Page 55 - Gujarat

Guj court acquits all 26 accused in 2002 gangrape and multiple murders case

A court in Gujarat has acquitted all 26 persons accused of gangrape and murder of more than a dozen members of a minority community in separate incidents in Kalol during 2002 communal riots for want of evidence in the 20-year-old case. Of the total 39 accused, 13 died during the pendency of the case and the trial against them was abated. A court of additional sessions judge of Halol in Panchmahal district, Leelabhai Chudasama, on Friday acquitted 26 persons for the offence of murder, gangrape and rioting for want of evidence. "As many as 13 out of a total 39 accused in the case had died during the pendency of the trial," the court said in the order passed on Friday. The accused persons were part of a mob that went on a rampage in the communal riots that broke out on March 1, 2002, during a bandh call given after the Sabarmati train burning incident in Godhra on February 27. An FIR was lodged against the accused at Kalol police station on March 2 that year. The prosecution examined

Amul increases milk prices by Rs 2 per litre in state of Gujarat

The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which sells its dairy products under the popular brand name 'Amul', on Saturday increased milk prices by Rs 2 per litre in the state. Prices of Amul milk have been raised across Saurashtra, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar markets in Gujarat from Saturday, GCMMF sources said. Sources said 'Amul Gold' will now be available for Rs 32 per 500 ml, 'Amul Standard' for Rs 29 per 500 ml, 'Amul Taaza' for Rs 26 per 500 ml and 'Amul T-Special' for Rs 30 per 500 ml, among others. This is the first hike in Amul milk prices in the state since December's Assembly polls, which were won by the Bharatiya Janata Party with a record 156 out of 182 seats. GCMMF had last raised Amul milk prices, by Rs 2 per litre, in Gujarat in August last year. On February 3 this year, GCMMF had hiked milk prices by Rs 2 per litre for all markets in the country except Gujarat. Currently, the member unions of GCMMF procure an average 264 lakh litres of milk every d

Gujarat Cong to organise more than 300 sammelans, invites Rahul Gandhi

The Gujarat Congress will organise more than 300 'sammelans' (conventions) across the state this month to highlight what it calls the failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, and has invited party leader Rahul Gandhi to be a part of the same, a senior party functionary said on Saturday. Talking to reporters, state Congress president Jagdish Thakor said the party plans to organise sammelans in 251 talukas, 33 districts and eight metro centres in two phases, between April 6-12 and April 15-25. Gandhi has been invited to Gujarat between April 20 and April 25 to lend his support, he said. Gandhi was last in Surat on March 23 to appear before a court, which convicted him in a criminal defamation case and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, eventually leading to his disqualification as a member of the Lok Sabha. The protests will be carried out irrespective of whether the police grant permission, Thakor said. Denying permission for peaceful protests has become a nor

People are stunned by Gujarat HC order on PM Modi's degree: Arvind Kejriwal

People, who have the right to know about the academic qualification of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are stunned by the Gujarat High Court's verdict, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday. The Gujarat High Court on Friday quashed a seven-year-old order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) which had asked the Gujarat University to provide information on Modi's degree to Kejriwal. Allowing the Gujarat University's appeal against the CIC order, Justice Biren Vaishnav also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Kejriwal and asked him to deposit the amount within four weeks to the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA). Entire country is stunned by the High Court's order because there should be a freedom of seeking information and asking questions in a democracy, Kejriwal said at a press conference here. The High court's order has increased the suspicion over the prime minister's education, he charged. If the prime minister had studied from Gujarat University or

Gujarat: 24 detained for violence during Ram Navami processions in Vadodara

Police have detained 24 persons for allegedly hurling stones at two Ram Navami processions in communally-sensitive areas in Vadodara city of Gujarat, a top official said on Friday. The incidents had occurred on Thursday when Ram Navami was celebrated. Vadodara Police Commissioner Shamsher Singh said the situation in the city was under control and people were carrying out their routine activities. "We have so far detained 24 persons in connection with the stone pelting incidents that occurred during the Ram Navami processions in the city on Thursday. They will be formally arrested soon after the registration of first information reports (FIRs). The situation is completely under control and normalcy was restored yesterday itself," Singh said. Stones were hurled at two separate Ram Navami processions when they were passing through the city's communally-sensitive areas of Fatehpura and nearby Kumbharwada. At least two persons were injured in stone-pelting by a mob at Kumbharwada, the .

InoxCVA to set up cryogenic tank facility in Vadodara for Rs 200 crore

Cryogenic liquid storage, distribution and re-gassification solutions provider InoxCVA will set up a manufacturing facility in Vadodara with an investment of Rs 200 crore. The 20,000 tonne per annum plant will come up at Savli, and will be the company's largest unit, according to a statement on Thursday. The ground-breaking for the project follows an MoU signed by the company with the Gujarat government last month. Siddharth Jain, a director of the company, claimed the 30-acre unit will double the present domestic cryogenic equipment manufacturing capacity. The company representatives, despite repeated calls, did not share details about the domestic market capacity or its own installed capacity. The greenfield project will fabricate over 20,000 tonnes of stainless steel equipment per annum and will be also able to produce over 2,500 cryogenic equipment annually, Jaini said. Cryogenic tanks have numerous green fuel applications for liquid hydrogen and LNG, among others.

GUJCET 2023 exam date out. GSEB to hold GUJCET exam 2023 on April 3

GUJCET 2023 exam admit cards are now available. Candidates can use the direct link provided below to download their GUJCET 2023 hall ticket

CAG points out several flaws in Gujarat govt's financial management

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has pointed out several flaws in the financial practices of the Gujarat government and said there was a need to formulate a realistic budget based on the needs of the departments. The "State Finance Audit Report of the CAG for the year ended March 31, 2022" was tabled on the floor of the Gujarat Assembly on Wednesday, the last day of the month-long budget session. Pointing out that financial accounts of 2021-22 were "affected" as capital expenditure was overstated and revenue expenditure understated, the CAG said, "The state government needs to formulate a realistic budget based on the needs of the departments and their capacity to utilise the allocated resources." "An appropriate control mechanism may be instituted by the government to enforce proper implementation and monitoring of budget so that large savings within the grant or appropriation are controlled, and anticipated savings are identified and surrendered within the ...

Gujarat govt paid Rs 16,900 cr in 2 years to Adani, Tata to buy electricity

The Gujarat government has paid Rs 16,900 crore to Adani Power and Tata Power for purchasing electricity during the last two years, the state Assembly was informed on Monday. As per the data tabled by Energy Minister Kanubhai Desai during Question Hour, the state government paid Rs 8,160 crore to Adani Power Mundra Ltd while Rs 8,784 was paid to Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power, in 2021 and 2022. While responding to a set of questions raised by Congress MLAs about the purchase of electricity from these private players, Desai said the state government paid Rs 2,760 crore to Adani Power in 2021 to buy 5,589 million units while Rs 5,400 crore was paid to the firm in 2022 for nearly 6,000 million units. In 2021, the state government paid Rs 2,751 crore to Tata Power to buy 7,315 million units, while the cost came to Rs 6,033 crore for 10,446 million units in 2022. The data suggested per unit cost of Rs 2.83 paid to Adani in January 2021 went up to Rs 8

Inox Air Products to set air separation unit at Hazira AMNS steel plant

INOX Air Products (INOXAP) on Monday said it will set an air separation unit -- a plant that separates oxygen and nitrogen from atmospheric gases -- at steel maker AMNS's plant located at Hazira in Gujarat. Producing oxygen is part of the overall steel making process through the blast furnace route. In a statement, INOXAP said it "has been awarded a prestigious contract for setting up its sixth air separation unit (ASU) at the Hazira unit of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AMNS India)." The new ASU has the ability to produce 1,000 TPD (tonne per day) of gaseous oxygen and 1,000 TPD of gaseous nitrogen along with other liquid medical and industrial gases, it said, adding the unit will be commissioned within 23 months. INOXAP's had already installed five ASUs at AMNS Hazira plant and the commissioning of the sixth one would scale up the combined capacity of the industrial gas complex to 11,100 TPD. The company did not disclose the order value.

Sankalp Satyagrah: Gujarat Congress functionaries detained while protesting

Several Congress functionaries were detained in Gujarat on Sunday during the party's 'Sankalp Satyagrah' agitation against the disqualification of their leader Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP following his conviction in a defamation case by a Surat court. Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail on Thursday in a criminal defamation case over his Modi surname and thieves remark, and his disqualification notice was issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat a day later. Police detained state Congress chief Jagdish Tahor, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Amit Chavda and senior leader Bharatsinh Solanki along with party workers when they arrived at Lal Darwaza here to protest. The protesters were taken to the police stadium where they continued to shout slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. "We have the power of Truth and resolution of Satyagraha. To expose the loot of BJP, with a firm determination to protect democracy, each and every worker of Gujara

Guj police conduct raids at 17 jails in state to check illegal activities

Gujarat police are conducting raids across 17 jails in the state to check if any illegal activities are taking place there and also to ensure that the inmates are getting facilities they are entitled to as per the law, a top official said. As many as 1,700 police personnel, including officers, are involved in the operation that began Friday night, state Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay said. The raids are being conducted in central jails in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and other cities as well in sub-jails, he told reporters on Friday night when the operation was underway. "The purpose behind the raids is to find out if any illegal activities are taking place in the jails and to prevent them. Sniffer dogs have also been roped in this intense search operation," Sahay said. Another purpose of the operation is to find out whether the jail inmates are being provided facilities as per the rules properly, he said. The police personnel involved in the operation wore ...

Gujarat to host disaster management meet from March 30 as part of G20

Gujarat will host a meet on disaster management from March 30 till April 1 as part of India's G20 presidency, an official said on Friday. It was earlier announced by the government that Gujarat will host the next round of G20 meetings from March 27 till April 4, during which three meetings will take place in the state. While the first meeting on 'Environment and Climate Sustainability' will will take place between March 27 and 29 in Gandhinagar, this second meeting of 'Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group" will be held from March 30 till April 1, said Indian Administrative Service official Mona Khandhar, who is coordinating G20 events in Gujarat. "A curtain raiser event on lessons learnt from past earthquakes will be held on March 29 at Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management in Gandhinagar. On March 30, the inaugural function will be followed by a technical session on the theme Early Warning System for All. Delegates will enjoy cultural events in the evening at Mahatma Mandir ...

Cong holds protests at Guj headquarters against Rahul Gandhi's conviction

Congress workers on Friday held silent protests at 19 district headquarters in Gujarat against the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a 2019 defamation case by a court in Surat, a party spokesperson said. The Congress has instructed party workers to hold protests in all 33 districts in the state against the conviction and two-year jail term to Rahul Gandhi, he said. The Surat court sentenced Gandhi to two years jail on Thursday but granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court. The defamation case had been registered against Gandhi for his 'How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?' remark. The complaint against him was lodged by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. Gandhi had made the remark during a rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019, during the Lok Sabha elections campaign. "Silent protests were held in front of the collector offices in 19 districts of Gujarat. We had ..

Aether Industries to set up new unit in Gujarat with Rs 1,000 cr investment

Specialty chemicals company Aether Industries on Thursday said it has signed an initial pact with the Gujarat government to set up new manufacturing plants at its Panoli Site with an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government to this effect, Aether Industries said in a statement. With an indicated investment of Rs 1,000 crore, generating future employment for more than 1,000 people, the company aims to commission the plants by the year 2025, the statement added. In the recent past, the company had purchased 1,25,000 sq. plots at Panoli GIDC, in Bharuch district. The company aims to utilise the Panoli plots in an efficient manner to manufacture a variety of products for the first time in India. Surat-based Aether produces advanced intermediates and specialty chemicals. The products find application in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, material science, coating, high-performance photography, additive,

Gujarat court to deliver verdict in 2019 defamation case against Rahul

A court in Surat in Gujarat on Thursday will deliver its verdict in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his "Modi surname" remarks, party leaders said. The case was filed against Gandhi for his alleged how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname? remarks on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. The Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad made the alleged remarks while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma had last week concluded hearing final arguments from both sides and set March 23 to pronounce its judgment in the four-year-old defamation case, Gandhi's lawyer Kirit Panwala had said. Gandhi had last appeared before the Surat court in the case, filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500 (dealing with defamation), in October 2021 to record his statement.

Gujarat to host next round of G20 meetings from March 27- April 4: Official

Gujarat will host the next round of G20 meetings from March 27 to April 4, during which three conclaves will be held in the state on a range of issues, where delegates from different countries will converge for participation, said an official on Tuesday. India currently holds the year-long presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), which comprises 19 countries across continents and the European Union (EU). Of these three upcoming events in the state, the first meeting on "Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG)" will take place between March 27 and 29 in Gandhinagar, said IAS officer Mona Khandhar, who is coordinating G20 events in Gujarat. "This is the second meeting of ECSWG. It will be inaugurated by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant in the presence of several senior central government officials and subject experts," said Khandhar, who serves as Principal Secretary (Economic Affairs) in the state finance department. Some of these dignitaries include Leena Nandan, Secretary,

Gujarat government hikes minimum wages for labourers by almost 25%

The Gujarat government on Monday announced in the state Assembly that minimum wages given to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labourers have been increased by nearly 25 per cent -- up to more than Rs 2,400 per month -- a hike coming after a gap of nine years. The announcement about the increase in minimum wages, which will become effective after a notification is issued within a fortnight, was made in the Assembly by Gujarat Labour and Employment Minister Balwantsinh Rajput, who said the current payment structure for labourers came into force in the state in 2014. He said the hike will benefit nearly 2 crore people. For skilled labourers working in the jurisdiction of municipal corporations, municipalities and urban development authorities in 46 different types of businesses listed in the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the government has hiked the minimum monthly wage from Rs 9,887.80 to Rs 12,324, a rise of Rs 2,436.20, or 24.63 per cent, he said. For semi-skilled labourers, the ...

Mild tremor of 3.2 magnitude felt in Gujarat's Kutch district, no casualty

A tremor of 3.2 magnitude was recorded in Gujarat's Kutch district on Monday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR). District authorities said no damage to life or property was reported. The tremor was recorded at 7:35 AM with its epicentre located around 10 km north-northeast (NNE) from Bhachau city in Kutch district, the ISR said in its latest update. Kutch district is located in a "very high risk" seismic zone, and the occurrence of mild tremors is a regular phenomenon. As per the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA), the state faces a high earthquake risk and witnessed major incidents in 1819, 1845, 1847, 1848, 1864, 1903, 1938, 1956, and 2001. The 2001 Kutch earthquake was the third largest and second most destructive earthquake in India over the last two centuries, killing more than 13,800 people and leaving 1.67 lakh others injured.

New NEP accepted by all, whole country working to implement it: Amit Shah

The new National Education Policy (NEP) has been accepted by all and the whole country is working to implement it, unlike the NEPs in the past which created controversies owing to ideological links, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Sunday. Addressing graduating students at the 4th convocation of the Central University of Gujarat, Shah said the NEP 2020 will work to bring education out of the scope of narrow thinking, and teachers must read it "between the lines" to understand its implications. "Normally, education policies have a history of being mired in controversies. There were two NEPs in the past and were always surrounded by controversies. Many commissions were also formed in between for the implementation of educational reforms, but they were always surrounded by controversies," Shah said. Referring to controversies, he said, unfortunately, we had a tradition of linking education policy with ideology and turning it into the mould of that ideology. "But nobody could