guarantees the right to profess, practise, and propagate one's religion, this right is not absolute. "If the government feels that someone is carrying out religious conversion through fraud, coercion or inducement, the Constitution also provides scope for the state government to enact a law against it," he added. Regarding children born from marriages based on illegal conversions, Bhoyar mentioned that the child will be deemed to belong to the mother's original religion. Such children will retain full inheritance rights, and their custody will vest with the mother. The Act defines various forms of illegal conversion, including allurement, coercion, fraud, force, enticement, mass conversion, and undue influence. Performing an illegal conversion, attempting to do so, assisting, aiding, or instigating such a conversion is a punishable offence. Any conversion carried out in violation of the Act shall be declared void.#maharashtra #devendra_fadnavis #pankaj_bhoyar #maharashtra_freedom_of_religion_act_2026 #illegal_conversion
