Page 3 - Gujarat Government

Rahul on Guj visit; to address party workers, meet Rajkot fire victims' kin

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be on a visit to Ahmedabad city in Gujarat on Saturday, where he will address party workers, a leader said. Gandhi will also meet the family members of those who lost their lives in various tragedies in Gujarat in the recent past, including the Rajkot game zone fire, the boat capsize incident in Vadodara and Morbi bridge collapse. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha is visiting Gujarat days after BJP and Congress workers clashed outside the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) office here over alleged anti-Hindu remarks made by Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. Following the clash, complaints were lodged against each other by both sides and FIRs were registered, leading to the arrest of five Congress workers. Talking to reporters on Friday, Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil said Gandhi will also meet the family members of those five Congress workers who are currently in police custody. "Rahul Gandhi will arrive at the GPCC office

Gujarat received FDI worth $7.3 bn in 2023-24, jump of 55% from last fiscal

Gujarat has attracted a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of USD 7.3 billion in the financial year 2023-24, a jump of 55 per cent over the previous fiscal, the state government said in a release on Friday. With this, Gujarat now occupies the second spot in the country after Maharashtra in terms of the FDI inflow, it said. Citing the data released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the state government said Gujarat has topped the charts in the annual increase in FDI inflow during 2023-24 by recording a jump of USD 2.6 billion. "Registering a 55 per cent increase in the FDI inflow during FY 2023-24 as compared to the inflow during FY 2022-23, Gujarat received a whopping USD 7.3 billion in FY 2023-24 as compared to the USD 4.7 billion received in the FY 2022-23. With the FDI inflow of USD 7.3 billion, Gujarat moved ahead of Karnataka and Delhi to reach the second spot in the country," said the release.

Nearly 437,000 girl students enroll for 2 financial aid schemes in Gujarat

Nearly 4.37 lakh girls have registered to avail benefits under two schemes launched by the Gujarat government in March to provide financial assistance to eligible female students from Classes 9 to 12, officials said. While 4.03 lakh girl students have registered for the 'Namo Lakshmi Yojana', nearly 37,000 have enrolled for the 'Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana' as part of the 'Shala Praveshotsav - Kanya Kelavni Mahotsav 2024', an annual drive to enlist students in Class 1 in Gujarat, an official release said on Tuesday. Under the 'Namo Lakshmi Yojana', the government will provide Rs 50,000 over a period of four years to girls wanting to take admission in Classes 9 to 12 for the academic year 2024-25. This scheme is applicable to girls whose family income is less than Rs 6 lakh per annum, said the release. The beneficiary students, after securing admission in Class 9, will receive Rs 500 per month for 10 months each year, and the remaining Rs 10,000 will be disbursed after they

Gujarat's new financial hub aims for real-time dollar settlement by 2025

The service which will cut down on times and delays, and it would be available for financial firms in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City

Gujarat to set up 51 Yoga Studios' to promote ancient practice: CM Patel

On the occasion of International Day of Yoga, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday said his government will establish 51 Yoga Studios' across the state to promote the ancient practice which benefited people immensely during COVID. The CM was at Nadabet in Banaskantha district near the India-Pakistan border to take part in the state-level event to mark the 10th International Day of Yoga. Several state ministers and Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary attended the event at Nadabet. This is the first time Yoga Day is being celebrated at Nadabet, said an official release. In his address to yoga participants at Nadabet, the CM said yoga a system of exercises for the body and for controlling breathing has reached every corner of the world due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event at Nadabet has been jointly organized by the State Yog Board and the Border Security Force (BSF) He said efforts are being made to popularise yoga through the State Yog Board.

Rajkot game zone fire: 2 cops, civic staff among 6 suspended for negligence

The Gujarat government on Monday ordered the suspension of five officials, including two police inspectors and civic staff, with immediate effect for negligence in connection with the Rajkot game zone fire which claimed 27 lives. The officials have been held responsible "for their gross negligence in allowing this game zone to operate without necessary approvals," stated a government release. Notably, it has emerged the facility, where the blaze erupted on Saturday, was operated without the fire NOC (no objection certificate). "The game zone had received permissions from the roads and buildings department. It had also submitted a proof of fire safety equipment to obtain the fire NOC which was under process and not yet completed," Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava told reporters on Sunday. The government's action of suspending five officials comes a day after Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inspected the site where the fire erupted on Saturday and instructed the departments ..

Rajkot fire tragedy: 1 person still missing, informs Home Minister Sanghvi

A total of 27 people lost their lives including children following the massive fire at the game zone in Rajkot on Saturday at around 4.30 pm

Karnataka, Gujarat continue to lead country's clean energy transition race

Karnataka and Gujarat continue to lead the race to clean energy transition, but states like Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh need to step up efforts, according to a new report released on Tuesday. The joint report by research organisation, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), and clean energy think tank Ember evaluates the clean electricity transition preparedness at the sub-national level. The report's authors said Karnataka and Gujarat continue their strong performance across dimensions, effectively integrating renewable energy sources into their power sectors, making strong strides in decarbonisation. But states like Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh need to improve. While these states are in the early stages of their transition, they now need to focus on increasing renewable energy deployment, enhancing short term market participation and strengthening their distribution companies. The report launch coincides with a spell o

SC seeks Guj govt's reply on bail plea of ex-IAS officer Pradeep Sharma

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response of the Gujarat government on the bail plea of retired IAS officer Pradeep Sharma in a case of alleged illegal allotment of government land for monetary benefits during his tenure as the collector of Kutch district. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to the Gujarat government and sought its response in four weeks. Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for Sharma, said, "I am the usual weeping boy of the state, who is seeking relief in the matter." The bench said, "Alright, we are issuing the notice." Sharma has challenged the March 20 order of the Gujarat High Court rejecting his bail plea in the case. The high court had observed that it was not inclined to favour the applicant-accused (Sharma) given the fact that there have been several FIRs registered against him in similar offences "while sitting over the highest post of the government". The FIR was lodged against Sharma by state CID Crime in Kutch unde

Ahead of LS elections, Gujarat govt transfers, promotes 35 IPS officers

The Gujarat government on Sunday promoted and transferred 35 Indian Police Service officers amid the code of conduct in force for the Lok Sabha polls. Important cities like Surat and Vadodara got new police commissioners due to the exercise. Vadodara police commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot was made Surat police commissioner, while additional director general of police (administration), Gandhinagar, Narashima Komar replaced him. IPS officers Manoj Agarwal, K L N Rao, G S Malik and Hasmukh Patel were promoted from ADG to Director General of Police rank though they will continue to hold current posts, as per the government order. A total of 20 IPS officers have been promoted by the Gujarat government. Chirag Koradia, who was awaiting posting has been appointed as Inspector General (IG) of Police Border Range, while J R Mothaliya, who too was awaiting posting, will be new IG (Ahmedabad range). IPS officer Prem Vir Singh has been made IG (Surat Range). Tarun Duggal, deputy ...

Sonal Patel, Cong's pick in Gandhinagar, says not hesitant to fight Shah

Sonal Patel, whom the Congress has fielded against Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Gujarat's Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, said she was not at all hesitant to fight the upcoming election against the senior BJP leader. The 62-year-old leader, who is All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and the party co-incharge of Mumbai and western Maharashtra, claimed that anti-incumbency prevails as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has failed to fulfil the aspirations of people. She also accused the ruling party of intimidating Congress workers in her constituency and sought a "level-playing field" in fighting elections. In an interview to PTI, Patel said, "I had not asked for a ticket from the party as I was busy with Congress's affairs in Maharashtra, where I am co-incharge of Mumbai and Western Maharashtra. But the party fielded me from Gandhinagar and I accepted it." "Our workers are being intimidated, nobody is ready to rent a space to us for organising meetings of party ...

Gujarat officials to send over 2 mn invites to voters to increase turnout

Election authorities in Gujarat will dispatch more than 20 lakh invites to voters, particularly women, across the state in their attempt to increase voter turnout in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, officials said on Friday. The initiative will target over 13,000 polling stations where the difference between men and women voters remains at over 10 per cent, and where the overall voter turnout was less than 50 per cent during the last legislative elections, an official release said. Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer P Bharathi will extend the invitation to about 20.3 lakh voters, mainly women, urging them to participate in the ensuing general elections, it said, adding that families will be requested to vote together. The 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will go to polls in the third phase on May 7. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, Gujarat registered a voter turnout of 64.11 per cent, compared to the national average of 67.40 per cent. The Chief Electoral Officer has appealed to wo

Hindus must seek permission to convert to Buddhism, says Gujarat govt

The Gujarat government said that Buddhism is an independent religion and conversions from Hinduism to Buddhism, Jainism, or Sikhism must receive prior approval from district magistrates

PM Modi frustated, resorting to cliched Hindu-Muslim script, says Cong

The Congress on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'Muslim League imprint' remarks on the party's manifesto, saying he is scared over the prospect of the BJP struggling to cross the 180-seat mark in the Lok Sabha polls and has again resorted to the "same cliched Hindu-Muslim script". The opposition party's reaction came a day after Prime Minister Modi launched an attack on the Congress, charging that its poll manifesto bore the imprint of the Muslim League and utterances of its leaders showed hostility towards national integrity and Sanatan Dharma. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the BJP is consistently losing ground, which is why "the PM's love for Muslim League has resurfaced". She said the Congress manifesto is being widely discussed and is a blueprint for the future of the country. "After being in power for 10 years, when the country is at the brink of elections and the prime minister

Sharad Pawar reminds PM of 'holding finger' comment, says he has changed

NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Monday recalled a 2016 statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi about having come into politics holding the former's finger and expressed surprise over the PM taking a "different stand" now. Speaking at a gathering in Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra's Pune district ahead of the parliamentary polls, Pawar also took a dig at PM Modi for "personal attacks" and for taking action against those who have different ideologies. "When I was Union agriculture minister, I helped Gujarat tremendously when Modi was the state's CM. I didn't see which party he belonged to. I saw that farmers in his state needed to be made happy and so I helped him," he said. "One day he told me he wants to come to Baramati. In his speech then he said: Pawar saheb had held my finger and taught me to do whatever (developmental) work I have done so far. But today he is taking a different view," the NCP (SP) chief said. If someone makes personal criticism or takes a .

Climate change threatens constitutional guarantee of right to equality: SC

Climate change impacts the constitutional guarantee of the right to equality, the Supreme court has said while constituting a committee to find a balance between conservation of critically-endangered Great Indian Bustard and renewable energy infrastructure in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The top court recalled an earlier order of April 2021 that required undergrounding of overhead transmission lines across an area of over 80,000 sq km in the two states. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said a blanket direction for undergrounding high voltage and low voltage power lines needs recalibration. "Climate change may impact the constitutional guarantee of the right to equality. Without a clean environment which is stable and unimpacted by the vagaries of climate change, the right to life is not fully realised. The right to health (which is a part of the right to life under Article 21) is impacted due to factors such as air pollutio

RBI to permit investment, trading of Sovereign Green Bonds at Gujarat IFSC

The Reserve Bank on Friday announced that it will allow investment and trading of Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs) at the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), Gandhinagar. Based on an announcement in the Union Budget for 2022-23, the government issued Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs) in January 2023. Subsequently, SGrBs were issued as part of the government borrowing calendar in 2023-24. At present, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) registered with SEBI are permitted to invest in SGrBs under the different routes available for investment by FPIs in government securities. "With a view to facilitating wider non-resident participation in SGrBs, it has been decided to permit eligible foreign investors in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) to also invest in such bonds," RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said, while announcing the first bi-monthly policy for FY'25. A scheme for investment and trading in SGrBs by eligible foreign investors in IFSC is being notified separat

LS polls: With 6 more names, BJP declares candidates for Gujarat's 26 seats

The ruling BJP announced the names of six candidates for Lok Sabha polls from Gujarat, including new faces for Vadodara and Sabarkantha where the party nominees earlier withdrew from the fray. With this, the party has announced the names of candidates for all 26 constituencies where elections are scheduled to be held in a single phase on May 7. In its latest list of six candidates released late Sunday night, the party dropped five sitting MPs, including Minister of State for AYUSH and Child Development Mahendra Munjpara from Surendranagar. On Vadodara and Sabarkantha seats, BJP had nominated sitting MP Ranjan Bhatt and Bhikhaji Thakor, respectively. However, on Saturday, two-time MP Bhatt and Thakor withdrew from the fray. The party has replaced Bhatt with Hemang Joshi, while Shobna Baraiya will contest in place of Thakor. Joshi is the vice-chairman of Municipal School Board of Vadodara Municipal Corporation. Baraiya is the wife of former BJP MLA from Prantij. BJP has repeated ..

Ahmedabad East LS seat Cong candidate Rohan Gupta withdraws from poll fray

Congress candidate from Gujarat's Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat Rohan Gupta has said he has withdrawn from the contest due to his father's serious medical condition. Gupta is the Congress' national spokesperson and his name was in the list of candidates declared by the party on March 12. "Due to serious medical condition, my father is admitted in hospital and I am withdrawing my candidature for Ahmedabad east parliament seat as Congress Candidate. I will extend complete support to the new candidate nominated by party," Gupta said in a post on X on Monday. He also posted an image of his handwritten letter to Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil, informing about his decision to withdraw from the poll fray. All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will witness polling in a single phase on May 7 and vote counting will be held on June 4. The Congress is yet to declare candidates for 19 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared 22 candidates in the state so far.

PM Modi inaugurates Kochrab Ashram, launches plan of Gandhi Ashram Memorial

The Kochrab Ashram was the first Ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi after coming to India from South Africa in 1915. It is still preserved as a memorial and tourist space by Gujarat Vidyapeeth