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IndianExpress: Pune’s reputation as a preferred business destination is all set to receive a massive boost with an estimated Rs 25,000 crore likely to find its way into the city’s upcoming special economic zones (SEZs) over the next five years, according to Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation chief executive officer Rajiv Jalota.

Jalota said the city is likely to attract massive amounts of investments in sectors like IT, biotechnology, research and development and design. “We have already set up a biotechnology fund with a corpus of Rs 500 crore to attract investment in this field. Provisions have also been made to earmark designated areas as biotechnology zones in Pune’s new Development Plan,” he said, adding the government would consider giving these clusters the kind of initiatives offered to IT parks in the city.

IndianExpress: On Sunday evening, when former president of the US and Nobel Peace laureate Jimmy Carter with wife Rosalynn in tow set foot at Malavali village near Lonavla, nearly 45 km from Pune, it was a dream come true for the Carter family. For, 23 years after he had approached the then prime minister Indira Gandhi seeking permission for a global non-profit organisation Habitat for Humanity to work in Indian projects, on Monday, Carter and wife will work side by side with 2,000 volunteers to build 100 homes in this village.

“India has always played a big role in the life of the Carter family. Thirtyeight years ago my mother Lilian had come here to work in Vikhroli village as a volunteer for Peace Corps to improve the lives of people,” Carter recalled

IndianExpress:  Demanding inclusion of unorganised labourers engaged in caste-specific occupations in the Unorganised Labour Social Security Act 2006, representative organisation Kashtakari Jaati Pratinidhi on Sunday held a conference to discuss the new law, a draft of which has been presented at the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) recently.

The Act will bring the unorganised sector into the purview of social security by providing any labourer earning a monthly income of less than Rs 6,500 with pension (for labourers below poverty line), gratuity, life, accident and health insurance, and other benefits.

IndianExpress: Bank of Baroda recently launched its first SME loan factory at Pune.

Inaugurating the new business delivery model of the bank called SME Loan Factory through virtual launch, bank Chairman and Managing Director Dr Anil K Khandelwal stated that the city of Pune was chosen for the purpose as it has always encouraged entrepreneurship and has also produced some of the renowned and big industrialists of the country.

IndianExpress: A week after a gang of 15 people were arrested by the Vishrambaug police for alleged involvement in forcibly evicting a family from their rented apartment at Sadashiv Peth, one more incident has come to light. This time, the incident was reported from Azad Nagar area of Wanavdi.

Rubiya Hassan Mulla has lodged a complaint with Wanavdi police saying that she and her family were forcibly evicted from their rented flat at Vidya Heritage building on Saturday. Although the Wanavdi police have filed a case of rioting and criminal trespass, no arrests have been made so far.