Page 30 - Gujarat

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

Purchased electricity worth Rs 40,000 cr in 2 years: Guj govt to Assembly

The Gujarat government on Thursday informed the Assembly that it has purchased electricity worth Rs 40,634 crore from different power generation firms in the last two years. Responding to a set of questions raised by Congress MLAs, state energy minister Kanubhai Desai said Rs 20,898 crore was paid to 804 firms, mostly renewable energy projects, in 2022 while Rs 19,736 crore was paid in 2023 to 919 firms towards the purchase of electricity. In 2022, the average cost was Rs 5.25 per unit while it was Rs 4.75 in 2023, he added. Congress Legislature Party leader Amit Chavda and senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar confronted Desai over the issue and sought to know why private firms are given preference over state-run energy generation firms. "The total installed capacity of the state government's power plants is 9,347 MW while the total installed capacity of three private entities - Adani, Essar and Tata - is 5,361 MW. Despite our capacity being more, we give preference to private firms

Nabard report puts Gujarat's credit potential at Rs 3.53 trn for 2024-25

A National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) report on Thursday revealed that Gujarat's credit potential for priority sectors stands at Rs 3.53 lakh crore. A NABARD release said its annual document 'State Focus Paper 2024-25' was unveiled by Gujarat Chief Secretary Raj Kumar at an event held here in the presence of senior officials, bankers, heads of NGOs and stakeholders. NABARD is an apex regulatory body for overall regulation of regional rural banks and apex cooperative banks in India. "NABARD's meticulous analysis highlighted a credit potential of Rs 3.53 lakh crore for Gujarat, including Rs 1.42 lakh crore, which comes to 40 per cent, for agriculture and allied sectors, Rs 1.80 lakh crore (51 per cent) for the MSME sector, and the remaining 9 per cent for other priority sectors," said the release. The document not only outlines the existing credit-absorption capacity but also proposes strategies to enhance it through strategic partnerships and policy ...

RS polls: All 4 BJP candidates from Guj, including Nadda, file nominations

All four BJP candidates from Gujarat, including party president J P Nadda, filed their nomination papers here on Thursday for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Besides Nadda, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated party leader from Godhra, Jashvantsinh Parmar, diamond baron Govind Dholakia and BJP leader Mayank Nayak for the election to be held on February 27. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP chief CR Paatil accompanied Nadda when he arrived at the state legislative assembly complex here to file his candidature. Returning officer Rita Mehta accepted the papers from these four BJP candidates. Though a person named Paresh Mulani has also filed his nomination as an independent candidate on Wednesday, his candidature will be rejected during scrutiny as he did not have support of any MLA, which is mandatory as per the rules, Mehta said. Since no other party has fielded candidates and Thursday being the last day to file nomination papers, these four .

'IFSCA to set up int'l arbitration centre at IFSC for dispute resolution'

The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) is "on the job" to set up an international arbitration centre at the IFSC, Gandhinagar, to speed up dispute resolution, its chairman K Rajaraman said on Wednesday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech in 2022 announced setting up of an international arbitration centre at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). Currently, GIFT-IFSC is the maiden international financial services centre in India. "The proposal is under consideration of the government...we are already on the job", he said at an event organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The centre could be on the lines of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, or the London Commercial Arbitration Centre. Asked if crypto currency is allowed in IFSC, Rajaraman said it is not permitted as it is not a safe financial product. However, he said, IFSCA is working on tokenisation of real world assets and the regulator is .

Adani Green starts generating power at Khavda renewable power plant

Adani Green said once the Khavda plant is fully operational, it will be able to generate 81 billion units of clean electricity

1,606 primary schools in state operate with 1 teacher: Guj govt in Assembly

As many as 1,606 government-run primary schools in Gujarat were functioning with just one teacher, the state government informed the legislative assembly on Monday. In a debate during the Question Hour of the ongoing budget session, state Education Minister Kuber Dindor admitted that the number of schools facing a shortage of teachers has increased in the last two years mainly because of the transfer of educators to places of their choice. While Dindor assured the House that vacant posts in the state-run primary schools would be filled "at the earliest", Congress MLAs took a strong exception and asked the BJP government to specify the timeframe for filling the posts. Responding to a question by Congress MLA Tushar Chaudhary, the minister said 1,606 government primary schools in Gujarat were functioning with just one teacher as of December 2023. The state has more than 32,000 government primary schools. He said steps are being taken to ensure that students do not suffer, and these

Path shown by Swami Dayanand infuses hope among millions in Amritkal: PM

While addressing the people through a video conference, PM Modi said that it is a privilege for him to be a part of the program related to the 200th birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand

More than half million children in Gujarat malnourished: Govt data

More than 5.70 lakh children in Gujarat are malnourished, the Gujarat assembly was informed on Wednesday with the government listing various steps being taken to improve the situation. Responding to a set of questions raised by Congress MLAs during Question Hour, Women and Child Development Minister Bhanuben Babariya informed that out of 5.70 lakh malnourished children in the state, nearly 4.38 lakh children are underweight, while 1.31 lakh fell in the 'severely underweight' category. Notably, the highly-urbanised district of Ahmedabad accounted for the highest number of malnourished children (56,941), followed by tribal-dominated Dahod (51,321), Banaskantha (48,866), Panchmahal (31,512), Kheda (28,800), Surat (26,682) and Bhavnagar (26,128), Babariya stated in written replies giving the data till end-2023. In one year, as many as 9,634 malnourished children were added in Kheda district, which was the highest in Gujarat. Kheda was followed by Ahmedabad (3,516 children), Bharuch ...

Rooftop solar charges up electric vehicle boom in India's smaller cities

Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Kerala see more users

9,218 teachers fined Rs 1.54 cr for committing errors in exam assessment

More than 9,000 schoolteachers in Gujarat were slapped with cumulative fine of Rs 1.54 crore over a period of two years for committing errors in totalling marks during the evaluation of Classes X and XII board exam answer sheets, the state Assembly was informed on Tuesday. Responding to a query by Congress MLA Kirit Patel during Question Hour, state education minister Kuber Dindor admitted that as many as 9,218 teachers - 3,350 of Class X and 5,868 of Class XII - had committed errors in calculating marks during the assessment of board exam answer sheets in 2022 and 2023. As per the written reply tabled in the House, the state government had slapped a cumulative fine of Rs 1.54 crore on these teachers. The average fine comes to around Rs 1,600 per teacher. Of these 9,218 erring teachers, 6,561, including 2,563 who had examined answer sheets of Class X and 3,998 of Class XII, have already deposited a little over Rs 1 crore. As many as 2,657 teachers, including 787 of Class 10 and ...