Page 2 - Gujarat

Guj police conduct raids at 17 jails in state to check illegal activities

Gujarat police are conducting raids across 17 jails in the state to check if any illegal activities are taking place there and also to ensure that the inmates are getting facilities they are entitled to as per the law, a top official said. As many as 1,700 police personnel, including officers, are involved in the operation that began Friday night, state Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay said. The raids are being conducted in central jails in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and other cities as well in sub-jails, he told reporters on Friday night when the operation was underway. "The purpose behind the raids is to find out if any illegal activities are taking place in the jails and to prevent them. Sniffer dogs have also been roped in this intense search operation," Sahay said. Another purpose of the operation is to find out whether the jail inmates are being provided facilities as per the rules properly, he said. The police personnel involved in the operation wore ...

Gujarat to host disaster management meet from March 30 as part of G20

Gujarat will host a meet on disaster management from March 30 till April 1 as part of India's G20 presidency, an official said on Friday. It was earlier announced by the government that Gujarat will host the next round of G20 meetings from March 27 till April 4, during which three meetings will take place in the state. While the first meeting on 'Environment and Climate Sustainability' will will take place between March 27 and 29 in Gandhinagar, this second meeting of 'Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group" will be held from March 30 till April 1, said Indian Administrative Service official Mona Khandhar, who is coordinating G20 events in Gujarat. "A curtain raiser event on lessons learnt from past earthquakes will be held on March 29 at Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management in Gandhinagar. On March 30, the inaugural function will be followed by a technical session on the theme Early Warning System for All. Delegates will enjoy cultural events in the evening at Mahatma Mandir ...

Cong holds protests at Guj headquarters against Rahul Gandhi's conviction

Congress workers on Friday held silent protests at 19 district headquarters in Gujarat against the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a 2019 defamation case by a court in Surat, a party spokesperson said. The Congress has instructed party workers to hold protests in all 33 districts in the state against the conviction and two-year jail term to Rahul Gandhi, he said. The Surat court sentenced Gandhi to two years jail on Thursday but granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court. The defamation case had been registered against Gandhi for his 'How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?' remark. The complaint against him was lodged by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. Gandhi had made the remark during a rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019, during the Lok Sabha elections campaign. "Silent protests were held in front of the collector offices in 19 districts of Gujarat. We had ..

Aether Industries to set up new unit in Gujarat with Rs 1,000 cr investment

Specialty chemicals company Aether Industries on Thursday said it has signed an initial pact with the Gujarat government to set up new manufacturing plants at its Panoli Site with an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government to this effect, Aether Industries said in a statement. With an indicated investment of Rs 1,000 crore, generating future employment for more than 1,000 people, the company aims to commission the plants by the year 2025, the statement added. In the recent past, the company had purchased 1,25,000 sq. plots at Panoli GIDC, in Bharuch district. The company aims to utilise the Panoli plots in an efficient manner to manufacture a variety of products for the first time in India. Surat-based Aether produces advanced intermediates and specialty chemicals. The products find application in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, material science, coating, high-performance photography, additive,

Gujarat court to deliver verdict in 2019 defamation case against Rahul

A court in Surat in Gujarat on Thursday will deliver its verdict in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his "Modi surname" remarks, party leaders said. The case was filed against Gandhi for his alleged how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname? remarks on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. The Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad made the alleged remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma had last week concluded hearing final arguments from both sides and set March 23 to pronounce its judgment in the four-year-old defamation case, Gandhi's lawyer Kirit Panwala had said. Gandhi had last appeared before the Surat court in the case, filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (dealing with defamation), in October 2021 to record his statement.

Gujarat to host next round of G20 meetings from March 27- April 4: Official

Gujarat will host the next round of G20 meetings from March 27 to April 4, during which three conclaves will be held in the state on a range of issues, where delegates from different countries will converge for participation, said an official on Tuesday. India currently holds the year-long presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), which comprises 19 countries across continents and the European Union (EU). Of these three upcoming events in the state, the first meeting on "Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG)" will take place between March 27 and 29 in Gandhinagar, said IAS officer Mona Khandhar, who is coordinating G20 events in Gujarat. "This is the second meeting of ECSWG. It will be inaugurated by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant in the presence of several senior central government officials and subject experts," said Khandhar, who serves as Principal Secretary (Economic Affairs) in the state finance department. Some of these dignitaries include Leena Nandan, Secretary,

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 ...

Mild tremor of 3.2 magnitude felt in Gujarat's Kutch district, no casualty

A tremor of 3.2 magnitude was recorded in Gujarat's Kutch district on Monday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR). District authorities said no damage to life or property was reported. The tremor was recorded at 7:35 AM with its epicentre located around 10 km north-northeast (NNE) from Bhachau city in Kutch district, the ISR said in its latest update. Kutch district is located in a "very high risk" seismic zone, and the occurrence of mild tremors is a regular phenomenon. As per the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA), the state faces a high earthquake risk and witnessed major incidents in 1819, 1845, 1847, 1848, 1864, 1903, 1938, 1956, and 2001. The 2001 Kutch earthquake was the third largest and second most destructive earthquake in India over the last two centuries, killing more than 13,800 people and leaving 1.67 lakh others injured.

New NEP accepted by all, whole country working to implement it: Amit Shah

The new National Education Policy (NEP) has been accepted by all and the whole country is working to implement it, unlike the NEPs in the past which created controversies owing to ideological links, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Sunday. Addressing graduating students at the 4th convocation of the Central University of Gujarat, Shah said the NEP 2020 will work to bring education out of the scope of narrow thinking, and teachers must read it "between the lines" to understand its implications. "Normally, education policies have a history of being mired in controversies. There were two NEPs in the past and were always surrounded by controversies. Many commissions were also formed in between for the implementation of educational reforms, but they were always surrounded by controversies," Shah said. Referring to controversies, he said, unfortunately, we had a tradition of linking education policy with ideology and turning it into the mould of that ideology. "But nobody could

New Education Policy will be implemented soon: Amit Shah in Gujarat

Shah who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat attended the fourth convocation ceremony of Gujarat Central University here in Gandhinagar

Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam will be a milestone in TN-Gujarat ties: Mandaviya

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat to give a new dimension to the concept of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' and said that the forthcoming Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam would be the very first 'largest and holistic reunion' of the two States after several centuries. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Chemicals and Fertilisers said the 10-day Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam scheduled to commence from April 17 would be an important milestone in the history of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. The Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam will be held in multiple locations in Gujarat. Beginning his speech in Tamil, Mandaviya said the bond between Tamil Nadu and Gujarat was 'centuries old' and that there was a 'special connection' lies between the two States. "Friends, Tamil Nadu is the same land which gave shelter to our ancestors centuries ago. This land gave the very opportunity to move forward. They (ancestors) earned a name in the field of art, ...

Gujarat CM holds review meeting on crop losses due to unseasonal rainfall

He also directed the concerned District Collectors to conduct a preliminary survey of agricultural losses in their districts

GG vs RCB Highlights, WPL 2023: Devine intervention gets RCB to victory

Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, WPL 2023 Live Updates: It was nothing less than a divine intervention as Sophie Devine scored 99 off just 36 balls to guide her team to victory

Gujarat govt paid Rs 12,757 crore in power subsidy to farmers in two years

The Gujarat government paid Rs 12,757 crore to farmers as electricity subsidy in two years and has allocated Rs 10,970 crore for the same for the current financial year, the state legislative Assembly was informed on Saturday. The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission has decided a tariff of Rs 2,400 per horsepower (HP) per year rate for agricultural consumers, but they pay Rs 665 per HP per year and the remaining Rs 1,735 per HP per year is paid by the state government to Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) in the form of subsidy, state energy minister Kanu Desai said. "As a relief to farmers in electricity bills, the state government paid a total of Rs 12,757 crore as subsidy in two years, 2021 and 2022. It has also made a provision of Rs 10,970 crore for the same for the financial year 2022-23," Desai told the House. Farmers are also exempt from paying fuel charges, and the government pays this as a subsidy to GUVNL, he said. The minister also informed the House that farmer

Drugs, liquor worth over Rs 6,400 cr seized in Gujarat in two years

Narcotic substances and liquor worth Rs 6,413 crore were seized in different parts of Gujarat in the last two years, the state government informed the legislative Assembly on Friday. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi shared the data while responding to a set of questions by Congress MLAs during the Question Hour of the Assembly. As per the state government's data, the police seized liquor, both country made and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), worth Rs 212 crore in two years till December 2022. The seized liquor included IMFL bottles worth Rs 197.56 crore, country-made liquor worth Rs 3.99 crore and beer bottles worth Rs 10.51 crore, the data revealed. The authorities also seized drugs, such as heroin, charas, opium, cannabis and methamphetamine, worth Rs 6,201 crore from different parts of the state in the same period, Sanghavi said. While majority of criminals associated with this illegal trade had been already caught, nearly 3,700 accused are still at large, he ...

Over 125,000 children in Gujarat malnourished: Government tells Assembly

The Gujarat government on Thursday informed the Legislative Assembly that more than 1.25 lakh children in the state were malnourished and it was taking various steps to improve the situation. Responding to a set of questions raised by Congress MLAs during Question Hour, Women and Child Development Minister Bhanuben Babariya informed that out of the total 1,25,707 malnourished children in the state, 1,01,586 were 'underweight', while 24,121 fell in the category of 'severely underweight'. Tribal-dominated district of Narmada accounted for the highest number of malnourished children (12,492), followed by Vadodara (11,322), Anand (9,615), Sabarkantha (7,270), Surat (6,967) and Bharuch (5,863), said Babariya in her written replies. The minister said the state government is taking various steps to end malnutrition in the state. Children in the age group of 3 to 6 years are given hot breakfast and lunch at anganwadis (child care centres). In addition, fruits are given to children twice a

WPL 2023: Our future is still in our hands, says Gujarat Giants coach

Meanwhile, team mentor and former India Captain Mithali Raj feels winning one game in the first leg is definitely not great but the tournament is still wide open

Gujarat govt earned Rs 38,760 cr from taxes on petrol, diesel in two years

The Gujarat government earned Rs 38,730 crore from value-added tax (VAT) and cess on petrol, diesel, CNG and PNG in the last two years, the state legislative Assembly was informed on Monday. The state government received Rs 4,219 crore from the Centre against Rs 21,672.90 crore as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation for the period from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022, it was stated. Responding to a starred question in the Assembly, state Energy Minister Kanu Desai said the state government earned Rs 11,870 crore from VAT and cess on petrol, Rs 26,383 crore on diesel, Rs 128 crore on PNG and Rs 376 crore on CNG in two years. The state government had imposed 13.7 per cent VAT and 4 per cent cess on petrol, 14.9 per cent VAT and 4 per cent cess on diesel, 15 per cent VAT on PNG (commercial), 5 per cent VAT on PNG (household), 15 per cent VAT on CNG (wholesaler), and 5 per cent VAT on CNG (retailer), he said. He further informed the House that there was no change in 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

H1N1 has claimed one death in Gujarat, informs state health minister

Amid a sharp surge in H3N2 virus cases in the country, Gujarat health minister Rushikesh Patel said that the state has reported one death due to H1N1