Page 3 - Gujarat

PM Modi holds separate meetings with Gujarat BJP leaders, state officials

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held separate meetings with key leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as well as senior officials of the Gujarat government in Gandhinagar before leaving for Delhi. He reached the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar after watching the fourth Test between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera area with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. At the Raj Bhavan, he first met Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, state BJP president C R Paatil and state BJP general secretary (organisation) Ratnakar, sources said. At the meeting, Modi is believed to have taken stock of the performance of the state government during the first 100 days and ongoing development works. Patel became Gujarat CM for the second time in December last year following the party's landslide victory. Soon afterwards, the PM held another meeting with senior Gujarat officials including Chief Secretary Raj Kumar and Chief Principal Secretary to the CM, K

WPL 2023: Sneh Rana's Gujarat fight Smriti's RCB to break the losing streak

GG vs RCB Women Live Updates: WPL 2023: The Women's Premiere League is gaining momentum after the end of the first five games. Two teams who haven't won till now, are up against each other

Gujarat Guv gives assent to stringent bill to tackle exam paper leaks

Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat has given his assent to a Bill brought by the state's BJP government in the ongoing Budget session to curb recruitment exam paper leaks which prescribes jail up to 10 years to those involved in such malpractices and may face fines of up to Rs 1 crore. The Gujarat Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2023 was unanimously passed in the House on February 24, and Governor Devvrat has given his assent, Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said on Monday. As per provisions of the Bill, those involved in malpractices like exam paper leaks could be jailed for up to 10 years and may face fines of up to Rs 1 crore. The legislation is meant to punish those who either leak a question paper of a recruitment exam, procure a question paper in an unauthorised manner or solve such a paper illegally. The Bill says any candidate indulging in such activities will be punished with imprisonment up to three years, and shall also be liable for a fine

Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants WPL 2023: Guide to book online tickets

Women's Premier League 2023 Tickets: Check out this step-by-step guide to book online tickets for the WPL matches happening in Mumbai

Fire breaks out in Vadodara's chemical factory; fire tenders rushed to spot

A massive fire broke out in a chemical factory in Gujarat's Vadodara on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday

Gujarat's Hirasar airport to be ready for operations by March end

The airport at Hirasar in Gujarat's Rajkot district will be ready for operations by the end of this month and will have the longest runway in the state, a senior official said on Saturday. Landing and other calibration tests began at the facility, located on the outskirts of Rajkot city, on Saturday, he said. Talking to reporters, district collector Arun Mahesh Babu said the airport has a 3.5-km long runway, which is the longest in Gujarat, and it also has a 700-metre water tunnel below the runway, which is the longest in Asia. "It is a historic day for Rajkot, as this will be the main airport for the entire Saurashtra region. This can also emerge as the largest airport in Gujarat...The instrument landing checking for the airport began today," Babu said. Landing and systems calibrations through the air traffic control (ATC) will go on for two days, he said. "Ninety-nine per cent work is complete. Seven windmills (located in the area) are being removed, and the approach road from t

WPL 2023, Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians preview: Battle of all-rounders

The first match of the Women's Premier League 2023 will be played between Beth Mooney-led Gujarat Giants and Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians

WPL 2023: Teams, venues, formats and everything one must know about it

Before the matches rush on to the viewers, here's a quick look at the basics to get them up to date with the new event

India's GIFT City campus to be Deakin University's 1st international foray

University of Wollongong also likely to announce a campus

What was fugitive Nithyananda's 'United States of Kailasa' doing at the UN?

Nithyananda, a rape-accused fugitive who is also a self-styled godman, claims to have established a country representing 2 billion Hindus in 2019

Contract to Adani skill centre without tender, says Gujarat govt

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat on Thursday told the state Assembly there was no tendering process to award a contract for the 'Adani Skill Development, Ahmedabad' facility meant to impart training to Scheduled Caste youths. Responding to query from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Hemant Ahir during Question Hour, state Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Bhanuben Babariya said the Director of Scheduled Caste Welfare had signed a contract with the entity to train SC youths in March 2019 and issued a work order in August 2019. As per the contract, the state government would pay Rs 13.98 crore to Adani Skill Development to train these youths, of which Rs 7.87 lakh had been paid in the last two years, as per the minister's written reply. In reply to a sub-question on whether a tender process was followed, Babariya replied in the negative, adding further not a single SC youth was imparted training in 2021 and 2022 by the entity. As per the official website, 'Adani Skill

Australian universities to set up campuses in GIFT City: Education Minister

Two Australian universities -- Wollongong and Deakin -- will soon establish campuses in Gujarat's 'GIFT CITY', Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Wednesday. The two varsities will sign an agreement on setting up their campuses next week during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's maiden visit to India. Pradhan made the announcement during an event at Delhi University's Venkateshwara College, which hosted Australian Education Minister Jason Clare, who is on a four-day visit to the country. "Two Australian universities will be establishing campuses in the GIFT CITY in Gujarat. We want to partner with Australia with accessibility, affordability and quality of education for youngsters," he said. The two universities are Deakin University and Wollongong University. The Australian minister also announced that noted former cricketer Adam Gilchrist, the global brand ambassador of Wollongong University, will help in setting up the university campus in ...

240 lions, 370 leopards died in Gujarat in 2 years: Forest Minister

At least 240 lions, among them 123 cubs, died in Gujarat over the last two years, and 26 of these fatalities were due to unnatural causes, state Forest Minister Mulubhai Bera informed the legislative Assembly on Tuesday. Responding to a query by senior Congress MLA Arjun Modhwadia during Question Hour, Bera said 370 leopards, including 100 cubs, also died in two years -- 2021 and 2022 -- in the state. Of the 240 lion deaths, 124 were reported in 2021 and 116 in 2022. In case of leopards, 179 died in 2021 and 191 last year, the minister said in a written reply in the Assembly, which is having its Budget session. As many as 214 lions succumbed to natural causes, while 26 fatalities were due to unnatural causes such as the big cats getting hit by vehicles or falling into open wells, he said. Among leopards, 256 deaths were due to natural causes and 114 fatalities were attributed to unnatural reasons, Bera said. The state government has taken various steps to prevent unnatural deaths

Swiss packaging solutions provider SIG to invest 60 mn for Ahmedabad plant

Switzerland-based leading packaging solutions provider SIG on Tuesday said it would invest 60 million Euro (approx Rs 525.98 crore) in the next two years to set up its first aseptic carton plant at Ahmedabad, in Gujarat. "SIG will construct its first aseptic carton plant in India, the world's largest milk market, and one of the largest juices-producing countries globally," the company said in a statement. An aseptic carton is a multilayered packaging solution made after combining layers of paperboard, plastic and aluminium and is used for the packing of liquid foods and drinks. Companies such as Tetra and UFlex also operate in the space. Construction of the plant, which will serve leading dairy and non-carbonated soft drink players, will commence in the first quarter of 2023, and the start of commercial production is expected towards the end of 2024. Phase one of construction is expected to create around 300 jobs, it added. "SIG will invest approximately 60 million over the perio

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 yet to get Rs 9,136 cr as GST compensation from Centre: Minister

Gujarat is yet to get Rs 9,136.26 crore as Goods and Services Tax compensation from the Union government, the state Assembly was informed on Monday. During discussion on the issue in the House, senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia said Gujarat was losing an average Rs 15,000 crore every year after the GST Act came into force and sought information of pending GST compensation. Responding to the question, state Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai informed the House Rs 9,136.26 crore was pending by way of GST compensation. "For the year 2021-22 and 2022-23, Gujarat has claimed Rs 30,400 crore as GST compensation. The Centre has so far paid Rs 21,264 crore while payment of Rs 9,136 crore is still pending. Of those Rs 21,264 crore, the Centre has paid Rs 4,200 crore in cash and Rs 17,045 crore as loan. The Centre will pay the interest on that loan through cess fund," Desai told the Assembly. This cess is collected from various products, such as tobacco, coal and soft drinks, for the purp

Two quakes of 3.8, 3.3 magnitude hit Gujarat's Kutch and Amreli on Monday

Two tremors of 3.8 and 3.3 magnitude hit Gujarat's Kutch and Amreli districts respectively on Monday, officials from the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) said. There was no report of any casualty or property damage, as per the district authorities. A tremor of 3.8 magnitude was recorded at 10.49 am in Kutch district. Its epicentre was 62 km north-north east of Lakhpat town in Kutch, at a depth of 15 km, they said. Another tremor of 3.3 magnitude was recorded near Mitiyala village in Amreli district at 1.42 am on Monday, at a depth of 7.1 km, the officials from the Gandhinagar-based ISR said. This was the fifth tremor in Amreli in the last one week in the intensity range of 3.1 to 3.4, they said. Amreli district, located in the Saurashtra region, has been witnessing an earthquake swarm event, as in last two years it has recorded around 400 mild tremors, as per officials. A swarm, is a sequence of mostly small earthquakes, which are usually short-lived, but they can contin

Karnataka, Gujarat make most progress in clean energy transition: Report

The report analyses 16 Indian states, which together account for 90 per cent of the country's annual power requirement, across four dimensions

Gujarat govt distributes loans to 4,000 street vendors under PMSVANidhi

Loans were distributed to 4,000 street vendors in Gujarat under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atmanirbhar Nidhi Yojana in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Saturday. The PMSVANidhi scheme intends to facilitate collateral-free working capital loans of up to Rs 10,000 of one-year tenure to approximately 50 lakh street vendors across the country. "Our government is determined to solve the problems of everyone and bring them in the mainstream of development. In every scheme under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there is a thought about how it can be useful to the last person in society," the CM said. The event for 4,000 street vendors was held at the exhibition hall of Science City, Ahmedabad, with the CM handing over loan cheques to a few beneficiaries.

Unprecedented rise of Rs 34,457 cr in capital expenditure in Gujarat Budget

Gujarat Finance Minister Kanu Desai presented the state Budget for financial year 2023-24, saying that a total budgetary outlay of Rs 301,021.61 crores has been proposed for the current discal