Page 30 - Gujarat

Earthquake of 4.0 magnitude hits Gujarat's Kutch district; no casualties

An earthquake of 4.0 magnitude hit Gujarat's Kutch district on Sunday evening but there is no report of damage to property and life, officials said. The epicentre of the earthquake was located near Bhachau in Kutch district, as per the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR). The tremor was recorded at 4:45 pm on Sunday with its epicentre around 21 km north, northwest (NNW) from Bhachau, the ISR said in its latest update. "No damage to property or life was reported as per the preliminary information," said Kutch collector Amit Arora. Kutch district is located in a "very high risk" seismic zone, and tremors of lower intensity are a regular occurrence. In 2001, a massive earthquake shook the Kutch district affecting several towns and villages, killing around 13,800 people and leaving 1.67 lakh injured.

Gujarat govt razes houses, 150 huts to free encroached Somnath temple land

A mega anti-encroachment drive was undertaken to clear around 3 hectares of land behind Somnath temple in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district that belonged to the temple trust and state government, officials said on Saturday. As many as 21 houses and 153 huts that had unauthorisedly come up were being demolished to clear the land belonging to Shree Somnath Trust, which manages the activities of the revered Somnath temple, and the state government, said Collector Harji Vadhvaniya. The mega demolition drive began Saturday morning in the presence of five mamlatdars' and around 100 revenue officials, Vadhvaniya said. Heavy police presence was also maintained to ensure that it went off peacefully, he said. The land, which measures 3 hectares (7.4 acres), will be cleared of encroachment and fenced as per a circular issued by the state revenue department, he said. Somnath temple is located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval town along the coast of the Arabian Sea. It is believed to be the first am

SJVN bags solar project worth Rs 550 cr from Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam

State-owned SJVN Ltd on Thursday said it has bagged a 100 MW solar project under an e-reverse auction conducted by Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL). SJVN bagged the 100 MW solar project at the rate of Rs 2.54/unit on a build-own and operate basis through a tariff-based competitive bidding process of GUVNL Phase XXI, a company statement said. According to the statement, SJVN has secured the full quoted capacity of a 100 MW solar power project through e-Reverse Auction conducted by GUVNL. This ground-mounted solar project will be developed by SJVN through its wholly-owned subsidiary SJVN Green Energy Limited (SGEL) at a tentative cost of Rs 550 crore. The project will be executed by SGEL in Solar Park being developed by Gujarat Industrial Power Corporation Limited in Khavda, Gujarat, through an EPC contract. The power purchase agreement will be executed after the issuance of the Letter of Award from GUVNL. The project is expected to generate about 252 million units in its first

Vadodara boat capsize: Gujarat Police arrests contractor of Kotia Projects

According to the police, the accused has been identified as Vineet Kotia, the contractor of Kotia Projects

Gujarat to showcase its global identity in border tourism on Republic Day

The tableau highlights Dhordo's inclusion in UNWTO's Best Tourism Village list, emphasizing the seamless integration of tradition, tourism, and technology in achieving the vision of a Developed India

11 convicts in Bilkis Bano case surrender at Godhra sub-jail, say officials

All 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case surrendered late Sunday night at Godhra sub jail in Gujarat's Panchmahal district in keeping with the deadline imposed by the Supreme Court. "All 11 convicts have surrendered before jail authorities late Sunday night," said local Crime Branch inspector NL Desai. The top court had on January 8 annulled the remission the Gujarat government granted to the 11 convicts in the high-profile case while slamming the State for being "complicit" with an accused and abusing its discretion. It ordered the convicts, who were released prematurely on Independence Day in 2022, to go back to jail within two weeks. The apex court had a couple of days ago rejected pleas of the convicts for grant of more time to surrender and had asked them to do so by Sunday. The 11 convicts are Bakabhai Vohania, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Govind Nai, Jaswant Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, Pradeep Mordhiya, Radheshyam Shah, Rajubhai Soni, Ramesh Chandana and Shailesh ...

Stones pelted on Ram 'shobha yatra' in Mehsana; cops fire teargas

Police fired teargas shells after stones were pelted on a "shobha yatra" (procession) of Lord Ram in Gujarat's Mehsana district on Sunday, an official said. The incident took place in Kheralu town on the eve of the idol consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and three teargas shells had to be fired to control the situation, Inspector General of Police Virendrasingh Yadav said. "Fifteen persons have been rounded up after a combing operation at the site. Police personnel accompanying the shobha yatra took immediate action to avert any (further) incident and brought the situation under control," the IG said. No one seems to have been seriously injured in the stone pelting, he added. The situation at the spot is peaceful and police patrolling has been intensified in the area, Yadav told reporters.

Reliance to commission new energy giga complex in Gujarat this year

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd will commission a new energy giga complex in Gujarat in the second half of 2024, the company said in an earnings statement and investor call. Reliance is building a giga complex spread over 5,000 acres in Jamnagar in Gujarat. The complex comprises five giga factories for photovoltaic panels, fuel cell system, green hydrogen, energy storage and power electronics. "On track to commence new energy facilities in phases this year," the company said in a post-third-quarter earnings call with investors. Post announcement of third-quarter earnings on Friday, Ambani stated that the "New Energy Giga Complex is all set to be commissioned in the second half of CY24. I am confident that Reliance's New Energy business will play a pivotal role in the global movement for adoption of cleaner fuels." The Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex will be among the largest integrated renewable energy manufacturing facilities in the world. Reliance

Half-day declared for govt offices, educational institutions in Guj on Mon

According to a notice issued by the Gujarat government, all government offices and educational institutions in the state will remain closed on January 22 until 2:30 pm

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Bilkis Bano case convicts are under 'police watch', not missing: Official

The Supreme Court earlier in the day refused to give more time to surrender to the 11 convicts in the case of gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of 7 of her family members during the 2002 riots

Ram mandir: These states have declared a holiday on January 22. Check list

Several states have declared a public holiday or half day on January 22 in honour of the 'Pran Prathishtha' ceremony for the Ram mandir in Ayodhya

Vadodara boat capsize: FIR filed, manager, staff of boating firm booked

Preliminary investigation suggests that the boat was packed beyond capacity, the police informed

Gujarat boat tragedy: 12 students, 2 teachers dead, 20 rescued; 2 arrested

Six school children died after a boat carrying 27 students, who were on a picnic, overturned in a lake on the outskirts of Vadodara city in Gujarat on Thursday, officials said. A search operation is underway to trace the remaining students at the Harni lake, where the incident happened, they said. Gujarat Education Minister Kuber Dindor said, "I have just learnt that six children died after a boat carrying school students overturned in a lake." "Rescue operations are underway. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the fire brigade personnel are on the job along with other agencies," he said. Vadodara district collector A B Gor said there were 27 children on the boat. "We are trying to trace and rescue others," he said. "A boat carrying school students, who came here on a picnic, overturned in Harni lake in the afternoon. The fire brigade has so far rescued seven students, while search is on for the missing ones," Vadodara's chief fire officer Parth Brahmbhatt said. Few

Matter of joy and pride, says Gujarat CM as state tops Startup Ranking 2022

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday said it was a matter of joy and pride as the state was ranked number one for the fourth consecutive time in the State Startup Ranking 2022 announced by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday. The results were announced by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal at the Startup Awards & State Ranking Awards function in New Delhi wherein Gujarat was ranked top in the best performing state category for states with more than one crore population. "It is a matter of joy and pride for all of us that Gujarat has been declared the best performing state in the State Startup Ranking 2022 for creating a strong ecosystem in the state. This ranking has been given by evaluating the states on various yardsticks including funding support, mentor support, capacity building, and market access to startups," the chief minister said in his post on X. Gujarat is committed to contribute more towards realising the Startup ...

2,000 Congress, AAP workers join BJP in Gujarat ahead of Lok Sabha polls

More than 2,000 workers and office-bearers of the opposition Congress and the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joined the ruling BJP in Gujarat on Tuesday, said the saffron outfit. They were inducted into the BJP at a function held at the ruling party's state headquarters in Gandhinagar. Those who joined the BJP from the Congress included former Leader of Opposition in Rajkot district panchayat Arjun Khatariya, Rajkot district president of Seva Dal Kishorsinh Jadeja and four members of Rajkot district panchayat - Shardaben Dhaduk, Mira Bhalodia, Gita Chavda and Gita Chauhan -- among others, said a release by the saffron party. These local leaders from Rajkot as well as north and central Gujarat joined the ruling fold in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil. Welcoming the newly-inducted members, Paatil said everyone should help Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his endeavour to strengthen India and Gujarat, the release said. "As

Gujarat, Kerala, K'taka best states in nurturing startup ecosystem: DPIIT

Gujarat and Karnataka are ranked as the 'best performers' in developing startup ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs, according to the ranking of states and Union territories by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh are also categorised as the best performers. The ranking is a yearly exercise under DPIIT that evaluates all states and Union Territories on their efforts to build an ecosystem conducive to startup growth. A total of 33 states and Union territories (UTs) participated in the exercise. They are ranked under five categories -- best performers, top performers, leaders, aspiring leaders and emerging startup ecosystems. The states and Union Territories were broadly divided into two sections based on their population size --those having more than 1 crore and the ones with less than 1 crore. Gujarat has been ranked as the best performer for the fourth time in a row. Karnataka has been ranked in this segment

Cooperative sector vital in making India 3rd largest economy: Gujarat CM

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Monday said the cooperative sector is the best way to strengthen the rural economy and asserted it would play an important role in making India the world's third largest economy. He was speaking at an event in Deodar village in Gujarat's Banaskantha district after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of various projects of Banas Dairy and Banas Bank. "Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has become the fifth largest economy in the world and is marching forward to be the third largest economy. I firmly believe the cooperative sector will play an important role in it," Patel said in his address. "Recently, the state government organised the 10th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. Our focus was on emerging and future technologies such as green energy, hydrogen energy and semiconductor. At the same time, we are also focussing on the rural economy. The cooperative sector is the best way to strengthen the rural

Avaada Group to invest Rs 40,000 cr in 6 GW renewable projects in Gujarat

Avaada Group on Monday said it has committed investments worth Rs 40,000 crore for development of 6,000 MW hybrid wind-solar projects in Gujarat. The agreement was signed in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 on January 10-12 at Gandhinagar, a company statement said. According to the statement, Avaada Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government. This strategic alliance aims to set up hybrid wind-solar projects with an aggregate 6,000 MW (6 GW) capacity in the state with an investment of about Rs 40,000 crore. The group's commitment to green initiatives in Gujarat is underscored by substantial investments in the development of a robust renewable energy ecosystem. The hybrid projects, located in various districts of Gujarat, predominantly in the underdeveloped wastelands of Kutch, will supply power to various utilities of India including GUVNL (Gujarat Urja Vikas N

4 workers critical as molten metal falls on them in Gujarat steel factor

At least seven workers were injured on Sunday, four of them critically, when molten metal spilled out of a furnace and fell on them at a steel factory located in Anjar town in Gujarat's Kutch district, police said. The incident occurred in the morning when some workers were putting metal scrap in the furnace. "The molten metal spilled out of the furnace and fell on seven workers, injuring them. They were shifted to a hospital at Gandhidham. Four of them were referred to Ahmedabad for further treatment as their health condition is critical," said Superintendent of Police, Kutch (East), Sagar Bagmar.