Page 2 - Gujarat

Entire Gujarat Cabinet quits; CM Bhupendra Patel to form Cabinet on Oct 17

The new cabinet will take oath on October 17 at 11:30 am at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, according to an official statement

NTPC, Gujarat govt partner to explore conventional and renewable energy

State-owned power giant NTPC Ltd on Thursday said that it has inked an initial pact with the government of Gujarat to explore opportunities in both conventional and non-conventional energy sectors. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchange took place in the presence of Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat; Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of New & Renewable Energy; Kanubhai Desai, Minister for Finance, Energy and Petrochemicals, Gujarat and other senior dignitaries, a company statement said. The agreement, signed during the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference held in Mehsana, Gujarat, aims to explore opportunities in both conventional and non-conventional energy sectors, the statement said. NTPC is India's largest integrated power utility, contributing one-fourth of the country's power requirements and has an installed capacity of over 83 GW, with an additional capacity of 30.90 GW under construction, including 13.3 GW of renewable energy capacity. The company is ...

Conversion victims can face action if they try to convert others: HC

The Gujarat High Court has said that persons claiming to be victims of religious conversion can also face legal action if they later attempt to convert others. On account of their act of "influencing, pressuring and alluring other persons to convert to Islam", a prima facie offence is made out against them, the court of Justice Nirzar Desai said on October 1, hearing a batch of petitions moved by several persons. The petitioners claimed they were originally Hindus and had been converted to Islam by other persons, and hence they were themselves victims of conversion and not accused. The court noted that they were involved in "pressuring and alluring other persons to convert to Islam," which would prima facie make out an offence against them. Several men accused of religious conversion had approached the HC, contending that they were themselves victims of religious conversion and the First Information Report (FIR) against them was misconceived. They sought the FIR lodged against the

Centre okay ₹707 cr for Assam, Gujarat floods; ₹904 cr for fire services

A high-level committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved Rs 707.97 crore of additional central assistance for Assam and Gujarat that were hit by floods and landslides in 2024. The committee has also approved Rs 903.67 crore for Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the expansion and modernisation of the state fire services. "A high-level committee, headed by the Union home minister, has approved Rs 707.97 crore of additional central assistance to Assam and Gujarat, affected by floods and landslides in 2024," an official statement said. The assistance has been provided from the NDRF, subject to an adjustment of 50 per cent of the opening balance for the year available in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Of the total amount of Rs 707.97 crore, a share of Rs 313.69 crore has been approved for Assam and Rs 394.28 crore for Gujarat. Of the total outlay of Rs 903.67 crore given to Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and

Cyclone Shakhti turns 'severe'; IMD issues alert for Gujarat, Maharashtra

Cyclone Shakhti, the season's first in the Arabian Sea, has intensified into a severe storm with wind speeds reaching 100 kmph, prompting IMD alerts across coastal states

Cyclone Shakti intensifies, set to bring heavy rain, strong winds to Mumbai

First cyclonic storm of the season expected to bring rough seas, heavy rainfall, and wind speeds of up to 65 km/h along coastal Maharashtra; authorities advise caution

Cyclone Shakhti intensifies in Arabian Sea, heads towards Gujarat coast

Cyclone Shakhti, the first cyclonic storm in the Arabian Sea in the post-monsoon season, was moving towards Dwarka off the Gujarat coast on Friday and was expected to intensify further, the weather office said. The cyclonic storm over the northeast Arabian Sea moved west-northwestwards with a speed of eight kmph during the last six hours, and lay centred at 2030 hrs IST on Friday, over the same region, nearly 300 km west of Dwarka, 330 km south-southwest of Karachi (Pakistan) and 360 km west of Porbandar. Shakhti, a name given by Sri Lanka, is likely to move initially westwards and then west-southwestwards, intensifying further into a severe cyclonic storm by Saturday morning. "Thereafter, it is likely to continue to move west-southwestwards and reach central parts of north and adjoining central Arabian Sea by 5th October," the weather bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department said. Under the influence of the cyclonic storm, sea conditions are very likely to be rough t

India's dairy sector grew by 70% in last 11 years, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said India has made significant strides in the dairy sector over the past 11 years, noting that it has grown by 70 per cent during this period and is now the fastest-growing sector in the world. He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's dairy sector has expanded by 70 per cent in terms of capacity. In the world, India's dairy sector is the fastest-growing, Shah said after inaugurating the newly constructed Sabar Dairy Plant facility in Industrial Model Township here, as part of efforts to promote the cooperative sector. Built at a cost of Rs 325 crore, the plant will house state-of-the-art machinery and is expected to generate direct and indirect employment. The newly inaugurated Sabar Dairy plant here is the country's largest production facility for curd, buttermilk, and yogurt, with a daily capacity of 150 metric tonnes of curd, 3 lakh litres of buttermilk, 10 lakh litres of yogurt, and 10 metric tonnes of ...

Sir Creek dispute returns: Rajnath says India will respond strongly

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warns Pakistan against any "misadventure" in Sir Creek as the decades-old maritime dispute gains fresh urgency for India

Three killed, 20 injured as bus hits parked truck in Gujarat's Botad

Three persons were killed and nearly 20 others injured when a private bus rammed into a truck parked on a roadside in Gujarat's Botad district in the wee hours of Monday, police said. The bus was carrying tourists from Ranpur taluka in the district when it hit the stationary truck near Paliyad town, police inspector Parbad Vanda said. "Three men died on the spot and around 20 persons were injured," the official said. "The bus was carrying tourists from a village in Ranpur taluka of the district. They had gone to Junagadh and were returning home when the accident occurred," he said. The injured persons were shifted to different hospitals, the official added.

Nextgen Semiconductor plans to raise up to ₹1,500 cr in 12 months

Nextgen Semiconductors, which has announced to set up a chip facility in Gujarat, on Friday said it plans to raise around Rs 1,000-1,500 crore through equity and other instruments in the next 12 months. Nextgen has announced to invest more than Rs 8,800 crore in phases to build India's fully integrated Silicon (Si) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) power semiconductor platform in Dholera, Gujarat. The company plans to raise around Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,500 crore over the next 12 months via a mix of equity and structured instruments, Nextgen said in a statement. Nextgen aims to establish a wafer-to-power electronics components' ecosystem that will accelerate India's self-reliance in critical semiconductor technologies for electric vehicles, renewable energy, data centres, and industrial electronics, the statement said. It plans to build the platform with a phased investment of over Rs 8,800 crore, the company said. Nextgen looks to start project work at Dholera by April 2026 and the facil

KPI Green Energy secures ₹3,200 cr sanction from SBI for Gujarat projects

The sanction will part-finance the firm's 250 MW solar project and 370 MW hybrid project, strengthening its IPP portfolio with a combined capacity of over 1 GWp

Torrent's UNM Foundation to maintain 69 lakes in Gujarat under MoU

Torrent Group's philanthropic arm, UNM Foundation, has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with six civic bodies for the maintenance of 69 lakes across Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts, covering over 2 million square metres. The MoUs were exchanged on Tuesday at the Startup Conclave 2025 in Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The agreements mark a major expansion of UNM Foundation's flagship environmental initiative, PRATITI. The civic bodies include Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC), Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar Jilla Panchayats, and the Kalol and Mansa Nagar Palikas. Torrent Group Director Jinal Mehta signed the MoUs with Ahmedabad Mayor Pratibhaben Jain, the conglomerate said in a statement. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and several state ministers were also present at the event. UNM Foundation vice-chairperson Sapna Mehta called the initiative a "significant milestone in the ...

UP, Gujarat, Odisha among 16 revenue-surplus states in FY23: CAG report

As many as 16 states were in revenue surplus during 2022-23, with Uttar Pradesh topping the chart with Rs 37,263 crore, followed by Gujarat and Odisha, according a CAG report. As per the fiscal responsibility and fiscal consolidation path prescribed by the XV Finance Commission, the states were required to have either zero-revenue deficit or become revenue surplus during 2022-23. "As on 31st March 2023, 16 states, out of the total 28 states, were revenue surplus and 12 were in revenue deficit," said the publication on State Finances 2022-23, the first-of-its-kind by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Revenue receipts of these 16 states exceeded their revenue expenditure. Uttar Pradesh was followed by Gujarat with a revenue surplus of Rs 19,865 crore, Odisha (Rs 19,456 crore), Jharkhand (Rs 13,564 crore), Karnataka (Rs 13,496 crore), Chhattisgarh (Rs 8,592 crore), Telangana (Rs 5,944 crore), Uttarakhand (Rs 5,310 crore), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 4,091 crore), and Goa (Rs 2,399

Inox Clean Energy begins solar module production at Bavla plant in Gujarat

Inox Solar on Monday said its arm Inox Clean Energy has commenced production at its solar module manufacturing facility in Bavla, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The fully-automated plant, equipped with cutting-edge technology, manufactures N-type TOPCon solar modules using M10, G12R, and G12 solar cells, a company statement said. Inox Clean Energy Ltd's wholly-owned subsidiary, Inox Solar Ltd, on Monday announced the commencement of production at its solar module manufacturing facility in Bavla, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, with the first phase capacity of 1.2 GW from its 3 GW plant, according to the statement. This globally recognised module technology is the latest in solar manufacturing, offering higher efficiency, lower degradation, and superior reliability, setting a benchmark for modern solar installations. The bifacial modules further enable dual-sided power generation, boosting Capacity Utilisation Factor (CUF) and overall productivity. The Bavla facility is set to scale up further to 3 GW of

Cong ignored India's potential: PM Modi slams licence raj, foreign reliance

During a public event in Gujarat's Bhavnagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised Congress' policies for holding back India's growth, and urged a self-reliant India to secure the nation's future

PM Modi holds roadshow in Bhavnagar, inaugurates ₹34,200 crore projects

As part of the maritime sector initiatives, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth over Rs 7,870 crore, including the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal at Indira Dock

PM Narendra Modi to launch maritime initiative in Gujarat on Saturday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a series of shipping and shipbuilding projects in Gujarat, with investments exceeding Rs 66,000 crore and multiple public sector MoUs

PM Modi set to inaugurate multiple development projects in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Gujarat on February 24 and 25 and will launch a slew of development projects worth over Rs 52,250 crore related to health, road, rail, energy and tourism across the country. In a significant step towards strengthening tertiary healthcare in the country, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said, Modi will inaugurate five All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rajkot (Gujarat), Bathinda (Punjab), Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh), Kalyani (West Bengal) and Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh). He will inaugurate these facilities at a public function in Rajkot. At a function in Dwarka, the prime minister will inaugurate the 'Sudarshan Setu' connecting the Okha mainland and the Beyt Dwarka island built at a cost of around Rs 980 crore. The 2.32 km-long cable-stayed bridge is the longest of its kind in the country, the PMO said in a statement. Sudarshan Setu boasts a unique design, featuring a footpath adorned with verses from the Bhagavad Gita and imag

Aaiji Group to invest ₹100 cr in affordable housing along Lothal-Dholera

Aaiji Group will invest Rs 100 crore to develop affordable residential and commercial spaces along the Lothal Dholera corridor in Gujarat over the next two years, a top company official said. The initiative comes as the region experiences strong economic growth, supported by major tourism, heritage and industrial projects, Aaiji Group Managing Director Lalit Parihar said. In the next two years, the Lothal - Dholera belt is projected to witness huge demand for residential apartments and commercial spaces, Parihar said. Dholera is home to over 100 companies and landmark projects, including Tata Electronics' USD 10.9 billion semiconductor plant, creating significant employment opportunities, he added. Our Rs 100 crore investment reflects our confidence in the corridor's potential and our commitment to deliver modern, high-quality developments for residents, businesses and investors, he said.