Page 18 - Gujarat

Communal clash in Bharuch over putting up religious flags, 2 injured

Members of two communities indulged in a violent clash over the issue of installation of religious flags in a locality in Gujarat's Bharuch city, leaving two persons injured, police said on Wednesday. Seventeen persons have been detained in connection with the incident which took place on Tuesday night in Gokul Nagar area, they said. The police rushed to spot and dispersed the rioters. The situation is currently under control, an official said. People from the two sides gathered in large numbers and then hurled stones at each other, which left two persons injured and caused damage to some vehicles parked there, said Bharuch Superintendent of Police Mayur Chavda, who rushed to the spot with security personnel after learning about the clash. Based on a complaint given by members of one community, police registered an FIR and detained 17 persons belonging to another community, who were involved in the violence, Chavda said. "People from two different faiths had an altercation in Goku

Gujarat announces formation of 'GRIT', NITI Aayog-like think tank

The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced the formation of Gujarat State Institution for Transformation or 'GRIT', a think tank modelled on the NITI Aayog to help realise the vision of 'Viksit' or developed state by 2047. GRIT has crafted a vision document and roadmap for 'Viksit Gujarat @ 2047', stated an official release here. The Chief Minister will head the governing body of GRIT with the Finance Minister as vice-chairman and the ministers of agriculture, health, education and industry serving as members, it said. "Following the model of NITI Aayog, the 'GRIT' has been established, chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel," the release said. Among other things, it will review the implementation of recommendations from its task force committee for achieving the target of becoming a five-trillion-dollar economy, it said. The ten-member executive committee of GRIT, headed by its CEO, will handle its day-to-day operations. Its governing body will include the chief advisor to

Surat violence: Locals clash after stone-pelting by children, 33 arrested

Surat clashes: Authorities resort to lathi charge and use tear gas to disperse agitated crowd; 1,000 police personnel deployed in the area

12 dead in Guj from fever, claim residents; pneumonitis, say officials

Twelve persons, including four children below the age of 12, have died in Lakhpat taluka in Gujarat's Kutch district days after the region was battered by heavy rains, with officials on Sunday saying the cause of death primarily appears to be pneumonitis. Some local district panchayat members, however, said doctors had not been able to accurately diagnose the fever, which was also causing difficulty in breathing. Medical services in the taluka, which is located near the border with Pakistan, have been intensified with the deployment of 22 surveillance teams, doctors and obtaining samples from residents to rule to possibility of H1N1, swine flu, Crimean-Congo fever, malaria and dengue, Kutch Collector Amit Arora said. "Primarily, the deaths appear to have been caused by pneumonitis. It does not appear to be from contamination nor does it seem like a communicable disease. Twenty-two health department teams are working in the affected areas, including those brought on deputation from .

Gujarat to set up 48 MW capacity solar rooftops on govt buildings in FY25

Solar rooftop systems of 48 MW will be installed on various government buildings in Gujarat in the current financial year for which Rs 177 crore have been allocated, the state government said on Sunday. To tap into Gujarat's solar energy potential, the state Climate Change Department is actively installing such systems on government buildings, it said. "By March 2024, a total of 3,023 solar rooftop systems, generating a combined capacity of 56.8 MW, have been set up across various government departments in the state," the government said in a release. "To advance this initiative, a 48 MW solar rooftop system will be installed on government buildings throughout the state this year. The state government has allocated Rs 177.4 crore to support the project," it said. In 2023-24, Gujarat generated a total of 24,765.3 million units (MU) of renewable energy, including 9,637 MU from solar, 14,201 MU from wind, 885.325 MU from hydro, 69 MU from small hydro, and 42 MU from biomass and bagass

Transfer of leasehold land: Authorities may have upper hand in GST levy

When a company sells its rights to leasehold land to a third party for the remaining lease term, the transaction typically attracts stamp duty

Maharashtra leads FDI with Rs 70,795 cr in Q1FY25, Karnataka a distant 2nd

Maharashtra has held the top spot in foreign direct investment (FDI) for the past two years. Karnataka followed at a distant second, with FDI totalling Rs 19,059 crore

IMD issues 'red' alert for Gujarat, Rajasthan; floods displace thousands

IMD weather update: The IMD issued a 'red' alert for Gujarat, Vidarbha, eastern Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh, and coastal Andhra Pradesh due to expected heavy rainfall

Gujarat flooding worsened by extensive urban development, shows study

The recurrence of unusual weather events along India's western coast, such as the one witnessed last week, highlights the urgent need to reassess urban planning and infrastructure resilience

BJP targeting to rope in 20 million primary members in Gujarat: CR Paatil

The Bharatiya Janata Party aims to enrol 2 crore primary members in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a senior leader said on Tuesday. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP president CR Paatil renewed their party membership at an event in Ahmedabad as part of the party's nationwide membership drive. The Gujarat BJP unit launched an enrollment drive, a day after PM Modi asked BJP members in Delhi to expand the party during the membership program in a way that a maximum number of its women candidates are elected to Lok Sabha and assemblies when 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures comes into force. Paatil, also the union Jal Shakti minister, stressed that the Central leadership had not set any specific target for Gujarat. "However, the state unit will aim to enrol at least 2 crore members and secure top position among other states". Paatil suggested enrolling women and those workers of the BJP who ha

Cabinet approves Kaynes chip assembly, packaging unit worth Rs 3,307 crore

The unit will have the capacity to produce 6.3 million chips per day

1,200 Ahmedabad civil hospital doctors go on strike over stipend hike

Around 1,200 resident doctors of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in Gujarat went on an indefinite strike on Monday seeking a hike in stipend. Services were affected despite authorities making alternate arrangements in view of the strike, with patients and kin complaining of long wait at the Aswara-based facility, which is attached to BJ Medical College and is the largest in the state. As per resident doctors, they will stay away from all duties, including trauma care, emergency and outpatient department (OPD) services as part of the strike until an amicable solution is found. "The state health department had agreed to increasing stipend by 40 per cent every three years. This hike was supposed to come into effect from April 1. It was, however, not implemented till July after which we met state health minister Rushikesh Patel. We had postponed our stir then after getting an assurance about its implementation," said Dr Dhaval Gameti, president of the Junior Doctors' Association of BJ Medical

Govt approves Kaynes' Rs 3,307 cr semiconductor unit at Gujarat's Sanand

The government on Monday approved a proposal of Kaynes to set up a semiconductor unit in Sanand, Gujarat with 6.3 million chips per day capacity, entailing an investment of Rs 3,307 crore. Announcing the decisions of the Union Cabinet, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that a complete semiconductor ecosystem is coming up in India. "Today, the Cabinet has approved Kaynes' plant, with a capacity of 6.3 million chips per day. The plant will come up in 46 acres, it is a big plant and large portion of the production will go for Kaynes Industries, it has already been booked," the minister said. The plant will also cater to chips related to the power sector. The company has already acquired land in Sanand, Gujarat for the project, and construction will start soon. The proposed investment for the unit is about Rs 3,307 crore. "Power related chips..chips used in automobiles and home appliances, will also be produced in this plant," Vaishnaw said.

Concor to resume coastal cargo transport, enhance last-mile connectivity

Concor had initially launched coastal shipping services in January 2019 but the services were halted in 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak

Kingpin of Rs 2.2K cr gambling racket held in UAE, brought back to Gujarat

In a coordinated effort, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Gujarat police and Interpol NCB-Abu Dhabi on Sunday brought back the alleged kingpin of an over Rs 2,273 crore gambling racket apprehended in the UAE, an official said. A Red Notice was issued against the accused, Dipakkumar Dhirajlal Thakkar, wanted by the Gujarat police for cases of criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, causing disappearance of evidence and offences under the Information Technology Act and Prevention of Gambling Act, the CBI said in a statement. Thakkar is an accused in a criminal case registered on March 25, 2023, at Madhavpura police station, Ahmedabad, for operating an international gambling racket. According to the CBI, he is allegedly a kingpin of an international illegal criminal gambling racket, operating through special software applications and using hawala channels for the dispersal of proceeds of crime reported to be more than Rs 2,273 crore. The probe agenc

5,000 students, 30 courses: Southampton University plans for Indian campus

The UK's Southampton University plans to offer 30 courses and enrol more than 5,000 students in the next eight years at its offshore campus in India, the first ever in the country by a foreign university, according to top officials. Elaborating on the university's agenda in an interview with PTI, Andrew Atherton, Vice President International and Engagement, said the operations of the campus coming up in the Delhi-National Capital Region will begin next year. The fees at the Indian campus are likely to be around 60 per cent of the tuition fees at the Southampton campus but the admission requirements will be the same, he said. The renowned university was granted a Letter of Intent earlier this week by the Indian government to set up its campus in the country. While Australia's Deakin University and the University of Wollongong have already set up campuses in GIFT City in Gujarat, the University of Southampton will be the first foreign university to set up an India campus under the UG

24 crocodiles rescued from Vadodara's residential areas amid Gujarat rains

A total of 24 crocodiles were rescued from residential areas in Gujarat's Vadodara amid very heavy rains between August 27 and 29, which led to the water level in the Vishwamitri river that flows through the city rising, a forest department official said on Sunday. The river is home to 440 crocodiles, many of which move into residential areas during flooding caused by water release from the Ajwa dam, Vadodara Range Forest Officer Karansinh Rajput said. "Apart from 24 crocodiles, we also rescued 75 other animals, including snakes, cobras, five large turtles weighing nearly 40 kilograms and a porcupine during these three days. There are many residential areas close to Vishwamitri river," he said. "The smallest crocodile we rescued was two feet long, while the largest was 14 feet long, which was caught on Thursday from Kamnath Nagar situated along the river. Local residents alerted us about this huge crocodile. Two other crocodiles, 11 feet long, were also rescued on Thursday from EME

Gujarat rains: 32 dead due to heavy rainfall, IMD issues cyclone warning

Gujarat rainfall: The IMD forecasts moderate to heavy rainfall on Friday and very heavy rainfall for Saurashtra and Kutch regions, with an 'orange' alert for Jamnagar, Porbandar, and Dwarka

Cyclone warning: People living in weak structures in Kutch told to relocate

The authorities in Gujarat's Kutch district have asked people living in huts and makeshift houses to take shelter in schools, temples or other buildings after the IMD said that a deep depression over the area might turn into a cyclonic storm by Friday morning. Following the warning by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Kutch Collector Amit Arora issued a video message asking people living in Abdasa, Mandvi and Lakhpat talukas to leave their huts and kutcha houses and take shelter in any school or other buildings. He also urged locals to come forward and provide shelter to such poor people in their houses till Friday evening. In a statement on Thursday night, IMD said, Deep depression over Kutch and adjoining areas is likely to move nearly westwards into northeast Arabian sea and intensify into a cyclonic storm during next 12 hours. It would then move west-northwestwards away from Indian coast during subsequent two days. After the IMD warning, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel

Gujarat CM reviews flood preparedness following forecast of heavy rains

Chief Minister also issued immediate instructions to evacuate areas as necessary to safeguard residents