This thread is for all the general discussions that you might have from the long list of current projects, flight connectivity of Gujarat, your political views etc. So go ahead and discuss but please don't fight. Also a great place to meet all the people who contribute to the western threads and also saves us from discussing off topic matter in a certain thread.

This thread is for all the general discussions that you might have from the long list of current projects, flight connectivity of Gujarat, your political views etc. So go ahead and discuss but please don't fight. Also a great place to meet all the people who contribute to the western threads and also saves us from discussing off topic matter in a certain thread.

dats really a nice initiative..... SUPERLIKE...!~!

^^ Yea man cuz if you see in some of the other threads they all have discussion threads about their state and how things could be improved. Lets see what kind of topics we get here.. I am sure we can start discussing the no projects for Surat here.

Bagodara has good prospects of developing. new projects coming up.


http://sopandeveloper.com/Location.aspx

Gujarat's Economy: India's Guangdong (http://www.economist.com/node/18929279?story_id=18929279&fsrc=rss)


http://media.economist.com/images/images-magazine/2011/07/09/as/20110709_asc124.gif


SO MANY things work properly in Gujarat that it hardly feels like India. In a factory packed with kit from Germany and China, slabs of rubber and bags of carbon black are turned into tyres. After being X-rayed for imperfections, they will be distributed across India or sent for export within three days. Sandeep Bhatia, a manager for CEAT, the firm that owns the project, says it took only 24 months to complete, including the normally fraught process of buying land. There is constant electricity, gas and abundant water. The state government, he says, kept red tape to a minimum, did not ask for bribes, and does not interfere much now.

The tyre plant is not the only sign of prosperity in Gujarat. A nearby village may have fodder strewn all over its alleys and mice scuttling across shampoo sachets in the local store, but it also has satellite dishes poking up from the roofs and power metres on the wall of every house. Most of the men, the villagers say, work for small industrial firms for a wage about 50% higher than they would get in the fields. The road to Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s main city, is privately operated and boasts four lanes. It passes through a countryside that is visibly industrialising.

With a long coastline and too little rain for decent farming, Gujarat has always been famous for its traders. When it was hived off from Bombay to form a separate state in 1960, “the question was how Gujarat would survive,” says Narendra Modi, who has been chief minister since 2001. These days Gujarat accounts for 5% of India’s population but 16% of its industrial output and 22% of its exports. Its growth has outpaced India’s (see chart) and it wins accolades from business people. A recent comparison of Indian states by McKinsey, a consultancy, waxed lyrical about Gujarat. It might yet play the role of industrial locomotive for the country, as Guangdong province did for China in the 1990s. There is lots of excited talk about exporters switching from China to India. Sanjay Lalbhai, the chairman of Arvind, a textiles maker and clothing retailer based in Ahmedabad, says such a move is “imminent” in his industry.

Chinese-style, big-ticket projects are part of Gujarat’s formula, including refineries and ports, but so are networks of smaller firms and foreign companies which have now achieved critical mass in industries such as cars and pharmaceuticals. The state government uses the usual tricks to try to jump-start growth, including special economic zones. But more important, it has provided the bog-standard things that businesses pray for across India but often do not get—less onerous labour laws, passable roads, reliable electricity and effective bureaucracy.

Against the charge that some people have been left behind, Gujarat can point to reasonable growth in agriculture, helped by irrigation schemes. But the state has a black spot, which dates back to 2002 and an outbreak of sectarian violence. As many as 2,000 people (the official toll is lower) were killed in a month of riots, most of them Muslims. Some say Mr Modi and the state government were complicit in the violence or could at least have done more to stop it.

Might prosperity help heal the wounds? In Juhapura, a district on the outskirts of Ahmedabad dominated by the Muslim minority, a young mason grows angry when asked if he feels lucky to make 250-300 rupees a day ($6-7), saying he only gets work for 15 days a month. Others are more content. A bearded man down the road says his party-decoration business is booming. Behind the till of a shop selling top-ups for mobile phones and stationery for the nearby school, a man in a skull cap says life has undoubtedly improved, although his 82-year-old father, sitting in a deckchair, complains that everything went to the dogs when the British left.

Gujarat could be a vision of India’s future, in which manufacturing flourishes, soaking up rural labour. Its economy is expected to grow by double digits, even as India’s rate slows to 7-8% this year. The state may also be a springboard for Mr Modi, who may contest the national leadership of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, perhaps after state elections due in 2012. Mr Modi is enigmatic on this subject. He has yet to shed his polarising image, but he has at least built up an enviable record on the economy.

Gujarats GSDP growth in double digits (http://20twentytwo.blogspot.com/2011/05/gujarats-gsdp-growth-in-double-digits.html)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/79/gujgsdp.jpg

Gujarat’s gross state domestic product (GSDP) grew by 11.58 per cent during 2010-11, with all three sectors — agriculture, industry and services — demonstrating an impressive double digit growth rate for the first time since 2005-06.

Latest official figures, prepared by the directorate of economics and statistics, show that agriculture, which had stagnated in the preceding two years, performed the best with 16.73 per cent. The service sector came next, growing by 12.24 per cent, while the industrial sector grew by exactly 10 per cent.

What is particularly significant is that, for the first time in the last one decade, Gujarat managed to achieve a double-digit rate of growth in two consecutive years. In 2009-10, Gujarat’s economy grew by 10.23 per cent.

The state has finished the decade on a buoyant note, after the initial setbacks because of the earthquake in 2001 and the communal riots in 2002. On an average, Gujarat’s economy grew by a remarkable 10.3 per cent over the last one decade, from 2001-02 to 2010-11, something that chief minister Narendra Modi would almost certainly like to highlight as he ruled right through this period.

The decadal growth of all three sectors was in double digits — 10.7 per cent for agriculture, 10.3 per cent for industry and 10.9 per cent for services. Officials said the figures showed a very healthy trend of overall robustness in the state, helped by good rainfall during the 2000s and the extension of the Narmada canal network.

The successive Vibrant Gujarat summits, which brought in heavy investments, had put Gujarat on a growth trajectory that would lift India’s GDP as well.

Gujarat PPP in Healthcare (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gujarats-pvtpublic-partnership-in-healthcare/170752-3.html)(also discusses Sex Ratio, Emplyment/Employability)

How 24/7 electricity is powering lives in Gujarat (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/moc-how-247-light-is-powering-lives-in-gujarat/170746-3.html) (also deals with development in the Tribal Areas)

Videos as part of CNBCs "Ministers of Change" series available if you follow the link.

Can somebody make thread about Sanad automobile industry?

Why does TOI have Narendra Modi's blog all of a sudden? I thought they were anti-gujarat.

Despite claims of high growth in BJP-ruled Gujarat, the state fares the worst in terms of overall hunger and malnutrition, as per the Human Development Index (HDI), which reported a rise by 21 per cent for the country with Kerala topping the list of all states for achieving the highest literacy rate, quality health services and consumption expenditure of people.
:ohno:

for further : http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/north/gujarat-worst-kerala-tops-list-343

Rajasthan, Guj draw battle lines over Mahi waters
Issue Raised In Rajya Sabha
Himanshu Kaushik | TNN

Ahmedabad: Parched throats in Rajasthan are crying hoarse over Gujarat allegedly stealing its share of the Mahi river waters by constructing the Sujalam Sufalam irrigation canal.
The issue has the potential of starting a water war between the two neighbours after Ashk Ali Tak, a Congress MP from Rajasthan, raised the issue in Rajya Sabha recently. Tak says Gujarat did not take Rajasthan into confidence before launching the project as stipulated in an agreement signed between the two states in 1966.
Also, the Modi government has ignored Rajasthan’s objections since 2009. The Congress MP asked in the House if Gujarat had taken consent from the Central government and Rajasthan before diverting Mahi waters into Sujalam Sufalam.
He also wanted to know if the Central Water Commission (CWC) had taken any action against Gujarat for the alleged unilateral decision.
The MP told TOI, “Of the 1.29 million acre feet (MAF) of water in Kadana dam on the river, 0.39 MAF was meant for Rajasthan according to the agreement. Our share of the water is being diverted to industries in Gujarat in the name of irrigation. Gujarat has said it would use excess water in Sujalam Sufalam, but that is not true. I wanted to bring this to Union government’s notice so that responsibilities can be fixed for breaking the treaty.”
Gujarat minister for water resources Nitin Patel, however, refused to comment. “This is an old issue,” he said. “I don’t want to comment as the question was raised in Rajya Sabha.”
Sujalam Sufalam involves a 337-km recharge canal which takes excess monsoon water from the Kadana dam in Panchmahal to 21 dry rivers, mainly in north Gujarat. CM Narendra Modi had announced the Rs 6,237 crore project with much fanfare ahead of the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. There were allegations of large-scale corruption in the project.
Replying to Tak’s question, Union minister of state Vincent HPala admitted CWC had not received any report on Sujalam Sufalam. The water resources minister told Tak that the Rajasthan chief minister had written to his Gujarat counterpart in 2009 informing him of the violation of the 1966 agreement. The letter also said Mahi was an interstate river and that Gujarat should take Rajasthan’s consent before using the waters.
Gujarat officials say Rajasthan was comfortable with Sujalam Sufalam as long as Vasundhara Raje was heading the BJP government there. With a change of guard and the Congress coming to power, Gujarat is being accused of short-changing its neighbour.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/12/15&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00102&ViewMode=HTML

About Hunger Index India is worst then sub sahara countries and Gujarat is rating high in hunger index due to dietary habit of Gujaratis. But overall India is not doing good...About quality of health services I believe that Gujarat offers best quality health service and medical tourism is growing in Gujarat..


Despite claims of high growth in BJP-ruled Gujarat, the state fares the worst in terms of overall hunger and malnutrition, as per the Human Development Index (HDI), which reported a rise by 21 per cent for the country with Kerala topping the list of all states for achieving the highest literacy rate, quality health services and consumption expenditure of people.
:ohno:

for further : http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/north/gujarat-worst-kerala-tops-list-343

GUJRAT HAS HIGHEST NUMBER OF CNG OUTLETS


Gujarat, which accounts for more than one-third of the total natural gas consumed in the country, now also boasts of the highest number of CNG outlets in the country, having overtaken the National Capital recently.

Figures prepared by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas show that the total number of CNG stations in the country was 724 as of November-end. Of these, Gujarat had 258 CNG stations, the highest in the country. The number of CNG outlets in New Delhi stood at 239, followed by Maharashtra with 164 CNG stations.

The achievement is staggering considering the fact that City Gas Distribution (CGD) companies operating in Gujarat have little access to domestic gas and have to depend on imported and expensive R-LNG (Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas) to meet their requirements. The CGDs in Delhi and Maharashtra are supplied domestic gas. Among other states, UP had 28 CNG stations, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 14 outlets. MP had 11 such stations, while Haryana had six and Tripura two CNG stations.

State government officials said that barring Sabarmati Gas Limited and Gujarat Gas Company Limited, which get small quantities of domestically produced gas, the other five CGD operators, viz. GSPC Gas, Adani Gas, Charotar Gas Sahakari Mandali, HP Gas and VMC Gas have to depend entirely on imported gas. The domestic gas is priced at $ 4.2 per Million Metric British Thermal Unit (MMBTU) while LNG is priced upwards of % 16 per MMBTU.

"Gujarat is the leader not only in CNG stations, but also in PNG (Piped Natural Gas) connections and consumption.
This is a result of definitive planning for turning Gujarat into a gas-based economy," state energy minister, Saurabh Patel, told DNA. The minister said that Gujarat would have had even higher number of CNG outlets but for the strict regulatory mechanism.

Officials said that GSPC Gas, the retail arm of state-owned Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation, is the largest CGD operator in the country in terms of volume with daily sales of more than 4 million metric standard cubic metre per day (mmscmd). It operates around 120 CNG stations. Officials also informed out that Gujarat, with a 2,200-km gas grid, was way ahead of other states in gas supply network. They said that Gujarat had more than 75% share in industrial PNG connections. Of around 4,000 industrial PNG connections in the country, more than 3,100 are in the state.



http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-now-has-highest-number-of-cng-outlets_1630943

A few interesting policies and developments are highlighted in this speech:
-balanced development of economy, while focusing on agriculture, industry and services equally
-tourism development
-infrastructure: national gas grid, optical fibre network
-agriculture: empowering farmers, strengthening traditional agriculture and animal husbandry
-human resources: skill development, microservices
-water: harvesting, recycling, drip irrigation
-export strategy

9PU8WCB3mwo

Pravasi Diwas: Narendra Modi steals the show

Jaipur: It is impossible to share a stage with Narendra Modi. The Gujarat chief minister is such a clever performer that he makes others around him resemble extras assembled to just make up the background and complete the numbers. Also read: NRIs dub Pravasi meet 'colourful drama'

On Monday, the concluding day of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conclave, Modi stole the show once again, holding listeners in a trance and making Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot shift nervously in his chair before making a hasty exit. :lol::lol:

With Modi, Gehlot, Kerala CM Oommen Chandy and Jharkhand’s Arjun Munda on the dais, it was meant to be a multi-starrer. But Modi usurped the limelight with his theatrics, oratorical skills and smart one-liners delivered with trademark snarls, drawls, pauses and flourish.

Modi began by inviting the diaspora to Gujarat for the 2015 PBD, mentioning in the same breath that the idea was Atal Behari Vajpayee’s brainchild.

Though he asked the audience to talk only about development, Modi hard sold himself as the next PM, talking about his ‘national dream’. No wonder, the NRIs had just one question: When will he move to Delhi?

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JPR-pravasi-diwas-narendra-modi-steals-the-show-2732716.html

Who knows how many solar plants have been commissioned in gujarat so far?

Hard to say the exact number of plants involved, as lots of Solar projects are relatively small 5MW, 15MW etc, some of which will end up within larger Solar Parks ie at Charanaka.

In terms of overall capacity though, according to this article (http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-to-generate-500-mw-solar-power-soon_1636627)

175MW capacity already
128MW capacity built, ready to be added
200MW additional capacity expected to be added by end of January

So approx 500MW solar capacity expected by the time that Gujarat Govts fixed solar power comissioning deadline passes on 28th Jan. (Govt to pay rs 15.0 per unit for power from plants comissioned before end of Jan, will be slashed to rs 7.50 per unit for plants which miss the deadline.)

^^ ah i see. I was just reading news about plants being commissioned everywhere generating about 30 -50 MW and thought how many do we have so far. Numbers seem quite good so far, windmills along the south and solar parks along the north. Go green!

Yeah, the new ones being planned are a lot bigger than the ones that are on stream currently. Adanis 40MW is the largest single location solar installation in India, whilst Charanka Solar Park can eventually provide 500MW in total. Some details of the larger existing solar plants, ordered chronologically, for phased projects, future expansion plans in brackets.

Currently operational

Azure Power, Khadoda, Sabarkantha
5MW (10MW)
170Cr 40Acres
Jun 8, 2011
link (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article2094038.ece)

Moser Baer Clean Energy, Gunthwada, Banaskantha
30MW (15MW Porbandar, 50MW Surendranagar)
465Cr 305Acres
Oct 12, 2011
link (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2531831.ece)

Lanco Infratech, Charanka, Patan
5MW (5MW under development, overall plan 35MW)
November 20, 2010
link (http://www.business-standard.com/results/news/lanco8217s-foray-into-solar-business/424690/)

Green Infra Ltd, Mervadar, Rajkot
10MW
130Cr
Nov 21, 2011
link (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article2647343.ece)

Adani Power, Abdasa, Kutch
40MW (100MW)
400Cr 300Acres
Jan 5, 2012
link (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article2777246.ece)

GMR Energy, Charanka, Patan
25MW
360Cr 125Acres
Jan 13, 2012
link (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article2798913.ece)

Surana Telecom, Charanka, Patan
5MW
20 Acres
Jan 17, 2012
link (http://www.moneycontrol.com/stocks/stock_market/corp_notices.php?autono=513571)

Visual Percept Solar Projects, Surel, Surendranagar
25MW
330 Cr
Jan 17, 2012
link (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-17/bhanshali-s-talma-chemical-completes-india-solar-power-facility.html)

Upcoming

Tata Power, Mithapur, Jamnagar
25MW
365Cr 100Acres
link (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article2712002.ece)

Heres a good resource for Solar power installed capacity around the world, link (opens in excel) (http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2011/STAGING/local_assets/spreadsheets/statistical_review_of_world_energy_full_report_2011.xls)

Largest solar installation in the world currently is a 354MW park in California. Some of the Global leaders in Solar Power; Spain and Italy, only crossed the 100MW mark in 2006/2007 respectively, which is important to remember when we get used to reading about huge 4000MW coal powered plants all over the place!

^^ Wow man pretty good info. I have no idea how you do it haha, good researching skillz!
Now that actually makes more sense about Adani's being the largest so far. I always assumed there was one company with a collection of solar power plants which would give them a big number eventually, but seeing that Adani is the biggest player in this market so far it all makes sense. And the other thing is that we are going to be the global leaders in solar power very very soon which is definitely a great feat.

I say green energy future looks great for us and also if they start using solar roof panels aswell it will be quite an achievement. I read in the news before that they were going to trial that in Gandhinagar about having solar panels on roofs and divert excess power back to the grid to earn some cash. I dont think that has been put into play yet. Here is the article and an extract from that article (was from 22/1/2011, nearly an year!!)

Link (http://deshgujarat.com/2011/01/22/you-will-generate-solar-power-on-roof-govt-will-buy-itmodi-on-solar-city-gandhinagar-vision/)

“This facility can provide power to 1500 plus Air Conditioned houses. Our dream is to make Gandhinagar a solar city. We are going ahead in that direction. There will be a time when each person would be able to generate power on roof top and the government would buy it. This will be an extra income for the people of Gandhinagar.”

Well, I started reading a bit about it and guess I got a bit carried away lol

On a global scale, Germany has gone from 186MW of Solar to 24.8GW in 10yrs (world leader), surely if the sector can be made financially attractive enough for investors in Gujarat, there is no doubt we can see massive growth in this area. Def a real chance of becoming a global hub.

Currently as well as Adani Power, Moser Baer are leading the way in India too, 30MW in Gujarat + 5MW Tamil Nadu (link) (http://www.businessstandard.com/india/news/moser-baer-commissions-india/s-largest-solar-plant/419143/) + 5MW Rajasthan (link) (http://www.pv-tech.org/news/moser_baer_installs_5mw_solar_farm_in_jodhpur_india)

Gandhinagar Solar City project is going on, but as you say, nothing major yet. Biggest part so far is 1MW at Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, they are looking to add another 6MW from Gandhinagar this year, but will have to see what happens with that! (link) (http://geda.gujarat.gov.in/project_single.php?project=17)

From the recent Guj Govt series of "Sadbhavana" fasts that have been going on across the state, have compiled a list of the value of outlay there will be in each district for the next year for developmental works. In some districts no financial/developmental announcements were made and of course some districts have not been visited by the "Sadbhavana Mission" yet.

3500 Cr Jamnagar
2845 Cr Anand
2660 Cr Surendranagar
2555 Cr Mehsana
2380 Cr Sabarkantha
2250 Cr Rajkot (1,100 Cr for Rajkot city)
2165 Cr Kutch
2100 Cr Surat
1900 Cr Bhavnagar
1675 Cr Bharuch
1500 Cr Dahod
1500 Cr Vadodara
1490 Cr Panchmahals
1111 Cr Amreli
1100 Cr Valsad
1055 Cr Junagadh
902 Cr Kheda
812 Cr Gandhinagar
575 Cr Dangs
333 Cr Narmada
281 Cr Porbandar
200 Cr Tapi

^^ :applause: 24 GW is huge, good on Germany.

About these Sadbhavna fasts, I dont understand how these so called amounts are going to get divided and for what projects. I havent seen any news go into detail as to which projects are taking place in these towns. Just announcing the amount is no good cuz i am sure people would like to know how their taxpayer money is going to get used.

Other than that there are many deserving towns who will get a decent push with this "fund". I want to see what is on offer for towns in Panchmahal district.

The first few districts they went to (Tapi/Dangs), there was a breakdown of what the exact projects were, but then there was naturally a complaint from the Congress about that. So theres ended up being this strange situation where the total amount can be announced as long as specific projects are not mentioned.

It seems like the figures include current year outlay for already announced/ongoing basic-infra projects in irrigation/roadbuilding/sewerage etc.

Tapi District (Nov 23):

106 Cr New Canal from Ukai Dam
94 Cr for 32 Lift irrigation projects, development of Ukai as tourist spot and new roads
__________
200 Cr Total

Dangs district (Nov 28):

185 Cr Roadbuilding
151 Cr 7 Large Check-dams and 50 small Check-dams
100 Cr Education
77 Cr Saputara Tourism
30 Cr General Tourism
32 Cr Water Supply
__________
575 Cr Total


Not long till the Panchmahals one, will prob get the most media attention of all the districts.

^^ oh so they did actually give info. I see

Gujarat govt finds getting rid of excess power difficult (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Gujarat-govt-finds-getting-rid-of-excess-power-difficult/articleshow/11669736.cms)

GANDHINAGAR: Already a power surplus state, Gujarat government's much tom-tommed campaign to further augment the state's power generation capacity through solar energy, too, is facing a roadblock. Well-placed Sachivalaya sources said, with another 578.40 MW of solar power all set to be added by end of this month to the overall power capacity of Gujarat of 13,314 MW, the state government doesn't know where to use it.

In fact, the state's march towards solar power will not end this month end with 578.40 MW. "By the middle of this year, we will have, in all, nearly 1,000 MW of solar power plants, highest anywhere in the country. They will be ready for operation within the next two to six months," a senior official said. Gujarat, a power surplus state by 2,000 MW, is already finding it difficult to sell the traditionally generated power it produces to the national grid and other states, and now solar power is being added to the list.

Out of 170.40 MW of power plants which were commissioned by December 2011, the state-owned Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation (GETCO), which must use up all the solar power, is unable to evacuate more than five per cent of power. While the official view is, this is a "temporary problem" due to a technical snag which will sorted out soon, insiders suspect this is connected to the "problem of plenty" in the power sector.

Indeed, the state government wants the Government of India (GoI) to share the burden of extra solar power to be produced here by making other states buy solar power as a promotional activity. "We want the Centre to back our solar mission by buying up beyond 500 MW produced in Gujarat", the senior official underlined.

Already, solar power is proving a drain on coffers. For every unit that the state's large number of solar power plants produce, the state government signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) to buy power at the rate of Rs 15 per unit. The only precondition was, the power plants should be commissioned on or before January 28, 2012.

After the deadline of January 28, the state government is under pressure from entrepreneurs to continue providing the same rate, instead of going to Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) for reducing it below Rs 10. "To promote unconventional energy, the state must give more time to entrepreneurs to commission projects instead of discouraging them," sources in Solar Energy Association in Gujarat opined.

The top solar entrepreneurs who have represented for giving more time include Moser Baer, Lanco, Tata Power Renewable, Sun Edison, Alex Astral, Surana Telecom, to name a few.

"As of today, the state government is adamant. It wants GERC to bring down the rate for buying solar power to Rs 7.49 per unit. This would discourage those coming to invest in the sector," a source added.

A reduced rate for those commissioning the project is not the only penalty the so-called defaulters may have to face. A senior official said, "Those who fail to commission by March 31, 2012 will have to pay up Rs 10,000 per MW per day of delay. Those who revoke the guarantee will to pay Rs 50 lakh per MW. There is no question of going back on any of these issues."

Total number of solar power plants to be 'ready for use' by January 28, 2012: 54

Capacity: 587.40 MW


I always thought they were never fully surplus with some numbers adding up here and there.

My first post on SSC, you guys have done an awesome job of collating all that info!

Welcome to SSCI! :)

thank you aksji! tamaro abhaar!

Lots and Lots of new announcements made in the budget but how many of them are going to be implemented.


Gujarat budget:50 new ITIs, 15 new colleges, 2 new university, auto training center in Sanand and more for youths (http://deshgujarat.com/2012/02/24/gujarat-budget50-new-itis-15-new-colleges-2-new-university-auto-training-center-in-sanand-and-more-for-youths/)


Gandhinagar, 24 February, 2012

Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala in his budget speech today announced 50 new buildings for ITIs, new Gujarat Skill Development Institute as a University, autonomous infrastructure university, 15 new colleges, increase of 12780 seats in present ITIs, an Automobile Training Centre at Sanand and number of other initiatives for youths.

Vala proposed scheme for an interest assistance of 6% on the loan of upto ` 50 lakhs to the M.B.B.S Doctors belonging to S.T., for establishing their dispensaries in the tribal area.

Following are the announcement in Shri Vala’s own words:

Skill-development

 The Government has framed a scheme of imparting special training to 4.5 lakh youth by the Labour and Employment department to enable them to benefit from the job opportunities available as a result of the unprecedented industrial development in Gujarat. As a part of this, a provision of ` 130 crore is made to establish 10 new Industrial Training Institutes (ITI); to construct 50 new buildings for ITIs and upgrade 27 ITIs.

 A provision of ` 9 crore for developing the Gujarat Skill Development Institute as a University.

 A provision of ` 11.60 crore to increase the capacity by 12,780 seats in the present ITIs.

 A provision of ` 10 crore to establish an Automobile Training Centre at Sanand.

 Provision of ` 7 crore is made for 35 new Kaushalya Varadhan Kendra out of which, 5 Kaushalya Varadhan Kendra would be meant for the disabled.

 A provision of ` 13.69 crore is made to impart vocational training to 60,000 youth in urban areas under “UMEED” Scheme.

 It is proposed to add 100 new skill development centres under Gujarat Industries Policy- 2009, for imparting training to 60,000 youth as part of creation of industrial manpower.

 With a view to impart training to the students of technical institutions and enable them to get practical experience in the Municipalities and Municipal Corporations, provision is made for the Techno-Sathi scheme.

 Special training programmes during the vacations are planned to be held by Raksha Shakti University, to encourage the youth of Gujarat to enter into all three wings of the defense forces.

 With the focus of foreign tourists turning towards Gujarat, it is necessary to develop skilled manpower for the sector. It is therefore proposed to start new vocational courses for Tourist Guide.

 It is proposed to frame “Vishwakarma Yojana” to provide the benefit of real work experience to engineering students and simultaneously apply their technical knowledge in the development of infrastructure in rural development.

Under this scheme, the villages of “Rurban” area will be adopted by the engineering colleges under the Gujarat Technical University. The engineering colleges would study the identified villages and make the recommendations on the application of technology to achieve integrated and comprehensive development, through project preparation and management.

The projects would be undertaken on a ‘Design to Delivery’ basis.

 Skill development is the central idea in the celebration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekanand. In the past, we have trained more than 2.56 lakh youngsters for the soft skills, including those trained under the SCOPE. This is an age of technology. In the future, information technology would be the driving force in the development of mankind.

The government is planning to initiate a wide spread campaign to train our youth and enable them to keep pace with the developing trends and to avail the benefits of technology to all the citizens. This program will be known as eMPOWER, meaning electronic manpower. Under this program, about 1000 youngsters in every taluka will be imparted primary training in computer and information technology. There also would be a provision for imparting further training to those who show interest. In the coming days, lakhs of youth would be trained thus to stand in the front row of the world. A provision of ` 25 crore for the same.

 Sanskrit language is the source our invaluable heritage. The endless treasure of Indian culture, traditions, values and age-old teachings is available in the Sanskrit works. Today’s youth can benefit a lot by studying these works. Modern India sages like Swami Vivekanand also derived their inspiration from such Sanskrit works and called for the youth to contribution in building the nation.

While we are celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Swami Vivekanand, in order to inspire the students of Sanskrit, the scholarship given to the students of Sanskrit Pathshalas would be revised. The scholarship in Madhyama, Shastri and Acharya are presently ` 25, ` 35 and ` 50, which will be revised to ` 150, ` 200 and ` 400 respectively.

There is also a plan to provide ancient scriptures, Sanskrit books and the Vedas in government and grant-in-aid Sanskrit Pathshalas. Further aid would also be provided to conserve and protect ancient works of Sanskrit. In addition to this, eight grant-in-aid classes would be increased in Sanskrit Pathshalas.

Futuristic Education

 A provision of ` 67 crore has been made to establish an autonomous University for infrastructure, engineering and management at Ahmedabad to prepare the necessary man power for the modern economy.

 In order to expand the access to higher education, 15 new colleges in the Arts, Commerce and Science stream are planned to be started by the Government.

 A provision of ` 4.50 crore is made to impart vocational training to the laborers in the unorganized sector and for education to their children.

Sports Activities

 After successful organization of “Khel Mahakumbh” a scheme is to be taken up for imparting special training in selected sports to prepare the best players for national and international level by the “Pratibha Samvardhan Kendra” under ‘Swarnim Sports University’, for which, a provision of ` 10 crore is proposed.

 It is also planned to arrange training centres for mountaineering as well as adventurous sports organized at Girnar, Saputura and Mount Abu.

Promotion of Entrepreneurship

 India does not lack talented youth. If these youth in India are provided with the proper environment to utilize their creativity and innovative spirit, new research can be done in the field of science and technology, for the welfare of mankind. With a view to meet this noble objective, an ambitious mission has been undertaken to provide such opportunity to the youth by establishing the world class “InCreate” complex

 Provision is also made for extending loan and economic assistance to the professionals going abroad for higher education in areas such as medicine and law.

 It is now proposed to introduce a scheme for providing an interest assistance of 6% on the loan of upto ` 50 lakhs to the M.B.B.S Doctors belonging to S.T., for establishing their dispensaries in the tribal area.

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Gujarat budget 2012-13: Rs 100 cr for tallest statue, 500 cr for Metro rail, 12 TV channels, 5 MW roof-top solar, six air strips, one new airport (http://deshgujarat.com/2012/02/24/gujarat-budget-2012-13-rs-100-cr-for-tallest-statue-500-cr-for-metro-rail-12-tv-channels-5-mw-roof-top-solar-six-air-strips-one-new-airport/)

Gandhinagar, 24 February, 2012

Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala in his budget speech today announced Rs 500 crore as share capital for Ahmedabad – Gandhinagar Metro train project. He announced Rs 100 crore for Sardar Patel’s tallest statue in the world, ‘the statue of unity’. Vala announced 60 crore for new air strips at Ambaji, Palitana, Ankleshwar and Dwarka by the State Aviation Infrastructure Company and Rs 25 crore for Dholera international airport. He announced boost for e-libraries, a new Spinning park, addition of 500 MW wind energy, introducing 5 MW roof-top Solar power generation in Gandhinagar, Science museum in Patan, Sant nagari in Sabarkantha, 12 KU band educational channels, Rs 9000 crore for Narmada department, anti-human trafficking cell in police and much more. Following are the announcements in Shri Vajubhai Vala’s own words:

A provision of ` 2300 crore under Water Supplies and Kalpsar Department

 A provision of ` 219 crore is made for the canal rehabilitation works in the State Irrigation Schemes including the medium irrigation schemes like Dharoi, Kadana, Panam, Mahi, Ukai, Shetrunji, Machchhu-1, Und, Bhadar, Sukhi, Kutch etc.

 Further, a provision of ` 439 crore is made for the Sardar Patel Participatory Water Conservation Scheme and for the works related to new check-dams, ponds, tube wells and ground water recharge works under other schemes.

 Provisions are made for the filling up of reservoirs through Narmada Pipeline under the Sujalam Suphalam Scheme, namely-

 A provision of ` 140 crore for the dams of Vatrak, Maajam and Meshwro in Sabarkantha district.

 A provision of ` 100 crore for Dantiwada and Sipu Reservoirs in Banaskantha district.

 A provision of ` 45 crore for new pipeline from Patan to Dindrol of Sidhdhpur taluka

 A provision of ` 125 crore for the reservoirs of Sukhbhadar, Goma, Kaniyad of Surendranagar and Bhavnagar districts and Krushnasagar in Botad.

 It is planned to undertake 31 kilometer long pipeline on PPP basis at an estimated cost of ` 170 crore, from Karannagar of Kadi taluka to Dhandhusan of Mehsana taluka, under the Sujalam Safalam Scheme.

 A provision of ` 113.37 crore to prevent erosion and salination ingress in South Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch.

 A provision of ` 40 crore for the works of Sant Sarovar Barrage near Indroda.

 An allocation of ` 40 crore for Kalpsar division, of which a provision of ` 11.80 crore for Bhadbhut weir near Bharuch.

 A provision of ` 434 crore for extending the irrigation schemes for the farmers of tribal area in the State, Panam High level canal, Ukai Purna high level canal and water conservation works like new checkdams, depending the tanks, lift irrigation schemes, canal reforms of the existing scheme etc. has been suggested.

 A provision of ` 27 crore has been made with an ambitious plan of undertaking a satellite based contour survey in the tribal region extending from Ambajee to Umargam, that will enhance the irrigation facility for the farmers with the construction of new ponds and expansion of existing ones.

Provision of ` 9000 crore under Sardar Sarovar Yojana

 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the architect of unified independent India and a proud son of Gujarat. His memoir-the Statue of Unity- will be the symbol of national unity, apart from being the tallest statue of the world. Provision of ` 100 crore.

 The details of the Canal works pertaining to the Narmada that have been mentioned earlier in the Agriculture sector are as follows. A provision of ` 1514 crore is made to complete the works of Botad branch canal, Morabi branch canal, Dhangadhra branch canal and Limbadi branch canal in Saurashtra area at the cost of ` 2600 crore. Besides, Moreover, it has been planned to provide irrigation facilities for about 6.25 lakh acres of land in the seven talukas of Surendranagar district, two talukas of Rajkot district, five talukas of Bhavnagar district and four talukas of Ahmedabad district using the distribution works of Botad, Morabi, Dhangadhra, Maliya, Limbadi and Vallabhipur.

 Similarly, a provision of ` 713 crore has been made to facilitate irrigation for the farmers of Santalpur, Varahi, Rapar and Bhachau talukas; as well as a provision of ` 447 crore has been made to complete the works of six branch canals of Radhanpur, Vav, Tharad talukas of Banaskantha district that will serve about eight lakh acres of land. A provision of ` 521 crore has been proposed to complete the works of branch canals in the Kadi, Detroj, Viramgam, Sami, Harij talukas of Uttar Gujarat, which will facilitate irrigation in eight lakh acres of land.

 Automation works will be undertaken in the Narmada main Canal and the Sankarda and Vadodara branch canal connected with the main canal, for which a provision of ` 104 crore

 A provision of ` 50 crore to construct a weir near Garudeshwar, at the cost of ` 300 crore. The weir will facilitate storage of 30,800 lakh sq.ft water in 11 kilometers downstream of Sardar Sarovar Dam and will also help for generation of additional electricity.

Provision of ` 2500 crore under the Water Supply Division

 A provision of ` 1425 crore for bulk pipelines from Navada to Botad, Navada to Budhel, Dhhanki to navada, Dhhanki to Malia and from Dhhanki and Ratanpur. The 467 kilometers long pipelines will extend drinking water facilities to 900 villages of Saurashtra and Kutch region.

 Rajkot, Morbi, Mahesana, Ankleshwar, Bharuch, Vapi, Valsad are the rapidly growing industrial areas. in order to provide drinking water in the OG areas of such cities, a provision of ` 150 crore has been made.

 Provision of ` 180 crore has been made under Sagarkhedu Vikas Yojana for strengthening of water supply system in coastal regions of the State.

 Provision of ` 316.10 crore for strengthening the water supply scheme in tribal areas of the State.

 Provision of ` 57 crore has been made for Scheduled Caste Sub Plan.

 Provision of ` 50 crore to increase inflow of water sources in about 1600 ‘Falias’ of different districts.

 Provision of ` 150 crore to create internal distribution system in about 1200 villages through the Water Committees created under WASMO.

 Provision of ` 150 crore to provide drinking water to Dahod and Bhavnagar. Provision of ` 4260 crore under Road and Building Department

 Up-gradation of 5800 kilometers of the roads connecting to different villages and cities of the State will be undertaken with a provision of ` 1400 crore.

 A provision of ` 133 crore has been made for the construction of 117 kilometers long Ahmedabad-Dholera express highway, connecting Dholera Special Investment Region.

 At an estimated cost of ` 133 crore, about 180 kilometer long roads will be re-surfaced as a part of the Vikas Path Yojana. A provision of ` 60 crore has been made for the current financial year.

 It is planned to construct six lane road for Bagodara-Vataman-Tarapur Vasad, four lane road for Surat-Kadodara-Bardoli Anjar-Chirai and for widening and strengthening the roads of Bhuj-Bhachau etc., with the estimated cost of ` 3080 crore through public private partnership.

 About 340 kilometers of the roads connecting industrial areas like Navlakhi, Ghogha and Okha ports and Umargam, Savali and Halol are proposed to be widened upto 10 meters with the expenditure of ` 746 crore on public private partnership basis.

 With an estimated cost of ` 150 crore, railway over-bridge and under-bridge will be constructed near Anand, Palanpur, Mahesana and Sobhasan (Dist. Mahesana) on public private partnership basis.

 Being highly important, Sanand and Mahesana by-pass highway is proposed to be built at an estimated cost of ` 200 crore.

 A provision of ` 294.45 crore has been made to further continue the schemes of Vikaspath, Kisanpath and Pravasipath.

 Provision of ` 88.50 crore for the construction of District Seva Sadan and Taluka Seva Sadan buildings.

 For providing tar-road connectivity to the villages with a population less than 250 in tribal areas and less than 500 in other areas, a provision of ` 150 crore.

 Inspired by the experience of road connectivity provided in the tribal areas of the Dangs, it is planned to extend similar all-weather connectivity to other tribal parts as well. The remote villages of the Sagbara, Dahod and Vijaynagar are proposed to be connected by roads, with a provision of ` 50 crore.

 A provision of ` 80 crore for Mitha Khadak, Gandhi Upavan, Dandi bridge and Gandhi Museum in Mahatma Mandir and for the Swarnim Park in Gandhinagar, capital of Gujarat.

 An extensive planning for Gujarat State Highway Project aided by World Bank with the expenditure of ` 2200 crore for the strengthening of total 1576 kilometer long roads.

 A provision of ` 16.35 crore for the construction of bridge connecting Ahmedabad and Kheda district near Vautha.

Provision of ` 1081 crore under Ports and Transportation Department

Due to the rapid growth of the State, it has become mandatory to explore the alternative means of connectivity, apart from the traditional road and railway network, especially when there are feasible alternative available to the State. The State seeks to exploit the possibilities of creating an extensive water-based transport network over the 1600 kilometers long coastal line. Such a network connecting the important cities on the coast will accelerate the economic growth in general as well as in the coastal region, would be economical both in terms of money and time and will also be a boon for the environmental protection.

 For starting the Ro-Ro ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej in the Bay of Cambay, a provision of ` 255 crore has been made for the construction of the first phase of the ferry terminal Project.

 To examine the possibility of creating similar Ro-Ro ferry service between the ports like Hajira, Pipavav, Jafarabad, Okha, Jamnagar, Mundra and Mandavi, a feasibility study will be undertaken for the same.

 For facilitating the Navy Ships patrolling on the coastal line as well as the commercial ships, a jetty will be constructed at Porbandar. Provision of ` 255 crore.

 A provision of ` 290 crore for purchasing 1600 new S.T. buses.

 A provision of ` 13.86 crore for building new RTO Office at Surat, Vadodara and Bavla.

In the modern world, the term infrastructure is not confined to roads and railways only. An extensive network of Energy infrastructure is also needed. We have given priority to the infrastructural development of Energy sector, that will give long term dividends.

With an increase of 50 percent, a provision of ` 3731 crore under the Energy and Petrochemicals Department.

 Our established capacity of electricity is 13,914 megawatt as on 01.01.2012. We are planning to increase it in a single year by 33 percent i.e. 4583 megawatt, by 31.12.2012., resulting in 18,497 megawatt in the established capacity.

 With a cost of ` 765 crore, 140 new substations are planned to be installed to strengthen the electricity transmission network, including five substations of 400 K.V. at Kalavad, Keshod, Dhandhuka, Aanchaliya (Bharuch) and Santalpur.

 It is planned to add new electricity transmission lines and replace old lines of 3067 circuit kilometers at the cost of ` 1145 crore.

 One lakh poor families will be provided domestic electric connections at the cost of ` 47 crore under Huts Electrification Scheme, Kutir Jyoti Yojana, Electrification scheme in scheduled caste area.

 It is planned to provide electricity for 24 hours for Green House System

 Provision of ` 227 crore for improvement of distribution lines and repairing of transmission lines with a view to provide qualitative electricity supply in the coastal area. This will overcome the disruption due to humidity in such regions.

 Development of Non-conventional Energy Sector as a part of long term planning of the State:

 It is planned to set up transmission infrastructure to evacuate power from the “Swarnim Solar Park”, situated in Patan district. The Asian Development Bank has sanctioned an amount of ` 500 crore for this biggest solar park in Asia.

 With an aim of making Gandhinagar a solar city, 5 MW capacity will be created in Gandhinagar city under Roof-top Solar Power Generation Scheme. Similar capacity will be developed in cities such as Rajkot, Mehsana, Surat, Bhavnafgar and Vadodara.

 As the entire world is facing an unprecedented energy crisis, we need to explore alternative means like solar energy. Gujarat has initiated an innovative plan that saves resources like land and water as well as transmission loss. For the first time in the country, electricity will be generated by erecting solar panel on the Narmada canal near Sanand Branch Canal.

 It is planned to add total 500 megawatt capacity from wind energy.

 Global warming has compelled the world to explore non-conventional energy sources. Gujarat has the potential of converting the 1600 kilometer long coastal line as a source of economic advantage by exploiting the tidal energy. Again, Gujarat may be the first to do so in the country. Apart from this, the hot-water streams at places viz. Tulsishyam, Unai, Tuva-timba are the indications of the huge potential of geo-thermal energy in Gujarat. A provision of ` 50 crore is made to undertake research in this field.

 In Gujarat, electricity generation through solar energy, wind energy and biomass is developing rapidly. This means that technically trained youth will be required even in the smaller habitats all over the state. A provision of ` 10 crore to establish a training institution to impart primary training to youngsters and thereby creating a well-trained force.

 Gujarat is the first State in the country that has succeeded in creating a state-wide network of the gas-grid pipelines which caters the rural areas as well. It is a matter of pride that the Gujarat State Petronet Limited Company, engaged in the gas transmission, is one of the two biggest companies in entire country. Pipeline network of about 544 kilometers length are proposed to be laid by March, 2013.

 In terms of PNG Gas distribution, GSPC Gas Company of Gujarat has emerged as the fastest growing company of the country in last five years. GSPC Gas Company and the Sabarmati Gas Company will collectively provide about one lakh domestic gas connections. With this, the total number of domestic gas connections will reach to five lakhs. Thus, this company would become the first in the country to cater to as many as 515 villages and towns. Further, 50 new CNG stations will be added for gas supply to the vehicles, making a total of 205 gas stations.

 The Government of India is required to spend crore of rupees on the subsidies provided to LPG cylinders and on petrol and diesel. As Gujarat has created an extensive gas-grid extending even to rural areas, it has certainly created burden on the State owned enterprises; but the same time, it saves ` 500 crore subsidy per year for the national exchequer.

 It is a matter of pride that the first ever oil well was dedicated to the Country in Gujarat. Today, Gujarat has emerged as a petro-capital of the country. Till recent times, Gujarat was contributing significantly in the field of oil-wells, gas and oil exploration and oil refineries.

With increasing capabilities, Gujarat has come forward to take a challenge for creating infrastructural facilities in the field of gas and oil for the whole country. Recognizing our capabilities in the field of petro-chemicals, the Government of India has also taken initiative to create a partnership. The Gujarat State Petronet Limited Compnay will be a partner to the Public Sector companies of the Government of India, which will be laying inter-state pipelines project

 from Mallavaram (Andhra Pradesh) to Bhilwara (Rajasthan) (1611 kilometers)
 from Mehsana (Guajrat) to Bhatinda (Punjab) (1688 kilometers)
 from Bhatinda (Punjab) to Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) (720 kilometers)

The above-mentioned pipeline network, with an estimated cost of ` 12,500 crore, will encompass almost one third of the area of the country and Gujarat will be a major contributor in the project of national significance.

With an increase of 50 percentage, a provision of ` 5670 crore is made under Urban

Development and Urban Housing.

In the past, the planning and development of a city depended upon the capacity of that particular city and its financial resources. As Gujarat is urbanizing rapidly, we have resolved to compete with the developed nations of the world in terms of urban amenities. This requires us to go for wellplanned urban development. Given limited resources, it is difficult for smaller towns to achieve this by their own resources. Hence, on the occasion of the Swarnim Jayanti Year, the State Government launched Chief Minister’s Urban Development Scheme of ` 7000 crore.

 As the Chief Minister’s Urban Development Scheme has been an immense success, the program will be strengthened and its scope would widened further. This task is so huge that we have planned to spend ` 18,000 crore over next five years. A provision of ` 3000 crore has been made for the same in the current year budget. The planning would be a great service to the middle class of the urban area, which survives on a fixed income. Multi-dimensional planning has been made for the said scheme.

 Every middle class citizen dreams of having a home of his own. The State Government has envisaged a scheme to provide affordable housing for the middle classes, at the cost of ` 2000 crore.

 With a view to improving the human development index of urban the citizens living in slum area, primary education, health and nutrition sectors will be strengthened.

 It is planned to impart training to urban youth that enhances their skills and provides employment opportunities in consonance with the emerging economic activities.

 It is planned to strengthen the infrastructural network along with creating a cost and time effective city-transport network.

 It is planned to provide ` 2000 crore to provide for the internal development of the societies and streets, including roads for internal development of societies, paving and street light.

 It is planned to provide ` 4000 crore for strengthening of water supply, drainage system.

 In order to create social infrastructure facilities in cities, it is planned to provide ` 750 crore for the construction of new school building and repairing of the old school buildings; and ` 500 crore for the Urban Health Centres.

 For creating congenial ambiance for the children of urban areas, Nandghar (Aganwadi) shall be constructed in the cities.

 Given the success of the “Vanche Gujarat” campaign, this is an opportune moment to modernize the libraries of the State. If a wide network of E-Libraries is created throughout the State, the youth and citizens could avail of numerous e-books and emagazines. A special plan is proposed to create E-Libraries across the State.

 The success of Khel Mahakumbh has began a new era in the field of sports in Gujarat. A special provision is proposed for development of sports facilities in cities.

 With a view to keep the cities clean and healthy, ` 500 crore is planned to be provided for Solid Waste Management and Liquid Waste Management. An amount of ` 500 crore is planned to be provided for vegetable markets, seasonal trades, market for small traders and parking and public utilities in the cities.

 In order to connect Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar and to provide economical, rapid and efficient transportation in the bigger cities at a cost of ` 15,000 crore, a provision of ` 500 crore as share capital to the ambitious project of MEGA.

 A provision of ` 45 crore for construction of Railway Overbridge / underbridge.

 Night shelters shall be built for homeless poor in cities with more than five lakh population.

Economic Services

A vibrant economy has become the identity of Gujarat. And yet, there are unexplored possibilities in the field of industry. We could still touch new heights in the sphere of economic activities. Likewise, we can establish our identity at international level in the field of economic services through qualitative improvement. In this view, I would like to draw the attention of this august House to a number of plans.

Provision of ` 2800 crore under Industry and Mines

 The contribution of the manufacturing sector in the GSDP of the State, is 27 percent at present. With an aim to attain the target of 32 percent by 2017, specific sectors will be given priority as per the Industrial Policy, 2009 with a provision of ` 200 crore.

 The major sectors which are planned to be promoted include Technical Textiles, Food and Agro Business Park, Auto and components, specialty and fine chemicals, solar and wind equipments manufacturing and electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM).

 Gujarat has attained remarkable achievement in the field of cotton production and now is at the stage where we could contribute considerably for cotton seed production in the country. However, the benefits reaching to the State would be more meaningful, if we are able to harness the entire value chain. A provision of ` 70 crore has been made for this, which includes;

 It is planned to address the entire value chain encompassing all the stages of production, i.e. from Farm for Fabric. This includes conversion from cotton to yarn, yarn to cloth and cloth to readymade garment. This would result in noteworthy benefits for the farmers involved in cotton cultivation.

 The cotton spinning units will be supported with an aim to double the present capacity of 25 lakh spindles within five years.

 Infrastructural facilities are proposed for creation of Spinning Park.

 In the wake of industrial and tourism development in Gujarat, a provision of ` 60 crore has been made for new air strips to be developed at Ambaji, Palitana, Ankleshwar and Dwarka by the State Aviation Infrastructure Company and to promote aviation institute.

 A provision of ` 25 crore towards share capital to establish International Airport at Dholera.

 A provision of ` 117.50 crore is made for creation of facilities befitting to national & international convention, in phase-I-B as a part of Mahatma Mandir complex.

Cottage and village industry Department

 A provision of ` 165 crore has been made for creating supplementary employment for about two lakh fifteen thousand youth of the State in the cottage industry scheme and for implementing schemes aimed at the development of the workers of unorganized sector. Tourism and Yatradham Development Department

Gujarat has emerged as an attractive tourist destination due to well-orchestrated strategy implemented in past few years. It is for this reason that the number of visitors coming to Gujarat has increased by three lakhs in the last one year. While the national increase in tourists is 10 percent, Gujarat has attracted tourists with an increase of 16 percent. Gujarat has been awarded in the tourism sector at National level as well. The Government aims to develop the tourism sector further on public private partnership basis. Kutch and Junagadh have become important destinations. The government also plans to come up with new Tourism Policy in order to develop novel dimensions of spiritual tourism, heritage tourism, historical tourism, adventure tourism, ecotourism, water sports, etc. in the future. Interventions like tourist guide, tourist police, tourist publications, etc. would be developed bring about qualitative change in this promising sector. The day is not far when Gujarat would be reckoned as best host at international level.

 A provision of ` 39 crore for the development of pilgrim places like Somnath, Dwarka, Junagadh, Palitana, Ambaji and Dakor and other religious places.

 A provision of ` 3.5 crore for Sant-Nagari in Sabarkantha district. Provision of ` 200 crore under Science and Technology Department

 Provision of ` 35 crore for the works of phase-II at Science City.

 Provision of ` 8.33 crore for setting up a Science Museum at Patan.

 Provision of ` 10 crore for setting up of 2000 GUJCOST Science Clubs with a view to cultivate scientific approach in children at school level as well as establishment of 50 Lokvigyan Centres at taluka level for creating awareness.

 Five centres of excellence and 20 minor research projects are proposed to be established in order to promote scientific research.

 With a view to enhance the capacity of Setcom Digital Uplink, an antenna of 11 meter Ku- Band uplink shall be established.

 The State has succeeded in gaining access to the 36 megahertz transponder on Indian Communication Satellite. In order to take maximum advantage of the technology, 12 channels shall be launched at the first stage to provide education in remote areas using modern technology.

General Services

Gujarat has earned reputation at national and international level for good governance in various sectors by providing public management/amenities and administrative infrastructural services in the entire State.

A provision of ` 978.98 crore for Decentralized Planning and Taluka Centric Development.

In order to strengthen the decentralized district planning program, a provision of ` 403.25 crore is made for allotment to Executing Committee under Prant Officer, for mitigating the issues pertaining to basic needs such as internal rural roads, sewerage system, disposal of solid waste, arrangement for drinking water to improve life standard of backward people as well as citizens of small villages and towns under “Apano Taluko Vibrant Taluko” (ATVT) Scheme.

 Under Decentralized District Planning, for balanced development of all the districts, allotment has been made for various schemes such as Discretionary Provisions, Incentive Expenditure Provision, development of geographically backward areas of 12 districts, rehabilitation of assets under District Innovation Fund, allocation for comprehensive development of 41 developing talukas and for community works of local importance. A provision of ` 575.72 crore is proposed under Decentralized District Planning. Provision of ` 1034 crore under Home Department

Gujarat is well known at the national level for the maintenance of Law and Order, and we would want to move ahead of the conventional methods of maintaining law and order. Gujarat has established three important institutions, namely Rakshashakti University, Forensic Science

University and Gujarat National Law University to serve the future generations. The manpower that will be trained at these three institutions would become an asset in future for maintaining law and order. Also, we have recognized the importance of specialized interventions like coastal police and tourist police.

A provision of ` 760 crore under Revenue Department

 The Revenue Department has adopted a novel and extensive approach to maintain all the land records related to land in a modern manner. A provision of ` 14 crore is made to update Record Rooms of City Survey Offices at district level.

 Provision of ` 10 crore to digitalize the records of land-rights by scanning such registers and prepare a data base.

 Provision of ` 10 crore to prepare a data-base that includes photograph and finger print of land holders, under E-Dhara project.

 Provision of ` 17 crore to strengthen functioning of the taluka offices under Apano Taluko Vibrant Taluko (ATVT).

 After devastating earthquake, Gujarat has undertaken many innovative approaches as a part of our preparedness to mitigate such challenges. A provision of ` 190 crore is made for strengthening response systems and augmenting equipment for field of disaster management,.

A provision of ` 240 crore under Food and Civil Supplies Department

Being committed to the welfare of the poor, the use of technology has been promoted to ensure that the food-grains supplied by the Public Distribution System reaches the neediest citizens. For this, PDS has been modernized with interventions like bar-coded ration cards and biometric system.

 Present storage capacity of godowns of Civil Supplies Corporation is 2.44 lakh metric tons. A provision of ` 42.75 crore is made with a view to increase such storage capacity by further one lakh metric tons.

 A provision of ` 45.62 crore is made for implementation of Door-step Delivery of foodgrains to the dealers of fair price shops.

A provision of ` 465 crore under Legal Department

 A total provision of ` 69.10 crore is made for construction of new Court buildings in various districts and talukas.

 The Dangs being designated as a Judicial District as well, six new courts will be set up, ranging from the Court of Sessions Judge to the Court of Additional Civil Judge. A provision of ` 2.90 crore for the same.

 Provision of ` 1.68 crore for setting up four courts of full-time Additional District Judge at Kalol, Visnagar, Jetpur and Limdi.

 Provision of ` 1.69 crore for setting up four courts of full-time Senior Civil Judge at Halol, Lunawada, Keshod and Limdi.

 Provision of ` 294 crore for the development of infrastructural facilities for the judicial sector.

 Provision of ` 19.45 crore for the developing the campus of Gujarat National Law University.

A provision of ` 915 crore under Panchayat and Rural Housing Division.

Today is 24th February, 2012. We are getting ready to commemorate the Golden Jubilee Year of the historical event when Gujarat gifted the Panchayati Raj system to the nation. On this occasion, it is planned to strengthen the Gram Panchayats and reiterate our commitment to the Panchayati Raj.

 Today many villages have grown to town-like dimensions. Given this, Gujarat has taken up an innovative RURBAN approach to provide urban amenities in the rural areas, and still retain the flavor of rural life. Provision of ` 120 crore is proposed for creating infrastructural facilities in the Rurban schemes.

 Provision of ` 90 crore for consolidating e-Gram system in 13,685 Gram Panchayats of the State and making them more useful to people.

 A provision of ` 10 crore for construction of Panchayat Ghar and residential quarters for Talati-cum-Mantri.

 For the Golden Jubilee Year of the Panchayati Raj, there are plans to strengthen the local self governance institutions and to infuse new enthusiasm in the Panchayati Raj institutions through different programs. A provision of ` 50 crore is proposed. A provision of ` 800 crore under Rural Development Division.

 A provision of ` 800 crore with a view to provide employment for livelihood in rural areas, water management, assistance for residence for homeless rural families and creation of Nirmal Gam through complete sanitation.

 A provision of ` 125.59 crore for setting up 2700 Gram Sachivalaya.

 A provision of ` 132 crore for making 5000 villages “Swachha Gram Swastha Gram” under the total Sanitation Campaign.

 A provision of ` 37 crore for 450 watershed projects covering 3000 villages. A provision of ` 110 crore under Climate Change Department Recognizing the challenges of Climate Change, Gujarat took initiatives in responding in a formal manner as well. It includes,

 A provision of ` 28 crore as assistance for special project to develop Gandhinagar as a Solar City and Carbon Neutral City.

 A provision of ` 23 crore for promotion of technology for development of energy efficient instruments, to motivate people to adopt such technology and thereby creating awareness. A provision of ` 549 crore for Forests and Environment Department:

 A provision of ` 526 crore for conservation and development of forests and wild life, which includes,–

o A provision of ` 192 crore for the tribal areas,
o A provision of ` 24 crore for Special Component Scheme for Scheduled Castes.

 Planning for coastal environmental mapping and integrated coastal zone management.

 A provision of ` 18 crore for conservation of environment.

 A provision of ` 12 crore for conservation of lions, the pride of Gujarat.

Social Services Provision of ` 2700 crore under Education Department.

 A provision of ` 551 crore for the construction of 15,600 class-rooms and 7688 compound walls, and repair of 1200 school buildings for primary education.

 As Standard-VIII is now incorporated in the higher primary education, it is planned to recruit 10,000 teachers.

 Provision of ` 32 crore for providing educational material to 32000 primary schools.

 Provision is made of ` 12.50 crore for construction of 1000 toilets blocks for disabled students in primary schools.

 It is planned to undertake for computerization under BOOT system in primary education at a cost of ` 78 crore.

 A provision of ` 82 crore for construction of 350 new secondary schools, 73 new model schools and buildings of girls’ hostels.

 A provision of ` 19.85 crore for construction of six new government schools and modernization of 60 government schools.

Home department:

 Modernization of the police force is necessary for maintenance of law and order. A provision of ` 50 crore is made for the modernization of the communication system and other equipment.

 Provision of ` 72.50 crore is made for purchasing of arms and modern ammunition for the police force.

 Provision of ` 100 crore is proposed for construction of office buildings and 1000 police staff quarters.

 Provision of ` 29 crore to equip Police force with more than 500 vehicles.

 Provision of ` 22.47 crore for establishing 17 new Police stations, up-gradation of 11 police stations and 13 police outposts in order to increase the span of Police Administration.

 A plan to create 1000 new posts of traffic police in urban areas.

 As a part of approach to get co-operation of people at large in maintaining law and order, a provision of ` 1 crore for Community policing.

 The Forensic Science Laboratory of Gujarat has earned reputation at national level. In order to enable the FSL to undertake scientific methods in the investigation of crime, a provision of ` 13.20 crore to equip the FSL with advanced machines and equipments.

 For different constructions works of the Forensic Science Laboratory University, a provision of ` 17.66 crore has been made.

 Proper training to police personnel from time to time enables them to meet challenges. Hence, an exclusive training unit shall be established at Sundhiya of Mehsana District for the Home Guards and another training center shall be established to impart training to Police Constables and Lokrakshak.

 As a part of preparedness for mitigating the challenges of crime changing with time, an anti-Human Trafficking Cell shall be established and courses for Coastal Police and Tourist Police are proposed to be started at Rakshashakti University.

 A provision of ` 29.34 crore for construction works under the Jail Department.

 A provision of ` 18 crore to purchase equipments, vehicles and to install CCTV system and for other measures for upgrading the Jails.

Blue print for the Future Gujarat

The way a society treats its poor and deprived classes indicates its inherent values. Further, any society that dreams of being vibrant and prosperous has to eradicate poverty and help the downtrodden to progress. Ever since independence, millions of rupees have been spent to realize this dream, but the results are not satisfactory. If we undertake a detailed analysis in the context of Gujarat, we had announced three different packages in this august House, along with detailed plan for implementation for these schemes.

Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana

Keeping in view the overall development of the Tribals and creating infrastructure in tribal regions, ten dimensions were covered under the Vanandhu Kalyan Yojana and a provision of ` 15,000 crore was made. I announce with pride that in the period of the stipulated five years, we have surpassed the planning of ` 15,000 crore and spent ` 17,000 crore. To put it in the language of development economics, this experiment has been a high success not only in terms of output, but also in terms of outcome. Inspired by the experience of last five years, it is planned to provide an amount of ` 40,000 crore for the next five years, compared to ` 15,000 crore of the past five years. This shows that we are planning to spend more than the double amount in this sector in the ensuing years. At the first stage, we are planning to spend ` 6600 crore for the first year under Vanandhu Kalyan Yojana.

Sagarkhedu Sarvangi Vikas Yojana

This scheme was launched with an intention to encourage the people residing on the coastal areas to participate in the development journey of Gujarat, to make available to them, the fruits of development. The scheme was devised to suit the specific needs of such people living in a specific region and having a specific life style. Due to such focused approach, we could attain convergence of different Departments also, resulting in desired performance. We planned for ` 11,000 crore for the last five years and crossed this target as well. Hence, we are planning to continue this scheme also for the next five years. For coming five years, it is planned to provide an amount of ` 21,000 crore, out of which ` 4000 crore is planned for the ensuing year.

Shaheri Gareeb Samruddhi Yojana :

Getting attracted by the benefits of development of Gujarat, people from all over the country come to earn livelihood in the state. Many of them are living below poverty line and deprived of primary facilities. The welfare of this class providing informal services to the society is essential for the happiness and peace of the society at large. For the creation of healthy society, too; focusing on overall development of the urban poor is the need of the hour. Shaheri Gareeb Samruddhi Yojana was started with a noble aim that the urban youth get employment opportunity, women get respectful life and the family may get primary facilities of residence, health and education. In the last five years, we had planned ` 13000 crore, which we have achieved.

Considering this facts, it is planned to spend ` 25000 crore for the next five years; out of which, it is planned to provide ` 4500 crore has been made for this year.

These schemes are such that the poor person himself becomes a warrior to fight the condition of backwardness and poverty, he gets courage to defeat poverty and get satisfaction to live a self-respected life. The future will note that the honorable members of this House have done a noble work of expression of feelings towards society with far-sightedness.

Thus, under these three schemes, in the next five years, it is planned to spend ` 21000
crore as against ` 11000 crore in Sagar Khedu Sarvangi Vikas yojana, an amount of ` 25000
crore as against ` 13000 crore in Shahari Garib Samrudhi Yojana, and an amount of ` 40000
crore against ` 15000 crore under Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana.

x posting from TN thread where they found some great articles on reforms.

The story of Gujarat’s Power Sector


On Saturday , Narendra Modi was quoted saying that Gujarat will take on the responsibility of providing power to the entire country in the next two years. Was shocked at listening such a farfetched statement. Was doing some web digging on Gujarat and its power situation and found this piece on Business today.

Gujarat’s power sector was in a shambles in 2001, when Narendra Modi became chief minister. A decade later it is in the forefront of states that have carried out sweeping power reforms, as a result of which it now has surplus power. This case study details the key steps the government took to bring about the change, which was carried out in a manner fair to all stakeholders.



When Narendra Damodardas Modi took over as chief minister of Gujarat in October 2001, he found the state’s power situation grim. The Gujarat State Electricity Board, or GSEB, had posted a loss of Rs 2,246 crore for 2000/01, on revenues of Rs 6,280 crore. Interest costs alone were Rs 1,227 crore. Transmission and distribution, or T&D, losses were a substantial 35.27 per cent, and load shedding was frequent. GSEB had no funds to add generation capacity on its own, nor was it able to persuade the private sector to invest.

Reforming the GSEB, thus, became one of Modi’s top priorities. “He feared that a bankrupt power utility could derail his vision for the state,” says Saurabh Patel, Gujarat’s Industries and Power Minister, then as now. “He knew electricity is crucial for growth.”

Modi’s first step was to identify a bureaucrat capable of taking on the enormous challenge. He chose Man- jula Subramaniam, a Gujarat cadre officer, who had been joint secretary in the prime minister’s office from 1993 to 1998, playing a key role in the country’s liberalisation, and appointed her Chairperson of GSEB and Principal Secretary, Energy and Power.

Subramaniam quickly realised that GSEB was too large an entity to be managed effectively. But she did not rush into unbundling it. Instead, she initially concentrated on two areas: bolstering the power utility’s finances and building employee morale. Discovering that GSEB had secured loans at interest rates of 18 per cent or more, she sought debt restructuring, convincing banks and financial institutions to lower their rates, which resulted in savings of Rs 500 crore in 2002/03.

Her next step was more radical. Rarely before had electricity boards renegotiated power purchase agreements, or PPAs, already signed with private players. But having examined the PPAs her board had entered into, Subramaniam felt the heat rate – a measure of generator efficiency – had been inflated by the power suppliers, who were consequently charging more than they should have.

Energy drought threatens India’s growth Though the private players initially resisted, the government-constituted committee set up for the process stood firm, and ultimately, after more than 18 months of hard bargaining, got the rates lowered, leading to a further saving of Rs 675 crore in 2002/03 and Rs 1,000 crore in 2003/04.

Simultaneously, Modi’s government began plugging the leakages in distribution. Power thefts in Gujarat then ranged between 20 per cent in urban areas and 70 per cent in rural regions. It passed a law against power thefts and set up five police stations across the state, solely to nab such thieves. Stringent action began against those who ran up large power bill arrears, including disconnecting their supply.

Unmetered power supply, which some rural areas were getting was stopped altogether, with GSEB entering into a structural loan re-adjustment with Asian Development Bank to fund the installing of meters.

Subramaniam also found that many employees, disturbed by widespread talk of power reforms, feared for their jobs, and were feeling somewhat alienated from GSEB. She appointed a consultant to suggest ways to win back their loyalties.

From mid-2002, armed with the consultant’s suggestions, the board began its special effort to reach out to employees. It started training programmes at all levels to reassure them that while people may be redeployed, no one would be laid off. Senior officials increased their interactions with the staff, including holding ‘town hall’ meetings where they shared details of the board’s financial position and encouraged employees to ask questions. An internal newsletter was also started.

Once assured of retaining their jobs, the employees themselves began discussing possible reforms. A ‘reforms progress management group’, comprising GSEB employees, was also set up.

It was now time for the unbundling. In May 2003, the Gujarat government passed the Gujarat Electricity Industry (Reform and Reorganisation) Act, which divided the GSEB into a holding company, a power generation company, a power transmission company and four distribution companies. This enabled better management and more efficient operations.

Another key reform was the separation of the feeder line that supplied power to the rural areas into two: one to supply power for agricultural needs and other for household and other needs. This was part of the Jyoti Gram Yojna, a scheme Modi announced in 2003 to supply round-theclock power to villages.

“A single feeder has its limitations,” says Mukesh Puri, Managing Director of the holding company, Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam. “The villages got power for only 12 to 15 hours a day, often of poor quality and at odd hours.”

Since the tariff for power used for agricultural purposes was much lower, many used this subsidised supply for their household needs as well, resulting in huge losses for GSEB.

The Man behind Gujarat’s growth “The chief minister asked us to have separate feeders, which was a path-breaking step no state had attempted before,” Puri adds, “The results were good.” Though many rural residents had higher power bills to pay than in the past, they cooperated with the government, once they found they were assured of uninterrupted, better quality power.

A study by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad has estimated that the project saved the state capital expenditure of around Rs 23,000 crore, or about 5,000 megawatts, or MW.

The Modi government has also taken scrupulous care to ensure that the state electricity regulator – unlike in most states – remains truly independent of political pressures. The regulator has, thus, been able to revise power tariffs every year, which ensured the state bridged the gap between the average cost of supply and what users paid for it.

The result? The state electricity board posted its first profit of Rs 203 crore – after tax – in 2005/06. By 2010/11, net profit had risen to Rs 533 crore, while T&D losses had fallen to 20.13 per cent. Tariff collection efficiency is close to 100 per cent. Private players, once reluctant to invest in Gujarat’s power generation, are now rushing in: of the power plants with a total installed capacity of 16,945 MW coming up in the state, 6,864 MW – or roughly, a third – is by the private sector. “Abundant power is a major USP of our state today,” says minister Patel.

A few worries remain. Though T&D losses have fallen, they are still higher than those of the southern states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The cost of power in Gujarat has been traditionally high, and remains so.

“Our share of hydel power is very low and our power plants are very far away from coalfields,” says Puri. “At times the cost of transporting coal equals the cost of the coal.” A sizeable proportion of its power – around 29 per cent – also comes from gas-based plants, and the high cost of gas has forced scaling down the operations of some of them.

But ultimately, it is a remarkable transformation for a state which was power deficient barely a decade ago, but now has a surplus of 2,114 MW and a vibrant energy sector.

Source:

www.businesstoday.in

as above

Why we should respect Gujarat’s governance and economic achievements
Mukul G Asher | Wednesday, October 13, 2010

As the state of Gujarat nears completion of the first decade of the 21st Century, its achievements in economic management and in governance merit respect and closer study.

Between, 1999-2000 and 2007-2008, Gujarat’s gross state
domestic product (GSDP) in nominal terms grew at a compound annual rate of 15.8% (13.8% in per person terms). By 2010, its GSDP is approaching $100 billion, and its per capita income around $1,600, over a fifth higher than the national average. Gujarat’s economy is well-balanced, with primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors contributing 21%, 33%, and 46%, respectively of GSDP in 2007-08. The manufacturing sector, key to India’s future, accounted for 41% of employment, the largest share.

Gujarat, a mid-sized state, accounts for 5% of India’s
population but contributes 21% to India’s exports and 13% to the industrial production. Its literacy rate is higher than the national average. While the sex ratio needs to improve (there were only 920 females per 1,000 men in 2001), consistent with international norms, females in Gujarat live nearly four years longer than men.
Gujarat’s achievements have been a result of combining the following set of characteristics consistently and skilfully, with the particular mix and sequencing to suit particular context and conditions.

Outcome or result orientation: Such an orientation has helped minimise political or outmoded ideological considerations (such as the public sector being better than the private sector) in economic decision making and in project management. This has been the case in social sectors such as health and education, infrastructure provision, or in actively seeking new growth opportunities to help diversify sources of competitiveness and livelihoods for a growing number of workers.
It has facilitated combining knowledge, resources, energies and management skills of public, private and not-for-profit sectors for addressing specific public policy challenges.

It is only in the last decade that plans to use the state’s 1,600 km long coastline to generate broader regional growth have made progress. Gujarat’s private and joint sector ports will positively contribute to India’s rapidly growing international trade; to industrialisation; and to support future development of inland transport to reduce congestion and reduce transport and logistics costs.

Willingness to explicitly address business environment: The mix of factors which impact business environment include supply of resources and inputs; progressiveproductivity oriented industrial relations environment, regulatory framework; physical and social infrastructure; and where appropriate, fiscal incentives involving taxes, subsidies and budgetary expenditure.
The emphasis on addressing supply side constraints in infrastructure; in real estate amenities, matching human resources and skills with projected demands; and improving urban amenities, including innovations in public transport (such as Ahmedabad’s Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS)), sets Gujarat apart from most other states in the country.

India is rapidly urbanising, and Gujarat is expected to experience majority urban population in the not-too-distant future. Its urban management experiments should therefore be of relevance elsewhere in the country. BRTS in Ahmedabad, for example, is raising resources from the market for expanding its reach. With tight fiscal constraints in urban areas, such a capability will be increasingly needed to provide urban amenities, and sustain competitiveness, while
improving the quality of everyday life of the people.

Gujarat is among the handful of states where the state government has framed clear policies in vital areas such as agriculture, ports, power, roads and education. This has helped create greater certainty and consistency, two important aspects of business environment. Gujarat’s share in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is 62% of the total area and 74% of the population. Its share in the 1,500 km-long Delhi-Mumbai dedicated freight corridor (DFC) is 38%. Its readiness to leverage these to enhance its competitiveness in attracting new economic activities is illustrated by the speedy and smooth allocation of Tata’s Nano car project and the rapid industrial development of the town of Sanand, near which the Nano plant is located. Its ability to address issues surrounding land acquisition and development fairly effectively is a particularly strong advantage as compared to other states.

To give another illustration, the Kutch region, traditionally arid, is being transformed through what a magazine has recently termed as ‘Green Revolution Lite’. This is an improved, compacted, and eco-friendly version of the earlier Green Revolution in Punjab and elsewhere. It is led by ordinary farmers, but under state policies to address their business environment.

The two characteristics noted above have contributed to improving Gujarat’s power supply capabilities in an environmentally sustainable manner while contributing to India’s energy security.

Thus, Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd, its state electricity utility, has signed power purchase agreements with 26 solar power project developers for 365 mw of electricity. Its electricity regulator has fixed tariff for solar power. The state has formulated a solar park scheme, which is expected to contribute to increasing the share of renewable energy in India’s energy consumption.

Governance philosophy and vision: The third key characteristic has been the governance philosophy, which has emphasised the vision of India emerging as a major power by transformation into a knowledge-based economy and society, while approaching the country’s history from a more balanced and empirical-based perspective.

A good illustration is the Statue of Unity Project after Sardar Patel, who politically unified India after Independence. Characteristically, the project also includes a research and academic centre for preserving the unity and integrity of India, on agriculture to improve land productivity and yields, and on tribal life to empower them to earn livelihoods from a wide variety of activities over large geographical areas, rather than continuously depending on government initiated and funded programmes. The Unity project aims to balance national, academic, historical and spiritual values.

Gujarat has also demonstrated strong skills in social entrepreneurship, defined in simple terms as meeting everyday needs of ordinary people in an affordable manner by capitalist means. This philosophy, sometimes pursued in partnership with the government organisations, is much more sustainable and useful than large centrally planned ill-designed schemes, which make reversibility difficult even when they are demonstrated to be ineffective.

Gujarat’s people, its political leadership, particularly chief minister Narendra Modi, its business sector, labour leaders and social-entrepreneurship oriented not-for-profit sector all have contributed to Gujarat’s achievements and to laying a solid foundation for its future, though it should not become complacent and regard future progress as automatic.

India would clearly be in a better position to emerge as a major power if more states and the Central government learnt and adapted the state’s approach to economic management and governance.

The writer is a professor of public policy at the National University of Singapore and can be reached at sppasher@nus.edu.sg.

http://www.business-standard.com/ind...opment/442649/

Learning from Gujarat's port-led development

Coastal states to formulate maritime authority

Rutam Vora / Ahmedabad Jul 14, 2011, 00:08 IST
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In stark contrast to the Ministry of Shipping's proposal to bring all non-major ports under a single central regulatory framework, Gujarat is taking the initiative amongst its peers in bringing port-led development to the state.

Impressed by this Western state’s success story in ports, many coastal states have also started looking to Gujarat to help them chalk-out a road map for port-led growth.

For instance, coastal states including Orissa, Kerala and Karnataka have initiated talks with the Gujarat government to formulate a maritime authority for their respective states.

Officials at the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), the state maritime authority, have reported that senior officials from other state governments have already started visiting Gujarat. "Officials from Orissa, Kerala and Karnataka have visited Gujarat and seen the port development here. They are excited about the growth and have sought our assistance to formulate maritime authorities in their respective states,” says Capt S C Mathur, chief nautical officer, GMB. “Most likely, Orissa may replicate the model of Gujarat Maritime Board in its entirety," he adds.

Gujarat was the first Indian state to have a dedicated maritime authority in 1981 and a port policy formulated in 1995. Besides Gujarat, only two other states Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have maritime boards. The central government has directed all the maritime states to set up a maritime board on an urgent basis.

More than the maritime authority, it was a port policy that opened the doors for a port-led development in Gujarat. The port policy calls for public-private partnership (PPP) in port development and management. Unlike the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) that determines tariffs for the major ports in the country, Gujarat's port policy safeguards the interests of port operators and the state exchequer as well.

According to government officials, the policy enabled private partnership and tariff freedom that led to port-led development in the state. "We have adopted BOOT (Build Own Operate Transfer) policy for development of greenfield ports with tariff and operational freedom to the private port operator. The legal regulation remains the subject of GMB for such ports. The port facilities come back to GMB after the completion of the BOOT period," said Mathur.

Tariff freedom has attracted large private investors to Gujarat’s ports. "The tariff mechanism, which is there for the major ports in India, does not seem to be conducive, nor is it giving any incentive to the private port operator. Rather, a public-private partnership model with tariff freedom seems more attractive. In Gujarat, we were the first to develop a port under PPP model," said Prakash Tulsiani, managing director, APM Terminals Pipavav.

As a part of the A P Moller-Maersk Group, APM Terminals operates an all weather multi-commodity port at Pipavav. with a capacity up to 5 MTPA for bulk cargo, 2 million tonnes per annnum (MTPA) for liquid cargo and 1.3 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) for container cargos.

Gujarat currently has four greenfield private sector ports operational with a combined installed capacity of all four at around 100 MTPA. These private sector ports include Mundra Port, Hazira Port, Pipavav Port and Dahej Port. The commodities handled at these ports include coal, fertilisers, agri-commodities, salt, LNG and LPG besides others.

The industry insiders feel that the Gujarat's business-friendly policy and governance attracts industries to make investments in the port sector. "Almost all of our investments of Rs 6,000 crores currently in ports are in the state of Gujarat located at Vadinar and Hazira. Further, we would be investing another Rs 2,000 crores in Gujarat to add 40 MTPA of capacity as a part of our total planned investment of Rs 9,300 crore to take our capacity to 158 MTPA by 2013," said Rajiv Agarwal, MD, Essar Ports Limited.

Essar group currently operates a combined capacity of 88 MTPA at the two locations, while the upcoming is at Salaya on the west coast near Jamnagar. However, the company is also adding 30 MTPA of capacity at Paradip in the eastern state of Orissa at a cost of around Rs 1,100 crore.

The port development in the state has also provided a boost to export-oriented industries coming up in Gujarat. India's largest car maker by sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited is reported to be planning a plant in Gujarat with an estimated investment of Rs 4000 crore. The industry insiders believe that a plant in Gujarat would help Maruti to export its car easily in the overseas markets.

The special economic zones (SEZs) coming up in Gujarat are also promising assured business for the port operators in Gujarat. "From the operations point of view, Gujarat is very well connected to the hinterland and gives access to land-locked northern India. Also, the longest coast-line and development of SEZs, investment regions and industrial clusters makes the state a key location for maritime trade," says Tulsiani.

The existing installed capacity of the 41 non-major ports in Gujarat stands at 273 MTPA, which is expected to rise to 508 MTPA by 2014-15. So far, the cargo handling at these non-major ports was recorded at 231 MTPA for 2010-11 up 12.34 per cent over previous year.

Cargo handling at the non-major ports in Gujarat has grown by a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2 per cent in the last decade easily outstripping the national CAGR of 9.3 per cent (from 368 MTPA in 2000-01 to 821 MTPA in 2010-11.)

India's 7500 kms long coastline covers states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and West Bengal with 12 major ports and close to 200 non-major ports, all of which could be ardent emulators of Gujarat’s successful ports gameplan. aa

^^Good stuff... its strange how Guj-centric the TN threads are nowadays. Some "interesting" comments there as well!

Coming to the budget, def a vote-winner with the election in mind, lots of good social schemes etc, but in a more Infra-minded perspective, the main projects I would be most interested to see real progress on in the next 12months:

Ahmedabad Metro
Dholera Airport & Expressway
"Solar City", rooftop generation schemes in Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar & Mehsana

Am also quite interested to see how this "Apno Taluko, Vibrant Taluko" scheme plays out. As long as things are kept transparent and accountable, it really does seem like the best way to bring development to the most backward and/or remote areas.

^^Good stuff... its strange how Guj-centric the TN threads are nowadays. Some "interesting" comments there as well!



It was me who posted those in TN thread.

I feel that TN & Gujarat can learn so many things from each other.

The CMS JJ & NaMo are supposed to be great friends and have a common enemy at Delhi. :)

Teams from Gujarat visited TN to learn more about the successful schemes of TN mainly in Education, Training & Information Technology.

Similarly TN teams visited Gujarat to learn more about Water Resources Planning & Power Management.

:cheers:

^^Good stuff... its strange how Guj-centric the TN threads are nowadays. Some "interesting" comments there as well!

Coming to the budget, def a vote-winner with the election in mind, lots of good social schemes etc, but in a more Infra-minded perspective, the main projects I would be most interested to see real progress on in the next 12months:

Ahmedabad Metro
Dholera Airport & Expressway
"Solar City", rooftop generation schemes in Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar & Mehsana

Am also quite interested to see how this "Apno Taluko, Vibrant Taluko" scheme plays out. As long as things are kept transparent and accountable, it really does seem like the best way to bring development to the most backward and/or remote areas.

I think the one that stands out on the top is the metro and they def want to roll it out before the elections. I am not sure about Dholera airport or any other airports for that matter, if the construction will begin anytime soon.

The other thing that seems good in the budget is to train local people with more skills and knowledge due to increasing industrialisation. This definitely will give rise to local talents and increase skill base.

Only 25 crores for Dholera airport. They are not serious about it yet. And 133 crores for the Expressway is also not good enough. It is just a small fraction of the total cost.

But otherwise a very good budget. Especially 500 crores for the metro, that should get it going now.

I think the one that stands out on the top is the metro and they def want to roll it out before the elections. I am not sure about Dholera airport or any other airports for that matter, if the construction will begin anytime soon.

The other thing that seems good in the budget is to train local people with more skills and knowledge due to increasing industrialisation. This definitely will give rise to local talents and increase skill base.

Yeah, I think it all depends on how soon the environmental clearance comes for the Airport. Report was submitted to MoEF in November, hopefully they wont take as long with it as AAI did for the DPR (20months despite estimate of 6!).

Not really sure why they havent started work on the expressway already, probably waiting for the same enviro clearance for the Airport.

Only 25 crores for Dholera airport. They are not serious about it yet. And 133 crores for the Expressway is also not good enough. It is just a small fraction of the total cost.


Am sure that these are just paid up capital to create the SPVs that will be set up, both projects will most certainly be taken up on the PPP model and cost a lot more than that!

^^ Although IMO the expressway and the airport will only kick in when some infra projects get started in dholera itself. Untill then they might stay on paper or work will progress around there slowly.

Actually, I think you could be right about that. Would be hard to get people to invest in constructing an airport if there is nothing in Dholera!

But encouragingly, seems like the land in Dholera will be handed over to the main 3 anchor tenants soon, hopefully that should be enough to get the Airport/Expy started asap.

HCC and USEL are solid companies, but I dont have much faith in that Sabeer Bhatia and his NanoCity project. At last Vibrant Gujarat, there was a suggestion that Mahindra World City would be setting up in Dholera. There hasnt really been any news on that since, but very recently there has been a suggestion that Mahindra are looking at Gujarat (link) (http://www.yourmoneysite.com/news/2012/feb/gujarat-luring-auto-manufacturers-mm-eyeing-land-in-state.html)... if Mahindra invest in Dholera, then it will add a lot of gravity to the project.

Real progress on GIFT, Ahmedabad Metro and Dholera SIR would make 2012 a pretty impressive year overall for some of the big-ticket projects.

100 crore for Statue of Unity is impressive because it will help us to boost tourism in our state.
Much development in Education and Youth sector is predictable this will help to create large number of skilled man power in Gujarat. Thus every Gujarati is employed by 2020 if the man wants it :nuts:
Installation of Solar panels on roof tops of Gujarat cities and on Narmada Canal is good start. Also exploration of Geothermal based power plants at diff locations is also nice work done by the minister. Wind power has also given special attention. Green Gujarat
Water resources works and widening of state highways are also the good works undertaken by the goverment
:) :)

I'm very dissatisfied with main Infra projects they have just tried to touch the projects but allocation of amount is much smaller than its needed e.g-Metro needs 15000 crore for first phase and allocation is only 500 crore and that too for land acquisition. Allocation of 25 crore to Fedra Airport is worthless because what can be done of 25 crore while developing a world-class international airport? Allocation of just 40 crore for Kalpsar Yojana.
:ohno:

I think you are misinterpreting what the figures are for. When any of those projects are ready to be built, they will opened for bidding on the PPP model. Noone is suggesting an airport can be built for 25Cr or Kalpasar Dam for 40Cr.

As mentioned before, the amount for the Airport (and Expressway) is quite obv only paid up capital to form an SPV, its not like anyone is suggesting an airport can be built for that much money.

As far as Kalpasar goes, current budget mainly just covers a small channel from Narmada River to Gulf of Khambhat.

But we don't have any SPV for Fedra Airport because airport comes under centers list.
Which company will build MEGA?? any idea?
Is Kalpsar being develop by Guj Gov or on PPP basis?

Airport will not be left to the Centre, (look how they have handled Surat Airport!) it is going to be private like in Bangalore/Hyderabad.

MEGA already has an SPV, article from Divya Bhaskar said that IL&FS have won the contract, no English media have reported it though.

oh that's good ..... thank you !!

But as airlines have to take permission from DGCA for starting new routes and that is the worst thing affecting Gujarat airports. Hope all goes well and we get a new Fedra International Airport with many new direct international flights from the city soon.

Federa Airport is also indirectly connected to the progress of GIFT city. If the reports are to be believed, permission for the ultimate skyscrapers at GIFT will be granted only when the current airport is closed down or used in another way and the airport would be shifted to Federa.

However, as the construction of the Federa airport and the GIFT city's smaller buildings will be hopefully going on together, it should all work out nicely. :)

^^ I have doubts that they will close the airport here, I mean think about the shear volume of work they would have to do just to shift the airport services to Federa. They can still have tall buildings like they do in other cities in western countries. I am in perth right now and the airport is about 20 km from the city center. As far as i am aware the airport and GIFT are further apart than 20km. Have a look at the photo, just to give you an idea of how the perth skyline looks like.

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2012/01/09/1226240/017684-perth-skyline.jpg

I am sure Gift can have a great skyline and the planes can approach from another direction and shouldnt be much of an issue for them. I believe that this issue is just being made big when it shouldnt be by the authorities. Instead why cant they improve the existing terminal too by including more facilities like shops etc.

Empowering Talukas:Modi takes class of ATVT Prant officers (http://deshgujarat.com/2012/02/25/empowering-talukasmodi-takes-class-of-prant-officers-kicks-of-atvt-training-workshop/)

Chief Minister Narendra Modi today called upon the Prant Officers to take the lead in providing able and efficient governance from the taluka level itself as part of the government’s policy of decentralization of administration.

Just as Gujarat has developed by itself over the last ten years, overcoming various crises and maintaining peace without any guidelines from the Centre, he said that each taluka has the capacity to develop by itself and it is in the same spirit that the government has reposed confidence on the taluka-level administration under innovative ‘Aapnu Taluko Vibrant Taluko’ (ATVT) programme.

Mr. Modi was inaugurating a two-day state-level workshop of 112 prant officers from 225 talukas in the state being organized by the State Revenue Department at Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA).

It being the golden jubilee year of panchayati raj in Gujarat, he said, it is a great opportunity for each taluka to generate its own financial resources, manage spending, coordinate and implement various government programmes and projects.

Mr. Modi said that one secret about Gujarat’s success is minimum political interference but extending positive assistance when needed. He exuded confidence that empowerment of taluka would lead to a healthy competition among the talukas for their all round development, setting a benchmark of development at the taluka level as well.

The Chief Minister on the occasion released the ATVT Manual and e-Dhara Manual.

Speaking on the occasion, Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel said that the Chief Minister’s call for ‘sauna sath, sauna vikas’ for ‘inclusive growth through collective efforts’ has lent a new lease of life to the department. She said that ATVT programme would also help the government reach the last man in the last mile more effectively.

Prominent among those present at the inaugural session included Chief Secretary A.K. Joti, Principal Revenue Secretary C.L. Meena, Principal Panchayat Secretary R.M. Patel, SPIPA Director-General Arvind Agrawal and Secretary Sutaria.

Lets see how this works out!

^^ I have doubts that they will close the airport here, I mean think about the shear volume of work they would have to do just to shift the airport services to Federa. They can still have tall buildings like they do in other cities in western countries. I am in perth right now and the airport is about 20 km from the city center. As far as i am aware the airport and GIFT are further apart than 20km......


Shahibaugh Airport (existing airport) is just 10km from GIFT City by air side.
Existing airport has only one runway and one way for take off and landing i.e North side.
All flights have to wait more and it consumes more time and after take off most of the flights have to take U-turn because most of the Ahmedabad flights are Mumbai or south bound.
Expansion of airport or building a new runway or expanding the existing runway is impossible due to lack of space available near the airport.
Reversing the direction of flights is impossible because Ahmedabad City lies there and you cant have approach from the city side it should always be in opposite side of the city lies.
Thus Ahmedabad needs a new airport very fast

So why are they restricting the height to only 122 meters. Just for simplifying things, here is the layout of the area showing the approach route of the planes and how it affects the highrises both on the riverfront and GIFT.

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1937/giftairport.png

As it can be seen, the route crosses the riverfront directly (though only at a single point), but it passes nearly 2 kms away from GIFT.

Reversing the direction of flights is impossible because Ahmedabad City lies there and you cant have approach from the city side it should always be in opposite side of the city lies.


I dont know about landing from the city side, but certainly take-offs are done that way. For e.g. when I had gone to Chennai, the plane crossed the entire runway, made a U-turn and then took off from North to South thus crossing the entire city (which gave me some amazing views :) :cheers:).

Existing airport has only one runway and one way for take off and landing i.e North side.
All flights have to wait more and it consumes more time and after take off most of the flights have to take U-turn because most of the Ahmedabad flights are Mumbai or south bound.


As I have said earlier only after takeoff they have to take U-turn and similarly they have to take U-turn before landing because we have more flights for Mumbai or any other south cities comparatively.

Reversing the direction of flights is impossible because Ahmedabad City lies there and you cant have approach from the city side it should always be in opposite side of the city lies.

Here I want to say that directly allowing landing from city side is not possible because if plane crashes than there will be more loss in city side compare to forest side.

Restriction of height is there near the airport because if airport is busy in handling emergency or VIP traffic to due to any reason plane is not allowed for landing than the plane will move around the city at some lower height so permission is not given for high rises.

We many times see that planes are too low while approaching towards the airport over the city thus the height of bldg is restricted to certain value.

Ok that makes sense from the map. How about another runway?

I dont think there is enough space for that. It's bad and short-sighted planning. We cant even have a runway which intersects the present one.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17156917

The Indian state of Gujarat doesn't have a metro rail system, yet the biggest carriage-making factory in the country is located here.

As India looks to upgrade its public transport in cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad, Bombardier Transportation sees big opportunities.

Its fleet of Movia carriages operates on the Delhi metro system, where it has a contract to make 614 of them in total.

And they are being made in Savli - just outside of Baroda in Gujarat.

Set-up at a cost of more than $41m (£26m), the railway vehicle manufacturing factory will not just cater to the Indian market but serve as a hub for exporting to South East Asia and Asia Pacific.

Benoit Cattin Martel, president of the company, says building the plant in Savli in 18 months was a world record for it.

"When we were taking the big decision for the metro project, we looked around and decided to be in Gujarat.

"In fact it's proven to be a very good choice because we have great support from Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his team."

Controversial politician
The head of Bombardier is not alone in his lavish praise for the state's chief minister.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

The environment here [in Gujarat] is very worker friendly. More importantly there is business.”

Udayan Banerjee
Managing director of Sharda Motor Industries
Ratan Tata, the chairman of India's Tata Group, famously said in a public address in 2007: "It is stupid if you are not in Gujarat".

Many top leaders from Indian industry have even suggested that Mr Modi could be a likely candidate for prime minister in 2014, when the next general election is expected.

Yet while some credit the controversial chief minister for Gujarat's success, others call him a divisive force.

Months after he became chief minister in 2002, the state erupted in violent Hindu-Muslim riots that killed more than 1,000 people.

It was one of India's worst outbreaks of religious violence.

But 10 years on, whilst the controversy is still being debated, it isn't stopping business from flowing in.

Most top Indian business houses are all invested here, and most commentators agree that the state is growing faster than the rest of the country.

'Worker friendly'
But Mr Modi's prize catch is located at Sanand, an hour outside Ahmedabad - the Tata Motors' Nano car project.


New developments are springing up across the state
In 2008, the Gujarat government welcomed the investment after political unrest forced the Tatas to leave the Communist-ruled state of West Bengal.

The speed at which the entire investment moved across from the east to the west of India is a story that every businessman here narrates.

Udayan Banerjee is the managing director of Sharda Motor Industries - one of the first Tata vendors to relocate.

He says at the event to inaugurate the Nano plant that Mr Modi said the cost of bringing the huge investment to Gujarat was just one rupee (less than five cents).

This was in reference to the cost of one text message that Mr Modi sent to the Tatas saying "Welcome to Gujarat". That did the trick.

Now the Nano plant and around 60 car parts suppliers have moved here to Sanand.

Sharada Motor Industries makes 20 components for the Nano, and Mr Banerjee says businesses will move wherever they are welcomed.

"The environment here is very worker friendly. More importantly there is business.

"That's why we have all come over here. We don't have hassle for infrastructure and no hassle in getting any sanction passed by the government."

Car hub
The Tatas are not alone. Gujarat is fast emerging as the new car centre of India.


Sharada Motor Industries makes parts for Tata's Nano vehicle
Maruti-Suzuki, Peugeot, Ford and General Motors are looking to set-up plants here.

That will create the capacity to make an additional three million cars per annum, starting 2014, which means one out of every three cars sold in India will come from Gujarat.

Ford has announced that it is investing nearly $1bn in building a new vehicle manufacturing and engine plant in the state.

French carmaker Peugeot also has started setting up a plant in Sanand.

Other than the pro-business environment, carmakers say the advantage in Gujarat is its easy access to ports which reduces freight costs.

No power cuts
But the biggest reason for Gujarat's popularity is that unlike most of India it is a power-surplus state.

Mr Banerjee says: "We don't need a captive generator to run our plant here. This is the only plant I have out of the 17 plants in seven states in India that doesn't need a backup generator."

Other than coal-based thermal power plants, the state leads the country in solar energy usage.

The Asian Development Bank recently approved a $100m loan to Gujarat to build a 500 megawatt solar park.

Apart from energy, infrastructure in the state is also on the fast track.


Gujarat has a reputation for being very business friendly
Roads are being widened and upgraded. The city of Ahmedabad has a successful Bus Rapid Transit System and is soon getting a metro rail project.

The state is the biggest benefactor in the proposed Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Nearly 40% of this corridor passes through Gujarat.

New airports and ports are being planned.

Gujarat already has 41 ports that handle 80% of India's traffic and 20% of its cargo. The state is promoting at least four private ports - Mundra, Pipapav, Kandla and Dholera.

Everything is geared towards one thing - and that's to attract more business here.

Benoot Cattin Martel, president of Bombardier says it's effective.

"What it [Gujarat] is doing right is to treat industry with priority," he says.

"They walk the talk - that means all commitment made by Gujarat has been served to the industry.

Industry is very dependent on capacity to produce on time and quality. So this is definitely the right environment for us."

'Business acumen'
But is the state's economic success because of the politician in power or is it the people of the state?

Ordinary Gujaratis too say they have moved on, such as Ravin Vyas, 42, and his family.

Running a chemical business, he says it's the spirit of the people here that drives the state.

"Businessmen are respected here. We move on - political incidents, natural calamities happen everywhere. They don't deter us.

"The business acumen is ingrained in the culture here. That's what the culture of Gujarat is!"

But 10 years on, have people really forgotten the terrible violence of 2002?

Not really. But people are quick to point out that it hasn't stopped its economic triumph.

Whether it's because of the government or it's the people, the state is attracting more investment than the rest of the country.

Now it's up to the rest of India to see if there are lessons for them to learn from Gujarat's economic strides.

I dont think there is enough space for that. It's bad and short-sighted planning. We cant even have a runway which intersects the present one.

I think the only thing that they can do would be to acquire land and rehab the people living in the surrounding areas. I think that would be more cheaper than having a new airport. But hey lets see what happens in the near future about what they plan on building height.

So why are they restricting the height to only 122 meters. Just for simplifying things, here is the layout of the area showing the approach route of the planes and how it affects the highrises both on the riverfront and GIFT.

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1937/giftairport.png

As it can be seen, the route crosses the riverfront directly (though only at a single point), but it passes nearly 2 kms away from GIFT.

federa airport or ahmedabad international airport will be the biggest airport no for ahmedabad but for entire country.. situated just 60 kms from city limit and the way ahmedabad is expanding the airport will be inside city in just few years..

60 kms are not that near. How much time will a person from, say Naroda or Shahibaug or even Gandhinagar, take to reach the airport? They have to first cover the entire city (around 35-40 kms) and then the 60 kms.

How ironic it seems that to fly 500 kms to Mumbai, one has to travel 100 kms (1/5th of the distance) by land.

You need at least 1.5 hours to reach the airport. Another 2 hours in the airport. Then 1 hour in the plane. Another 1 hour at Mumbai airport. And then the time taken to travel to your destination. Total 5.5 to 6 hours. Compare that with around 5-6 hours taken when travelling by expressway, which will be completed around the same time as the airport. Even Shatabdi Express takes only 7 hours. So what is the benefit of flying if it takes as much time as land travelling. (I took Mumbai as an example as around 25% traffic from Ahmedabad is Mumbai bound)

AMD Mumbai is not a great example, if Govt had better planning this would be high speed rail territory. However, Fedara is the only chance Gujarat has to have World class airport. It is central enough to feed traffic from a large area. Plus building on a large tract offers cargo plus true hub-spoke possibility even though in India's case with limited possibility. For instance with free aviation fuel available in Abu Dhabi and Qatar, no one in their right mind will plan a hub in India where Govt taxes anything and everything to subsidize the numerous Nehru Yojanas.

I agree, Federa Airport in itself is a wonderful concept, but if it serves as the main and only airport of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, then it is not such a good idea.

Hi Guys,

I tried to visit GSRTC thread on its second i. e. last page. But getting IE error. Anybody can please check and suggest solution on this.

The State of Gujarat today took another lead in being the first in the country to launch its star tourism campaign, ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki’ featuring megastar Amitabh Bachchan, on a Delhi Metro Train in the national capital in an attempt to showcase diversity of Gujarat tourism in its entirety.

Shri Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary Tourism, Government of Gujarat and Shri Sanjay Kaul, Commissioner of Tourism & Managing Director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TGCL) jointly flagged off the branded train at the Reliance New Delhi Metro Station today.

The Gujarat Tourism is branding one entire Delhi Metro Train for a period of three months to promote its ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki’ campaign. The highlights of the campaign are branded in both the outer body and insides of the metro train.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Vipul Mitra said that no other state tourism board has roped in the services of the Delhi Metro so far as what Gujarat Tourism has done. By dedicating an entire Metro Train to its tourism campaign, the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd aims to seek better mileage in the national capital and tourist influx to Gujarat.

“Khushboo Gujarat Ki campaign is two and a half years old and since its launch with Shri Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador, the rate of growth of tourism in Gujarat has doubled as compared to the national growth rate. There has been a 400 percent rise in tourists to Kachchh and this year more than 2 crore travellers are expected to visit the State,” Shri Mittra told media persons.

He pointed out that Gujarat Tourism works on a 3-pronged strategy with the first being promoting Gujarat as a fast emerging most exciting tourism destination. Secondly, by creating common infrastructure like excellent connectivity by roads and trains, security apparatus in place, information centres, sanitation and other facilities to ensure adequate safety and comfort of the tourists. Third and most importantly, to focus on the PPP mode to rope in the private sector to come and invest in Gujarat by setting up commercial ventures like hotels and resorts.

Talking about the USP of Gujarat Tourism, Shri Mitra said, “The USP of Gujarat Tourism is its diversity of tourism products. It is being promoted as a complete family destination, since in Gujarat there is practically everything to cater to the tastes of the tourists, whether it is mega events like Navratri or Rann Utsav, Asiatic Lions at Gir Sanctuary or the pristine beaches, remnants of Indus Valley civilization at Dholavira and the magnificent temples of Somanth and Dwarka. Be it monuments, temples or desert, Gujarat has it all.”

After excelling to new heights in infrastructure, agriculture and other development rated projects, the State Government brought in tourism as an icing on the cake, the senior official said adding Gujarat Tourism is a mode for development and means for diversity and prosperity.

Shri Sanjay Kaul, in his welcome address, said that it is essentially trade which is pushing Gujarat tourism the way it should be with trade associations and media continue to promote Gujarat as a preferred
tourist destination.

The year 2012 has ushered in with international accolades coming for the State of Gujarat which has been ranked as the third best unsung tourist destination of the world by Lonely Planet.


Link: http://deshgujarat.com/2012/03/07/gujarat-tourism-ad-featuring-bigb-boards-delhi-metros-airport-express/

Found the video of the train tooo...

Nice initiative Gujarat...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex7mJL858ho

Don't know how to add video on the post.. so just posting the link :(

Found the video of the train tooo...

Nice initiative Gujarat...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex7mJL858ho

Don't know how to add video on the post.. so just posting the link :(

Nice find!

To post videos, just copy the part of the url after "v=" is the video code, ie for this one its ex7mJL858ho

That code then needs to go in youtube brackets [ youtube ] [ /youtube ] with no spaces!

Put it all together and you get:
ex7mJL858ho

Thanks GJ10 for the information...

By the way.. as I see your username is GJ10.. Are you from Jamnagar or just like that u have opted for this? :)

I am surprised Congress did not create any problems over this :)

Thanks GJ10 for the information...

By the way.. as I see your username is GJ10.. Are you from Jamnagar or just like that u have opted for this? :)

Well, im from the UK, but my family are originally from Jamnagar so thats why I chose that username.

From your posts, it seems you have links to Rajkot?

Same goes with me too.. I m from UK too, and my family comes from Rajkot.. so have some special bond with Rajkot... :)

Well, im from the UK, but my family are originally from Jamnagar so thats why I chose that username.

From your posts, it seems you have links to Rajkot?

Gujarat posts record 16% growth in Agriculture for FY11 (http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-posts-record-16pct-growth-in-agriculture-in-fy11_1664604)

Gujarat posted a record 16.63% growth in agriculture during 2010/11, way above the national average growth that hovered around 4%, the state assembly was informed on Monday.

Agriculture minister Dilip Sanghani said on Monday in the assembly that the state's agriculture growth for 2010-11 was 16.63% compared to national average of 4%.

Speaking during discussion on the budgetary demands of agriculture and related segments, the minister said that "Gujarat's average agriculture growth rate in the decade of 2001-2010 has been 10.67% and for the year 2010-11 the growth has been 16.63%."

The agriculture income for the year 2010-11 was estimated at Rs80,000 crore compared to only Rs14,663 crore in 2000-01, he added.

Congress state unit president and Porbander MLA Arjun Modhvadia objected to the figures given by the minister alleging that he was giving selective figures to the assembly. However, the objection was overruled by the speaker.

Meanwhile, during the discussion, the minister charged that the Union government was adopting dual standards with regard to export of cotton and mutton what with the Centre encouraging export of mutton by giving subsidies while creating hurdles for farmers of Gujarat by banning export of cotton.

Unbelievable figures!!! More than 4 times the national average.

Another pathetic Congress attempt failed.

TN trying to "out-Gujarat" Gujarat?

Blueprint for Infrastructure in Gujarat: 2020 (pdf 6.93mb) (http://www.gidb.org/downloads/vol_1B_summary_2020.pdf)

Tamil Nadu: Vision 2023 (pdf 2.6mb) (http://www.tn.gov.in/departments/finance/TN_Vision_2023.pdf?choice=ot4)

Their plan will undoubtedly get scrapped when they vote the opposition back into power again at next election. But an interesting comparison nonetheless.

^^ For a 2023 plan it doesnt sound too bad but its like you said, its trying to out - gujarat gujarat. What would be more interesting is to see how these projects are put into place, everything looks good on paper but can this government implement it.

Yeah, its a def a good plan (cos its Gujarats plan!) only diff is BJP won 4 elections in a row before announcing such long-term visions, whereas TN switches power regularly, not quite the same foundation for stuff like this.

Either way, will be glad if every state tries to do this kind of thing. Its about time that the different Indian states actually started to compete with each other an push each other forward in the same way as has happened with certain cities.

^^
Before all the paperwork of all these schemes is complete and the funding is arranged, Jaya amma will make way for Thattha or or one of his sons. They are sort of playing some super-slow game of 'pass the parcel' :)

Two very interesting documents with stats and figures relating to the Socio - Economic development of Gujarat and the other being of Fiscal responsibility and meeting deadlines for its targets.


Socio - Economic (http://financedepartment.gujarat.gov.in/budget12_13_pdf/34_Socio_Economic_Review_English.pdf)

Fiscal responsibility (http://financedepartment.gujarat.gov.in/budget12_13_pdf/30_Fiscal_Responsibility_Act_2005_English.pdf)

Two very interesting documents with stats and figures relating to the Socio - Economic development of Gujarat and the other being of Fiscal responsibility and meeting deadlines for its targets.


Socio - Economic (http://financedepartment.gujarat.gov.in/budget12_13_pdf/34_Socio_Economic_Review_English.pdf)

Fiscal responsibility (http://financedepartment.gujarat.gov.in/budget12_13_pdf/30_Fiscal_Responsibility_Act_2005_English.pdf)

Nice finds man!

Its really good to see that there is improvement being made on the social development front. While its become very fashionable for ppl to use social indicators in Gujarat as a criticism for the economic growth, its very rare to see comparative figures thrown into the mix.

I think its only a matter of a few years before we really see the dividends of some of the changes that have been happening over the last decade, especially in health/education.

Primary school dropout rate has really plummeted since State Govt has put real attention into this area. In about 5yrs time, that breakthrough batch will be finishing high school.

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2986/table61.jpg

Child sex ratio is quite interesting, improvements in pretty much every urban figure, whereas overall trend for India was a worsening in urban areas. But a mixed set of results for rural areas. Significant improvements seen in some of the areas with the worst ratios in 2001
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/615/csrtable.jpg

In general, many social indicators are still poor compared other states, but looking at historical stats shows that we have actually come a long way even if there is still a way to go.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/4140/table64.jpg

And coming to the Congresses favourite punching bag, the Vibrant Gujarat Summits!

Of course, not every project will come into reality, but the important thing to remember is to look at the bigger picture. Before the land-bank policy came into play, there was always a delay due to land acquisition and even now, environmental and other central clearances have to be factored in. Besides that, projects in certain sectors, esp Energy, Ports, Construction, usually tend to have seperate phases within them, so all things considered, its not really that surprising if vast amounts of the money isnt seen straight away.

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/2236/table41.jpg

The amount implented and under implementation is still pretty staggering. Were talking over Rs 10 lakh crore, def not an amount than can be s******ed away with cries of "paper projects" or "hype".

Now that few years have passed, the early summits are all at 60-70% of proposed investments implemented/under implementation.

A lot of the projects announced in 09 summit and especially 11 summit were focussed on the DMIC, hopefully as that project inches itself closer to reality, we will see more of the projects get moving.

That said, 13% implemented/under implentation of the proposed investments from 2011 summit is pretty good, considering the count was done 10months after the event itself!

^^ Good stuff man. I would say overall Gujarat has progressed quite well especially in the socio-economic factors since the 80's. The only thing that looks bad is the child ratio which is pretty much the same if you think about it. For rural areas I thought it would had been higher than that but it has decreased in a lot of districts.

A nice blog article about life in rural Gujarat.

Observations based on a recent visit to Rural Gujarat
(http://bhuwanchand.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/observations-based-on-a-recent-visit-to-rural-gujarat/)
Work in private sector & my job profile is to capture consumer insights which may be useful for designing, modifying, positioning and marketing products as per the consumer needs. The organisation that I work for is in the business of Farm Mechanization (Tractor, other agriculture implements).

Recently visited many villages in Gujarat covering the district of Rajkot (Chhandli, Kalipat, khadha dhar, hadmadiya, Gauvridhar, barvan, Pipariya), Junagadh (Vadal, Makhariya, choki, Nani Parvadi, Zapadhar, Majevdi), Jamnagar (Eatara, Falla, Dhroll, Kharva, Khimarana,
Manekpar), Surendranagar (Zapodar, Muli, Halvad, Dhavana, Shivpur).

Sharing some of the initial observations based on the experience there.

Infrastructure wise Gujarat is one of the best seen across India including the Urban Areas, Metro Cities (as a
part of job I do have to travel across India), one hardly feels the bump on the roads even when travelling in Rural
areas – so common to encounter them on the roads of Delhi NCR. Even remote areas have roads which were nicely maintained.
The best Electricity facility one can see in the whole country. People hardly face power cut at home.
Open to use new methods and means in agriculture, innovation & adaptability is so much there in the blood of Gujarati farmers.
Saw farmers using Induction cooking mode (hot plates) making their kitchen smoke-free – and cooking all the
meals, tea, even making Roti directly on it. So no need for LPG for cooking – which is anyways difficult to get in the villages.
In urban areas, where LPG is available, people are customizing LPG gas kits for 2 wheelers.
The farmers are advancing with farm mechanization – use of tractors, tillers, harvesters etc. is on a high swing.
Farmers are now focussing on producing cash crops (Cotton, Ground Nut, etc.) to earn better money for the farm products. Use of BT seeds is very much prevalent.
Farmers are also trying to utilization their land to maximum by cultivating multiple crops in the year. With reducing crop cycles– demand for farm labor is increasing. Shortage of Labor (due to NREGA) is resulting in an increase in farm mechanization – farmers buying
tractors & seed drillers, automatic pumps for spraying fertilizer & pesticide – so that the dependency of manual labor reduces.
The easy availability of loan & subsidies for farm mechanization is also helping the farmers.
With the help of Govt. subsidies farmers have also installed small wind mills in their farms for irrigation, Farmers have also designed and manufactured tractors and implements according to their needs.
Even at the farms where the electricity supply is regulated for irrigation, it is highly planned – 8 hours a day
Due to the geographical conditions, water is not so abundantly available in Gujarat as it is in some of the other states in the country, there is high dependency on rainfall for better crop production. But farmers are showing high interest in water harvesting , use of drip water irrigation.
Truly believing in joint family, share their resources and woman getting a much better deal in terms of say in the family matters. Met with a farmer who said that his elder sister (now married and managing her own family) is his role model & Ideal of life. She was the one to inspire the younger brother/sister to study, do some work or start business – not just depend on the limited family farmland for everything. The person worked for 10 years in a factory and then came back to work on the family farm when their father was too
old to manage on his own. Their younger brother did even better saving good money after working few years in City, came back to village & bought two tractors (one big & one small) and a range of agriculture equipment – both the brother are now not only use these tools to farm their own land, but they make more money by renting out these equipment to other. I felt so good to be sitting with them &
observing it all when the farmer was praising his elder sister, his father also sitting nearby & nodding saying that it was the very important since their land holding isn’t very large. The girls in the family were getting ready to go to the school in the 2nd shift, waiting for the ‘Chakda’ – bike kind of engine converted into autoriksha.
People serve Tea & even milk (shamelessly requested by one of my team members since he doesn’t drink tea) in plate served through the kettle, which indicated the characteristics of optimal utilization of scares resources .
Nicely maintained comfortable Coaches (privately enterprises) are regular means of transport within the state are a joy to travel in. Need them so badly in other cities where the condition of interstate buses is really bad (just try any UP/Haryana Roadways bus and you
would realize what I am saying)
People proud of what they have – steel utensils/ Crockery on top shelves in their drawing room, a Jhoola (Swing) from the ceiling for kids to have fun. Remembered an experience of my South Indian friend whose father insisted that he will marry his son in a family
where they are not ashamed of using Plastic chairs in the drawing room. The son, an IIM-A graduate, shares father’s ideology and is currently a top executive based in Mumbai in the biggest modern retail company in India – an inspiration for all the people who know him.
Most of the farmers want good education for their children, do well in their life – whether they want to work in cities or come back to the farm after studying agriculture. Met with a farmer whose son has recently complete engineering degree in Agriculture and come back to take up their farming activity to next level.
Saw a lot of people in the cities & villages chewing Maava, but didn’t saw them spitting everywhere to leave a mark of their presence (hate the fine art of spitting which is so evident in any staircase wall in many cities)
Co- operative societies (known as Mandali) are run by members from villages & provides Micro finance to villagers at lower interest rates and low tolerance in due payment. Observed that farmers are very confident about getting/repaying loan for agriculture & activities.
A farmer talked about taking a 5 Lac rupee loan to re-construct his house – the was nice a comfortable, with use of marble for flooring & tiles on walls, nice & clean toilets – but was surprise to see that there was no main door or the doors to the rooms & kitchen. The farmer just laughed and said they feel so safe & secure that the door is not the high priority – they will put it up once they get some money after the next harvest. Compare it with the law & order situation & the atmosphere of fear under which the people are living in other places in the country – the doors are installed even before the construction of the house is complete – otherwise neighbours steal the bricks and construction material!
High on patriotism – people’s love for their country colour visible all around. Most of the farmers have painted their houses in Indian flag colour; they have even painted fencing polls of their fields in tri India Colour.
The safety & security can be felt everywhere – on the road, in the market place, malls, religious places. I was truly amazed and kept asking people, even the taxi drivers about it and they were so cool about it – ‘Yahan par koi dar nahi hai’ (‘there is no fear here’).

GJ10 is there any district wise per capita income available for Gujarat.
I tried but could not find it.

There are so many surveys now a days I dont know who to believe. What do you guys think?? I am still biased so I will say Ahmedabad is the Best! (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2012032820120328030001237428eac1/Ahmedabad-is-the-Best.html)

Be it housing, water, gas, power or sanitation, Household Amenities Census 2011 reveals we are way ahead of most other cities in the state and country when it comes to quality of life

While the country is reeling under criticism for its poor sanitation facilities after the recent 2011 Census report revealed that it had more cellphones than toilets, the scene is just the reverse here in Ahmedabad.

The report says that 83 per cent Amdavadi households have toilets while only 61.8 per cent have cellphones. This is in sharp contrast to the national average of 46.9 per cent households with toilets and 53.2 per cent with cellphones.

The Household Amenities Census 2011 also put spotlight on luxury living and availability of modern amenities in this bustling megacity. The data corroborates the much-acclaimed liveability status of the city — it was in the shortlist of seven finalists for the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in Singapore recently.

COMFORTABLE LIVING

As per the data, majority of Amdavadis live in one and two bedroom houses — 39.1 per cent households have only one room and 30.8 per cent have two rooms. Around 79.9 per cent houses — second lowest in the state and way below the national average of 86.6 per cent— have owners as the occupants while 18 per cent have been rented out.

Every other district, except Surat at 60.7 per cent, registers a higher percentage of owned households.

While BRTS has won the city laurels at international level and revamped the public transport system, the city records an impressive number when it comes to two and four wheelers. Around 46.3 per cent houses own a two-wheeler and 11.7 per cent a four-wheeler. The figures are not only highest in the state but more than double the national average of 21 per cent in two-wheelers and 4.7 per cent in four-wheelers. Incidentally, the number of households with bicycles — 45.5 per cent — is almost equal to the national average of 44.8.

BANKING ON BANKS

Nearly 67.3 per cent Amdavadi houses avail banking services. This is again highest in the state and higher than the national average of 58.7 per cent. Almost 77.6 per cent houses in the city own television sets and 8.5 per cent own computers with internet connectivity.

However, while Amdavadis are known for their love for swish new cellphones, only 61.8 per cent homes own this gadget. In Rajkot, a whopping 71.4 per cent own a cellphone while Junagadh comes a close second at 69.2 per cent.

Only 5.2 per cent houses in the city have a landline connection, marginally higher than the national average of 4 per cent.

WE ARE POWER-FUL

The city also has maximum LPG connections in the kitchen — nearly 64.6 per cent houses use LPG for cooking. This is not only highest in Gujarat but nearly thrice the national average of 28.6 per cent. Surat comes a second with 62.7 per cent.

As compared to the national average of 67.3 per cent, nearly 97.4 per cent houses in Ahmedabad have power connectivity. In fact, 90.4 per cent houses in Gujarat boast of electricity connection, cocking a snook at the national average of 67.3 per cent. The data also show that 84.7 per cent households in Ahmedabad have tap water facility — nearly double the national average of 43.5 per cent — and 67 per cent use treated water.

Census Deputy Director (Gujarat) S Varade said, “As per data analysis, Gujarat has the highest density of cellphones, computers, electricity connections and landline phones in the country.”

GUJARAT’S AHEAD

Census Director (Gujarat) Manish Bharadwaj said, “In the past 10 years, power connectivity in the state has improved greatly. This has led to an increase in the density of televisions, computers, internet connections, landline phones and cellphones in the state. This reflects Gujarat’s development. The district-wise and city-wise data was sent by the Centre. We will release this on March 31.”

He added that the department’s 150-odd employees had worked round the year to collate and prepare the data report.

Urban Development Minister Nitin Patel said, “There has been a rise in the usage of computers and internet. The government has brought broadband connections to cities as well as villages. Also, we have linked the entire state through GSWAN network.”

AGRI BOOST

He added that industries have boosted Gujarat’s development but due credit should also be given to agricultural production. “If there is an increase in agricultural output, the villagers will purchase luxury items like vehicles, televisions and refrigerators from the city. Also, real estate in the city is bought not just by NRIs but also people from rural areas who want a second home in the city they visit frequently. Thus, increase in agricultural production also boosts the economy of cities.”

^^^^^^^^
:) Some new piece of information... feels good to know that Gujarat is better than most states in most ways. But that also gives fair idea about the poor condition of our fellow states, its very sad :ohno:
What India needs is majority, if not all, of its states to develop. Not just in patches of few huge metros, but development of states as single entity like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu even!!

More than TN, I think Kerala is a good example of even development across the State.

Forget TN I am not sure about Kerala model of growth may be it is o.k from social development point of view but the state is very much remittance dependent. All states cannot do that mainly all big states they have to develop their internal economy and the growth should be based on internal economy.

More than TN, I think Kerala is a good example of even development across the State.

Yes kept it green with no industrialization.

Forget TN I am not sure about Kerala model of growth may be it is o.k from social development point of view but the state is very much remittance dependent. All states cannot do that mainly all big states they have to develop their internal economy and the growth should be based on internal economy.

Agree, as other states develop, this HDI advantage of Kerala is being eroded away daily. Will def take a long time, but nonetheless, it'll actually be a lot easier for other states to match Keralas social development than it will be for Kerala to match the kind of economic development seen elsewhere.

PS: No, I have not seen any data by district for Gujarat. Closest thing Ive seen was an Indicus Analytics study a few years ago, which would be grossly out of date by now (not sure how valid the data was anyway)

Agreed.

kLu5lZq5LGU&feature=player_embedded#!

lTBZ9v99kOQ&feature=relmfu

Gujarat Govt to send 11 teams abroad to promote Vibrant Gujarat 2013 (http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-govt-to-send-11-teams-abroad-to-promote-vg-2013_1670090)

Here's some good news for government officers. They will be getting much-needed relief from the scorching summer as the state government plans to send as many as 11 teams of state bureaucrats abroad to promote Vibrant Gujarat 2013.

The schedules for the foreign trips and international road shows for VG-2013 have been brought forward in view of the assembly elections in December.

Sources in the state government have confirmed the developments. "Assembly elections are due in December and the Vibrant Gujarat Summits are scheduled in January 2013. Further, the government cannot take any decision once the election dates are announced and the model code of conduct comes into effect. This is the main reason for making early arrangement for the summit," said an official.

He added, "The government is sending teams of IAS officers and business delegations for the promotion of the event and to attract foreign investors to the state. Generally the schedule used to be prepared in June-July and the visits of the delegation used to take place in September and October. But this year the visits may take place during May, June and July."

Talking about the focus areas of the next Vibrant Gujarat Summit, another officer said, "This time the focus areas would be technology sectors and areas related to human development."

Technology and Human Development eh? Looking forward to it already :okay:

^^ +1

liking that combination!

Where is the next VG summit, anyone?

Where is the next VG summit, anyone?


Mahatma Mandir is fixed venue now on !!

Where is the next VG summit, anyone?

^^^^ Yes it's Mahatma Mandir

They have already arranged traffic barriers in Gandhinagar showing VG-2013 and dates are 11-13 Jan. :cheers:

Actually, seems like there will be a new venue, quite close to Mahatma Mandir, but 4x bigger at 1 lakh sq foot, construction was ongoing as at January!

-lnnlf953Wk


Apparently they have actually already been promoting VGGIS2013 at many events, going back to last September! Mahatma Mandir will be used for many of the build up events.

VGGIS 2013 will go from Jan 11-13 next year.

Vibrant Gujarat 2013 (http://www.vibrantgujarat.com/index.htm) (official website)

Walkthrough of new Summit Venue
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Alongside, another thing that seems quite interesting is the Vibrant Gujarat Trade Show, which will go from Jan 08-13

Vibrant Gujarat Trade Show (http://www.vggts.com/) (official website)

Promo for Vibrant Gujarat Trade Show
VWWpBxwpD3Q

^^ nice find man! I wonder what other venue will they use other than Mahatma Mandir. Could it be phase 2 for mm?

That's nicee.. Happy to see Gujarat doing all possible thing to become no. 1 investment destination...

By the way.. any idea what's the progress of Mahatama Mandir??

Surprisingly, can't find dedicated website for Mahatama Mandir... Guj. Govt. has website for each and every department and for all major attractions.. why not for Mahatama Mandir... and another possible site is Kankaria Lake... they could develope a website for this two places...

Woah, fantastic venue. They seem to increase in scale every time - from Planet Earth, Science City to the swanky convention center at Mahatma Mandir and now this.

I have a mind to go this time around and invest some 50-100 Rs, everyone seems to be doing so. At least I'll increase the MoU count, if nothing else :lol:

Hope Mr. Modi survives this year election. Otherwise this project will have high risk. There may be anti incumbency factor in this election.

Other than the Godhra riots which was more than 10 years ago, the Congress has nothing against Modi. He has support many muslim constituencies as well.

He has provided all the basic infrastructure for industrial development i.e. power, land, roads and water. Time now to look into public healthcare, education and HR development. I think in the next 15 years Gujrat will be a developed state leaving other states well behind.

Although NaMo would once again win Gujarat Elections, but there is a chance he may get lesser seat than what he got earlier. It's not something his development is not been appreciated but its because of anti incumbency factor and his recent sadbhawna stage (becoming near to Muslim, which may oppress Extreme Hindus).

There are some parameter that will go against Mr. Modi this time.

1) Biggest one is anti incumbency factor
2) Congress is out of power from more than decade. This time it seems they are getting united. Recent Mansa election win after 15 years has boosted Congress confidence significantly. Do or die for congress.
3) Over confidence of BJP.
4)BJP party workers are not happy. Their work are not getting done.
5) Infight with in BJP. BJP is in power from more than last 15 years. Some of the people's ambition has gone up significantly.
6) Media is against BJP. Every day there is headline of increasing criminal activity and corruption in state
7) Corruption is there in each and every level of government office
8) Over marketing of Mr. Modi


Some parameter in favour of Mr. Modi
1) No big size leader in congress.
2) Highly visionary leader.
3) Strong administrator
4) People has seen real development in state.

I see neck to neck fight in this election unless Modi brings up some new idea. Sadbhavna won't work.

My best wishes are with Modi and love to see GIFT getting done on time.

All the opposition needs to do is to raise the godhra carnage and aftermath again and again Congress shall be routed out of Gujarat. If they dare to talk about Godhra and aftermath, they are gone.
I see 150 + seats for BJP this time.

its because Of Mr narendra modi.. what Gujarat is in 2012.. if its not been him. it will a different gujarat. the gujarat it was in congress habnd. riots.. pollution.. no development.. lack of power and many such..

My vote is for Modi and BJP. I find ahmedabad better city to live in than in 2000.. its still peacful and good infrastructure.. great opportunity for jobs in every fields..

Ot in new beacuase all news channels get money from congress. and if a city like delhi register 100 crime in a day it common because it happen there every time that why it not on news but if ahmedabad register even one case of murder or rape or accident it all over news as ahmedabad or any other place in gujarat.. it not common..

Recently the Gujarat Congress and their media have been making a massive fuss over certain isolated and out of context "leaks" from the Comptroller and Auditor General report on Gujarat.

Thankfully the full reports are now available (link) (http://saiindia.gov.in/english/home/Our_Products/Audit_Report/Government_Wise/state_audit/recent_reports/Gujarat/2011/2011.html)

Things are not perfect, esp re GSPCL and the problems they encountered with oil expoloration in the KG basin, but nothing quite as "damning" or "slamming" as had been widely reported in media.

Seeing every negative mark for Gujarat has been put under a microscope over the last week, would be interesting to see the CAG report for the likes of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu for the same time period to see a side-by side comparison, especially related to the performance of PSUs.

Govt of Gujarat has been thoroughly flogged for not acheiving 100% perfection (which is unrealistic anyway), wonder how perfect the scenario is the main rival states for Gujarat?

There is always that hype that builds up over a while that Gujarat is doing good in this and that, which is true but they are not at 100% yet and they are on their way to achieving a 100%. Some people just expect everything to be apples but when reports like these come out and media adds their 2 cents it becomes a massive issue. So even if the reports come out for other states it wouldn't affect you in a way that the Gujarat report does. I doubt media would give it such attention and use terms such as bimaru and what not.

But again thinking about it I would def love to see some more reports on other states of India and see how their PSU's performed and if they can match the amount of turnover the Guj Psu's made in recent times (with the exception of a few ofcourse).

:omg:
Well! Even I find that very, very hard to believe. (I'm not doubting you, I'm just dazed out of my shoes)

Even my native village in remote area of Kutch get nearly 24 hours electricity.

Even my native village in remote area of Kutch get nearly 24 hours electricity.

That's it! I'm going to Gujarat and vote for Modi, whether Gujjus do or don't. Seriously, don't you feel awfully blessed. My town is hardly 1 hour away from Delhi and I get 10 hours of...electricity cuts!! :bash:

:cool: ^^ yeah dude where else do you see a city rise from nothing. Vote for Modi hehe

A rare positive article about Modi from TOI

Article (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIA/2012/04/07&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00100&ViewMode=HTML)

It seems US's move of not granting visa to Modi has backfired on themselves :). Now they are scrambling to get in his good books. Modi should dangle the carrot for a bit longer, make sure the Americans see how much Japan and other eastern countries gained from DMIC and other megaprojects.

That's it! I'm going to Gujarat and vote for Modi, whether Gujjus do or don't. Seriously, don't you feel awfully blessed. My town is hardly 1 hour away from Delhi and I get 10 hours of...electricity cuts!! :bash:

+1...even i m cming wid u.....my place is 1 hr from mumbai and i get 4 hrs of load shedding everyday.....

That's it! I'm going to Gujarat and vote for Modi, whether Gujjus do or don't. Seriously, don't you feel awfully blessed. My town is hardly 1 hour away from Delhi and I get 10 hours of...electricity cuts!! :bash:

I have been regularly visiting remote villages of Kutchh, right upto white Rann of Kutchh & have noticed that these villages continue to get uninterrupted power supply. Occasional high desert winds creates momentary trippings in remote areas but the Power is restored with in minutes.
I was surprised during recent visit to Gurgaon, looking at visibly enormous development of Real Estate & touted to be 21st century city that Power continued to trip repeatedly lasting sometime for hours.

Even my native village in remote area of Kutch get nearly 24 hours electricity.

My aunty lives in Gujarat and she says that Gujarat has 100% electricity for 100% villages and towns....is that true??While there is a 4-20 hrs load shedding in every city of UP :bash:

Looks like we are going to need a special thread for "Gujarat Power Sector Praising" :lol:

I have been regularly visiting remote villages of Kutchh, right upto white Rann of Kutchh & have noticed that these villages continue to get uninterrupted power supply. Occasional high desert winds creates momentary trippings in remote areas but the Power is restored with in minutes.
I was surprised during recent visit to Gurgaon, looking at visibly enormous development of Real Estate & touted to be 21st century city that Power continued to trip repeatedly lasting sometime for hours.

Power is the backbone of every development, without power, development is just an empty shell.

Looks like we are going to need a special thread for "Gujarat Power Sector Praising" :lol:

i am living in Ahmedabad for over 9 years. haven't seen any power cut.. they have to put notice in paper and local news and that too happened just 1one in 9 years and 2006 when Ahmedabad floods happened there was no power cut.. because all lines are underground.. and that is the reason Gujarat is developing.. it already increasing its power sources and will sell to other states now and when Gujarat need more power in 2020 they will stop supplying to other states..

That's it! I'm going to Gujarat and vote for Modi, whether Gujjus do or don't. Seriously, don't you feel awfully blessed. My town is hardly 1 hour away from Delhi and I get 10 hours of...electricity cuts!! :bash:

BJP or modi ka hai bol bala.. congress ka muh kala.. congress ne keval baatein kar kar ke desh ko dubaya.. modi ne pure josh mein gujarat ko aage bhadhaya.

my vote for modi..

Modi di ho gaye Balle balee te Congress wale thale thale...:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

BJP or modi ka hai bol bala.. congress ka muh kala.. congress ne keval baatein kar kar ke desh ko dubaya.. modi ne pure josh mein gujarat ko aage bhadhaya.

my vote for modi..

Modi di ho gaye Balle balee te Congress wale thale thale...:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

If I ever form a political party, you'll be my Official Lyricist.

I live in the heart of Chennai and I have to deal with a 2 hour power cut every day :ohno: And in the rural areas of TN , I hear there are 12-hour power-cuts !

All the newspapers in TN keep referring to the success of Gujarat while criticizing
the electricity crisis here .

^^
2 hours of load shedding in summer or throughout the year? Last time I was in Chennai they had shedding from 12 to 2 pm (in Kilpauk). Used to drive me crazy.

We've been having 1 hour load-shedding since May 2011 , I think . They extended it to 2 hours a few months ago . This is the worst electricity crisis I've seen . I hear that Ford is not keen on the expansion of the Chennai plant because of the power situation . They prefer Gujarat .
Believe it or not , I live in Kilpauk :D And yes, it's 12 to 2 pm . It would drive anyone crazy .

x-posting from Chennai IT thread


Software Exports Stats (pdf) (http://www.escindia.in/uploads/COMPUTER%20SOFTWARE%20AND%20SERVICES%20EXPORT%202010-11.pdf)

Hardware Export Stats (pdf) (http://www.escindia.in/uploads/OVERALL%20ELECTRONICS%20HARDWARE%20EXPORT%202010-11.pdf)

Interesting to see that in year 2010-2011, Gujarat has actually overtaken Kerala for software exports for the first time. Still a long way behind the established IT-hubs, but with GIFT coming up, who knows what can happen in a few years?

For Hardware exports, surprisingly (to me) we have been ahead of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal for a few years (both are far ahead of us for software), and again, even Kerala is within striking distance.

Gujarat's Power Load Despatch Centre displays a continuously varying Unit rate for power during 24 hrs, which varies between Rs 3 to Rs 6 approx.

I assume consumers will be charged as per this rate at that time of consumption. Do you have any facility to meter consumption with Time stamp like Broad Band Internet connection.

e.g. If I choose to consume power at 0300 hrs when unit rate is Say Rs 03.10, Will I be charged at this rate.?

Can sombody please ,explain the ground situation and how this is accomplished?
Thanks.

It can be easily accomplished by using Smart meters. They average the power consumed each hour and the units are communicated automatically and you are charged accordingly. But for that you need to have a smart grid infrastructure which I am not sure if gujarat has it? And this kind of billing should only be used if you have surplus and uninterrupted power supply. Because its soul purpose is to optimize the power by spreading the peak hour load consumption. Any way 650 MW solar is huuuuuge. Now since Gujarat has 24x7 electric supply the Gujaratis should move on to replace gas stoves with electric stoves. The West started doing it in 1930s and I think our time has finally come :lol: Should be started with Gujarat cuz they have 24x7 electric and won't have to worry about cooking times :lol: It will also save on laying out pipes for future gas connections and is cleaner than burning gas :)

Enough of Modi bashing (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tiger-trail/entry/enough_of_modi_bashing)

This is political article but feel I should post here. I am surprised by such article from TOI.

Lets be clear on one thing, whether all quarters agree or not, whether it is fashionable or not, Modi is a popular man and nothing or nobody can take his popularity away easily. It needs a lot of work and organization to do this and a blue print for it seems to be prepared and re-prepared constantly. Modi’s popularity is partly the reason why the anti-Modi brigade is hell bent on continually and endlessly spurring the Modi-bashing project. Its one thing that a vast section of this society is behind Modi for all the right reasons, its another thing that a certain section cannot digest this. Modi is probably the only ‘popular’ politician who people love to hate without too many ‘good’ arguments backing their stance. Of course, until recently there was the one and only parrot talk by his adversaries, which has been ‘parakeeted’ a million times over, ‘ The Gulbarg Society massacre’. Now it looks like the parrots have to eat their words?

One cannot dismiss arbitrarily the findings of the Special Investigation team because they have given Modi the clean chit. And again its hip to do it. Why? Not because you want the law of the land to take it’s course but simply because ‘Modi’ has been given the clean chit? Lame. No other reason is needed they say. How can a popular ‘Hindu’ leader like Modi be clean? A good section of the anti-Modi brigade is not necessarily Non Hindus per say. They are very much Hindus and are the ones who believe that secularism necessarily and most definitively means being antagonistic against all things Hindu. These are men and women who would not dare to speak a word or write for that matter against the ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Pundits or of Pakistan eradicating all things Hindu. These are men and women who will point all their arms and ammunitions against a successful Hindu, as if utterly ‘ashamed’ of their own identities as one and will go on to support anything and everything which has a anti-Hindu stance in a desperate attempt to cleanse their affiliations. Of course, there is the other end of the spectrum as well, the overtly boisterous self-proclaiming Hindu who beats his chest and claims Modi to be the redeemer and the Lord of Lords and this logic must most certainly be laughed at as well. There is no need to blindly support Modi by using the religion card. There are enough logical reasons to stop the Modi-bashing and appreciate his leadership qualities instead in a non-biased manner.

A deep-rooted sense of complexity surfaces every time a self-proclaiming secular Hindu is asked the all-important question “ Why do you hate all things 'Modi'”? Most replies border only on Modi’s so called ‘communal intent’ alone and their own ‘secular complexities’ is open for all to see. No words of praise about Gujarat’s development under his leadership or about the fact that Gujarat’s per capita being almost twice the national average or why every other industrialist wishes to set his shop in Gujarat or how Gujarat has pushed the pedal on tourism quite remarkably or even a remote attempt to appreciate the fact that there has been no repeat of 2002. Ten long years have gone by and many attribute ‘luck’ as the only reason. Is it not rather odd that it is only in Modi’s case that memories are rather permanent and desperate measures are taken to ensure that 2002 always stays in the spotlight and now even more so despite no evidence being found against Modi? The 1984 Sikh riots, the 1993 riots, the 2000 Amarnath pilgrimage massacre need to all remain under constant scrutiny or for that matter every single communal riot must, but they don’t. The point I am trying to make is that Modi-bashing is a propaganda that is carefully and articulately planned and Modi himself being a shrewd politician surely knows how to play the game too. I had previously written, that there is a big responsibility that Gujarat bears on its shoulders in order to become a paragon of social excellence as well. It cannot at any cost allow a repeat of 2002. It is not only the state of Gujarat that has witnessed the devil’s share of communal riots, so have Kashmir, Maharashtra, Bihar and Orissa amongst a few more. India has had a fair share of religious flare-ups and this is precisely why leadership must not be seen to be appeasing a certain section of the society. Favouritism leads to fragmentation. Anti Hindu, anti Muslim and anti Christian riots have been fuelled by extremist political manipulations and religious conservatism. The growing ire for Mr. Modi has catapulted ever since many have wished to see him as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate. If Mr. Modi is serious about marching to Delhi, it is all the more vital for Mr. Modi to move away from the politics of right wing nationalism and to his credit he is seen to be doing so. I concur with Time’s summary of Modi as a "no-nonsense leader" who can steer India out of a "mire of chronic corruption and inefficiency". Modi certainly means business; he is the boy from the backyard who is more than capable of leading India from the front. One can fully understand why Congress is angry and frustrated with Time featuring Modi on it’s cover of the March 26th issue and even going as far as calling the article ‘biased and partial’. After all anyone who has a word of praise for Modi is biased and partial and the Congress has to work really hard in taking the spotlight away from the boy from the backyard.

^^
Not much surprising. With USA changing its attitude towards Modi, obviously TOI had to follow suit. TOI and all other english dailies, which more or less do America's bidding, will now shower praises on Modi. Such articles will come by the dozens now...:)

Enough of Modi bashing (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tiger-trail/entry/enough_of_modi_bashing)

I am surprised by such article from TOI.

me too buddy

Power-full Gujarat maange more

At a time when several States in the country are reeling under severe power crisis, Gujarat presents a shining example in contrast.

Combining hydro power, thermal power and utilising the immense potential of solar energy, Gujarat now boasts of being a power surplus State. So much so that all its 18,000 villages have access to round the clock uninterrupted three-phase power and still there is 2,000 MW for sale.

Struggling with power deficit for better part of the 1990s, Gujarat has made tremendous strides in the sector by adding additional power capacity to its grid every year.

Total electricity generation capacity has gone up from 8,000 megawatts (MW) 10 years ago to nearly 18,000 MW now, Principal Secretary, Power & Petrochemicals, DJ Pandian told The Pioneer on Saturday.

“We can provide power to the agriculture sector for full eight hours and still have 2,000 MW surplus that can be sold to other States which are in need and ready to pay,” said Pandian.

Though bulk of the generation capacity is in the thermal sector (13,500 MW), the turnaround in the power scenario has been brought about by laying stress on other non-conventional sources too.

Taking advantage of the constant breeze in the coastal areas of the State, as much as 2,800-MW capacity has come up in wind energy sector, which was virtually non-existent 10 years ago.

The icing on the cake in the power sector is the addition of the 605 MW solar power plants, dedicated to the nation by Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

Authorities in the State are optimistic that the increased demand of power from the agriculture sector can be fully met, in case of a deficient monsoon, as there is surplus generation capacity of 2,000 MW. All the 18,000 villages in Gujarat already get 24 hours uninterrupted three-phase power supply under the “Jyoti Gram Yojana”.

Failure of monsoon doesn’t affect Gujarat’s power generation as only about five per cent capacity is hydel-based while nearly one-fourth generation is gas-based.

As yet another feather in Gujarat’s power scenario cap, Narendra Modi has mooted the idea of rooftop solar power generation, a clean and green technology, which has been successfully experimented in the State capital Gandhinagar.

Called the Photovoltaic Rooftop Programme, the solar energy initiative would be replicated in other major cities too, said Pandian. Rooftop solar installations had huge market potential in India and Gujarat is now looking at tapping it, he added.

Modi For PM :)

How many other states in India implement this or a similar scheme?

Free medical treatment for BPL families (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2012042620120426211330937509e3c43/Free-medical-treatment-for-BPL-families.html)

The family welfare department has announced cashless medical treatment for the poor in Gujarat. This is part of the state’s plan to ensure better health facilities to people across the state.

The department has finalised three schemes — Arogya Suraksha Yojana, Gujarat Nutrition Mission and Urban Health Project — on which the government will spend Rs 172.8 crore. K L Patel, deputy secretary in the health and family welfare department, has issued an order to implement the schemes.

The government will spend Rs 130 crore on Arogya Suraksha Yojana alone. Under the project, each BPL family can get cashless treatment worth up to Rs 2,00,000. The benefits will be available on floater basis and will cover cardiovascular surgeries, neurosurgeries, burns, trauma, malignancies, renal and neo-natal diseases, Health Minister Jay Narayan Vyas told Mirror.

The beneficiaries can avail services at government, trust, municipal corporation and society-run hospitals to which the government will pay directly.

Patients will be given treatment until 10 days after their discharge. To ensure the benefits reach the needy, a complaint committee will be formed in each district, Vyas said.

According to the health minister, Urban Health Project aims at creating an urban primary health care services delivery mechanism in municipal corporations and nagarpalikas. This will consist of urban health centers and urban sub-centers. A provision for Rs 80 lakh has been made for this for 2012-13.

Vyas said that the state plans to combat malnutrition through Gujarat Nutrition Mission that will involve various departments. The mission will act as an umbrella organisation for deciding the methodology, decision making, monitoring and research for nutrition interventions.

How many other states in India implement this or a similar scheme?


Don't know about others but Rajasthan has a similar scheme which was introduced around 2009/10. Apart from bpl, I think it also includes widows, aged and disabled pensioners, and some gypsy communities. There is also no upper limit on expenditure for treatment.

How many other states in India implement this or a similar scheme?

Free medical treatment for BPL families (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2012042620120426211330937509e3c43/Free-medical-treatment-for-BPL-families.html)

Most of the southern states have already implemented much more sophisticated insurance schemes for medical treatment.TN went a step ahead and even opened cooperative medical stores and started negotiating directly with manufacturers to bring down drug prices. Now CG is going to implement the scheme.

Does TN also have an upper limit of 20 lakh? It is very impressive that we have so many schemes from different states, but yea i guess it would be better if CG was to form a policy on this. The main reason why i was wondering how many other states implement this scheme is to see how they are doing in implementing it and if they were successful and from the sounds of it, it seems they are doing quite well.

Filmed in A'bad and for those who understand gujarati

-RaXm6YL188

The film is a satire on the fascination and obsession of the Patels- a Gujarati farmer community -- of migrating to the USA. Over the last half a century millions of Patels have migrated to the USA and have come to dominate its Motel industry by dint of hard-work and persistence. The story revolves around one such Patel family and its uncounted tries to immigrate to States.

haha pankhida tu udi jaje america re, obama ne kehje jaine garbe rame re!! hahahaha best

Filmed in A'bad and for those who understand gujarati

-RaXm6YL188

haha pankhida tu udi jaje america re, obama ne kehje jaine garbe rame re!! hahahaha best

superlike ..... especially pankhida tu udi jaje america re, obama ne kehje jaine garbe rame re!!

:cheers:

Ahmedabad looks best in trailer .... :cheers:
:)

Filmed in A'bad and for those who understand gujarati

-RaXm6YL188



haha pankhida tu udi jaje america re, obama ne kehje jaine garbe rame re!! hahahaha best

Super Coool........ I m sharing this on my FB...
and yes the song pankhida.... jhakaaasss...

And very happy to see different type of Gujarati movie... I hope Gujju movie industry learns from this and makes bit modern movies out of typical village kindass...

Yea the gujju movies are quite good but this 1 is very different to your traditional films and very modern too and i guess that's what grabs the viewers attentions. Lots of good funny scenes too, i hope the movie doesnt turn out to be a dud!

passion elte?? jusso! hahaha

passion elte?? jusso! hahaha

:cheers::cheers::cheers::applause::applause:
SUPERLIKE

:nuts: Maja Aavi...!
I hope the movie is as good as the trailer.

:cheers: (glass ma daaru nahi...Chhass che :lol:)

:cheers: (glass ma daaru nahi...Chhass che :lol:)

:rofl: haha nice bro nice.

btw i want to check something.. The pankhida in that trailer goes obama ne jaine kehje visa aape re or garbe rame re??

:cheers: (glass ma daaru nahi...Chhass che :lol:)

Kaali chaash ?? :nuts: Pepsi sounds more believable. :lol:

Great trailer...

:rofl: haha nice bro nice.

btw i want to check something.. The pankhida in that trailer goes obama ne jaine kehje visa aape re or garbe rame re??

It's "visa aape re"...

Kaali chaash ?? :nuts: Pepsi sounds more believable. :lol:

Great trailer...


haha e vaat bi saachi.. cannot have kaali chaash

Friends please help me
Similar to canal top solar power generation why cant we try for road/highway top solar power generation project??? Solar panels can be placed above 5m from road's surface. We have huge length of roads.

Advantages:-

No land acquisition is required as roads are Govt. property only thus saving in valuable land
Easy setup in remote areas
Low transmission loss by passing electricity to near by villages or road side industries
Public travelling on the roads can avoid direct sun-rays thus reducing accidents.


I think so that its cost will be similar to canal top solar power generation plant.

I believe that would not be as feasible as it sounds. They can surely put solar panels on top of street lights and power them but i doubt putting panels up on the road would be a good idea. If you think about it, how are you going to put panels up there? How would someone carry out maintenance without affecting traffic, In summer it gets really hot and since the tar will heat up quite significantly what is the max temperature the panels can handle or the wiring from the panels can handle. If a vehicle crashes into a pole with such a large amount of panels that can affect power generation and plus there are more chances of loss of life. Also think about working at that height safely, if someone goes up there to fix the panels and falls it is quite a drop (5m).

BUT I like the idea of having them in remote areas as the chances of traffic are less and also it will help the nearby villages. but yea that is what i think.

Guys what do you think should we have a separate thread for solar and renewable energy or should we just include everything into 1. I have made the renewable energy thread here.. Link (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1511839).. So feel free to add renewable energy news in there till we decide if we want 1 thread for all renewables or separate ones.

^^ We can put panels on frame structure above the road. A footbridge type bridge can be used for maintenance part, similar to canal top solar project.
I don't think so that working on 5m above the road will have any problem bcs labors working on high bill boards are also safe while they are working.

In summer it gets really hot and since the tar will heat up quite significantly what is the max temperature the panels can handle or the wiring from the panels can handle. If a vehicle crashes into a pole with such a large amount of panels that can affect power generation and plus there are more chances of loss of life.

^^ Also it costs if solar panels are damaged in accident. :ohno:

So in remote areas we can use easily :)

^^ We can put panels on frame structure above the road. A footbridge type bridge can be used for maintenance part, similar to canal top solar project.
I don't think so that working on 5m above the road will have any problem bcs labors working on high bill boards are also safe while they are working.



^^ Also it costs if solar panels are damaged in accident. :ohno:

So in remote areas we can use easily :)

Yea but then the question is also there how many of these frames would you make and how much would it cost. If you are thinking of making a tunnel covered with solar panels I dont think that would work. Also the thing with the canal is that the water will cool down the panels in turn increasing the efficiency, where as on the road that wont happen.

Friends please help me
Similar to canal top solar power generation why cant we try for road/highway top solar power generation project??? Solar panels can be placed above 5m from road's surface. We have huge length of roads.

Advantages:-

No land acquisition is required as roads are Govt. property only thus saving in valuable land
Easy setup in remote areas
Low transmission loss by passing electricity to near by villages or road side industries
Public travelling on the roads can avoid direct sun-rays thus reducing accidents.


Yeah, i also think would be a massive hazard and also very expensive to repair/replace in case of crashes.

Overall though, more than just land cost, solar panels on canal had other big benefits of saving water and greater efficiency of solar panels because of cooling. In that way, putting panels on top of roads wouldnt really provide any extra advantages like the canal-top system does.

EDIT: Just realised Aks made the same point :lol:

Also, def no harm in having a seperate Renewable energy thread for Wind and possibly Tidal projects? There is def enough going on with Solar to warrant its own thread seperate from other renewables imo.

^^ hmm

EDIT: Just realised Aks made the same point :lol:

Also, def no harm in having a seperate Renewable energy thread for Wind and possibly Tidal projects? There is def enough going on with Solar to warrant its own thread seperate from other renewables imo.


:lol:

And brilliant, exactly what i was thinking as there is a lot going on in the solar thread so it would be better to have it own separate thread.

This has been going on for a while, I hope this time we get to see something put in place.

State gives wings to its inter-city flight plan (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/201205082012050821180898422d75fc7/State-gives-wings-to-its-intercity-flight-plan.html)

Intra-state flights in the state may soon be air-borne with as many as four aviation companies expressing interest to begin services by December. Corporate honchos visiting Gujarat can visit tier-II and tier III towns in the state within a short period before they commit in-vestment in projects during the Vibrant Gujarat Investors Summit scheduled for January 2013.

The state has begun the tendering process with four airlines -- Deccan Charters, Ventura Airconnect, Luan Airways and SpiceJet -- sending in the expression of interest (EoI). The EoI was invited to connect 12 destinations -- Diu, Bhuj, Ankleshwar, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Porbandar, Keshod, Mundra, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Kandla.

After burning its fingers the last time when the Directorate General of Civil Aviation denied Deccan Charters permission to operate two ATR-72 aircraft in the state, the state aviation department has now adopted the Madhya Pradesh model to kickstart the project. Deccan Charters subsequently withdrew its employees in the state.

Madhya Pradesh has successfully launched an intra-state airlines with Ventura Airconnect.

“The state will reserve seats based on viability cap funding for a cer-tain number of years to support the airlines. A very transparent bidding process will be put in place. The airline that seeks the least subsidy from the state government on a particular route will be given permission to operate that route,” Vipul Mittra, principal sec-retary, tourism and civil aviation, told Mirror.

Considering the funding constraints and long gestation periods, the state is looking to give the project to companies that have the finan-cial capability to handle it. The department has invited tenders for 20-seater turboprop craft and will enter into an MoU with airlines that qualify.

“We want to start the intra-state flight services before Vibrant Gu-jarat Investors Summit in January 2013 so that businessmen who come to Gujarat can travel and visit places in little time and take decisions,” Mittra said.

^^ hu haji vicharto j hato :lol:
was just waiting for such kind of news to break out. Looking forward for the services to start in December.

By the way...:cheers: aa chhass j 6... jeeru vadhare padi gyu 6 :nuts:

^^ haha I am sure they will start *some* services by december due to the vibrant summit.

bau kaali chaash naa pivaay, kalo padi jaish haha :lol:

...

[QUOTE=aks_sky;91026124]Filmed in A'bad and for those who understand gujarati

-RaXm6YL188



jordar olya aavu picture e pan gujarati ma...ssc join kartaj dil garden garden thai gayu, by the way glass ma daru che k masala soda :lol:

^^ Welcome boss. Where are you from?

deleted

glass ma daru che k masala soda :lol:

maSala Soda :lol: :cheers:

maSala Soda :lol: :cheers:

lakhoti Soda??:lol:

Entire Gujarat is living in fear: Keshubhai Patel (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/entire-gujarat-is-living-in-fear-keshubhai-patel/257324-37-64.html)

Firing a fresh salvo at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, his predecessor and veteran BJP leader, Keshubhai Patel, on Saturday alleged the entire state is "living in fear" under the present government.

A known detractor of Modi, Patel, who had been in political wilderness for four years, has become active and is of late attending different public gatherings in the run-up to state assembly elections due in December.

Patel was unceremoniously removed from the post of chief minister by BJP and was replaced by Modi in 2001. "I had earlier said in a function of Patidar (Patel) community that my community is leaving under fear but today after reading newspapers I have come to the conclusion that entire Gujarat is living under fear," Patel said addressing a gathering of Rohit community.

Patel, earlier in Surat and Sidsar temple town of Rajkot district, had charged his community members were living in fear.

In the run up to 2007 elections, Patel had alleged there was a "mini-emergency" like situation under Modi government. However, after the landslide victory of Modi in the 2007 elections, Patel chose maintain a low profile. But in the election year, he has once again started making appearance in public meetings.

On Saturday, he shared the dais with Gordhan Zadafia, former minister of state for Home in Modi government who later formed his own political outfit Maha-Gujarat Janta Party.

Some of the Twitter reaction to Keshubhais comments from link (http://deshgujarat.com/2012/05/13/one-liner-on-keshubhai-a-new-online-trend-read-some-of-them-here/)

gkundra: There is so much fear in Gujarat that rapists prefer Delhi

semubhatt: There is so much fear in Gujarat that even Maoists are scared to enter the state.

DeshGujarat: Akshay Kumar decided to shoot next Fear Factor series in Gujarat, but gets only one participant, Keshubhai

rameshnswamy: Because of so much fear in Gujarat that RIL has decided to airlift its factories to Rajasthan

mediacrooks: There is so much fear in Gujarat … We will now park our cars in Rajasthan and walk back home

semubhatt: Nano shrunk its size because of fear in Gujarat

ox1f1f: So much fear in Gujarat, we go to malls at 11 pm. I run on roads at 5.30 am, my son plays in garden at 8.00 pm.

abhipar7: All major industrial giants shifted to Gujarat out of fear

ranganathabhatt:That’s why Gujarat roads have less traffic jams! Beacuse of fear, people don’t come out!!

AvinashCKM: There is so much fear in Gujarat that PM Manmohan Singh doesn’t even face Gujarat while sleeping

iDilipsoni: Mountain Dew appoints Keshubhai as brand ambassador “Darr ke aagey jeet hai:\

mediacrooks: Farmers: There is so much fear in Gujarat…. we are afraid to even commit suicides.

Rightwing_rants: Average life expectancy in India is 64 years! At 81, Keshubhai is 17 years overdue! Guess so much fear in Gujarat … even Yamraj scared to do his job!

mediacrooks: Lord Krishna: There is so much fear i Gujarat … I am shifting my HQ from Dwarka to Noida

KiranKS: There is so much fear in Gujarat, even China decided to release Indian from jail in 3 minutes after meeting Modi.

vismayshah: There is so much fear in Gujarat that Manmohan Singh decided to enter Rajya Sbhaa from Assam.

DeshGujarat: So much fear in Gujarat, that the centre has decided to shift NSG base to Gujarat.

straighthindu: there is so much fear in Gujarat that people of all states trying to search work in Gujarat

vismayshah: There is so much fear in Gujarat that terrorists are not getting free hand and moved to secular states like Delhi, Maharashtra.

Theunrealtimes: Jab desh mein koi bachchan raat ko rota hai, uski maa bolti hai “Beta, so jaa, nahi to Gujarat bhej doongi”

rameshnswamy: Beacuse of so much fear in Gujarat “veer savarkar garden” in Surat has been renamed “Fear Savarkar Garden”

dipendshah: There was so much fear in Gujarat …. That electricity never goes down in villages of Gujarat

ashutoshkullar1: Faking news: Al Qaeda decides to send its cadets to Gujarat to learn how to create fear

harshaperla: There is so much fear in Gujarat that Keshubhai talks only before elections

capscorp: Girls dance garba till morning…. there is that much fear in Gujarat

COMONGE: there is so much fear in Gujarat now fafdas are turning into jalebis

skt_1: There is surplus power in Gujarat because power stations are producing more power out of fear.

vanani_mohan: Even monsoon performed good because there is fear in Gujarat

mediacrooks: cows: There is so much fear in Gujarat …. we are all migrating to AP to be slaughtered instead of living in fear


Can anyone else come up with any? :lol:

There is so much fear in Gujarat so that even earth quakes stopped coming to Gujarat.

There is so much fear in Gujarat, that People from other state too want Na.Modi to shift from Gujarat to New Delhi

There is so much fear in Gujarat that Modi wants an PR agency APCO to write for his FB and Twitter account...

There is so much fear in Gujarat that even BBC has changed their article's title from "Is Gujarat's red hot economy, myth? To "Gujarat is red hot economy"

Friends please help me
Similar to canal top solar power generation why cant we try for road/highway top solar power generation project??? Solar panels can be placed above 5m from road's surface. We have huge length of roads.

I think so that its cost will be similar to canal top solar power generation plant.

It would be much better and cheaper to combine generation and consumption. If panels were erected say along BRTS route, it opens possibility for using electric traction buses. While this would not be cost effective, the ability to reduce pollution in a congested city would be worthwhile.

The biggest advantage would be avoidance of DC to AC and to keep consumption very close to generation.

It would be much better and cheaper to combine generation and consumption. If panels were erected say along BRTS route, it opens possibility for using electric traction buses. While this would not be cost effective, the ability to reduce pollution in a congested city would be worthwhile.

The biggest advantage would be avoidance of DC to AC and to keep consumption very close to generation.

Or put solar panels on top of BRTS stops which would power those individual stops.

haha beat this!

gkundra: There is so much fear in Gujarat that rapists prefer Delhi

semubhatt: There is so much fear in Gujarat that even Maoists are scared to enter the state.

DeshGujarat: Akshay Kumar decided to shoot next Fear Factor series in Gujarat, but gets only one participant, Keshubhai

rameshnswamy: Because of so much fear in Gujarat that RIL has decided to airlift its factories to Rajasthan

mediacrooks: There is so much fear in Gujarat … We will now park our cars in Rajastha and walk back home

semubhatt: Nano shrunk its size because of fear in Gujarat

sjbdr: There is so much fear in Gujarat that Gujaratis have started saying fear maa chhiye instead of majaamaa chhiye

ox1f1: So much fear in Gujarat, I work from home

ox1f1f: So much fear in Gujarat, we go to malls at 11 pm. I run on roads at 5.30 am, my son plays in garden at 8.00 pm.

sohanjain: Because of fear in Gujarat, people use to live in USA, UK and Australia

abhipar7: All major industrial giants shifted to Gujarat out of fear

ranganathabhatt:That’s why Gujarat roads have less traffic jams! Beacuse of fear, people don’t come out!!

metaldDew: Keshubhai for President

Bhudev52: There is so much fear in Gujarat that not a single riot happened after 2003

AvinashCKM: There is so much fear in Gujarat that PM Manmohan Singh doesn’t even face Gujarat while sleeping

ikarthikmb: Thanks to twitter now I know this Keshubhai is still alive!!!

sinvin43: Let this fellow Keshubhai migrate to Pakistan agar ise Gujrat me dar lagta hai to!

maddyraj:because of so much fear in Gujarat, Munaf Patel is playing for MI in IPL

abnanandpurohit: So much fear in Gujarat, I wonder how’s the tourism on a rise?

Donkeyji: Why fear when Modi is there Keshubhai

iDilipsoni: Mountain Dew appoints Keshubhai as brand ambassador “Darr ke aagey jeet hai:\

Nanditathhakur: Keshubhai, me and my sister travel many times all by ourself at 12 am from Ahmedabad/Vadodara …. What fear are you talking about

rknshah: Because of so much fear in Gujarat, nobody takes Keshubhai seriously.

mediacrooks: Farmers: There is so much fear in Gujarat…. we are afraid to even commit suicides.

Rightwing_rants: Average life expectancy in India is 64 years! At 81, Keshubhai is 17 years overdue! Guess so much fear in Gujarat … even Yamraj scared to do his job!

There is so much fear in Gujarat that criminals have shifted to either Dubai, Malaysia or Delhi

mediacrooks: Lord Krishna: There is so much fear i Gujarat … I am shifting my HQ from Dwarka to Noida

KiranKS: There is so much fear in Gujarat, even China decided to release Indian from jail in 3 minutes after meeting Modi.

vismayshah: There is so much fear in Gujarat that Manmohan Singh decided to enter Rajya Sbhaa from Assam.

chahatchawla: There is so much fear in Gujarat that even Rajnikant thinks twice before planning a trip to Gujarat.

shethha: Gujarat ke Digvijay Keshubhai

DeshGujarat: So much fear in Gujarat, that the centre has decided to shift NSG base to Gujarat.

straighthindu: there is so much fear in Gujarat that people of all states trying to search work in Gujarat

vismayshah: There is so much fear in Gujarat that terrorists are not getting free hand and moved to secular states like Delhi, Maharashtra.

skt_1: There is so much fear in Gujarat that canals are being covered with solar panels.

Theunrealtimes: There’s so much fear in Gujarat that Huggies is now a billion dollar industry here

Theunrealtimes: Jab desh mein koi bachchan raat ko rota hai, uski maa bolti hai “Beta, so jaa, nahi to Gujarat bhej doongi”

Eyekadoctor: The voters of Gujarat voted for Narendra Modi in fear ….. Again and again

patelchaitanya: Gujarat is the most developed state of India because fear is here in Gujarat

mediacroocks: So much fear in Gujarat …. people have switched off their fridges ….. water freezes to ice just out of fear

pbengani: Keshubapa no doubt you worked hard for the party and state. Now please be retired with grace. Why make fun of self?

njoshi: Keshubhai has overtaken CID jokes. Chalo kuch to kaam kiyaa…

TejasBaldev: What if people forget you as Ex CM? Make a derogatory remark about your state and get noticed Keshubhai.

rameshnswamy: Beacuse of so much fear in Gujarat “veer savarkar garden” in Surat has been renamed “Fear Savarkar Garden”

dipendshah: There was so much fear in Gujarat …. That electricity never goes fown in villages of Gujarat

vanani_mohan: If you believe Keshubhai still relevant in Gujarat politics, then aap sabse bade Keshubhai hai.

Ethirajans: Keshubhai is a dead snake, will do no harm

ashutoshkullar1: Faking news: Al Qaeda decides to send its cadets to Gujarat to learn how to create fear

harshaperla: There is so much fear in Gujarat that Keshubhai talks only before elections

capscorp: Girls dance garba till morning…. there is that much fear in Gujarat

COMONGE: there is so much fear in Gujarat now fafdas are turning into jalebis

mediacrooks: Ooops ! There is so much fear in Gujarat …… Bananas are shriinking into ‘sour’ grapes.

skt_1: There is surplus power in Gujarat because power stations are producing more power out of fear.

vanani_mohan: Even monsoon performed good because there is fear in Gujarat

chayank@ there is so much fear during day time that Amdavadis go to Manekchowk after 11 pm to eat snacks and eat till late night

mediacrooks: sardsairajdeep would say so much fear in Gujarat …. we are doing the election opinion polls fr Gujarat in our studios itself

mediacrooks: Poonampandey: There is so much fear in Gujarat … I am going to wear a 10-piece suit when I visit Gujarat

mediacrooks: cows: There is so much fear in Gujarat …. we are all migrating to AP to be slaughtered instead of living in fear

mediacrooks: Ramgopalverma: There is so much fear in Gujarat …. I am going to shoot my next film Horror department in Gujarat.

link (http://deshgujarat.com/2012/05/13/one-liner-on-keshubhai-a-new-online-trend-read-some-of-them-here/)

Because of fear in Gujarat, Munaf unable to bowl properly against RCB

Of hype, misadventure and Gujarat's powerdom (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/true-lies/entry/of-hype-misadventure-and-gujarat-s-powerdom)

It was a Sunday. On June 25, 2005, Gujarat's chief minister Narendra Modi called an urgent press conference to announce the "biggest ever gas find in India", valuing at around Rs 2 lakh crore. Quietly sitting at my residence, I had to rush to Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA), Ahmedabad, which is Gujarat's counterpart of Indian Institute of Public Admnistration (IIPA), Delhi. It was raining rather heavily, and my daughter had to virtually sail through the flooded city to reach Satellite Road to drop me at SPIPA. Modi announced that premier state PSU Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) had "discovered" 20 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, "more than the total gas find of India", at KG basin off Andhra coast.

All of Modi's ministers were called on the occasion to listen to him. I interacted with several of them at the high tea that followed. They unanimously called it "Modi's great feat". I remember, how de facto Cabinet No 2, Anandiben Patel, who is ideologically closest to Modi, looked at me rather curiously, and remarked, “Now at least you should write something positive about us.” The event was reported as a report, as it would require, though insiders kept saying that a “hype” had been created, that Modi‘s love to “only think big” (to quote him), and show contempt for small, is just showed up. Such was the hype that a senior bureaucrat, who had doggedly pursued the project, told me, “It could be 20 tcf, 40 tcf, even 60 tcf. You can quote me.” I did.

Indeed, ever since, Modi’s efforts to create hype hasn’t stopped. A Gujarat International Financial Tec-city (GIFT) city was planned with 160 high-rises, one of them 410 metres tall, despite the expert view by renowned ICT expert Sam Pitroda, that financial cities are not made like this, that they evolve, that they are no real estate business. More recently, Modi has wanted to install the world’s tallest statue -- in the memory of Sardar Patel, 182 metres high, amidst Narmada river. Latest in the series is to have highest number of solar plants in Gujarat, all with government deciding to offer huge subsidies. These hypes, as if, “filled in the gaps” created by biennial Vibrant Gujarat investors’ summits, with MoUs worth tens of lakhs of crores.

Yet, at least in one case, the hype has been grounded conclusively, and Modi has now no answer. Soon after his announcement on KG basin, unconfirmed reports began to trickle in Gandhinagar Sachivalaya quoting sources in DG hydrocarbons, the Central regulator, that the gas find “is quite low.” I thought, the DG was a UPA appointee, hence couldn’t be relied. I asked a top bureaucrat, who knew the reality, and he told me, “It’s not more than 2 tcf (just 10 per cent of what Modi had claimed). Of this, less than two-thirds is recoverable.” I did a story, saying the 20 tcf balloon had been pricked. Yet, two years later, in 2007, talking with newspersons at a sumptuous lunch, Modi insisted, “It is at least 20 tcf, it can be 26 tcf, even more…” He even arranged trips of his ministers to visit the KG basin rig, where drilling had taken place!

By now, 20 tcf has been relegated into history. Plans for GSPC to go commercial in 2007 have remained a pipedream. Nobody talks of it, neither GSPC, nor the state energy and petrochemicals department, nor the minister of state who holds the portfolio. Known to avoid things uncomfortable, Modi has no word on it. A high-level presentation made by a senior bureaucrat last year told Modi what was known to all by then -- that 20 tcf was “not true”, that “less than 2 tcf” was found, and that “we do not know how much of it is recoverable.” “Modi just expressed surprise, and the matter was closed,” an official reported. There is no dearth of babus who now say that Rs 8,000 crore public money has gone down the drain.

In fact, Modi’s officials tell me that it was the “biggest mistake ever” to have made the 20 tcf announcement. “Oil explorations nowhere in the world take place on borrowed funds from banks. It is too risky a business. These should always be held after raising funds from public,” one official, an expert on issues financial, told me, adding, “And this one at KG basin was more risky than any known one. It has taken place in deep sea, deeper underneath than anywhere, and at very high temperatures. All of it added to the cost. The risk of this kind wasn’t worth taking for a commercial proposition, when PSUs are constrained by strict official rules and regulations. Very little expertise is available, that too at a very high cost, for exploration of this kind.”

Officials are now waiting for the day when Modi’s KG misadventure would be repeated for several other projects which he has taken up to show up how he is different. The hype around some them have acquired a new dimension, especially ahead of the forthcoming Gujarat state assembly polls in December. And the most important one being cited is of solar power. Gujarat has “signed up” power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 960 MW, three-fourths of India, with tens of solar units, taking advantage of the offer of a very high subsidy. The offer is of Rs 15 per unit for the first 12 years and Rs 5 for another 13 years. “The plants already put up -- for 650 MW -- are producing 3 million units per day of power. It would mean the state would have to shell out at on an average Rs 1,600 per year for next 25 years”, a senior official has calculated.

“This happened at a time when the cost of solar power began coming down drastically”, the official, who is an insider, told me. “The capital cost of solar power per MW has come down by half. Many of the plants were established on purchase of power equipment at a sharply reduced cost, for Rs 8 crore per MW. Entrepreneurs would recover capital cost of power from government subsidy in less than seven years. As for the rest of 18 years, they would be happily enjoying on government subsidy, especially when the actual cost of producing power is just 15 paise per unit.” He insisted, “What a contrast! Reverse bidding in Delhi has brought down price of solar power to Rs 7.75 per unit. And we are offering Rs 15.”

Meanwhile, despite advise to the contrary from senior engineers, Modi’s men have begun yet another misadventure. They have installed 1 MW of solar power panels, 750 metres long, atop a Narmada branch canal, at the unprecedented cost of Rs 17.50 crore, nearly double that of what the entrepreneurs are investing. Even Modi admitted, no entrepreneur came forward to invest, hence the government decided to do it on its own. Modi’s aides now say that “2,000 MW of solar power can be installed atop the Narmada canal network,” even as engineers say the project would mean the canal network would be susceptible to rupture. “The lining cannot bear the heavy load. And, how do you clean up the canal of the silt in that gathers naturally in the canal? By carrying them several kilometres in order to bring them out?”

We should reopen andaman and nicobar jail and send this kind of people over there. This person try to nail down every major projects of gujarat by 'A Complete and Utter Lie'.

Atleast he is not putting money in his bank accounts !!!!

Of hype, misadventure and Gujarat's powerdom (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/true-lies/entry/of-hype-misadventure-and-gujarat-s-powerdom)

We should reopen andaman and nicobar jail and send this kind of people over there. This person try to nail down every major projects of gujarat by 'A Complete and Utter Lie'.

Get used to it, Congies and their journalists will pull out every trick between now and the elections, was the same in 07, 09 and will be no different now! None of it needs to make any sense or hold up to any scrutiny, its about quantity and repetition not truth or facts.

With talk of Modi being promoted to national level BJP, these elements will try even harder to discredit the development that has happened/is happening in Gujarat.

By now its expected, but still somewhat pathetic to see how overexcited certain ppl get over supposedly negative news from Gujarat, especially when the reporting tactics are so clearly aimed at ppl without the ability for analytical thought.

14th May Gujarat: To be or not to be an Auto Hub (http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/GUJ-AHD-gujarat-to-be-or-not-to-be-car-manufacturing-hub-3262350.html)

16th May Euphoria over Gujarats Detroit dreams far fetched (http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/GUJ-AHD-euphoria-over-gujarats-detroit-dreams-far-fetched-3272487.html)

Incredibly, these are 2 articles from the same newspaper, by the same journalist, talking about the same thing, published a only 2 days apart! Maybe the original headline/composition wasnt attention grabbing enough so they had to re-run it 2 days later! Wonder if we will see a third draft soon? :lol:

If investors were backing out of deals due to land problems, infra failings or broken promises from the govt side, that would reflect badly on the State Govt (ie WB Nano) and be something to be concerned about.

By now its difficult for anyone to even say that Peugeot in its current set-up will even exist by the time they were originally due to start production at Sanand. Whereas Maruti are currently reducting production and ppl are losing their jobs up in the NCR region, so it shouldnt really be a surprise that their expansion plans may take a hit.

Hasnt even been 2yrs since the first Tata Nano was produced in the state, so getting biggies like Ford, Hero Motocorp and Maruti to invest in a state not known for Auto is still overall a positive in my reckoning.

Hasnt even been 2yrs since the first Tata Nano was produced in the state, so getting biggies like Ford, Hero Motocorp and Maruti to invest in a state not known for Auto is still overall a positive in my reckoning.

Exactly! I mean how can a place become Detroit overnight? I know we are not that efficient at setting up plants that quickly and also looking at the economic climate things will slow down. We are not TN where companies have been working on automotive production for years. The biggest achievement of Gujarat is that it has managed to attract this much investment in a small period of time. I just look at these articles and think that people are out to gain attention as any negative news from Gujarat will sell.

That article even mentions about that 1MW solar canal project. It makes our engineers sound stupid as it seems that they cannot find a work around to the issues that are faced. If a 1km long building can be built in the world with outstanding engineering techniques, I am sure engineers can figure out a way to clean silt and make a sturdy structure to support the solar panels.

Get used to it, Congies and their journalists will pull out every trick between now and the elections, was the same in 07, 09 and will be no different now! None of it needs to make any sense or hold up to any scrutiny, its about quantity and repetition not truth or facts.

With talk of Modi being promoted to national level BJP, these elements will try even harder to discredit the development that has happened/is happening in Gujarat.
Fine, the "Congies" are at it against "Modi's" Gujarat ..

but could anyone explaing why no reverse bidding for solar projects? Why shell out 15rs per unit when NTPC is selling at if i am not wrong 3rs per unit? Ok, its solar etc etc arguments, but 15rs?

Gujarat may be a power surplus state but its def not a debt free state!! (i think it has a higher debt to GSDP ratio than even my state karnataka)...why such largess when u know solar rates will go down and down every year?

And is there a rule that no one should raise GSPC issues?

"The offer is of Rs 15 per unit for the first 12 years and Rs 5 for another 13 years. “The plants already put up -- for 650 MW -- are producing 3 million units per day of power. It would mean the state would have to shell out at on an average Rs 1,600 per year for next 25 years”, a senior official has calculated.

“This happened at a time when the cost of solar power began coming down drastically”, the official, who is an insider, told me. “The capital cost of solar power per MW has come down by half. Many of the plants were established on purchase of power equipment at a sharply reduced cost, for Rs 8 crore per MW. Entrepreneurs would recover capital cost of power from government subsidy in less than seven years. As for the rest of 18 years, they would be happily enjoying on government subsidy, especially when the actual cost of producing power is just 15 paise per unit.” He insisted, “What a contrast! Reverse bidding in Delhi has brought down price of solar power to Rs 7.75 per unit. And we are offering Rs 15.” "

Reverse bidding is less transparent, far more scope for corruption/favouring certain companies.

Introductory Gujarat Solar ppa rate works out to approx Rs 10 per unit over the 25yrs. (And yes, Im glad you rightly point out it would be stupid to try and compare it to the cost of Nuclear energy.)

In my "Gujarathie" logic, its actually good incentive to encourage Solar players to invest money in Gujarat and create jobs in Gujarat, esp when the Solar projects are located mainly in un-industrialised areas.

Now as you say, yes, Gujarat is energy surplus, and the Gujarati energy PSUs are also profit making. But I hope you are not actually trying to suggest that the ppa rate for 600MW of solar power is even going to make a significant impact of the overall debt of the state?

Due to reliable power, people do pay more for electricity in Gujarat than other states, this naturally impacts what is a feasible PPA rate, and unlike others, Gujarat does not give away free electricity.

Quick question. What is more expensive? Paying extra Rs3 per unit for 600MW over 25 years, or subsidising free electricity to farmers for 25 years?

What GSPC issue do you want to raise? This thread is for discussions. Although based on your performance in the GIFT thread, it would seem that you are more interested in criticism and allegation without a real grasp of the facts.

PS: I seriously suggest you find a better source of information than "True Lies" blog.

Reverse bidding is less transparent, far more scope for corruption/favouring certain companies.

Introductory Gujarat Solar ppa rate works out to approx Rs 10 per unit over the 25yrs. (And yes, Im glad you rightly point out it would be stupid to try and compare it to the cost of Nuclear energy.)

In my "Gujarathie" logic, its actually good incentive to encourage Solar players to invest money in Gujarat and create jobs in Gujarat, esp when the Solar projects are located mainly in un-industrialised areas.

Now as you say, yes, Gujarat is energy surplus, and the Gujarati energy PSUs are also profit making. But I hope you are not actually trying to suggest that the ppa rate for 600MW of solar power is even going to make a significant impact of the overall debt of the state?

Due to reliable power, people do pay more for electricity in Gujarat than other states, this naturally impacts what is a feasible PPA rate, and unlike others, Gujarat does not give away free electricity.

Quick question. What is more expensive? Paying extra Rs3 per unit for 600MW over 25 years, or subsidising free electricity to farmers for 25 years?

What GSPC issue do you want to raise? This thread is for discussions. Although based on your performance in the GIFT thread, it would seem that you are more interested in criticism and allegation without a real grasp of the facts.

PS: I seriously suggest you find a better source of information than "True Lies" blog.
Reverse bidding is less transparent, far more scope for corruption/favouring certain companies. How is it happening now? Tendering eh!!

I am not comparing it with Nuclear, i am doing it with normal thermal based...Job creation happens when Industries set up and not nearly the same for a solar plant..

Quick question. What is more expensive? Paying extra Rs3 per unit for 600MW over 25 years, or subsidising free electricity to farmers for 25 years?

Quick easy question : Building a 600MW power plant or paying 15rs per unit for the next 12 yrs..

Anyways i am pro-solar but not for over paying..rational pricing is needed...

About GSPC, the question is simple "where did the non-existent 20tcf gas go?" :-) Modi personally announced the biggest ever gas find in india..typical hyperbole..

P.S. I seriously suggest you accept some critical opinions abt Modi instead of jumping to where my interests lie :-)

Reverse bidding is less transparent, far more scope for corruption/favouring certain companies. How is it happening now? Tendering eh!!

I am not comparing it with Nuclear, i am doing it with normal thermal based...Job creation happens when Industries set up and not nearly the same for a solar plant..

Quick question. What is more expensive? Paying extra Rs3 per unit for 600MW over 25 years, or subsidising free electricity to farmers for 25 years?

Quick easy question : Building a 600MW power plant or paying 15rs per unit for the next 12 yrs..

Anyways i am pro-solar but not for over paying..rational pricing is needed...

About GSPC, the question is simple "where did the non-existent 20tcf gas go?" :-) Modi personally announced the biggest ever gas find in india..typical hyperbole..

P.S. I seriously suggest you accept some critical opinions abt Modi instead of jumping to where my interests lie :-)

For Solar there is a fixed tariff. If a company wants to invest in a solar project, they know exactly what the ppa will be beforehand. Complete transparency.

I dont know if its a cultural aversion to capitalism that Gujaratis dont have, but I dont really understand what is so wrong with Rs15 dropping to Rs7 for the initial Solar tariff. You are aware that the deadline for that expired months ago and the current tariff is higher right? You know that the "true lies" blog has completely overblown the number of MW that will be covered by that tariff?

And yeah, GSPC made a big mistake in 2007, whilst the issue to you seems to be an announcement by Modi, the bigger issue is that they suffered big losses in exploration costs because of that error and were rightfully rapped by CAG for it.

But lessons were def learned. The next time GSPC (this time in a JV with Oilex) made a large find in 2010, it wasnt hyped up at all.

Another reason for GSPC underplaying the gas find could be traced to its much-hyped discovery of 20 tcf in the KG basin in June 2007. State chief minister Narendra Modi, who was in his election year, announced the discovery amid much fanfare, terming it as the biggest gas find in the country then.
link (http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-07-29/news/27589620_1_cambay-basin-kg-basin-latest-gas)

But seriously, I find it puzzling how you seem to suggest I should somehow ignore the fact that you have posted Anti-Modi comments in many different threads before coming to the Gujarat section? Its extremely relevant to your agenda here. Just like the blog history of "True Lies" is relevant to how valid the views in them are.

Rather than lecturing me about accepting criticism, try to understand that after a while, its very easy to spot the same tricks that are constantly used in these blogs/articles with manipulating stats, taking quotes out of context, or anonymous high level sources etc. Its quite repetitive really.

I am not comparing it with Nuclear, i am doing it with normal thermal based...Job creation happens when Industries set up and not nearly the same for a solar plant..

About GSPC, the question is simple "where did the non-existent 20tcf gas go?" :-) Modi personally announced the biggest ever gas find in india..typical hyperbole..

P.S. I seriously suggest you accept some critical opinions abt Modi instead of jumping to where my interests lie :-)

You see power generation is an industry in itself be it solar or hydrothermal or any other renewable energy. Job creation does not just occur when industries set up, there are also jobs where people are hired to clean the panels, manufacturing of panels, maintenance of panels, electrical engineers, solar power engineers (there is a degree offered in Pandit Deendayal Petroleum university look it up) etc. So as far as I can see lots of job are created in the process.

And seriously man from what angle does Modi look like a geoscientist to you? I know that you are not aware on how this process works but let me tell you, I am a geophysicist by qualification and a geologist by profession and in this industry there are inferred and measured resources. Initial estimates can be suggested by any geoscientist based on some data and that can be huge. This is because the estimate is based on min and max tonnage (or how much is there). Most companies will release a report on it saying that this is the max tonnage available but this can only be measured by further drilling or by doing more surveys.

Now a lot of companies have done this in the past where they announce that they have a huge deposit but when they do start working more on it they realise it is not as huge as they estimated it to be. This has affected their share price. Now coming back to the original topic, I belive that if any credible geoscientist comes and announces to you that hey I have found a big deposit, you will believe him and maybe even announce it to your stakeholders. This is what Modi did and they did more surveys and found out that the amount of gas was 2tcf instead of 20.

sigh! Where your interests lie is very clear from what you post in other threads my friend. What you post in the Gujarat threads is a cleaner version of what there is in the other threads.

Peace bro!

[I]

Anyways i am pro-solar but not for over paying..rational pricing is needed...

About GSPC, the question is simple "where did the non-existent 20tcf gas go?" :-) Modi personally announced the biggest ever gas find in india..typical hyperbole..

P.S. I seriously suggest you accept some critical opinions abt Modi instead of jumping to where my interests lie :-)

Pardon me but I am not sure what your point is. Unless of course, it is Modi bashing.

Overpaying? Compared to what? In any case, is there any transparency in nuclear power? For most part, it was not even a company but run as part of Atomic Energy Commision.

Yeddyurappa heaps praise on Narendra Modi

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Yeddyurappa-heaps-praise-on-Narendra-Modi/articleshow/13309651.cms

AHMEDABAD: Think of an Indian village and what comes to mind are images of mooing cows, open drains and children playing ants and frog games. But, Punsari, a motley village in Himmatnagar, talks about wi-fi and optical fiber broadband network, its children spend best of their times in air-conditioned classrooms with CCTV cameras. The village also boasts of its own mini-bus transport system and there are 25-odd CCTVs located on important junctions to spot litterbugs.

If you think this village is drenched in NRI funds, think again. Not a single rupee has come from across the seven seas, instead the village managed its funds over the last five years that it received from central and state sponsored developmental schemes.

"The village panchayat pays an annual premium of Rs 25 lakh against insurance for each of the 6,000 villagers who have a cover of Rs 1 lakh and a mediclaim policy of Rs 25,000. Our schools have zero dropout rates, CCTV cameras in classrooms help us keep watch on teachers in classrooms. Our reverse osmosis plant supplies 20-litre cans to houses for a token cost of Rs 4. These are bare essentials for a standard life today and why should our village be behind," claims the village sarpanch Hemant Patel, 29.

The village panchayat had a capital of Rs 25,000 five years ago. Today, the deposits have soared to Rs 75 lakh. "The turn-around happened when we sold part of our grazing land as plotted schemes to various communities. The money is deposited in government coffers," says Patel. The village received rewards from the central government and the state governments recently.

District development officer Ravi Arora told TOI, "There is not a single family in Punsari which has an NRI family member. The village has just managed its accounts well and villagers here agreed on a co-operative approach to development."http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/A-village-that-puts-metros-to-shame/articleshow/13309567.cms

Vapi most polluted industrial cluster again (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/Vapi-most-polluted-industrial-cluster-again/articleshow/13320549.cms)

The interim review of work index for comprehensive environment pollution index (CEPI) action plan carried out jointly by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has thrown up disturbing facts about the Vapi industrial cluster.

The CEPI data shows that pollution levels in Vapi, which was marked as one of the most critically polluted industrial cluster in country, have again gone up.

In the interim assessment report carried out jointly by CPCB and GPCB, Vapi has scored the highest in pollution grade out of the 43 industrial clusters in India assessed. The score in interim report is 90.75 out of 100. In the earlier report of CEPI in 2009, Vapi industrial cluster had scored 88.09 out of 100. This means that pollution levels of air, water and land, have both gone up in two years.

The score of air pollution in CEPI-2009 was 74 out of 100 whereas it went up to 74.50 in interim assesment CEPI-11 report. The report also reveals that during sampling, monitoring and assessment work, some of volatile organic carbon (VOC) based pollutants were found beyond permissible limit prescribed by national ambient air control standard -2009. Out of 12 pollutants monitored in air from five different locations, six pollutants were found beyond permissible limit. These included nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter 10 and 2.5, lead, nickel and arsenic.

According to guidelines for high polluted areas decided by the ministry for environment and forests, the score of more than 60 in CEPI shows a critical level of pollution

The meeting was held last month in the in presence of senior GPCB officials, delegates from Vapi industrial associations and Vapi Waste and Effluents Management Co. Ltd. along with other prominent stakeholders from industry. The meeting widely discussed the issue of rising scores in air and water pollution, which were assessed beyond prescribed permissible limits. The first quarter report of volatile organic carbon monitored according to the new ambient air monitoring standard was worrisome. The value of highly hazardous pollutants was high, said an officer who was present in meeting.

GPCB sources said after the moratorium imposed by MOEF on Vapi was lifted on condition of strict implementation of long-term pollution control action plan. The limit of the two-year action plan will end in September.

On other side, the score of land and soil pollution have reduced as compared to CEPI-2009.

"This is attributed to the successful efforts made against illegal dumping of solid waste," said Ganesh Patel, regional officer, GPCB, Vapi. Patel admitted that the air pollution is high, mainly due to unavailability of proper devices in region.

The action plan requires Vapi Industries Association and Vapi Waste and Effluent Treatment Co. who run common effluent treatment plant and solid waste managment site to install continuous ambient air monitoring station (CAAMS) to keep a tab on air quality and get data of notified pollutants real time.

What a strange place Vapi is. Along with Ghaziabad one of only 2 cities in India with 100% literacy in 2011 census. But at the same time the most polluted industrial cluster in India and also the worst adult sex ratio in Gujarat.

^^ yea i dont get how that works. I have heard quite a few times that Vapi and Ankleshwar are the most polluted cities in Gujarat and they are taking steps to bring down the pollution but they are still on top.

Gujarati rock!

TWaeVL1HGuU

something to cheer for Na.Modi lovers..
UPA loses sheen as BJP inches ahead: Survey (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UPA-loses-sheen-as-BJP-inches-ahead-Survey/articleshow/13327310.cms)
Survey is done on 28 cities All over india.
And on likely PMs, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi has 17% backing over Manmohan Singh at 16%. Modi was preferred at number four during last year's survey (12%). Singh was ranked at number one last year (21%). Rahul Gandhi's score has dipped from 19% to 13% this year. Sonia Gandhi's score is down from 14% to 9%.

H8h2fEee31Y

With the trend i m following i think i will have to open a movie thread soon :lol:

Anyways catch a glimpse of A'bads places to see, i.e kankaria, riverfront, law garden etc, with some good music. I think they should start shooting more like this in A'bad and Gujarat.

0zqcUASMf3Q

^^ :cheers:

Gujarat’s sea turtles await conservation programme

Did you know that Gujarat’s long coastline is home to lakhs of sea turtles? Are you aware that three of the five species of sea turtles found on the Indian coast are spotted in Gujarat, and that the state’s shores are breeding sites for two of them? So now, isn’t it surprising that while there are several conservation programmes for sea turtles in other states, there is absolutely none in Gujarat?

On Tuesday, the world celebrates International Day for Biodiversity and the theme this year is marine biodiversity. While Gujarat recognises and values the rich marine biodiversity it hosts, the sea turtles have somehow not figured in any of the state’s several wildlife conservation projects. Three species of sea turtles - Olive Ridley, Green Sea and Leather Back - are spotted along the entire Gujarat coastline. Two of these - Olive Ridley and Green Sea — are also known to breed here.

Forest department officials claim turtles are spotted along the Gujarat coast as well as on some islands in the marine national park (MNP). “There is no dedicated conservation plan for the sea turtles, but the forest department has around five hatcheries on the coast where the eggs are collected before they hatch to save them from jackals, dogs or from human damage. Diversity of marine species is an indicator that the environment is in good health,” chief wildlife warden SK Goyal said.

Reliable sources claim neither the union nor the state governments is too keen to highlight the status of sea turtles movement on the west coast as this part of the country presents the biggest opportunity for industrial development. However, perhaps a first of its kind detailed study has now been undertaken by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to determine the impact of illumination on the hatchlings and the discharge of outfall channels into the sea. The study has been commissioned by Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd, a Tata Group company which has a power plant on Mundra coast.

“It is a very recently commissioned detailed five-year project to fully understand the movement of the sea turtles on Gujarat coast,” deputy director, conservation, BNHS, Deepak Apte said.
The female sea turtles are known to lay eggs on the beach and return to the sea soon after. After gestation, the eggs hatch and the hatchlings are immediately supposed to head to the sea guided by moonlight.

But if there is sharp illumination by any subject close to the shore, in Mundra's case the power plant, the hatchlings get confused by the light and head towards land, leading to their eventual death.

Assistant principal chief conservator of forest HS Singh says that all the three species are endangered under Schedule I of the Wildlife Act. He informs that some grants did come from the Central government a few years ago, but most of the focus in turtle conservation is on the eastern coast as the number of turtles breeding there is massive.

Realty check: Prices dip in Ahmedabad, soar in Surat (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Realty-check-Prices-dip-in-Ahmedabad-soar-in-Surat/articleshow/13401846.cms)

AHMEDABAD: Sluggish demand, coupled with fresh supplies, has led to a dip in property prices in the city. The realty rates have fallen by 0.6% in January-March this year as compared to the corresponding period last year, largely due to a wait-and-watch approach of buyers and new town planning schemes opening up on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, according to Residex, a report by Reserve Bank of India's National Housing Bank.

In contrast, Surat, one of India's fastest growing cities, has posted a growth of 11.11% for the same period. At the behest of the Union ministry of finance, NHB undertook a project to develop property price index for select cities.

Builder Sanjay Thakkar said, "There are certain areas in Ahmedabad which have been over-constructed. New town planning schemes in Bopal, Narol, Nikol and other places have led to more land availability. Because of this, the prices have come down."

Apart from the walled city, north zone which consists of areas like Saijpur Bogha, Sardarnagar and Vishnunagar have seen a jump in prices by 20%. But, for the rest of the city, prices have fallen.

"There has been an oversupply in Ahmedabad, especially on the outskirts of western Ahmedabad. But the prices have not taken as much hit as the debt exposure for city-based developers is lower compared to their counterparts in other cities. The higher holding capacity of developers here has checked an all-round correction in the realty market here," said Neeraj Tomar, head Ahmedabad operations, Jones Lang Lasalle.

According to the NHB report, the first and third quarters of 2011-12 had seen a rise in residential property prices.

Realtors said the rise was temporary and was due to a renewed interest of investors in city's property market.

Rajesh Vasani, a developer, says the demand looks sluggish on face but there is a room for quality development in the city where property prices are much lower than other cities.

"Last year when affordable housing schemes were a hit, this year we see fresh demand for semi-premium housing schemes,'' said Vasani.

Builder Jateen Gupta said, "The market is slow because people are in a wait-and-watch mode, expecting prices to fall and interest rates to come down. While developers are not lowering the prices of residential properties, there are specific projects on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, where they have lowered prices."

^^Spam

^^ Welcome boss. Where are you from?

thank you skybhai, i am from ahmedabad :cheers:

CLSA: A fan of Narendra Modi and Gujarat (http://www.firstpost.com/politics/clsa-a-fan-of-narendra-modi-and-gujarat-331733.html)
International brokerage CLSA likes Narendra Modi and the Gujarat economic development story.

In its recent Greed and Fear report (31 May), the brokeage notes that even as the UPA dithers on policies at the centre, Gujarat has become the poster child for economic development in India.

“It really seems to be the case that Chief Minister Narendra Modi does run the state like a chief executive officer,” the report said. “Businessmen report that investment approvals are remarkably swift while the state government is viewed as both clean and highly efficient with the word ‘pro-active’ most often applied to describe the functioning of the bureaucracy.”

The report noted that Gujarat had achieved an estimated average real GDP growth of 10 percent over the past seven years, accounted for 16 percent of India’s industrial production and 22 percent of exports, although it only contained 5 percent of the country’s population. That growth has led to improved roads, a power surplus, an integrated gas grid, and development of several sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, ports and more recently, automobiles.

International brokerage CLSA likes Narendra Modi and the Gujarat economic development story. Reuters

“Looking forward, Gujarat can also hope to benefit from the proposed construction of dedicated (rail) freight corridor between Delhi and Mumbai. This is because 38 percent of the length of the 1,483 km corridor will pass through the state,” it added.

While it acknowledges that several locals would like to see the 61-year-old Modi become prime minister, the report said that given his “autocratic tendencies , combined with the perceived unlikelihood that the BJP party could ever again achieve an outright majority in the national parliament , makes such a prospect unlikely if not impossible”.

Still, as the report noted, there’s always room for the unexpected.

While it acknowledges that several locals would like to see the 61-year-old Modi become prime minister, the report said that given his “autocratic tendencies , combined with the perceived unlikelihood that the BJP party could ever again achieve an outright majority in the national parliament , makes such a prospect unlikely if not impossible”.

Still, as the report noted, there’s always room for the unexpected.

With BJP veterans behaving like crabs, pulling each other down, the perceived unlikelihood may well turn into strong possibility... :bash:

As soon as I saw the title States double-digit agriculture growth a myth (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/States-double-digit-agriculture-growth-a-myth/articleshow/13975172.cms) I knew that Id see the name Rajiv Shah as the writer and that as usual "high level anonymous sources" would be involved.

Figured id do a bit of mythbusting of my own.

Latest figures provided by Gujarat government to the Planning Commission have busted the myth that the state has been experiencing high double-digit growth rate in agriculture.

Giving details of the state government meeting with Planning Commission in Delhi early this month, a top bureaucrat said, "During the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12), agricultural rate of growth in Gujarat was 5.08 per cent per annum." This is way behind 10.8 per cent what chief minister Narendra Modi claimed at the meeting with Planning Commission vice-chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Giving details of the agriculture figures handed over to the Planning Commission, the official said, one witnessed "sharp volatility" in Gujarat agriculture over the last five years. In 2007-08, the sector grew by 10.5 per cent, but in the next year, 2008-09, there was a "sharp downfall of 13.3 per cent." The stagnation continued in 2009-10, when there was "virtually no growth." After two bad years, there was 17 per cent growth in 2010-11 and 5.2 per cent growth in 2011-12 in the sector.

As usual Rajiv is fudging statistics to push his agenda.

Actual Planning Comission stats (http://planningcommission.nic.in/data/datatable/0904/tab_39.pdf)

Obv first thing to notice is that for 07-08 Rajiv quotes a figure of 10.5% compared to the planning commissions actual figure of 16.73%. But lets play along with Rajivs figures and see what they show.

Second thing is that the 10 year period Gujarat Govt have mentioned as having a 10yr double digit growth rate is the first 10years of Modi rule, ie: 01/02 - 10/11. Whereas the GOIs 10th and 11th plans will cover 02/03 - 11/12. So overall the data being used to make the argument doesnt correspond to the time period when the claim was made.

Third thing is the omission of what the actual figure for year 09/10 was. The year is referred to as "virtually no growth" and a "bad year". But, for the overall 11th plan figure to come to 5.08%, 09/10 must be 6.00% if the other figures are taken as correct.

Year : Agri Growth Rate : Cumulative Agri Growth Rate in Modi years

01/02: 30.64% : 30.64%
02/03: -6.83% : 11.90%
03/04: 39.89% : 21.23%
04/05: -6.76% : 14.24%
05/06: 22.31% : 15.85%
06/07: -2.45% : 12.80%
07/08: 16.73% : 13.36%

Acc to Rajiv Shah

07/08 10.50% : 12.47%
08/09 -13.30% : 9.25%
09/10 6.00% : 8.89%
10/11 17.00% : 9.70% (End of 10 year period)
11/12 5.20%: 9.29%

So even if Rajivs figures are correct, then the double-digit agri growth rate "myth" is to the degree of 0.30% over a 10 year period. If planning commission figure for 07/08 is correct, then def safely into double digits for that 10 year period.

Either way, there can be no doubt that Central Govt banning of Cotton Exports in 2009 and again recently have been major hinderances to Agri Growth in those years.

Biggest irony is how Congress at Centre impose those bans and then State level Congress will try to fool the farming communities by saying they are the ones who got the ban removed and that Modi is the real enemy of farmers.

^^ Pretty good mythbusting. I dont understand where he gets those figures from for all his articles but its funny how it is always his articles that have this negative reporting.

Not a clue where he gets them from, but even if they are correct, they hardly back up the claims that he is trying to make.

Have to say though, Planning Commision website (http://planningcommission.nic.in/data/datatable/index.php?data=datatab) is a really good resource for official stats to "double-check" whether these kinds of reports have any factual basis. The closer we get to December, the more of these there will be.

There have been lots of articles that "expose" Gujarat for having a lower GDP growth rate than places emerging from Jungle-Raj ie Bihar, or economic powerhouses such as Sikkim (!) But lets actually compare Gujarat during Modis rule with the other industrialised states of India.

Overall GDP growth 01/02 - 10/11

10.19%: Gujarat
9.41%: Maharashtra
8.00%: Andhra Pradesh
7.90%: Tamil Nadu
7.49%: Karnataka
6.78%: West Bengal

Planning Commission stats on GDP growth (http://planningcommission.nic.in/data/datatable/0904/tab_103.pdf)

Many recent reports (non-Rajiv Shah!) have suggested that Modi announced growth rate for 11/12 was 9.1%, so if its expanded to 11 years for the same states, apart from Maharashtra who have not announced figures for that year. (They would need 17% growth to catch up with Gujarat)

Overall GDP Growth 01/02 - 11/12

10.09%: Gujarat
8.04%: Tamil Nadu
7.89%: Andhra Pradesh
7.39%: Karnataka
6.80%: West Bengal

Of course there is room for improvement in social indicators as the focus has been on recently. But economically the story of the past decade is really beyond doubt. Ppl cant seriously expect to hide behind cries of "hype" for 11 years.

^^
Rajiv Shah seems to be just another Congress trained puppy...

What is amusing and irritating to see is the way Keshubhai Patel is rallying against Modi. What right does he have to rubbish development under Modi, no one has forgotten his own rule when Gujarat's economy growth was at a standstill. He was removed from the post before his term got over, and he still has the audacity to attack Modi. I just hope he suffers a huge defeat in December, that will sure shut him up forever.

The planning commission website does have some great info! :cheers:

Its weird though how numbers come up from a lot of sources and how much they differ. Like if you look at the state government stats then you have the planning commission stats and how much they differ. Then you have the media who throw numbers around and the end product results in confusion.

HIGH DRIVE : AUTO MALL IN TOP GEAR

Twenty Brands Of Cars Are Sold On The Six Km Stretch Of SG Highway

LINK (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIA/2012/06/12&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00202&ViewMode=HTML)

The road that leads to the auto hub at Sanand may be India’s first auto mall, which has grown organically. On a stretch of barely 6 km on SG Road, nearly two dozen brands of cars are already being sold. More like Volvo will join the list soon.

At this motor road to the auto town, you can pick up a gull-winged sports car worth as many crores as
the lakhs needed for the bread-andbutter small car, which is also available at three dealerships here. It’s not surprising then that car retail as a sector occupies maximum space on SG Road. The road itself is the business district of the city known as the trade capital of Gujarat. According to data accumulated by Jones Lang Lasalle India, the total business space on the highway is close to 6.6 million square feet, except the malls. Of this, 1.32 million sq ft is occupied by the retail industry.

Back of envelope calculation shows that over 1.6 lakh sq feet is occupied by the car showrooms alone — nearly 12% of the total retail space in that area. What’s more, if one was include the workshop area, usually attached to the showroom, the final number will be higher than 2.5 lakh sq feet.

Sanjay Thakker, whose firm owns Honda, Mercedes Benz, and Volkswagen dealerships on the said stretch told TOI that they occupy a total area of over 80,000 sq feet on the stretch, of which around 35,000 is dedicated to car retail.

“Local municipal tax, octroi, was the reason that car showroom owners initially started operations from SG Road as it was outside the city limits. However, even after the tax was abolished and area came under local municipal limits, almost all new dealership chose to set up shops here,” Thakker said. “This road is the best suited for test driving. Even though SG Road grew as a business destination, it had much space to offer, being broad and wellplanned,” he added.

Owner of a Hyundai showroom, Parnav Nanda pegs the number of cars being sold from this unique auto mall on any given day at 100. While his outlet covers an area of 18,000 sq ft, the showrooms of Jaguar & Land Rover, Ford and Tata — owned by his family members — occupy 20,000 sq feet put together.

Property consultants, Jones Lang Lasalle’s Ahmedabad head, Neeraj Tomar believes that this self-evolved auto mall is only one of its kind. “None of the metros or other cities has so many car brands being sold on one road. What’s equally interesting is that here premium cars have to compete for the space and eyeballs with the cars for masses.”

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TOIA/2012/06/12/2/Img/Ar0020101.png

Another one defaming everything in Gujarat...

LINK (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIA/2012/06/12&PageLabel=12&EntityId=Ar01200&ViewMode=HTML)

A snapshot of the changes in the quality of education in the last decade :

ARTICLE (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIA/2012/06/14&PageLabel=9&ForceGif=true&EntityId=Ad00900&ViewMode=HTML)

bhaio koi a movie joyu k
nai

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/25/Kevi_Rite_Jaish_poster.jpg/220px-Kevi_Rite_Jaish_poster.jpg

Government approves tall buildings, houses to go cheaper (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Government-approves-tall-buildings-houses-to-go-cheaper/articleshow/14181883.cms)

AHMEDABAD: Affordable housing for middle class families is here as the state urban development department has approved a Gujarat Housing Board's (GHB) requests for constructing 70 meter tall residential towers. This special approval will only be for GHB land parcels according to senior UDD officials. Today buildings in Gujarat have barely managed to reach 40 meters.

This would mean that the GHB will be allowed to construct towers with a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 3.0 to go that tall. The UDD has also said that the GHB need not pay any premium to the government in lieu of the extra FSI to reach these heights. Today the average FSI is 1.8 across cities in Gujarat.

This is a lucrative option as land prices constitute 60 per cent of the total project cost in Gujarat and the additional volume of flats can scale down this difference. The announcement is also an invitation for private developers to partner with GHB in a PPP model for constructing residential towers.

"Even houses will be made cheaper without much compromise on the carpet area. Today any private construction project has a deduction of an average of 42 per cent. This means if the builder advertises 1,000 square feet apartment, he is actually giving you 420 square feet after deducting space for staircase space, common plot area, free parking and lift area--normally called the super built-up area.

This is sure sign of government's intention of starting to give permissions for taller buildings along special project influence areas. This includes the BRTS corridor, the metro rail corridor, Sabarmati riverfront and Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).


So looks like we might see some tall buildings after all.

^^
That's good to hear... Although they had already given permission for hospitals and other public buildings to go till 70 metres. Why not permit till 122 metres, as they already have for GIFT.

But the fire fighting capabilities of the city should be able to handle fires at such heights.

There are a lot of things they need to consider other than fire emergencies too like earthquake stability etc. I know that such buildings wont come up that soon anyway but they have to make some things compulsory for builders to incorporate into the building.

Guj Govt misleading people with false claims: Vaghela (http://www.ptinews.com/news/2714209_Guj-govt-misleading-people-with-false-claims--Vaghela)

Targeting Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Shankarsinh Vaghela today alleged the BJP government had done "nothing" in the last one decade besides "misleading people with false claims".

"Modi claims that Gujarat is number one in terms of development, but a recent survey said that Bihar is clocking much higher growth than Gujarat", Vaghela told reporters here.

:doh:

x-posting and expanding from Economy thread to give a clearer picture of what has really happened over the last decade in Gujarat relative to other states.


All stats from: GSDP of Indian states (constant prices) (http://planningcommission.nic.in/data/datatable/0904/tab_105.pdf)

Gujarats GSDP at 01/2 vs 10/11

Gujarat vs Industrialised States

MH: 43% up to 47% (+4)
TN: 74% up to 93% (+19)
AP: 75% up to 95% (+20)
WB: 74% up to 115% (+41)
KA: 102% up to 120% (+18)

vs Compact States

HA: 188% up to 219% (+31)
PJ: 150% up to 245% (+95)
KL: 146% up to 189% (+43)

vs BIMARU States

BI: 179% up to 253% (+74)
JH: 338% up to 468% (+130)
MP: 140% up to 200% (+60)
CH: 404% up to 461% (+57)
RJ: 129% up to 179% (+50)
OR: 246% up to 284% (+38)
UP: 58% up to 92% (+34)

vs "City-State"

DL: 181% up to 190% (+9)



Looking at the overall picture rather than a few years of double-digit growth for BIMARU states, its very clear that Gujarat is catching up with states that are ahead of it, and pulling further away from states it was already ahead of.

Only Maharashtra has shown strong enough growth to prevent Gujarat making up real ground against it. Im not suggesting a comparison should be made, but have included Delhi as well just for interest, as it has maintained a similar ratio against Gujarat.

Obv opinions will differ in other sections of SSCI, but honestly, I have seen nothing that suggests to me that UP, AP or TN will be able to maintain their long-held lead over Gujarat in the next 5 years.

Guj Govt misleading people with false claims: Vaghela (http://www.ptinews.com/news/2714209_Guj-govt-misleading-people-with-false-claims--Vaghela)



:doh:


:lol: I find it funny how it is so easy to fool some people, but then again i guess not everyone has access to internet and data like we do. One more thing politicians take advantage of!

And if we compare this data with the population of the states in 2001 and 2011...

Gujarats GSDP at 01/2 vs 10/11

2001 to 2011
GUJ Population: 5.6 cr to 6 cr

Gujarat vs Industrialised States

MH: 43% up to 47% (+4) 9.2 cr to 11.6 cr
TN: 74% up to 93% (+19) 6.2 cr to 7.2 cr
AP: 75% up to 95% (+20) 7.6 cr to 8.4 cr
WB: 74% up to 115% (+41) 8.0 cr to 9.1 cr
KA: 102% up to 120% (+18) 5.2 cr to 6.1 cr

vs Compact States

HA: 188% up to 219% (+31) 2.1 cr to 2.5 cr
PJ: 150% up to 245% (+95) 2.4 cr to 2.7 cr
KL: 146% up to 189% (+43) 3.1 cr to 3.3 cr

vs BIMARU States

BI: 179% up to 253% (+74) 8.2 cr to 10.3 cr
JH: 338% up to 468% (+130) 2.7 cr to 3.3 cr
MP: 140% up to 200% (+60) 6.0 cr to 7.3 cr
CH: 404% up to 461% (+57) 2.0 cr to 2.5 cr
RJ: 129% up to 179% (+50) 5.6 cr to 6.8 cr
OR: 246% up to 284% (+38) 3.7 cr to 4.2 cr
UP: 58% up to 92% (+34) 16.6 cr to 19.9 cr

vs "City-State"

DL: 181% up to 190% (+9) 1.4 cr to 1.7 cr

Except Maha, where Guj's figures should have been more than 50%, as its pop is more than 50% of Maha (though keeping in mind that Mumbai, which contributes a huge chunk to the state's GSDP, is more or less controlled by Gujaratis), Guj is ahead of all other states when judged by GSDP by population

The most obvious e.g. is UP, which has more than 3 times more people than Guj, even then Guj's GSDP is almost level with UP

Which means, after max 5 years, Guj will climb above UP, AP and TN to be ranked 2nd by GSDP while it is ranked 10th by population.

Take that, Mr Vaghela...:tongue: :baeh3:, what were you saying ?? :nono:

:lol: I find it funny how it is so easy to fool some people, but then again i guess not everyone has access to internet and data like we do. One more thing politicians take advantage of!

We are going to face a grave problem in the future, when all India's people will be literate, they will not vote any of these douchebags into power, who will run the country then...:lol: :lol: :lol:

We are going to face a grave problem in the future, when all India's people will be literate, they will not vote any of these douchebags into power, who will run the country then...:lol: :lol: :lol:

Not unless there are huge reforms in the country, the old saying can be used in this context.. "is desh ka kuch nahi hone wala"

^^
I would like to improve the proverb : "is desh ke netao ka kuch nahi hone wala" :)

By the looks of their election campaign videos, Gujarat Congress clearly dont have access to Soniajis Swiss account...

1i9GORI2LLc

I wonder why its almost entirely in Hindi?

:lol: It was too funny to take it seriously

Has anyone been to Mahatma Mandir yet? I am sure it would have been completed by now for this..

Vibrant Gujarat 2013 to be 'bigger, better' (http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=10117&boxid=33642&ed_date=2012-06-20&ed_code=1310005&ed_page=5)

DNA Correspondent
Gandhinagar

The low translation of investments committed at successive Vibrant Gujarat Summits into actual investments notwithstanding, the Narendra Modi government is going all out to promote the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit, scheduled for January 2013.
The five Vibrant Gujarat Summits, starting from 2003 to the last one in 2011, lasted two days each. However, Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2013 will take place over three days. Instead of starting on January 12 and culminating the next day, as has been the case all these years, the 2013 Summit will start on January 11 and conclude on January 13.
“Vibrant Gujarat Summit is now a brand in itself. The coming edition will be bigger and better than the previous editions in all ways,” said state industries minister Saurabh Patel.
According to officials, the Vibrant Gujarat Summit exhibition will be spread over 1,00,000 sq m, as against 35,000 sq m in 2011. Like in 2011, the event would take place at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. The total number of events in the 2011 Summit was 65, which would go up to 115 this time around.
While Japan and Canada will again be the partner countries for the investment Summit, Russia’s Astrakhan and Australia’s South Australia are expected to join as partner provinces.
“The focus of previous Vibrant Gujarat Summits was on attracting investments. For the upcoming Summit, this is being expanded and will also comprise innovation, sustainability, skill development and knowledge creation,” Patel, who also heads advisory committee of Vibrant Gujarat Summit, said.
The committee, which also comprises government officials and business leaders, met on Monday and took stock of preparations for the event. The committee also finalised a host of events that would take place in the run-up to and during the mega investment Summit.
In tune with the theme on knowledge creation, the upcoming Summit would see a host of discussion forums, panel discussions, conventions, round-table events, conclaves, among others. The focus will be on sectors such as pharma, green-energy, manufacturing, ports, environmental technology, and automobiles, SIRs, among others.
Already, more than two dozen events, including seminars, conventions, lectures, B2B meets and exhibitions, have been organised in the run-up to the Summit in January. The coming months will see more such events.

No wonder why they are 'bekaar', if you sing songs all day who is going to hire you??

Looking at Congress's lukewarm efforts this year, I'd say they have already given up. Main reason that they dont have access to Madam's Swiss account.

Bhai, tane taaro javaab December ma mali jase... :)

x-posting from sabarmati riverfront thread. I want to know what you guys think is going to happen about the projects that CE79 listed below.

^^ thanks Rushabh
I have presented this idea of river tourism to Mr. Vatsal Patel - Town Planner, AMC & Mr. Himanshu Thakker, AUDA during one of our college events on Town Planning.
I have also asked them for developing Indroda Park on sidelines of Singapore Zoo but they have said that Central Govt. rules are very complicated for zoos. They said that while planning for West Ahmedabad around 2003-04 they have proposed a zoo larger and better than existing Kankaria zoo but due govt. problems they have dropped the idea.

Regarding River fountain on Nehru bridge, Municipal Commissioner have said that he will take this to required authorities.
http://tong.visitkorea.or.kr/cms/resource/67/970067_image2_1.jpg
We have also proposed for Giant Ferris wheel on banks of Sabarmati, Development of Sidi Saiyed Jali as urban square by diverting traffic & providing beautiful landscape, Developing S.G Road on sidelines of E11, Dubai and much more

http://inglesmpidal.wikispaces.com/file/view/LondonEye3_gallery__528x400-600x400.jpg/210287046/717x431/LondonEye3_gallery__528x400-600x400.jpg

Hope any of these we can add in our city

Kudos to CE079 :cheers:

x-posting from sabarmati riverfront thread.
So this is UAE's E 11 highway :

http://www.flashydubai.com/images/Sheikh_Zayed_Road_01.jpg

And this the S G Road

http://rojnuamdavad.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/photo-0138.jpg

Yes, they can really change the highway, but not by blindly copying Dubai's Highway. We can move this topic to the Discussions (www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=997851&page=13&langid=6) thread

Our idea for comparing S.G Highway to E11 is just to show them that being one of the important financial center, Ahmedabad needs skyscrapers and S.G Highway is a perfect location for that because there is no other road in Ahmedabad satisfying bldg bye-laws and other requirements needed for skyscrapers. One another benefit is that today there are many open lands on the highway so these lands can be used easily for construction and govt. can also plan for surrounding open lands accordingly.

But I think that Govt. will not allow skyscrapers on S.G Highway because this will inversely effects GIFT. So max. upto 70m will be permitted.

^^ thanks aks_sky :)

x-posting from sabarmati riverfront thread.


Our idea for comparing S.G Highway to E11 is just to show them that being one of the important financial center, Ahmedabad needs skyscrapers and S.G Highway is a perfect location for that because there is no other road in Ahmedabad satisfying bldg bye-laws and other requirements needed for skyscrapers. One another benefit is that today there are many open lands on the highway so these lands can be used easily for construction and govt. can also plan for surrounding open lands accordingly.

But I think that Govt. will not allow skyscrapers on S.G Highway because this will inversely effects GIFT. So max. upto 70m will be permitted.

So let us compare the two highways.

Dubai's E 11 : Approx 192 feet wide

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg9/scaled.php?server=9&filename=e11highway.png&res=landing

S.G. Road : Approx 166 feet wide

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg825/scaled.php?server=825&filename=sgroad.png&res=landing

So as we see there is not much difference between the two roads. The ideal arrangement would be to have 4 lanes on each side (8x12=96 ft) and 2 service lanes on each side (4x12=48 ft). Total 144 ft. That leaves 22 ft for pavements and greenery.

Metro is proposed in phase 2 till GNGR.

Also since it is being converted into a freeway, ideally there should be entry and exit ramps at every flyover starting from Sarkhej, Isckon, Judges Bungalows, Sola and Gota flyovers. Thus these ramps will feed traffic to the freeway. They should plan traffic for not only GNGR but also for GIFT and the knowledge city.

Of course, pedestrian overbridges should be built at equal intervals.

And if we compare this data with the population of the states in 2001 and 2011...



Except Maha, where Guj's figures should have been more than 50%, as its pop is more than 50% of Maha (though keeping in mind that Mumbai, which contributes a huge chunk to the state's GSDP, is more or less controlled by Gujaratis), Guj is ahead of all other states when judged by GSDP by population

The most obvious e.g. is UP, which has more than 3 times more people than Guj, even then Guj's GSDP is almost level with UP

Which means, after max 5 years, Guj will climb above UP, AP and TN to be ranked 2nd by GSDP while it is ranked 10th by population.

Take that, Mr Vaghela...:tongue: :baeh3:, what were you saying ?? :nono:

Mumbai so far as I know, contributes 25 % of MH's economy which is big, but not huge by any means.

^^
Well, for a state with 12 crore people, one city contributing 25% is not what you call normal. And it is'nt as if MH does'nt have other cities... Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Solapur.....

Development in Gujarat according to me seems inclusive of every one and evenly spread out because of the ports. In Mah on one hand you have Mumbai best city in India on other hand they have Vidharbha. Very uneven if you think about it. And I believe in future majority of Gujarat's population will start living along the coast because of ports and job creation near ports.

Mumbai so far as I know, contributes 25 % of MH's economy which is big, but not huge by any means.

If that were true, and we take 21m as a Bombay population figure, that would leave rest of Maharastra GDP at Rs 581265 and population at 91m

Meaning at 10/11 Gujarat had 63% of Maharastra GDP but with 66% of the population. So we are approaching the point where any Gujarat growth above the rate of Maharashtra will be cutting into this "Bombay component", which as Rushabh says, most Gujaratis feel a significant sense of ownership of anyway.

It is def quite strange that since Surats 18th century decline in the face of East India Cos monopoly of trade, the two cities that have best represented the success of Gujarati entrepreneurship have ended up outside the borders of Gujarat, ie: Bombay and Karachi.

x-posting from sabarmati riverfront thread. I want to know what you guys think is going to happen about the projects that CE79 listed below.



Kudos to CE079 :cheers:

Re fountain bridge, the exact same idea seems to be on the cards for the replacement of Hope Bridge in Surat. link (http://www.divyabhaskar.co.in/article/DGUJ-SUR-new-bridge-will-make-in-surat-2993792.html?img=2012/03/20/3.jpg&seq=4&imgname=3.jpg)

બાજુમાં ૩.૫ મીટર પહોળો વોક-વે હશે. બંને બાજુએ હોપપુલ જેવા જ ગર્ડરની ડિઝાઇનથી કવર કરાશે. આ બ્રિજમાં રિવરસાઈડ ઉપર અત્યાધુનિક ફાઉન્ટેઈન પણ હશે. એટલે, ચાઈનામાં નેનિંગ શહેરમાં બનાવાયેલા બ્રિજની જેમ રાત્રિના સમયે સુરતને પ્રાચીન અને અવૉચીન સુરતનું ‘ફ્યુઝન’ જોવા મળશે.

If that were true, and we take 21m as a Bombay population figure, that would leave rest of Maharastra GDP at Rs 581265 and population at 91m

Meaning at 10/11 Gujarat had 63% of Maharastra GDP but with 66% of the population. So we are approaching the point where any Gujarat growth above the rate of Maharashtra will be cutting into this "Bombay component", which as Rushabh says, most Gujaratis feel a significant sense of ownership of anyway.

It is def quite strange that since Surats 18th century decline in the face of East India Cos monopoly of trade, the two cities that have best represented the success of Gujarati entrepreneurship have ended up outside the borders of Gujarat, ie: Bombay and Karachi.

One article I found in Topix, not sure what source he had, but nevertheless, an interesting read :

Demographics of Mumbai:

48% Marathis
21% North Indians (mainly UPiets and Bihari Bhayyas)
18% Gujjus
10% Other
3% South Indians

Of these approximately 50% live in SLUMS!

You can rule out Gujjus and South Indians from being any fraction of the slum population in Mumbai by default because ALL of them are white collar workers in Mumbai. Now that leaves 79% of Population of Mumbai for North Indians, Marathis, and Others.

Marathis... More than 3/4 of them live in slums(that sounds quite questionable...:ohno:). That leaves 12% of them in either white collar jobs, middle class jobs or Taxi/truck driver jobs. About half of the remaining 12% of Marathis drive Taxis, rickshaws, or Trucks. That leaves 6% of them in either Middle class or White Collar jobs. In conclusion 3% of Marathis are White Collar workers.

North Indians... more than 3/4 of them also account for Mumbai's slum (these are mostly Bihari and UP bhayyas), leaving 7% in white collar jobs and Middle class. About half of these are white collars and half middle class. So 3.5 white collar workers from North India.

Others... these also account for Mumbai's slum. About 90% of them end up in slums leaving 1% in White Collar work force.

Results:

Gujaratis: 18% White Collar workers
North Indians:3.5% White Collar workers
Tamils: 3% White Collar Workers
Marathis: 3% White Collar workers
Others: 1% white collar workers

In conclusion, Gujaratis make up 63% of Mumbai's White Collar work force.
----------------------------------------
I know most of it is nonsense... just felt like posting.:nuts:

The original stats dont look right, and if they are, they can only be based on the expanded MMR region. Am certain that for the Island city, the demographics must be quite different. Far less Marathis and def more South Indians, possibly more Gujaratis.

There are def Gujarati slum pockets though, I saw a doc where a part of a big slum, (maybe even Dharavi) is a Kathiawadi Kumbharwada.

But def if you look at the super-rich only or the "posh" areas, you will find a dominance of the traditional business communities of Gujaratis, Parsis, Marwaris and Sindhis.

In terms of business ownership and asset holding, again you would probably see these same communities dominate.

^^
Well, for a state with 12 crore people, one city contributing 25% is not what you call normal. And it is'nt as if MH does'nt have other cities... Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Solapur.....

But again, that city has 20 % of the states population. So 20-22 % of the population contributing 25 % of the State's economy isn't that bad. As far as other cities are concerned, among the non-metros, Pune is one of the biggest nationwide. It is bigger than Surat (Gujarat), Mysore (KA), Vizag (AP), Coimbatore (TN) or Jodhpur (RJ). How many states have a Tier II city bigger than Pune? Same goes for Nagpur which has 20 lakh or more people and is Tier III city, the equivalent city in KA is probably Mangalore but Mangalore has less than 10 lakh people. So, as far as cities go, given how huge Mumbai's population is, the imbalance isn't anywhere near as severe as it sounds. In KA, AP or TN or WB, the capital city is as dominant as MH or maybe more and all these states have comparable state populations. The reason 25 % will also be the case is because Mumbai-Thane itself has far far more people than other major city in India (barring Delhi). The only way 25 % can drop is if other cities grow dramatically richer than Mumbai.

So let us compare the two highways.

Dubai's E 11 : Approx 192 feet wide


So as we see there is not much difference between the two roads. The ideal arrangement would be to have 4 lanes on each side (8x12=96 ft) and 2 service lanes on each side (4x12=48 ft). Total 144 ft. That leaves 22 ft for pavements and greenery.

Metro is proposed in phase 2 till GNGR.

Also since it is being converted into a freeway, ideally there should be entry and exit ramps at every flyover starting from Sarkhej, Isckon, Judges Bungalows, Sola and Gota flyovers. Thus these ramps will feed traffic to the freeway. They should plan traffic for not only GNGR but also for GIFT and the knowledge city.

Of course, pedestrian overbridges should be built at equal intervals.

But then we need to have something different. Agreed that SG highway would make a great place for skyscrapers but I think they need to develop something like that along the riverfront first.

Yes, if you put it that way, then Mumbai's contribution, contrary to its status, is'nt quite that big. On the other hand, MH's smaller cities contribute generously to the state's GDP, making it a case of all round development, rather like Gujarat.

For instance, it would be foolish to say that AMD is the most dominant region in GUJ, like Kolkata is for WB, Bangaluru for KA, Chennai for TN, Hyd for AP etc. I think the non availability of more than one large cities in these states is limiting their growth.

Gujarat may not have a metro-sized city, but it has four large to moderate cities and spread out evenly across the state. AMD is almost 7 million, Surat 5.5 million, Vadodara 2 million and Rajkot 1.5 million. So the combined population of the top 4 in GUJ is 16 million.

Compare it with
TN : 13.5 million(Chennai-9 million)
AP : 12 million(HYD-8 million)
KA : 11 million(Only Bangaluru with 8.5 million in the million-plus list)
WB : 18 million(15 million from Kolkata)

Yes, if you put it that way, then Mumbai's contribution, contrary to its status, is'nt quite that big. On the other hand, MH's smaller cities contribute generously to the state's GDP, making it a case of all round development, rather like Gujarat.

For instance, it would be foolish to say that AMD is the most dominant region in GUJ, like Kolkata is for WB, Bangaluru for KA, Chennai for TN, Hyd for AP etc. I think the non availability of more than one large cities in these states is limiting their growth.

Gujarat may not have a metro-sized city, but it has four large to moderate cities and spread out evenly across the state. AMD is almost 7 million, Surat 5.5 million, Vadodara 2 million and Rajkot 1.5 million. So the combined population of the top 4 in GUJ is 16 million.

Compare it with
TN : 13.5 million(Chennai-9 million)
AP : 12 million(HYD-8 million)
KA : 11 million(Only Bangaluru with 8.5 million in the million-plus list)
WB : 18 million(15 million from Kolkata)

Maharashtra, just for the record:

Mumbai-17 million
Pune+PCMC-5-6 million (Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation)
Nagpur-2-3 million
Nashik 1-1.5 million
So total= between 25 and 28 million, of which Mumbai, contributes about 60 %. However if you exclude Thane that may fall to about half or even less. My bets are on Nashik in MH and Rajkot in Gujarat. :cheers: Guess these cities are likely to be the growthspots in future. :banana:

As far as other cities are concerned, among the non-metros, Pune is one of the biggest nationwide. It is bigger than Surat (Gujarat), Mysore (KA), Vizag (AP), Coimbatore (TN) or Jodhpur (RJ). How many states have a Tier II city bigger than Pune?

Interestingly the core population of Surat is actually higher than the core population of Pune. Pune has a slight overall advantage due to the outlying areas, Hinjewadi and Pimpri-Chinchawad.

Acc to 2011 census

3,115,431 Pune (M.Corp) link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf)
1,729,359 Pimpri-Chinchawad (M.Corp) link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf)
205,178 Others
------------------
5,049,968 Pune UA link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf)

4,462,002 Surat (M.Corp) link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf)
123,365 Others
--------------
4,585,367 Surat UA link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf)

With Surat being Indias 3rd largest coastal city, I think there is an obvious economic advantage compared to Pune for the future. Population growth is likely to reflect this.

^^
Pune will have to focus on the IT and Manufacturing industries. Surat on the other hand is sitting on a gold mine. With Kalpasar dam, SEZ's, PCPIR's and SIR's coming around it and with its geographical gift, it is set to rise above both Pune and Ahmedabad. Though Ahmedabad has GIFT, Dholera and Sanand to fall back onto.

^^
Pune will have to focus on the IT and Manufacturing industries. Surat on the other hand is sitting on a gold mine. With Kalpasar dam, SEZ's, PCPIR's and SIR's coming around it and with its geographical gift, it is set to rise above both Pune and Ahmedabad. Though Ahmedabad has GIFT, Dholera and Sanand to fall back onto.

^^ yeah..nice observation but how Kalpasar dam could help surat b'coz i think it will connect Dahej and Bhavanagar...

What is Kalpasar dam project....I completely missed it....any brief info on it

^^ It is one of the most exiting project of the state...
November 19th, 2010, 11:59 AM #26
SSCaddict
Sagar



Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 5,210
Name Of The Project:- Kalpasar Project(Gujarat)

Cost Of The Project:-Rs 55,000 cr / $13 billion

Time Duration:- 2012-2020

Current Status:-The Gujarat Govt. has set up a department for the project and has commissioned a bathymetric and geotechnical study of the entire oceanic space in order to ascertain its different layers, including fault-lines.

Key Facts:-

* It will have a vast fresh water reservoir with gross storage of 16,791 million cubic metres of water.

* 64.16 km long and 35 KM wide dam across the Gulf of Khambhat connecting Ghogha in Bhavnagar with Hansot in Bharuch District, reducing the distance between the two by 225 km.

* It will have tidal power generation house with an installed capacity of 5,880 MW.

*As many as 24 tidal observatories are proposed to be set up along the entire Gulf to help carry out the survey.
__________________

http://www.kalpasar.gujarat.gov.in/mainpage.htm

^^
Pune will have to focus on the IT and Manufacturing industries. Surat on the other hand is sitting on a gold mine. With Kalpasar dam, SEZ's, PCPIR's and SIR's coming around it and with its geographical gift, it is set to rise above both Pune and Ahmedabad. Though Ahmedabad has GIFT, Dholera and Sanand to fall back onto.

I honestly dont think any individual Gujarati city will ever go past the 10m population mark (and I really dont think thats a bad thing!)

Apart from GIFT and a few big projects at Hazira, the most noticeable thing about the major investments/projects that are coming up in Gujarat is that they are not actually all that close to major cities.

Special Investment Regions that are due to come up will be stand-alone areas. There will def be new urban/industrial corridors and clusters that form, but generally these seem to be in historically less populated and less advanced areas of the state such as Dholera, Sanand, Halol, Becharaji etc.

Not particularly glamourous or hi-tech, but in my opinion, the most interesting area to watch the progress of in Gujarat according to me will be Bharuch-Dahej-Ankleshwar which I will really gain a lot of prominence in the next decade.

If the Central Govts DMIC project ever goes through, then it will be a massive boost for Gujarat, especially the Ports at Dahej and Hazira.

I honestly dont think any individual Gujarati city will ever go past the 10m population mark (and I really dont think thats a bad thing!)

Apart from GIFT and a few big projects at Hazira, the most noticeable thing about the major investments/projects that are coming up in Gujarat is that they are not actually all that close to major cities.

Special Investment Regions that are due to come up will be stand-alone areas. There will def be new urban/industrial corridors and clusters that form, but generally these seem to be in historically less populated and less advanced areas of the state such as Dholera, Sanand, Halol, Becharaji etc.

Not particularly glamourous or hi-tech, but in my opinion, the most interesting area to watch the progress of in Gujarat according to me will be Bharuch-Dahej-Ankleshwar which I will really gain a lot of prominence in the next decade.

If the Central Govts DMIC project ever goes through, then it will be a massive boost for Gujarat, especially the Ports at Dahej and Hazira.



no other city in Gujarat will pass Ahmedabad in terms of development and growth.. Ahmedabad is nearly merged with Gandhinagar and in 3-4 years they will be twin cites with gift city, sanand is already having 4 car plant 1 working 3 under construction and dholera SEZ .. Ahmedabad polpulation is already 65 lakh with and incresing at rapid pace.. will touch close to 1 crore by 2021.. if Gift is complted ans it industry moves here. and sanand is just 10 kms from ahmedabad city limits.. and soon will be merged but as satellite township..

population in Gujarat will go up rapidly I believe. 180 million people will live in land locked UP for only so long. The more industrialised Gujarat gets the more people from North will shift. I just hope no city in Gujarat becomes like Mumbai with 50% slum population.

^^ yeah..nice observation but how Kalpasar dam could help surat b'coz i think it will connect Dahej and Bhavanagar...

Kalpasar Dam will provide the much needed link between Surat and the rest of Saurashtra region. With connectivity, trade is likely to increase.

Kalpasar is such a mammoth project, that in scale it shadows anything ever done before in India and it is bound to usher in goodies for the surrounding regions.

population in Gujarat will go up rapidly I believe. 180 million people will live in land locked UP for only so long. The more industrialised Gujarat gets the more people from North will shift. I just hope no city in Gujarat becomes like Mumbai with 50% slum population.

Surat is already victim to heavy migration from North India. Even the usage of Gujarati language in day-to-day business in Surat is diminishing. Ahmedabad and Vadodara have been spared to some extent till now...

no other city in Gujarat will pass Ahmedabad in terms of development and growth.. Ahmedabad is nearly merged with Gandhinagar and in 3-4 years they will be twin cites with gift city, sanand is already having 4 car plant 1 working 3 under construction and dholera SEZ .. Ahmedabad polpulation is already 65 lakh with and incresing at rapid pace.. will touch close to 1 crore by 2021.. if Gift is complted ans it industry moves here. and sanand is just 10 kms from ahmedabad city limits.. and soon will be merged but as satellite township..

Both cities have many towns around the edge that they may incorporate. But in no way should people view Dholera as part of Ahmedabad city. It may be in Ahmedabad district, but its as far away as Vadodara is.

In reality, the population growth of Surat has been faster than that of Ahmedabad for years. You are probably unaware that historically Surat has been larger than Ahmedabad for much longer than Ahmedabad has been larger than Surat.

Im not from either city, just basing my view on the stats.

Surat started to fall under British rule, while AMD flourished in the Mughal rule, declined in the Maratha rule (during which Vadodara rose to prominence), and rose again during British rule. Until now Surat and AMD have never shared the throne together...:)

population in Gujarat will go up rapidly I believe. 180 million people will live in land locked UP for only so long. The more industrialised Gujarat gets the more people from North will shift. I just hope no city in Gujarat becomes like Mumbai with 50% slum population.

Why should any city in Gujarat not become like Mumbai? If there is another commercial city of India, India as a whole will benefit. Its not a zero sum game by any means. Bangalore rising hasn't made Delhi less important. As far as slums are concerned, any city which has large scale migration of poor people is bound to have a lot of slum growth. The slums of Mumbai are in a real sense a measure of how attractive the city is to the poor and how many opportunities it must be offering that poor people migrate in such large numbers to it, rather than to nearby towns, both from within and outside Maharashtra. Even Delhi has 40 % or more slum population. You don't have enough low cost housing and migration of poor people in large or very large numbers. Slums are inevitable and in fact a sign of growth. Gurgaon has far more slums for example than Chandigarh. Jobs are more in Gurgaon.

Interestingly the core population of Surat is actually higher than the core population of Pune. Pune has a slight overall advantage due to the outlying areas, Hinjewadi and Pimpri-Chinchawad.

Acc to 2011 census

3,115,431 Pune (M.Corp) link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf)
1,729,359 Pimpri-Chinchawad (M.Corp) link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf)
205,178 Others
------------------
5,049,968 Pune UA link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf)

4,462,002 Surat (M.Corp) link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf)
123,365 Others
--------------
4,585,367 Surat UA link (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf)

With Surat being Indias 3rd largest coastal city, I think there is an obvious economic advantage compared to Pune for the future. Population growth is likely to reflect this.

Then again, Pune has a huge advantage: proximity to Mumbai the commercial capital. Unlike Surat, Pune has 3 major industries: IT, manufacturing and education hub for people from all over India. Many Gujarati students study in Pune. Surat maybe coastal but as yet it doesn't have the BPO-IT-manufacturing mix that Pune has. :cheers:

^^
Pune will have to focus on the IT and Manufacturing industries. Surat on the other hand is sitting on a gold mine. With Kalpasar dam, SEZ's, PCPIR's and SIR's coming around it and with its geographical gift, it is set to rise above both Pune and Ahmedabad. Though Ahmedabad has GIFT, Dholera and Sanand to fall back onto.

Here I agree with akku. In any state, its difficult for a Tier II city to go beyond the Tier I city. Ahmedabad has both GIFT and manufacturing and is expanding rapidly, incorporating villages around it as well Gandhinagar. The projects planned for Surat are long-term and will take time to show effect.

That's what I meant. Although at present Surat is growing faster than AMD (by pop), due to Sanand, GIFT and to some extent Dholera, AMD will continue to stay above Surat for at least 2 more decades...

That's what I meant. Although at present Surat is growing faster than AMD (by pop), due to Sanand, GIFT and to some extent Dholera, AMD will continue to stay above Surat for at least 2 more decades...

Ahmedabad will & always be ahead of Surat as it is biggest city of Gujarat.