Page 5 - Gujarat

From China in 1556 to Turkey in 2023: Most destructive earthquakes ever

The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake in China is considered to be the worst in terms of the number of lives lost, as it killed over 830,000 people

Vedanta picks David Reed as CEO of its Gujarat semiconductor business

Reed began his career at Texas Instruments in 1984, where he served for 26 years

G20 presidency: Rann of Kutch to host first Tourism Working Group meet

As part of India's G20 presidency, Gujarat will host the first Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting at Dhordo Tent City in Rann of Kutch from Tuesday, officials said. The three-day TWG meeting, which will be attended by Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, will be the second G20 event in the state after the 'Business 20 Inception' programme held in Gandhinagar last month, an official statement said. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will attend the TWG meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, his office said. On the first day, delegates will get a chance to visit the White Rann of Kutch, followed by a cultural programme showcasing the rich heritage of the region, while an event focusing on 'Rural Tourism for Community Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation' will also be held, as per a government release. Union minister Reddy, World Tourism Organization's chief of Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness Sandra Carvao, among others, will share insights at this event. A panel ...

Hillary Clinton to meet salt pan workers on 2nd day of Gujarat visit

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton will meet salt pan workers in Gujarat's Surendranagar district on Monday, the second day of her visit to the state. During the programme, she will also announce a 'Climate Resilience Fund', the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) said in a statement. Clinton will visit the shelter and salt pan of a woman farmer in Kuda desert of Surendranagar district. Some farmers will also explain to her the process of salt farming and share their experiences, it said. She will also visit a community learning centre and attend a round table with SEWA leaders on the next 50 years of the organisation, the statement said. On Sunday, Clinton attended a programme in Ahmedabad to mark 50 years of SEWA as a trade union and paid homage to its founder and renowned social activist Ela Bhatt. During the event, she said heat caused by climate change poses an additional challenge to women workers in informal sectors and a global Climate Resilience Fund will h

Tata Motors to operationalise Ford's Sanand unit in Gujarat in 12-18 months

Tata Motors is looking to commence operations at the Gujarat-based manufacturing plant it acquired from Ford, over the next 12-18 months to scale up its production capacity, according to its head of passenger vehicle business. The automaker earlier this month completed the acquisition of Ford India's manufacturing plant at Sanand through a subsidiary. In August last year, the company had announced that its arm Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd (TPEML) would acquire Ford India Pvt Ltd's (FIPL) Sanand plant, Gujarat for Rs 726 crore. Tata Motors had earlier noted that with its manufacturing capacity nearing saturation, the acquisition is timely and a win-win for all stakeholders. The Sanand plant has a manufacturing capacity of 3 lakh units per annum, which is scalable to 4.2 lakh units per annum. TPEML is in the process of making necessary investments to reconfigure the plant to adapt to the Mumbai-based automaker's existing and future vehicle platforms. The unit is adjacent to th

Railways set to introduce Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train to showcase Gujarat

The railways is set to introduce a Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train to showcase Gujarat under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme, according to an official statement on Sunday. The train on "Garvi Gujarat" tour will depart from Delhi's Safdarjung station on February 28. "This train tour has been designed on the lines of the 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' scheme to showcase the heritage of vibrant Gujarat," according to the statement from the Ministry of Railways. The state-of-the-art Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train with 1st AC and 2nd AC classes will be operated for the eight-day all-inclusive tour. The train will consist of four first AC coaches, two second AC Coaches, one well-equipped pantry car and two rail restaurants. It can accommodate 156 tourists. The tour will include visit to prominent pilgrimage and heritage sites of Gujarat such as the Statue of Unity, Champaner, Somnath, Dwarka, Nageshwar, Beyt Dwarka, Ahmedabad, Modhera and Patan. Tourists can board

Hillary Clinton to pay tribute to SEWA founder Ela Bhatt on 2-day Guj visit

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be on a two-day visit of Gujarat from Sunday and will participate in programmes of the Self-Empowered Women's Association (SEWA) founded by social worker and Gandhian Ela Bhatt who passed away in November last year. She will pay tribute to Bhatt in Ahmedabad and interact with SEWA members at its office in the city on Sunday, while on Monday Clinton will visit Dhrangadhra in Surendranagar district to interact with salt pan workers as part of SEWA's rural initiative, its programme coordinator Rashmi Bedi said. "Hillary Clinton will visit the SEWA reception centre in Ahmedabad between 2:45-4:00 pm and interact with its members. She will also deliver a speech at the reception centre. Before that, she will unveil a plaque near a banyan tree planted by Ela Bhatt at Victoria Garden on the 50th year celebration of SEWA foundation in 2022," Bedi said on Saturday. Clinton and Bhatt, who died on November 2 last year due to age-related ailments,

Gujarat court rejects bail pleas of 7 accused in Morbi bridge collapse case

A court here on Saturday rejected the bail applications of seven people arrested in connection with the collapse of a suspension bridge in Morbi town of Gujarat, in which 135 people were killed. The court of principal sessions judge P C Joshi refused to grant bail to the seven accused, including two managers of Oreva Group, the company which was given the contract for operation and maintenance of the bridge. The British-era bridge on Machchhu river collapsed on October 30, 2022, days after it was reopened following repairs. Jaysukh Patel, the managing director of Oreva Group, had surrendered before a court here on February 1 before his arrest. The Morbi police had last week filed a chargesheet in the case, in which 10 persons have been arrested so far, including Patel. The other nine arrested persons include two managers of the firm, two ticket-booking clerks, three security guards and two sub-contractors who were engaged for the repair works by Oreva Group. The bail pleas of the

Amul again hikes milk prices by Rs 3 a litre; fodder rates blamed

Gujarat spared; in milk, 80% of consumer price is passed on to farmers as procurement cost

Amul hikes milk prices by Rs 2 per litre for all markets except Gujarat

The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets its dairy products under the Amul brand, on Friday increased the prices of its milk brands by Rs 2 per litre for all markets except Gujarat. Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of the federation, made it clear that the hike in milk prices is not applicable to Gujarat and the new rates are meant only for other markets, including Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. The new prices will be effective from Friday morning, the GCMMF said in a statement.

MD of firm that operated Morbi suspension bridge surrenders before court

Managing Director of Oreva Group Jaysukh Patel, an accused in the last year's Morbi suspension bridge collapse case, was arrested on Tuesday evening, hours after he surrendered before a court here in Gujarat and was sent to jail, police said. As many as 135 people were killed and scores others injured when a suspension bridge collapsed in Gujarat's Morbi town on October 30 last year. Patel, whose company was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ill-fated carriageway, surrendered before the Morbi-based court of chief judicial magistrate MJ Khan which had issued an arrest warrant against him. The court later sent the businessman to jail under judicial custody and he was subsequently arrested by the police. "We have arrested him after the court allowed his custody. We will seek his remand in due course," Morbi Superintendent of Police Rahul Tripathi said. "Soon after his surrender, the investigating officer sought the custody of Jaysukh Patel, which was allowed by the

Guj court convicts Asaram Bapu in rape case filed by former woman disciple

More than nine years after a former disciple of Asaram Bapu lodged a case of rape against him during her earlier stay in his ashram, a court in Gandhinagar on Monday convicted the self-styled godman and is likely to pronounce the sentence on Tuesday. Sessions court judge DK Soni acquitted six other accused, including Asaram's wife Laxmiben, their daughter, and four disciples who were accused of aiding and abetting the crime, for want of evidence, the prosecution said. Asaram's lawyer said the session court's order will be challenged in the Gujarat High Court. Notably, the victim's younger sister was raped and illegally confined by Asaram's son Narayan Sai. Sai was sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court in Surat in April 2019 in the rape case filed against him by his former disciple in 2013. As per the FIR (First Information Report) registered at Chandkheda police station in Ahmedabad on October 6, 2013, against Asaram Bapu and six others, the self-styled godman had rape

4.2 magnitude earthquake jolts Kutch in Gujarat, no casualty reported

An earthquake of 4.2 magnitude hit Gujarat's Kutch district on Monday morning, the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) said. There was no report of any loss of life or damage to property, district authorities said. The earthquake was recorded at 6.38 am with its epicentre 11 km north-north east of Dudhai village in the district, the Gandhinagar-based ISR said in an update on its website. It was preceded by a tremor of 3.2 magnitude reported at 5.18 am with its epicentre 23 km east-southeast of Khavda village in the district, the ISR said. Kutch, which is about 400 km away from Ahmedabad, is located in a very high risk seismic zone and earthquakes of low intensity occur there regularly. The district, located in Saurashtra region, experienced a devastating earthquake in January 2001 in which 13,800 people were killed and another 1.67 lakh were injured. The earthquake had caused severe damage to properties in various towns and villages of the district.

Diamond broker held for decamping with Rs 7.86-cr precious stones in Guj

A diamond broker was arrested for allegedly decamping with precious stones worth Rs 7.86 crore collected from different traders in Gujarat's Surat city, police said on Sunday. The accused had procured the diamonds from 32 different traders based in the city on the pretext of getting better rates and later absconded with them, an official from Varachha police station said. The man left his mobile phone with his sister-in-law and asked her to format it and destroy the SIM, he said. "An FIR was registered under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code," the official said. The police kept a watch on the house of the accused man's relative in Surendranagar and arrested him, he said. The police recovered the stolen diamonds and jewellery worth Rs 2.9 lakh from his possession, the official said. The accused claimed that he was fed up with the diamond business, which his father had handed over to him and wanted to start his own garage

Gujarat junior clerk exam cancelled after question paper leak; 1 detained

The Gujarat government's competitive examination for the recruitment of junior clerks was cancelled hours before it was scheduled on Sunday over its question paper leak and police detained a suspect in this connection, the state panchayat exam board said. As many as 9.5 lakh candidates had registered for the exam for 1,181 posts which was to be held at 2,995 centres across the state. Based on a tip-off, police detained a suspect and recovered a copy of the question paper of the exam early Sunday morning, after which the Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board decided to "postpone" the exam in the wider interest of the candidates, the board said in a statement. The police were investigating the matter, it said. "The junior clerk (administrative/accounting) exam was to be conducted in different districts between 11 am and 12 noon on January 29. As per the information received from the police early Sunday morning, they detained a suspect and upon his interrogation seized a copy of t

Police files charge-sheet on Morbi bridge collapse case in Gujarat

Police on Friday filed a charge-sheet in the suspension bridge collapse incident that had occurred in Morbi town of Gujarat in October last year, in which 135 people were killed. The charge-sheet, which runs into more than 1,200 pages, was filed in the Morbi sessions court by Deputy Superintendent of Police P S Zala, who is the investigating officer of the case. In addition to the nine accused who are already behind bars, Jaysukh Patel of Oreva Group, which used to operate the bridge, has been named as the tenth accused in the charge-sheet, sources said. A magistrate's court has already issued an arrest warrant against Jaysukh Patel in connection with the October 30, 2022 bridge collapse incident. His anticipatory bail plea will come up for hearing on February 1. Ajanta Manufacturing Limited (Oreva Group) was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river that had collapsed.

4 detained for threatening to carry out bomb blasts in Ahmedabad on R-Day

Four persons, including one from Uttar Pradesh, have been detained by the Gujarat Police for allegedly threatening to carry out serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad city on the Republic Day on Thursday, an official said. The action was taken based on a letter received two days back by the Ahmedabad police commissioner's office, in which the threat of serial bomb blasts was given, the senior official of the city crime branch said. The Ahmedabad crime branch had swung into action after the letter, he said. "The sender of the letter threatened to carry out bomb blasts at different places in Ahmedabad, including at the railway station and bus stand, on the Republic Day on Thursday. Following a probe, four persons have been detained for questioning," the official said. While three persons were detained from Ahmedabad, the fourth one named Om Prakash was held by the Uttar Pradesh Police from Ballia district after getting a tip-off from the crime branch here about his role, he said, adding tha

Court acquits 22 accused in post-Godhra riots case in which 17 were killed

A court at Halol town in Gujarat's Panchmahal district on Tuesday acquitted 22 persons, accused of killing 17 members of a minority community, including two children, for want of evidence in a case stemming from the 2002 post-Godhra communal riots in the state. The court of Additional Sessions Judge Harsh Trivedi acquitted all the 22 accused, eight of whom died during the pendency of the case, defence lawyer Gopalsinh Solanki said. "The court acquitted all the accused in the case of rioting and murder of 17 members of a minority community, including two children, in Delol village of the district for want of evidence, Solanki said. According to the prosecution, the victims were killed on February 28, 2002, and their bodies burnt with an intention to destroy evidence. Communal riots had broken out in different parts of the state a day after a bogie of the Sabarmati Express was torched by a mob near Godhra town in Panchmahal district on February 27, 2002, killing 59 passengers, most

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'