Page 28 - Gujarat

Anant-Radhika pre-wedding: Rihanna's 'massive' 12-foot luggage in Jamnagar

The pre-wedding functions of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant began from Friday, 1 March and will go on till 3 March. Ceremony will mark the presence of big stars including pop icon Rihanna

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant pre-wedding ceremony: Here's guest list

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant pre-wedding ceremony is to be held from March 1 to 3 at Gujarat's Jamnagar. World's top business tycoons, celebrities and politicians to attend the ceremony

Cabinet clears 3 semiconductor plants with investment of Rs 1.26 trillion

Cabinet approves three more semiconductor units; two in Gujarat and one in Assam

Larry Fink, Bill Gates, Rihanna to join Anant Ambani's pre-wedding bash

The gala kicks off Friday in the family's refinery township of Jamnagar in the western coastal state of Gujarat

Gujarat hikes DA of govt employees by 4%, also raises its NPS share

Just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Gujarat government on Thursday announced a 4 per cent hike in dearness allowance (DA) for its employees and pensioners. With this hike, the DA of Gujarat government employees, which was 42 per cent earlier, will now be 46 per cent, a state government resolution (GR) said. The DA has been hiked with effect from July 1, 2023, and employees will be given arrears for the last eight months, it said. Around 4.45 lakh state government employees and 4.63 lakh pensioners will benefit from the decision to hike DA, an official release said. The government has also decided to increase its own contribution in the National Pension System (NPS) from 10 per cent to 14 per cent, while state employees will have to pay 10 per cent, the release said. The Gujarat government employees have been demanding restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) instead of NPS. Under the OPS, retired government employees received 50 per cent of their last drawn salary plus DA as

India's highest-ever drug bust: 3,300 kg narcotics seized off Gujarat coast

Indian agencies Wednesday made their highest-ever narcotics bust from the sea as they seized 3,300 kg drugs, which sailed from an Iranian port, off the Gujarat coast and arrested five foreigners from a dhow. The cache could be worth anything between Rs 1,300-Rs 2,000 crore in the international market, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director General S N Pradhan said. Home Minister Amit Shah called the joint operation by the Navy, NCB and the Gujarat Police a "historic success" and a testament of his government's "unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free". The unregistered fishing boat was intercepted on Tuesday morning at the Arabian Sea from a point about 60 nautical miles from the Indian coast and along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The Navy deployed its P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft and marine commandos onboard a warship apart from helicopters. About 3,300 kg of contraband that includes 3,110 kg charas or Hashish, 158.3 kg of cryst

Indian agencies seize record 3,300 kg of narcotics off Gujarat coast

The Indian Navy intercepted a small ship on Tuesday and recovered more than 3,089 kg of charas, 158 kg of methamphetamine, and 25 kg of morphine

SJVN commissions 100 MW Raghanesda solar power project in Gujarat

State-owned SJVN on Tuesday announced the commissioning of 100 MW Raghanesda solar power project located at Banaskantha district in Gujarat. The project, bagged at a tariff of Rs 2.64 per unit, has been commissioned through its subsidiary SJVN Green Energy Ltd (SGEL), SJVN said in a regulatory filing. The "Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) has been signed with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) for 25 years. The cost of construction/development of this project is Rs 642 crore. The project will generate 252.3 million units (MUs) in the first year," it said. The project is expected to generate 5,805 MU of solar power over a period of 25 years.

Cong suffers jolt in Gujarat as its Rajya Sabha MP Naran Rathwa joins BJP

In a major blow to the Congress in Gujarat ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, its Rajya Sabha member and former Union minister Naran Rathwa joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with his son and a large number of supporters here on Tuesday. The tribal leader from Chhota Udepur in Gujarat, Rathwa's tenure as the Rajya Sabha member will end in April this year. He was elected to the Lok Sabha five times - first in 1989, then in 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2004. Rathwa's son Sangramsinh had unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections as a Congress candidate from Scheduled Tribe (ST)-reserved Chhota Udepur seat. He joined the BJP along with his father and a large number of supporters at a function. Rathwa was a Minister of State for Railways in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2004, and lost to BJP candidate Ramsinh Rathwa in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Gujarat BJP chief C R Paatil inducted Rathwa and others into the party by offering them saffron .

AAP-Congress alliance: Faisal Patel firm on contesting Bharuch Seat

Patel stated that he has no intention of exploring parties outside the Congress and hopes the party will reconsider the seat, which has been allocated to the AAP

PM Modi dives into sea to perform underwater puja in submerged Dwarka

Later, he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 4,150 crore in the city

PM Modi launches microbiology lab, 17 food testing vehicles for Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually unveiled a new microbiology laboratory and 17 Food Safety on Wheels (FSW) vehicles in Assam, collectively valued at Rs 13.11 crore. In a major step towards enhancing food testing infrastructure across Assam, the laboratory was set up by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in Guwahati. In addition, 17 mobile food testing laboratories, known as FSWs, have been provided to Assam in a stride towards ensuring food safety to the last mile. All these facilities were inaugurated by Modi through virtual mode from an event at Rajkot in Gujarat, an official release said. "The microbiology laboratory will play a pivotal role in safeguarding food safety by detecting various microorganisms, including pathogens in food products," it added. The FSWs, equipped with cutting-edge facilities and expert staff, will not only enhance testing capabilities but also deliver essential training to strengthen food safety practices, the release

PM Modi inaugurates five Aiims across multiple cities, including Rajkot

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Rajkot in Gujarat and e-dedicated to the nation four more AIIMS at Bathinda (Punjab), Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh), Kalyani (West Bengal) and Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh). He inaugurated development projects worth Rs 48,000 at the function held here and asserted that his guarantee begins when hope from others fades. "For 50 years after Independence, there was only one AIIMS in the country, and that too in Delhi. In the seven decades since Independence, only seven AIIMS were approved but even these were never completed," he said. "But now, in just 10 days, seven new AIIMS were inaugurated or its foundation stones laid. That is why I am saying we are developing the country at a pace much faster than what happened in the last six to seven decades," he said.

India to add 18 N-power reactors with capacity of 13,800 MWe by 2032: NPCIL

India will add 18 more nuclear power reactors with a cumulative capacity to generate 13,800 MWe of electricity, taking the total share of atomic power in the energy mix to 22,480 MWe by 2031-32. This was announced by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated two home-built 700 MW nuclear power reactors at Kakrapar in Gujarat last week. Presently, the NPCIL operates 24 reactors with a total capacity of 8,180 MWe. The prime minister dedicated units 3 & 4 of Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS 3 & 4) to the nation on February 22. KAPS-4 was connected to the western power grid on February 20, two days ahead of PM Modi's visit to Kakrapar. KAPS 3 & 4 (2 X 700 MW) are the largest indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) with advanced safety features comparable to the best in the world, the NPCIL said. "These reactors have been designed, constructed, commissioned, and operated by NPCIL, with the supply of ...

PM Modi inaugurates 'Sudarshan Setu', India's longest cable-stayed bridge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated 'Sudarshan Setu', the country's longest cable-stayed bridge of 2.32 km, on the Arabian sea connecting Beyt Dwarka island to mainland Okha in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district. Modi began his day by offering prayers at Lord Sri Krishna temple at Beyt Dwarka. He later inaugurated the four-lane cable-stayed bridge called the 'Sudarshan Setu', which boasts a unique design, featuring a footpath adorned with verses from Srimad Bhagavad Gita and images of Lord Krishna on both sides. The 2.32 km bridge, including 900 metres of central double span cable-stayed portion and a 2.45 km long approach road, has been constructed at a cost of Rs 979 crore, as per an official release. The four-lane 27.20 metre wide bridge has 2.50 metre wide footpaths on each side, it said. The bridge, which was known as 'Signature Bridge', has been renamed as 'Sudarshan Setu' or Sudarshan Bridge. Beyt Dwarka is an island near Okha port, which is nearly 30 km fro

Special day for Guj's growth story: PM to unveil signature bridge tomorrow

The bridge, spanning 2.5 kilometres, holds immense signficance for both local residents and pilgrims visiting the revered Dwarkadhish Temple

Bilkis Bano case convict gets 10-day parole to attend nephew's wedding

The Gujarat High Court has granted 10-day parole to Bilkis Bano case convict Ramesh Chandana to attend his nephew's wedding scheduled for March 5. Chandana, who moved the High Court for parole last week, is the second convict in the case to be granted parole after all 11 convicts in the case surrendered at a jail in Godhra town on January 21 following a Supreme Court order. They were convicted in a case of gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots. "By this application, the convict-applicant prays for parole leave on the grounds of attending the marriage ceremony of the son of his sister. Taking into consideration the grounds urged in this application, the applicant-accused is ordered to be released on parole leave for a period of ten days," said Justice Divyesh Joshi in his order issued on Friday. As per the Gujarat government's affidavit before the Supreme Court, Chandana had enjoyed parole for 1,198 days and a furlough of

PM Modi to inaugurate Gujarat's first Aiims at Rajkot on February 25

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Gujarat's first All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rajkot on February 25, state Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said on Friday. This will be one of the five AIIMS to be dedicated to the nation by the prime minister from Rajkot on February 25, the minister said. While the out-patient department (OPD) of the super-speciality hospital near Para Pipaliya village on the outskirts of Rajkot city is already operational, Modi will inaugurate the in-patient department (IPD), Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar. Modi laid the foundation stone for Rajkot AIIMS through video-conferencing in December 2020. "Spread across 201 acres, Rajkot AIIMS is a world-class hospital with 720 beds, including ICU and super-speciality beds. On February 25, the prime minister will inaugurate 23 operation theatres, 30-bed AYUSH block and 250 beds of IPD. The remaining beds will be made available gradually," Patel said. The hospital was built at the co

PM Modi lays foundation stone of projects worth Rs 13,500 crore in Gujarat

The projects encompass a wide range of sectors such as internet connectivity, rail, road, education, health, connectivity, research and tourism, the Prime Minister's Office said

ADB approves $23 mn loan to boost fintech education, research in Gujarat

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday said it has approved a USD 23 million loan to enhance access to quality fintech education, research, and innovation at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in India. GIFT is a state-owned enterprise established to promote and cultivate fintech ecosystems and financial services in India. It is the country's first international financial services centre and has become a fast-growing area for helping and developing local startups. "The development of India's fintech industry has transformed how people do business, contributed to economic growth, and prepared the country for the future," ADB economist Kanupriya Gupta said. "ADB's assistance will help strengthen the country's fintech education to ensure that digital and financial services become more efficient and accessible in the future," he added. In a statement, ADB said the project will construct an inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient International Fintech Institut