Page 21 - Gujarat

HM Shah speaks to CMs of Assam, UP, Guj; takes stock of floods, rains

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to chief ministers of Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat to take stock of the situation there due to floods and heavy rains and assured them of all central help, sources said. In his talks with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the telephone, Shah enquired about the flood situation in the state. Sarma briefed Shah about the prevailing situation and steps taken so far, sources said. In his calls to Chief Ministers Yogi Adityanath and Bhupendra Patel, the Union home minister took stock of the situation in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat due to rising water levels in rivers following heavy rains. Shah assured the three chief ministers of all possible assistance from the Central government to tide over the situation, sources said. So far 109 people lost their lives in Assam in floods and rain-related incidents. More than 5,97,600 people were affected by floods in Assam's Cachar, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, ..

Cong, BJP spar over video showing huge crowd for job interview in Gujarat

A stampede-like situation was witnessed after about 800 persons turned up for walk-in interviews held by a firm for 40 vacancies in Ankleshwar in Gujarat's Bharuch district, an official has said. Videos of a massive queue, marked by pushing and shoving as aspirants tried to get a toehold on a ramp leading to the entrance of a hotel where the interview was being held, went viral on Thursday on social media. The railing of the ramp finally collapsed, leading to several job-seekers falling off, though no one was injured. The incident, which took place on Tuesday, triggered a verbal duel between the opposition Congress and the ruling BJP. While the Congress said it had exposed the Gujarat model (of development that the ruling party talks about), the BJP said the former was trying to defame the state through the video. As per our information, a company arranged walk-in interviews for nearly 40 vacancies in five different roles. The company booked a hall in a hotel in Ankleshwar expecti

Foreign currency account usage widens at GIFT City, boosts biz prospects

Latest changes, announced by RBI in a circular late allow Indian investors to use GIFT City as a route for more overseas spending and investments

Highlights: Delhi Police books TMC MP Mahua Moitra for 'derogatory' social media post on NCW chief

From Surat's building collapse to Israel-Hamas truce talks, catch all the latest update from across the globe here

There is need to live for the country, not die: Shah lauds Kadva Patidars

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said there is a need not to die but live for the country as he lauded the Kadva Patidar community for their role in the development of Gujarat. He was speaking at an event after inaugurating a hostel complex for students in Ahmedabad in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Shah also inaugurated a hospital in the city during the day. The hostel Amin PJKP Vidyarthi Bhavan has been built by the Kadva Patidar community and will accommodate students from all social groups, said its officials. Shah said today there is a need not to die for the country but to live for her. You may be a good IAS, IPS, CA, doctor, good citizen or housewife, but you need to work for the country, he said. The senior BJP leader said the Kadva Patidar community has contributed a lot to the development of Gujarat. The development of Gujarat and Patidar community is parallel. Through its hard work, the Kadva Patidar community has made an important contributio

7 bodies recovered from collapsed building in Surat; woman rescued alive

Chief Fire Officer Pareek added that a woman was rescued safely from the debris, and a total of seven bodies were retrieved

6-storey residential building collapses in Surat, several feared trapped

Police and fire department teams are present at the spot, Rescue operations are underway

Rahul Gandhi meets kin of victims of various tragedies in Gujarat

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday met the family members of those who lost their lives in various tragedies in Gujarat in recent years, and promised to raise their grievances in Parliament. Relatives of the victims of the TRP game zone fire in Rajkot, a boat capsizing incident in Vadodara, the Morbi bridge collapse of 2022 and the 2016 Una Dalit flogging case met the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha at the Gujarat Congress headquarters in Paldi area here. "Rahul Gandhi interacted with the family members of victims, understood their issues, and promised that he will raise them in Parliament so that justice is done," said Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani who coordinated the interaction. Narendra Parmar, who lost his ten-year-old daughter in the Morbi bridge collapse, said they have lost faith in the "corrupt system" in the BJP-ruled Gujarat. "I told Gandhi that all the key accused are out on bail and court proceedings are going on at a very slow pace. We have lost our faith i

Congress will defeat BJP in Gujarat as it did in Ayodhya, says Rahul Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said here on Saturday that his party will defeat the BJP in Gujarat in the next election the same way it did in Ayodhya in the recent Lok Sabha polls. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha made the remark while addressing a party workers' convention in Ahmedabad. "They (BJP) have challenged us by threatening us and damaging our office. Let me tell you that we are together going to break their government like they damaged our office. Take it in writing that Congress will contest in Gujarat and defeat Narendra Modi and BJP in Gujarat like we did in Ayodhya," Gandhi said. Congress will win Gujarat, and from the state it will make a new start, he said. He was referring to a clash that broke out between members of both Congress and BJP outside the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, Congress's state headquarters in Paldi area of Ahmedabad on July 2 after BJP's youth wing members came there to protest against Gandhi's remarks on Hindus. According to police, both

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.

Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad on July 7, security tightened with over 18,000 cops

The 147th edition of the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath will take place on July 7 in Ahmedabad where more than 18,000 security personnel will be deployed to guard the event which draws lakhs of devotees, officials said. Senior police officials will keep a close watch on the procession using 1,733 body-worn cameras linked to a control room. Besides, 20 drones and 96 surveillance cameras have been installed at 47 locations on the route, an official release said on Wednesday. Nearly 1,400 CCTV cameras installed by shopkeepers on the route will also be used for live surveillance, it said. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday reviewed the security preparedness for the mega religious event at a meeting which was attended by various officials including Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi and Director General of Police Vikas Sahay. Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police GS Malik made an elaborate presentation during the meeting on various security aspects of the Rath .

Gujarat tourist footfall up 17% as visitors flock famous spots this summer

Over 1.35 crore tourists flocked to famous destinations in Gujarat during this summer vacation, marking a 17 per cent increase compared to the previous year, the state government said on Wednesday. From April 1 to June 10 this year, more than 1.35 crore tourists visited 12 prominent attractions and pilgrimage sites in the state. This is a notable rise from the 1.14 crore tourists who visited during the same period in 2023, a government release stated. Key tourist spots included the Statue of Unity, Atal Bridge, Riverfront-Flower Park, Kankaria Lake, Somnath Temple, Ambaji Temple, Pavagadh Temple, Dwarkadhish Temple, Science City in Ahmedabad, Vadnagar, Gir and Devalia Safari Parks, and Ahmedabad Metro Railway. Ahmedabad district and Ahmedabad city, which has been declared India's first UNESCO World Heritage City, emerged as top tourist destinations in the financial year 2023-24. Ahmedabad district welcomed 4.26 crore visitors, while the city itself attracted 2.25 crore tourists, th

Spread violence, hatred; don't understand basic Hinduism, Rahul targets BJP

The BJP people who spread violence and hatred do not understand the basic principles of Hinduism, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday as he hit out at the ruling party for what he described as a "violent attack" on the party's office in Ahmedabad. Workers of the BJP and the Congress hurled stones at each other outside Gujarat Congress headquarters in Ahmedabad on Tuesday during a protest against the remarks made by Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "The cowardly and violent attack on the Gujarat Congress office further strengthens my point about the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. The BJP people who spread violence and hatred do not understand the basic principles of Hinduism." "The people of Gujarat can clearly see through their lies and will teach the BJP government a decisive lesson. I am saying it again -- INDIA is going to win in Gujarat!" the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said. Several workers and leaders from both sides we

Floods in large parts of Gujarat after heavy rains | Gujarat rains | Monsoon

Heavy rains lashed Gujarat for the third consecutive day on Tuesday triggering floods in several parts including Junagadh. NDRF teams have been deployed for rescue operations in Junagadh.

Two national highways closed in Gujarat's Junagadh due to heavy rainfall

A visual surfaced on social media that shows the middle of the road caving in the water flowing into the large cavity

Gujarat govt signs MoUs with IBM, Microsoft to enhance AI capabilities

The Gujarat government on Saturday signed memorandums of understanding with software giants IBM and Microsoft, and the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) for promoting the use of Artificial Intelligence technologies in the state. The MoUs were signed in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a government release said. IBM and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat, entered into an MoU to establish and promote an AI Cluster to foster innovation and collaboration among financial institutions at Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City, it said. Microsoft and the Department of Science and Technology signed an MoU to establish an Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence in GIFT City. The AI Center will focus on key technologies such as machine learning, cognitive services and bot services. The department also signed another MoU with NASSCOM to enhance AI capabilities in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ha

NEET malpractices case: CBI gets custody of four accused held from Gujarat

A court on Saturday remanded four accused arrested in connection with alleged malpractices at NEET-UG held at a school near Godhra in Gujarat in CBI custody till July 2. Gujarat police had arrested five people last month in the case. Of them, the Central Bureau of Investigation sought the custody of school teacher Tushar Bhatt, principal of Jay Jalaram School Purushottam Sharma, and middlemen Vibhor Anand and Arif Vohra. The agency did not seek the remand of education consultant Parsuram Roy, a fifth accused. All the five accused are currently behind bars in Godhra sub-jail. Principal District Judge of Panchmahal, C K Chauhan, on Saturday granted the CBI's request for their remand, said government lawyer Rakesh Thakor. CBI lawyer Dhruv Malik told the court that though the police had conducted probe in the case, the agency needed their custody for fresh investigation. A preliminary probe by the CBI revealed that the accused had asked the candidates who were willing to use illegal

Water in India's 150 reservoirs dip to 20% of live storage capacity: CWC

Water available in the 150 main reservoirs across the country has dipped to just 20 per cent of their total live storage capacity, according to the Central Water Commission. For the past two weeks, the reservoirs were at 21 per cent of their total live storage capacity and the week before that it was 22 per cent. The Central Water Commission (CWC) has reported a significant drop in live storage levels across 150 major reservoirs in India. According to the latest CWC bulletin, the total live storage available is 36.368 billion cubic meters (BCM) which is just 20 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. This is a significant decrease from 46.369 billion cubic meters (BCM) recorded during the same period last year and also below the normal storage of 42.645 BCM. The total live storage capacity of these reservoirs is 178.784 BCM, which is about 69.35 per cent of the estimated total live storage capacity of 257.812 BCM in the country. The northern region, compr

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