A plane crash has killed the deputy chief minister of India’s Maharashtra state, Ajit Pawar, the country’s aviation regulator has said.

The plane, which took off from the state capital, Mumbai, on Wednesday, crash-landed at the airport in Pawar’s constituency of Baramati, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Two members of the prominent politician’s staff and two crew members were also reported to have been killed.

The cause of the crash has not yet been officially confirmed.

Flightradar24, an online flight tracking service, said the aircraft was attempting a second approach to Baramati airport when it crashed.

The Times of India newspaper quoted DGCA officials as saying the aircraft, a Learjet 45 operated by a company called VSR, crashed at about 8:45am local time (03:15 GMT).

The daily said Pawar, the nephew of veteran politician Sharad Pawar, who founded the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was on his way to attend a public rally for the district council elections.

A witness quoted by the newspaper said the aircraft exploded moments after hitting the ground.

“When we rushed to the spot, the aircraft was on fire. There were four to five more explosions. People tried to pull the passengers out, but the fire was too intense,” said the witness.

Pawar, 66, built his political base through the grassroots cooperative movement. He was a key figure in state politics and served as the second-highest elected official in Maharashtra, as part of the larger federal governing coalition led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He wielded considerable influence in the state’s vibrant sugar belt and was known for his ability to mobilise rural voters.

[Aljazeera]

A new circular has been issued by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to provide relief to micro, small and self-employed businesses affected by the emergency situation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The circular has been issued in line with Circular No. 08/2025, which was introduced to restore disrupted livelihoods following the disaster.

The Government programme to empower communities affected by the disaster was introduced through Budget Circular No. 08/2025 dated December 5, 2025. Expanding this relief framework further and ensuring more effective and efficient delivery of assistance, additional circulars No. 08/2025(i) dated December 20, 2025 and No. 08/2025(iii) dated January 22, 2026 have been issued.

The social empowerment programme under the newly issued circular is structured as follows.

Assistance for affected individual, small and micro businesses

A one-time grant to restore businesses damaged by the disaster to a condition suitable for reopening.

LKR 200,000 for individual, small and micro-businesses registered with the Ministry of Industry.

LKR 200,000 for individual, small and micro-businesses registered with the Divisional Secretariat as a business entity.

LKR 50,000 for unregistered home-based businesses operated from a permanent structure.

LKR 50,000 per unit for unregistered production industries, including greenhouses.

LKR 25,000 for temporary business setups, including mobile and street hawking.

A grant will be provided to owners of the commercial buildings affected by the disaster to restore their business premises to operational condition.

A grant of Rs. 500,000/- will be provided to each business building owner who voluntarily opts to receive assistance without a damage assessment.

A grant of up to Rs. 5,000,000/- will be provided to each business building owner who opts to receive assistance after a damage assessment, based on the assessed value of the building.

In addition to the above grants, the following loan facilities have also been provided.

In addition to these grants, the Treasury has introduced a new credit scheme to provide loans for business owners whose enterprises were affected by the disaster, enabling them to restart their operations and meet essential requirements.

Accordingly:

Facilities have been provided for affected businesses to obtain loans ranging from Rs. 250,000 to Rs. 25,000,000 through the banking system at an interest rate of 3%, with a 6-month grace period and repayment over 3 years to restart their operations.

As part of the investment loans for business reconstruction, entrepreneurs whose businesses were damaged can access bank loans of up to Rs. 25 million at an interest rate of 5%, with a 12-month grace period and repayment over 10 years.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that food safety practices should not be confined merely to the school curriculum, but should be nurtured as an integral part of a child’s attitudes and behavioral patterns.

The Prime Minister made these remarks today (28) while addressing the National Workshop on Education for Building and Strengthening a Domestic Circular Economy, held at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, under the Circular Economy in the Food Sector Project (2024–2027).

Implemented with financial support from the European Union, under the Global Gateway programme in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the workshop aimed to identify challenges and opportunities in integrating circular economy concepts into school education; to develop practical action plans through policymakers, youth and skills development sectors, and formal education stakeholders; and to establish a educational foundation to promote sustainable circular economy practices in the food sector of Sri Lanka by 2027.

The Prime Minister stated:

“Education is not merely about passing examinations and securing employment. True education fosters a sense of responsibility and connection towards society and the environment. At present, what is most important is the concept of the circular economy, which promotes the repeated and efficient use of resources.

This concept is not unfamiliar to our ancestors. I am reminded of my grandmother, who demonstrated remarkable skill in minimizing food waste. From what we discard today such as passion fruit peels, she prepared delicious jams and chutneys. Even the metal lids of milk bottles were not thrown away. Instead, she transformed them into creative household decorations. ’Nothing should be wasted’ was a core philosophy of their way of life.

However, today, women deal with intense time pressures. Balancing employment and childcare responsibilities, food waste such as vegetables or cooked meals left unused in refrigerators has become increasingly common due to time restrictions. This should not be seen as the sole responsibility of women; rather, household responsibilities and labour must be shared collectively within the family”.

The Prime Minister further emphasized that practices such as taking only the required portion of food, cleaning one’s own plate, and developing respect for conserving resources should not remain theoretical lessons, but should be embraced as everyday life practices. She also reaffirmed that the Ministry of Education would extend its full support towards achieving this goal.

The event was attended by Carmen Moreno, Ambassador of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives; Dr. Johann Hesse, Head of Cooperation of the European Union; FAO Representative Vimlendra Sharan; along with representatives from the National Institute of Education (NIE), and a number of government and non-governmental organizations.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]