Nitesh Narayan Rane

Swabhiman Sanghatana

Rane started his career by founding Swabhiman Sanghatana which raises social issues in areas of youth unemployment, health services, basic amenities throughout Maharashtra, and mainly in Mumbai.^[4] He was also the general secretary of Youth Congress, Mumbai but resigned from his post in December 2008 because of the conflict between him and other local Congress leaders.^[1] At the onset of summer of 2010, the organization launched a toll free helpline where citizens could register their complaints against the private water supply tankers. Rane stated that the private tankers charged exorbitant prices ranging from anything between 6 and 25 times the rate set by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.^[5][6] He blamed the Shiv Sena-BJP administered BMC for their failure to curb "water-mafia".^[7]

Swabhiman Sanghatana has organised several job fairs.^[8] In October 2011 at Kamgar Maidan, Mumbai, it set a Guinness World Record by conducting largest job fair which gave over 25,000 jobs to unemployed youth, including physically challenged.^[9]

Other works

In September 2012 he started an initiative called "Maharashtra Kalanidhi" (MKN) along with theatre personality Anant Panshikar in order to help Marathi theatre and to get audience to Marathi cinema.^[11] The organization helped director-producer Sanjay Jadhav when he faced financial setbacks in production of his film Duniyadari (2013).^[12] he is building a film city,which will help the Marathi film makers to have very good locations in konkan and low rates for hiring the comprehensive facilities in the film city. first phase of the project is on 10 acres of land in the malvan area.he is working on the project along with team of maharashtra kalanidhi.^[13]

In February 2012, he launched Sindhudurg Tour Guide, a training program with the aim to provide employment & self-employment opportunity to local youth in tourism industry in the Sindhudurg district.^[14][15]

In February 2014 he also launched a unique mobile job providing initiative called "Naukri Express". A mobile vehicle which has mobile office with counters and interview booths, it will travel across Maharashtra advertising vacancies in local organizations with the aim to bring jobs at doorsteps.^[16]

In media

Late in 2009, he protested the release of the Marathi film Zenda as one character in it "Sada Malwankar" resembled his father Narayan Rane, who was the then Minister of Revenue for the state. The producer-director of the film Avdhoot Gupte had to re-shoot and re-dub few scenes and also change the character's name to "Sada Panvalkar" thus removing the connection of Rane family with their hometown Malvan.^[17] In 2010, Chintu Shaikh, a small businessman who runs a medical store in Vikhroli, filed an F.I.R. against Rane under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code for attempted murder. Shaikh claimed that Rane had fired two rounds at him. But the prima facie medical report called the injury to be sustained by some "sharp object" and not bullets.^[18] With further investigation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) gave clean cheat to Rane in 2012. The case was transferred to CBI from police when Shaikh filed a petition in Bombay High Court claiming that police were wrongfully protecting Rane.^[19]

In March 2010, He launched water mafia helpline to tackle water mafia in Mumbai,he also warned the tanker association to lower their prices,he claimed that the BMC has done nothing to curb the city’s water mafia.^[20]

In 2011, Rane claimed that the water mafia sells water to poor people at high rates and sena-bjp are running the water mafia. In a move against water mafia his organization team along with him destroyed an illegal pipeline that water mafia has built in Thane from which 10 lakh litres of water was being stolen everyday.^[21]

In 2012, Rane claimed that the Election Commission of India should close the stall of Vada pav run by Shiv Sena, just in the manner it had ordered covering of statues of Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh. He deemed these stalls as "promotional activity" of Shiv Sena in the light of upcoming elections of BMC.^[22] Earlier in 2011 BMC had threatened to demolish illegal stalls, including those set by Swabhiman Sanghatana. BMC had then removed Shiv Sena's stalls also after Rane warned BMC for partial behaviour.^[23]

In 2012, he was warned by BMC for displaying huge hoardings and banners on the occasion of his birthday by his followers. In response he stated that the banners were already removed by them and that BMC was targeting Nitesh Rane while turning a blind eye on banners of Shiv Sena.^[2]

On 3 December 2013, he was detained by police for allegedly damaging toll booth and assaulting workers at a toll plaza in Goa.^[24]

In 2013-14, Rane was in news for his tweets against narendra modi and Gujarati people inhabiting Mumbai,^[25][26] demanding they leave Mumbai^[27] and stated to take action against them.^{[28][29][30][31][32]}