Page 3 - Rajasthan

World-class rail stations to be set up in Rajasthan, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said world-class stations will be set up in Rajasthan which has seen a multifold increase in grants for the rail sector. Addressing a 'Brahmin Mahapanchayat' called by Vipra Sena, he said, "The grant given to Rajasthan 10 years ago was Rs 600 crore, but this time the state has got a grant of Rs 9,532 crore." Vaishnaw said world-class railway stations will be built in Abu Road, Ajmer, Alwar, Asalpur, Jobner, Balotra, Bandikui, Chittorgarh and Dausa, among other places. "We have to give a new future to Rajasthan," he said. In the programme, the Vipra Sena raised multiple demands such as increasing the 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) to 14 per cent, making misbehaviour and assault on priests a non-bailable offence and removing encroachments from temple lands. The BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ghanshyam Tiwari said a board for the Hindu religion should be made on the lines of the Waqf board. Former BJP state presi

Customers from 17 countries to participate in Rajasthan International Expo

Rajasthan International Expo, which will be held in Jodhpur beginning March 20, will see the participation of buyers from 17 countries, a state minister said on Saturday. State industry minister Shakuntala Rawat said that chief minister Ashok Gehlot will formally inaugurate the three-day expo on March 21. "Rajasthan International Expo has been conceptualised with the aim of providing an opportunity to the handicraft exports of the state to showcase its dominance at the global level," she told reporters here. At the expo, 95 buyers mainly from the US, the UK, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Sweden, Thailand, the Netherlands, Colombia, Mexico, Ghana, Sudan, Senegal, Egypt, and Bolivia will be present. In addition, 234 Indian buyers will participate in the expo, Rajiv Arora, chairman of Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation Ltd (RAJSICO) and Rajasthan Export Promotion Council, said. "These domestic and foreign buyers will get to see the unique products of the state in one place at the

Gehlot announces formation of 19 districts; BJP terms it political stunt

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the formation of 19 new districts in the state and also declared three new divisions namely Sikar, Pali and Banswara

Announcements in Budget attempt of Cong to fulfil personal interests: Raje

Senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje on Friday termed the budget announcements made by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot an attempt to fulfil "personal political interests". "The new announcements of the Congress government are just an attempt to fulfil their personal political interests. In this effort, he has put the entire economic system of Rajasthan at stake. The consequences of which will have to be borne by the people of the state and the state in the years to come," she said in a statement. The former chief minister said many important facts have been ignored in the process of creating new districts and people would have to face administrative complications. Gehlot on Friday announced his government's decision to form 19 new districts and three new divisions in the state, earmarking Rs 2,000 crore for development of infrastructure for them. The chief minister has tried to politicise the budget and put fiscal indicators of the state at stake, which is unfortunate, Raje said

Rajasthan govt announces creation of 19 new districts, 3 new divisions

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday announced his government's decision to form 19 new districts and three new divisions in the state, earmarking Rs 2,000 crore for development of infrastructure for them. This is the first time since 2008 that new districts are being carved out, taking the number of districts to 50 in the state. Gehlot made the announcement in the Rajasthan assembly, which also passed the 2023-24 Budget with a voice vote. He said a high-level committee was formed to study the formation of new districts and the state government has received a report. "In this way, the state will now have 19 new districts," the chief minister said during a discussion on the Budget. The three new divisions will be in Banswara, Pali and Sikar, he said. For the new districts and divisions, he proposed a budget of Rs 2,000 crore for the first phase of implementation of infrastructure and human resource development. New districts are being formed after 15 years. In 2008, the

Sterlite Power bags green energy transmission project in Rajasthan

Sterlite Power on Friday said it has bagged a green energy transmission project in Rajasthan. The project was bid out through tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) process, a company statement said. Sterlite Power received the Letter of Intent (LoI) from PFC Consulting Ltd to build the project on BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) basis, for a period of 35 years. Sterlite Power has been awarded the transmission project for the evacuation of power from renewable energy zones in Fatehgarh (9.1 GW), Bhadla (8 GW) and Ramgarh (2.9 GW) areas in Rajasthan. The entire transmission system forms a critical part of the roadmap released by the Ministry of Power in 2022 for the integration of over 500 GW RE Capacity to the national grid by 2030. The project will involve construction of a 350km, 765kV transmission corridor from Fatehgarh III to Beawar in Rajasthan. Sterlite Power is a leading private sector power transmission infrastructure developer and solutions provider with a robust .

CM Gehlot approves Rs 362 cr for drinking water supply project in Udaipur

Rajasthan will spend Rs 362.13 crore to provide drinking water in 367 villages of Udaipur district. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved the financial proposal for the project that will enable drinking water supply to these villages from the Som-Kamala-Amba dam, according to a statement issued on Friday. The financial approval was given in compliance with Gehlot's announcement in the 2023-24 Budget.

Rajasthan has 1,000 operational AYUSH centres: Social Justice minister

Rajasthan has 1,000 operational health and wellness centres under the central government's National AYUSH Mission, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Tika Ram Jully informed the assembly on Friday. Jully added that 914 men and 823 women had been appointed as yoga instructors on a part-time basis at these centres. The state government has written to the Centre to open another 1,019 health and wellness centres, he said. The Social Justice and Empowerment Minister was replying to supplementary questions during Question Hour on behalf of the ayurveda minister. Earlier, in a written reply to a question by BJP MLA Gopichand Meena, Jully informed that health and wellness centres were being run by the Rajasthan State AYUSH Society according to the AYUSH ministry's guidelines under the centrally-sponsored scheme. The honorarium of the part-time yoga instructors at these centres is determined at the ministry level, he added.

Rajasthan plans to establish a film city in Jaipur with pvt participation

The state's film potential came into international limelight when Satyajit Ray shot a large part of Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) in Rajasthan

Rajasthan Congress holds protest against Adani Group issue in Jaipur

The Congress' Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday asked party workers to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi if they want to get rid of industrialists like Gautam Adani. Randhawa was addressing a protest meeting here against the BJP government at the Centre for not agreeing to form a joint parliamentary committee to look into the allegations made by the US firm Hindenburg against the Adani Group. Modi is destroying the country and the BJP at the Centre is selling the nation, so our fight is not with Adani but directly with the BJP, he said. Everyone is talking about Adani while they should be talking about Modi. His defeat is important to remove Adani, Randhawa said. The Congress held several protests Monday across the country over the Adani-Hindenburg issue. Rajasthan ministers, party MLAs and workers took part in the Jaipur protest held near the gate of Civil Lines Gate. Randhawa said, PM Modi has brought the East India Company in the form of Adani. Today, .

Oil producers urge govt to declare Rajasthan as 'mustard state' on India

Oil producers have urged the government to declare Rajasthan as a mustard state as it accounts for 40-45 per cent of the country's production of the oilseed, an industry official said on Saturday. The president of Mustard Oil Producers Association of India (MOPA), Babu Lal Data told reporters here that the body under the aegis of the Central Organization for Oil Industry and Trade (COOIT) is organising a seminar here to discuss various issues of the edible oil industry. "We have been repeatedly urging the government to declare Rajasthan as a mustard state. About 40-45 per cent of the country's mustard output is contributed by Rajasthan. It is such a crop which requires the least amount of water for growth," Data said. The 43rd edition of the two-day All India Rabi Oilseeds seminar began in Jaipur on Saturday.

Rajasthan government orders crop assessment for providing relief to farmers

The Rajasthan government has issued instructions to all district collectors to make an assessment of crop damage due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms within a week for providing relief to the affected farmers, officials said on Thursday. Rajasthan Chief Secretary Usha Sharma on Thursday took feedback from divisional commissioners and district collectors about the loss caused to farmers due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms in the state for the last two days. Sharma instructed the district collectors to get a special 'Girdawari' (assessment) done within the next seven days to assess the damage and send the report to the Disaster Management Department so that the government can provide quick relief to the affected farmers, the officials said. The chief secretary took stock of the damage caused by rain and hailstorm from all the divisional commissioners and district collectors through video conference on Thursday, they said. She said that the state government is very sensitive abou

Rajasthan government's Irrigation subsidy scheme a hit with farmers

Agriculture commissioner Kanaram said that in the last four years, over 282,290 farmers have received subsidies of Rs 736.18 crore

Sanjivani scam: Will make effort to get back victims' money, says Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said the state government will make every possible effort to get back the deposits of victims of Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society scam. Gehlot said this after meeting a delegation of the victims of the fraud here, an official release said. The victims, who came from different districts of the state, apprised the chief minister about the cheating of their crores of rupees as well as their deteriorating financial conditions. CM Gehlot has been repeatedly accusing Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who is the MP from Jodhpur, of being involved in the scam, a charge rejected by Shekhawat. The Union minister on Saturday also filed a complaint before a Delhi court accusing Chief Minister Gehlot of defaming him with remarks on the Sanjivani scam. According to the release, the victims of the scam reached the chief minister's residence and expressed their anguish. Several victims took the names of Shekhawat and Society's managing .

Raj govt mulls giving customise benefits to attract Rs 12,000-cr investment

The State Empowered Committee (SEC) on Friday discussed a project for providing customised package of benefits under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme (RIPS) to pave way to attract investments up to Rs 11,993.48 crore in the state. The SEC's 40th meeting chaired by chief secretary Usha Sharma was held on Friday, an official statement said. The projects come from a variety of industries including manufacturing, cement, chemicals, textile, automobiles and hospitality sectors. It is expected that these projects will create 8,815 new jobs in the state. The cases recommended by the State Empowered Committee will now be placed before the Board of Investment headed by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for final approval, the statement said. In accordance with the requirements of the Rajasthan Enterprises Single Window Enabling and Clearance (Amendment) Act, 2020, a board of investment chaired by the chief minister has been formed. Veenu Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries), sa

Will take steps for smooth plying of e-rickshaws in Ajmer: Raj minister

Rajasthan's Minister of State for Transport Brijendra Ola on Friday assured the House that effective steps would be taken for smooth plying of e-rickshaws in the Ajmer city. Ola was replying to a calling attention motion moved by BJP MLA Vasudev Devnani during Zero Hour in the Rajasthan Assembly on Friday. The minister said that on receipt of applications for e-rickshaws in the Ajmer city, registration and licenses are made according to rules. In Ajmer city, 1,672 passenger e-rickshaws and 153 heavy vehicle e-carts are registered. He informed that 125 permanent licenses and 1,357 learning licenses for e-rickshaws have been issued by the Transport Department. Between January 1, 2021 and February 28, 2023, the traffic police and transport department have issued 5,019 challans against e-rickshaws in the Ajmer city by taking action in accordance with the rules, Ola said. The Transport Minister said more effective action will be taken in the next one month for the smooth operation of .

Health insurance cover increased to Rs 25,00,000 per family in Rajasthan

Expanding the ambit of beneficiaries, now the government will also bear the insurance premium of families of Economically Weaker Sections

Gehlot announces relief package of Rs 5 lakh for families of Junaid, Nasir

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday announced a relief package of Rs 5 lakh each for families of Junaid and Nasir, whose charred bodies were found in Haryana's Bhiwani district after they were abducted from Bharatpur. "The state government will provide Rs 5 lakh compensation each to the wives and children of both the deceased. An amount of Rs 1 lakh each will be provided as cash whereas a fixed deposit of Rs 4 lakh each will be done so that the dependent families do not face any problem in the education and marriage of the kids," he told reporters. The chief minister had met the family members of Junaid and Nasir at a temporary arrangement made near a helipad in Ghatmeeka village. He was accompanied by Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh, Minister of State for Education and local MLA Zahida Khan, Congress state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra, Chief Secretary Usha Sharma and DGP Umesh Mishra. Nasir (25) and Junaid alias Juna (35), both residents of Ghatmeeka village in

Rajasthan is aiming to become a major exporting state: REPC Official

Rajasthan is aiming to become a major exporting state in the coming years, an official of the Rajasthan Export Promotion Council (REPC) has said. The state had exported goods worth Rs 72,000 crore in 2021-22, out of which 11 per cent were handicraft items, REPC Chairman Rajiv Arora said. "The current fiscal is very turbulent due to geopolitics for which freight costs have risen exorbitantly. But we are expecting that exports from the state in 2022-23 will be around Rs 82,000 crore," Arora said. In its first international EXPO at Jodhpur on March 20-22, the REPC will showcase the state's products like handicrafts, textiles, garments, agricultural products, spices, stone and marble ware, he said here on Wednesday. The state is laying focus on the MSME sector, Arora said adding that the government has decided to give interest subvention for projects up to Rs 50 crore. The state government has also stated in its industrial policy that incentives will be given for asset creation. Besid

Free travel for women in Rajasthan Roadways buses on Int'l Women's Day

Women and girls will travel on Rajasthan Roadways buses for free on International Women's Day on March 8. The facility will be available on all Rajasthan Roadways buses, including ordinary and fast. About 8.50 lakh women and girls are estimated to travel by Rajasthan Roadways buses on International Women's Day. The state government has estimated a financial burden of around Rs 7.50 crore, according to an official statement. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved the proposal. Gehlot has also approved a proposal to hike the concession for women on fares of ordinary Rajasthan Roadways buses to 50 per cent. The discount on ordinary buses at present is 30 per cent. The increased exemption will be implemented from April 1. This move will put an additional annual financial burden of about Rs 3.50 crore on the state government. Gehlot had announced the increased concession in the state budget for 2023-24.