Gujarat Government

HFCL bags Rs 283-crore order for Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation phase-1

Telecom gear maker HFCL on Wednesday said it bagged a Rs 282.61 crore contract from Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation to deploy communication systems for Surat Metro Rail Project Phase-1. The company has to deploy the project within 90 days from the date of contract. "..the company has bagged an order worth Rs 282.61 crore from Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) Limited, for design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of telecommunication systems for Surat Metro Rail Project Phase-I," the company said in a regulatory filing. Under the contract, HFCL has to provide warranty support for 110 weeks for the system that it will deploy. HFCL has recently won a contract for the integration of communication networks in Kanpur-Agra metro rail project and is currently implementing telecom networks for seven greenfield dedicated freight corridor projects for Indian Railways. HFCL is also integrating communication networks for metros and mainline railways and implement

Bilkis Bano's plea: SC seeks response from Centre, Gujarat government

The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Centre, Gujarat government and others on a plea filed by Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped and seven members of her family were killed during the 2002 post-Godhra riots. Bano has challenged remission of sentence of 11 convicts in the case. While posting the matter for hearing on April 18, a bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna said there is a gamut of issues involved and it needs to hear the matter in detail. The top court issued a notice to the Centre, the Gujarat government and the convicts. It also directed the Gujarat government to be ready with the relevant files granting remission to the parties on the next date of the hearing. During the hearing, the bench observed that it would not be overwhelmed by emotions in the case and would only go by the law. On January 4, a bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi took up the petition filed by Bano and other pleas. However, Justice Trivedi recused fro

16 Cong MLAs suspended from Gujarat Assembly for remaining Budget session

As many as 16 of 17 MLAs of Congress were suspended from the Gujarat Assembly on Monday for the remainder of the Budget session till March 29 for creating ruckus and staging protests in the House over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as an MP. Some MLAs of the main Opposition party, including Imran Khedawala, Geniben Thakor and Amrtutji Thakor, were evicted by marshals as they sat in the well of the House and refused to go back to their seats despite repeated appeals made by Speaker Shankar Chaudhary. Except for Anant Patel, the rest 16 MLAs of Congress were present in the House on Monday. As soon as the question hour began, Congress Legislative Party leader Amit Chavda demanded a discussion on the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha claiming he had been "silenced by the BJP government" for raising the issues concerning people. Gandhi was disqualified as an MP after a court in Surat convicted him on March 23 in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname"

Godhra train burning: SC to hear pleas of Gujarat govt, convicts on Apr 10

The Supreme Court on Friday said it will dispose of the bail pleas of several convicts serving life imprisonment in the 2002 Godhra train burning case on April 10. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government, that he has to verify certain factual details with regard to some convicts. The bench, also comprising justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, considered the submissions of the law officer and adjourned the hearing to April 10, and said it will "dispose of" the pending bail pleas of the convicts on that day. The bench, meanwhile, extended the bail granted to one of the convicts earlier on the ground that his wife was suffering from cancer. "His wife is suffering from cancer. My consent may be recorded," said the law officer while supporting the extension of bail. Earlier on March 17, the top court had said it will hear on March 24 the appeal of the Gujarat government and

Gujarat government hikes minimum wages for labourers by almost 25%

The Gujarat government on Monday announced in the state Assembly that minimum wages given to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labourers have been increased by nearly 25 per cent -- up to more than Rs 2,400 per month -- a hike coming after a gap of nine years. The announcement about the increase in minimum wages, which will become effective after a notification is issued within a fortnight, was made in the Assembly by Gujarat Labour and Employment Minister Balwantsinh Rajput, who said the current payment structure for labourers came into force in the state in 2014. He said the hike will benefit nearly 2 crore people. For skilled labourers working in the jurisdiction of municipal corporations, municipalities and urban development authorities in 46 different types of businesses listed in the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the government has hiked the minimum monthly wage from Rs 9,887.80 to Rs 12,324, a rise of Rs 2,436.20, or 24.63 per cent, he said. For semi-skilled labourers, the ...

Government of Gujarat promoted companies: A success story

The state is consistently ranked among top three in terms of attracting capital investment including foreign direct investment

Guj govt announces Rs 330 crore to transport and store potatoes, onions

The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced a Rs 330-crore package for onion and potato cultivators for transportation and storage amid a drop in rates. State Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel told the Assembly that Gujarat is likely to produce seven lakh tonne of red onions in 2023. "Marketing yards in the Saurashtra region are likely to receive 3.50 lakh tonne produce for sale, for which the government will provide an assistance of Rs 70 crore by providing an additional Rs 2 per kg for sale through Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC). Onion farmers will get an assistance of Rs 20 crore for transportation (of the produce) to other states and abroad," he said. The government has also decided to provide financial aid of Rs 240 crore to potato growers affected by a fall in prices due to high production, the minister said. This aid will be provided in the form of storage and transportation cost for the sale of potatoes in other states and outside the country. (Of the Rs 2

Canals of 6,000 km yet to be built as part of Narmada project: Gujarat govt

Canals with a cumulative length of nearly 6,000 km are yet to be constructed as part of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada project, the Gujarat government told the legislative assembly on Friday. Replying to a written query by Congress MLA Arjun Modhwadia on the status of the Narmada project, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who handles the Narmada portfolio, said canals with a cumulative length of 5,975.62 km are yet to be built. Although the main canal running up to 458.32 kilometres has been completed, 0.92 km of branch canals, 171.67 km of distributaries, 1,070.84 km of minor canals and 4,732.19 km of sub-minor canals are yet to be constructed in the state, Patel said in his written reply during the Question Hour. He said pending works of minor canals would be completed at the earliest, subject to land acquisition and grant of permissions by various departments, as they passed through forests, sanctuaries and under utilities like oil pipelines and power lines. Since sub-minor canals are

Gujarat Assembly passes bill to make Gujarati lessons compulsory for kids

The Gujarat Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill which makes teaching the Gujarati language compulsory in all primary schools in the state, including those affiliated with CBSE, ICSE and IB boards. If a school is found violating the provisions of the "Gujarat Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Gujarati Language Bill, 2023" for more than a year, the government would "direct the Board or institution" to disaffiliate the school. The bill, tabled by state Education Minister Kuberbhai Dindor, was passed unanimously by the 182-member House as both the opposition parties - the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party - supported its provisions. As per the bill document, the schools which are currently not teaching Gujarati will have to introduce Gujarati as an additional language for classes 1 to 8 in phases from the upcoming academic year 2023-24. "Every school shall follow textbooks prescribed by the Gujarat government for teaching Gujarati as an additional language. The state governm

Gujarat govt presents Rs 3.01 trn budget with no new taxes proposed

The Gujarat government on Friday presented a Rs 3.01 lakh crore budget with no new taxes imposed on people. Gujarat Finance Minister Kanu Desai presented the budgetary outlay for fiscal 2023-24 in the state Assembly here. This was the first budget of the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government headed by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel which took office in December last year after the saffron outfit registered a landslide victory in the Assembly polls. The Budget 2023-24 proposes a slew of schemes and projects, some of which were part of the promises made by the BJP in its manifesto before the 2022 elections, like doubling the insurance coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya-MA (PMJAY-MA) scheme to Rs 10 lakh from Rs 5 lakh and providing two gas cylinders free per year to the beneficiaries of Ujjwala scheme. Minister Desai said that taking into consideration the revenue account with capital account and net public account, the estimates for the financial year 2023-24 show a .

Gujarat govt signs 18 MoUs worth Rs 9,852 crore to boost investment

The Gujarat government on Monday signed 18 memoranda of understanding (MoU) worth Rs 9,852 crore under the state government's 'Aatmanirbhar Gujarat Schemes for Assistance to Industries', which was announced last year to boost new investment, an official release said. Through these 18 agreements, various firms have pledged to invest Rs 9,852 crore in different parts of the state, which would generate 10,851 employment opportunities. These MoUs were signed in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Monday. Companies engaged in the business of chemicals and agrochemicals production, pharmaceuticals, equipment and electric rickshaws had signed MoUs with the state government, said the release. Some of the major investments which were promised through MoUs today include a yarn and PET chips plant in Palsana taluka of Surat by Garden Silk Mills, said the release, adding that the facility will provide employment to 1,450 persons. Other major investments include a plant b

SC asks CBI, Guj why they want Teesta Setalvad, her husband back in jail

The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the CBI and the Gujarat government as to why they want to send social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand back in jail after they have been out for over seven years on anticipatory bail. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Abhay S Oka and BV Nagarathna said, "Question is how long can you keep someone in custody. Seven years have passed since anticipatory bail was granted. You want to send her back to custody. Advocate Rajat Nair, appearing for the CBI and the Gujarat government said some additional material needed to be placed before the court with regard to the cases and, therefore, four weeks time may be given. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Aparna Bhat, appearing for Setalvad and her husband Anand, said in one of the proceedings in which the CBI has come in appeal, anticipatory bail was granted following which a charge sheet was filed and after that regular bail was granted to her. He said since a regular b

Morbi municipality seeks docs seized by SIT to reply to Gujarat govt notice

The bridge was maintained and operated by the Oreva Group as per an agreement signed with the Morbi municipality

B20 meet: By 2026-27, Gujarat aims to be a $500 bn economy, says minister

'By 2026-27, Gujarat aims to be a $500 billion economy and by 2030-32, a $1 trillion economy'

Gujarat firms sign 22 MoUs entailing investments worth Rs 40,000 cr in UP

A total of 22 corporate entities from Gujarat have promised to invest Rs 40,000 crore in Uttar Pradesh, which would create 50,000 direct as well as indirect employment opportunities, a senior official from the country's most populous state said on Friday. These 22 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) amounting to Rs 40,000 crore were signed during the B2G meetings and roadshows organised by the Yogi Adityanath's government here on Friday, Navneet Sehgal, Additional Chief Secretary in UP's Sports and Youth Welfare department, said here on Friday. The roadshows and meets were organised here in the run up to UP Global Investors Summit to be held in Lucknow between February 10 and 12. "We have been successful in receiving investment proposals of Rs 40,000 crore from Gujarat. Through these MoUs, more than 50,000 employment opportunities will be created directly or indirectly in the state. At the same time, many other investors expressed their desire to invest several thousand crore rupees

Bridge collapse: Guj govt issues show-cause notice to Morbi municipality

The suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi town collapsed on October 30 last year, killing 135 persons

Fisherman's widow gets compensation from Gujarat govt - after 9 years

The widow of a fisherman from Gir-Somnath district, killed by Pakistan firing on an Indian boat in 2013, has received Rs 3 lakh compensation after nine long years of representations and fighting

Morbi councillors oppose Gujarat govt's move to supersede civic body

Morbi councillors have written to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel against the Gujarat government's move

SC refuses early set up of bench for Bilkis Bano's plea against convicts

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain submissions seeking an early setting up of a fresh bench to hear Bilkis Bano's plea challenging the remission of sentence of 11 convicts by the Gujarat government in her gang-rape case A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha was urged by lawyer Shobha Gupta, appearing for Bano, that another bench was needed to be constituted to hear the case. The writ (petition) will be listed. Please, do not keep mentioning the same thing again and again. It is very irritating, the CJI said. Supreme Court judge Bela M Trivedi on Tuesday recused herself from hearing a plea filed by Bano. The CJI will now have to set up a fresh bench, to which Justice Trivedi will not be a part, to hear Bano's case. All the 11 convicts were granted remission by the state government and released on August 15 this year. Bilkis Bano was 21-years-old and five months pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that brok

Bhupendra Patel resigns as Gujarat CM, BJP to elect new leader on Saturday

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and his cabinet tendered their resignations to Governor Acharya Devvrat on Friday to pave the way for the formation of a new government