Page 7 - Gujarat

Thank everyone for their prayers in these tough times: PM Modi's family

The family of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed its gratitude to everyone for their prayers for Heeraben Modi, who passed away at 100 on Friday, family sources of PM said

Saket Gokhale arrested again, accused of misuse of money from crowd-funding

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale was arrested by Gujarat police from Delhi late Thursday evening in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowdfunding, said a senior official here. Gokhale was arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch and was being brought here for further legal process, said the senior police official, adding that they would arrive by Friday afternoon. This was for the third time Gokhale was arrested this month by Gujarat Police. He was first arrested by the Cyber Crime Branch on December 6 for allegedly spreading fake news regarding the cost incurred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Morbi town following a bridge collapse tragedy. On December 1, Gokhale had shared a news clipping about information purportedly obtained through the Right to Information claiming that Modi's visit to Morbi after the bridge collapse cost Rs 30 crore. Soon after he received bail from a court here, the TMC leader was again arrested on ...

PM Narendra Modi arrives in Ahmedabad to bid adieu to his mother

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived at Ahmedabad to give adieu to his mother Heeraben Modi, who passed away at the age of 100.He was received by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel at the airport.PM Modi's brother Somabhai Modi and other family members also arrived at the residence of Heeraben Modi.Earlier, PM Modi was scheduled to embark on a visit to West Bengal to launch some developmental projects, but now he may join the events through video conferencing, sources said on Friday.The turn of events was necessitated by the demise of PM Modi's mother Heeraben Modi, who was admitted to an Ahmedabad hospital. The Prime Minister informed the nation about her demise early Friday morning."The flagging off of Vande Bharat train in Howrah, Kolkata and other developmental works of railways and under Namami Gange and meeting of National Ganga Council to be held as per plan. PM Modi may join through Video Conference," sources said.Informing about her demise, the Prime Minister ...

PM Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben passes away at the age of 100

PM Modi recalled what his mother told him during his visit on her 100th birthday this year

15 electric auto-rickshaws catch fire near charging station in Gujarat

As many as 15 electric auto-rickshaws, part of a fleet used to ferry tourists around the Statue of Unity in Gujarat's Narmada district, were gutted in a fire early Thursday morning, officials said. The Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority (SOUADTGA), however, denied reports that the rickshaws caught fire during battery charging. A private firm manages a fleet of more than 90 electric auto-rickshaws for tourists who visit the Statue of Unity and employs local tribal women as drivers, an official said. "During early hours of Thursday, 15 auto-rickshaws parked at a charging station near Kevadia village caught fire due to unknown reasons. The autos were parked 35 feet away from the charging station which proves that rickshaws did not catch fire during battery charging," said a statement issued by SOUADTGA. Personnel of the local fire brigade rushed to the spot and doused the fire before it could spread to other electric three-wheelers parked nearby, it said

PM's mother admitted to hospital owing to health issues, condition stable

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Hiraben (99) was on Wednesday admitted to a super-specialty hospital here due to some health issues, and her condition is stable, hospital authorities said. Modi visited the hospital in the afternoon to meet his ailing mother. After reaching Ahmedabad, he drove to the hospital and remained there for over an hour. While leaving the hospital, Modi folded his hands in the 'namaste' pose to the crowd and waiting media persons. Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel also visited the hospital to inquire about the health of Hiraben. The PM also spoke to doctors at the hospital. BJP MP Jugalji Thakor said Hiraben's condition is stable and she might be discharged in a day or two. Hiraben, also called Hiraba, was admitted to U N Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, a government-funded autonomous hospital situated in the campus of the civil hospital, in the morning. "Prime Minister's mother is admitted to U N Mehta Institute of Cardiology

2022: The year when three faces defined politics with an eye on elections

Kejriwal, Murmu, Kharge: A vote against 'establishment' politics; a new definition of tribal identity; a leadership shift that wasn't quite

Covid-19 mock drill: 100k beds, 15,000 ICUs ready in Gujarat if needed

At least one lakh beds and 15,000 ICUs with ventilators are ready to be converted for the use of COVID-19 patients if needed in Gujarat as the state reviewed operational readiness on Tuesday during a mock drill conducted across various health facilities. Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in some countries, the Centre has asked states and Union Territories to conduct mock drills at all COVID-19 hospitals as part of precautionary measures. State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said Gujarat has prepared a comprehensive plan and reviewed the preparedness of the existing health infrastructure in case of any eventuality on the pandemic front. The government will also launch a fresh drive for administering booster doses after receiving 12 lakh doses of Covaxin and Covishield vaccines for which it has placed a fresh order, the minister told reporters. Patel reviewed preparations at Gandhinagar civil hospital and said a mock drill was held at health facilities including the community health ..

Sudden surge in demand for Covid-19 vaccine leads to shortage in Gujarat

Due to sudden surge in demand for vaccines, some health centres ran short of it. The supply of vaccines is said to increase soon

Eight-year-old girl dies in Gujarat's Dahod after iron gate fell on her

An eight-year-old girl died after an iron gate fell on her at a government school in Gujarat's Dahod district, an official said on Monday. While the incident took place at a primary school in Rampura village on December 20, the victim died of head injuries at a hospital in Ahmedabad on Friday, the official said. A heavy iron gate on the school compound came off the hinges and fell on the victim Ashmita Mohaniya when she was playing near it, district primary education officer Mayur Parekh said. The girl sustained serious head injuries and was taken to a private hospital in Dahod city for primary treatment, and was later shifted to Ahmedabad civil hospital, where she died during treatment on Friday, he said. Following the incident, the school's principal was suspended with immediate effect, Parekh said. A case of accidental death was registered at Dahod rural police station and further probe was launched, a police official said.

Two African nationals held for duping Gujarat woman of Rs 34 lakh

Two African nationals were arrested for allegedly duping an elderly woman from Gujarat's Ahmedabad of Rs 34 lakh by befriending her online using fake identities and asking her to pay money to get gifts and foreign currency released from Customs, police said on Monday. Nigerian national Gift Olabisi Okafor (29) and her accomplice, Aka Gerard (32) from Ivory Coast, were apprehended in New Delhi on Sunday and brought here on Monday, an official from Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch said. Some other gang members involved in the crime are yet to be arrested, he said. According to an official release, a 63-year-old woman approached the Cyber Crime Branch on December 23 alleging that some unidentified persons had duped her of Rs 33.92 lakh. As per the FIR, a person with the Facebook ID 'Andres Martinez' had befriended the elderly woman online in September claiming that he was a rich businessman from Scotland and would like to marry her. When she refused, the person won her trust with frequen

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BJP's historic win, Morbi bridge, Bilkis case dominate Gujarat's 2022

The BJP's record 156-seat victory in the Gujarat Assembly polls, the collapse of a suspension bridge in Morbi killing 135 people, and the premature release of 11 convicts undergoing life term in the Bilkis Bano case on remission dominated the year 2022. The BJP's victory- the seventh consecutive term- mainly on the plank of development under a "double engine government", can potentially propel it ahead of opponents when the narratives for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls begin to set in. It was a rout for Congress which won only 17 seats while the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party bagged five seats. However, in at least 35 seats, the combined votes polled by candidates of the Congress and the AAP exceeded the votes polled by BJP nominees. Gujarat was rocked on October 30 when the British-era cable suspension bridge with a crowd of revellers enjoying the Diwali vacation collapsed into the Machchu river, killing 135 people and injuring several others. In July, hooch claimed 50 lives in Botad dist

Gujarat victory will have 'positive impact' on 2024 Lok Sabha polls: Shah

Citing the historic win of the BJP in 2022, Shah said that the results were a testimony of Gujarat being a "stronghold" of the party

After massive mandate, Gujarat's BJP-led govt eyes $1 tn economy by 2030

According to the state budget its Gross State Domestic Product is estimated to be Rs 22,03,062 crore by the end of the current financial year

Wheat acreage up 3.18% at 31.2 million ha so far; crop prospects bright

Area sown to wheat has increased by 3.18 per cent to 312.26 lakh hectares (ha) so far in the ongoing rabi (winter) season with higher acreage reported from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, according to the agriculture ministry's data released on Friday. Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja on Thursday had said the crop prospects were bright as the current weather conditions are conducive for plant growth and better yields. Sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, begins in October while harvesting in April. Mustard seed and gram are other major crops sown in the rabi season of the 2022-23 crop year (July-June). As per the ministry's data, wheat has been sown in 312.26 lakh ha as of December 23 of the ongoing rabi season, as against 302.61 lakh ha in the year-ago period. "Thus 9.65 lakh hectare more area has been covered compared to last year," the ministry said. Higher area is reported from Rajasthan (1.99 lakh ha), followed by Gujarat (1.74 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (1.57 la

ISRO's satellite images show how drug trafficker's bungalow came up in Guj

Thanks to satellite images provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has been able to establish how an alleged drug trafficker built a palatial bungalow in a Gujarat village by using his ill-gotten wealth. Isa Rao, who is absconding, is one of the main accused in the seizure of heroin worth Rs 600 crore by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) in Morbi district of the state in November 2021. The probe was later handed over to the NCB. Satellite images provided by ISRO's Advanced Data Processing Research Institute (ADRIN) showed how he developed his property at Jodia village in Devbhumi-Dwarka district over three years and constructed a bungalow worth more than Rs 50 lakh, said a senior NCB official on Wednesday. The images showed the stages of construction from 2019, he said. "Investigation revealed that the property was developed using the money Rao made from the drug trade. As his family was not cooperating with the ...

MGNREGA fraud worth Rs 3 cr unearthed in Gujarat's Amreli; 4 booked

The accused have been booked for cheating, criminal breach, forgery and hatching conspiracy with common intent

Gujarat's Barda Wildlife Sanctuary new translocation site for Asiatic lions

Gujarat's Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, located near the coastal city of Porbandar and 100 kilometres from the Gir National Park, has been identified as a potential second home for Asiatic lions, according to the government. Efforts were being made since the 1990s to find a relocation site for the Asiatic lions within Gujarat and outside the state, considering that the species is vulnerable to extinction threats from epidemics because of low genetic diversity. In 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the government to translocate Asiatic lions from Gujarat to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh within six months. It had also rejected a proposal to introduce the African cheetah in Kuno. After the apex court allowed the introduction of African cheetah in India on an experimental basis in January 2020, eight cheetahs from Namibia have been reintroduced in Kuno, but the translocation of lions is still pending. Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey told the Lok Sabha

Minor quakes in Gujarat village create panic, experts say nothing to worry

Villagers of Mityala experienced minor tremors four times in less than 24 hours on Monday