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| World's Largest Clean-Energy Project: The world's largest clean-energy project to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions is being planned by Ahmedabad based Self-Employed Women's Association (Sewa). The organisation will give 200,000 energy-efficient stoves and solar lanterns to its members in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Sewa's self-employed women spend as much as 35% of their income on fuel alone, so they can benefit immensely through an alternative energy initiative. The three-year-long project, called ‘Hariyali', will receive financial assistance from International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. (24-11-2011) |
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| Closed Circuit Television Cameras For Police: Police departments in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot and Gandhinagar will soon install several hundred hi-tech PTZ CCTVs (pan-tilt-zoom closed circuit television cameras) in public places. This decision follows the recent terror alerts in Gujarat. The high-resolution CCTVs will be more sophisticated than the ones in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. They will be more expensive too, with each unit costing over Rs. 100,000. In Vadodara, 53 strategic locations have been identified on busy roads and traffic islands and in trouble-prone areas. The CCTVs will have an automatic vehicle number plate recognition system to trace and photograph the movement of suspect vehicles. (23-09-2011) |
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| E-Libraries In Courts: Courts in 225 talukas in Gujarat may soon have e-libraries to provide easy and cost-effective access to legal and judicial databases for the benefit of judges and advocates. This should help to improve the quality of judicial administration. The e-libraries will feature important law journals and books and major judgments of the Supreme Court and high courts. Access to the e-library will be free, but advocates will have to pay for printouts of judgments. (17-09-2011) |
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| More Relevant Education For Doctors: Come 2012 and medical education in India is likely to undergo a major change. The Medical Council of India (MCI) recently invited suggestions from the deans of several medical colleges. The medical curriculum has by and large remained unchanged the same since 1989. The revamp will take into account the latest medical advances, diseases and treatments. A brief foundation course for medical students was also suggested to provide an overview of hospital administration, medical economics and medical ethics. Other suggestions: first year MBBS to increase from 12 months to 14 months, and second and third year MBBS to be 20 months each; introduction of subjects such as telemedicine, bio-informatics and healthcare management. (15-09-2011) |
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| Gujarat’s Population Crosses 60 Million: Gujarat’s population touched 60.4 million in 2011. It grew 19.17 per cent between 2001 and 2011, 35.83 per cent growth in the urban areas and 9.23 per cent in the rural areas. Migration into Gujarat and intra-state migration from rural to urban areas (for jobs) seems to have caused this rural to urban shift. More rural areas are drifting to non-agricultural activities. In 153 towns, 75 per cent of the people who were formerly rural have changed to non-agricultural activities. (15-09-2011) |
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| Boat Ambulances In Gujarat: Boat Ambulances In Gujarat: GVK Emergency Management & Research Institute (EMRI) proposes to add boat ambulances to their fleet in Gujarat for the 108 emergency response services. This will help in quickly reaching victims in the state’s coastal areas. At present EMRI has 506 ambulances. The boat ambulances will be introduced in four to five coastal locations on an experimental basis. If the experiment is successful, then the plan will be carried forward. (12-09-2011) |
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| Urban Transport Helpline Numbers: India’s ministry of urban development is toying with the idea of introducing a common helpline number for travellers throughout the country to answer questions relating to bus routes, taxi tariffs, etc. The number will be similar to 100 for police and 139 for Indian railways. Two urban transport helpline numbers are planned: 15220 will be toll-free or at a nominal cost for basic services, and 15221 for value added services. This is still at the idea stage, and the eventual success of the plan will depend on how effectively different cities cooperate. (02-09-2011) |
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| Gujarati Film Industry: The Gujarati film industry recently crossed the figure of 1,000 films. The first Gujarati film, 'Narsinh Mehta', was released in 1932. The popularity of Bollywood (Hindi film industry) overpowers the world of Gollywood (Gujarati film industry). The directors of Gujarati films find it safer to cater to audiences in villages, and urban audiences thus stay away. Roughly, only 80 theatres screen Gujarati films in the state. Besides, the acting and other related talent is gravitating towards the greater attractions and glamour of Bollywood and the small screen (television serials). (29-08-2011) |
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| 108 Service Completes Four Years In Gujarat: The 108 services of Emergency Management & Research Institute (EMRI) started in Gujarat in August 2007. The service has completed four years. It now saves one life every 14 minutes. On an average, 2,250 emergencies are handled per day and an ambulance is dispatched every 42 seconds. Every hour, there is one child born in a 108 emergency vehicle. Post August 2007 there has been a 70 per cent improvement in infant mortality rate and mother mortality rate. It is claimed that in 99 cases out of 100 an emergency 108 call is answered after the first ring itself. It is further claimed that 125,000 lives have been saved in the state so far. Roughly 60 per cent of the patients are women while 40 per cent are men, and 69 per cent are from rural or semi-urban areas while 31 per cent are from cities. (28-08-2011) |
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| Encourage Farming Of Medicinal Herbs: The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has suggested to AYUSH (the department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy under the ministry of health and family welfare) that they may have something to learn from Chinese examples by introducing the farming of medicinal herbs and doing mass scientific validation of medicines. IIM’s suggestions were based on recommendations by managers, professors, doctors, researchers and field workers. Over 90 % of the medicinal herbs used to manufacture AYUSH medicines are procured form forests, while China has begun to farm these medicinal plants. IIM also suggested that incentives be offered to cultivators of medicinal plants, along with a buy-back policy. (25-06-2011) |
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| First Batch Graduates From Forensic Sciences University: The first batch of students has graduated from Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) in Gandhinagar, India’s first such university. Already, more than half of those who have completed the two-year masters course in forensic and behavioural sciences have found jobs with companies in the areas of corporate espionage, data theft, adulteration, counterfeit drug prevention, ballistics testing and financial frauds. The employers include Zydus Cadila Pharmaceuticals, ICICI Lombard, Perkin Elmer (India), Forensic Science Laboratory (Goa), Claris Pharmaceuticals, Environment Pollution Control Board, Indian Air Force, etc. (25-06-2011) |
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| Mobile Number Portability: People in Gujarat have so far made the largest number – 834,000 in all – of mobile number portability (MNP) requests in India (to change their telecom service providers). As of April 30, 2011, 8.54 million users in the country had applied for MNP. The MNP service was started on January 20, 2011. The next three states are Rajasthan (710,000), Karnataka (663,000) and Tamil Nadu (641,000). The Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is a service that allows its customers to use the existing number while switching to another operator. (16-06-2011) |
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| Land Record Digitisation: The Gujarat government has begun work on a land record digitisation project at a cost of Rs. 150 million. This will cover all existing land records, urban as well as rural. It will involve biometric authentication and photo identity proofs of the land owners at city survey offices and the offices of village talatis and mamlatdars. A unique bar-code number will ultimately be given to each record and it will be made available only to authorised government agencies. The digitisation project should help to reduce cases of forgery and cheating, and also enable the relevant authorities to monitor every land deal in the state. (15-06-2011) |
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| ‘Cricket Na Niyamo’: Ranji cricket umpire Keki Doodhwala of Surat has written ‘Cricket Na Niyamo’ a Gujarati book on the laws of cricket. The book has been approved by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The book costs Rs. 50. It has been put on www.lords.org/mcc the official website of the MCC. (15-06-2011) |
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| Gujarat Moves Fast On Solar Power Front: The first phase of the 10 MW Azure Power solar plant was recently inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, at Khadoda village in Sabarkantha district. Gujarat plans to establish 100 MW capacity of solar power in the next six months. The power plant in Khadoda is one of India’s largest utility-scale solar power plants. It has been connected to the Gujarat State Electricity Board grid. It will benefit over 100,000 villagers and will reduce carbon emissions by 15,000 metric tonnes. It has been set up on 60 acres of community land, at a cost of Rs. 1.7 billion, under the Build-Own-Operate mode. Gujarat has the advantage of high solar radiation levels, with 300 days of clear sun. The state has 14.4 million acres of wasteland in areas of high solar radiation. The Khadoda plant uses about 9,120 photovoltaic solar modules to convert sunlight into electricity. (14-06-2011) |
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| AMUL To Make Indian Sweets: The Kheda District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Limited, otherwise known as Amul Dairy, will soon be making kaju katris and pedas. The company is entering into the traditional Indian sweet market. It is setting up an automatic khoya manufacturing section at its chocolate plant at Mogar in Anand. To increase the shelf life of these sweets it will rely on modified atmosphere packing (MAP), the technology that it uses to package cheese slices. MAP can increase shelf life to 30 days. (14-06-2011) |
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| IIM Ahmedabad To Tap Alumni Resources: The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and its alumni propose to set up a company to tap the resources of the 34,000 students who have graduated from the institute in the last 50 years. The company, Vidya Vardhini Education Foundation (VVEF), will be set up under Section 25 of the Companies Act. The company hopes to eventually raise Rs. 250 crores. The funds will be utilised for infrastructure expansion and case studies and to help students from economically weak backgrounds. Section 25 companies are non-profit entities meant to promote commerce, art, science, religion or charity. Their profits and other incomes are deployed only to further their objectives. (30-03-2011) |
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Major Donations For CHARUSAT: The Charutar University of Science & Technology (CHARUSAT) in Changa (District Anand) has recently received three major donations: Rs. 10 million for the PG Pharmacy Studies Centre (from Mr. H.T. Patel), Rs. 10 million for the development of the Civil Engineering Department (from Mr. Hasmukhbhai Patel), and Rs. 30 million for CHARUSAT's healthcare initiative (from Mr. P.D. Patel). Started in 2000, CHARUSAT has a capital outlay of Rs. 650 million. It has received donations from over 800 persons. Almost 4,000 students are enrolled.
(29-03-2011) |
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| Centre for Marine Bio-Diversity: The National Centre for Marine Bio-Diversity (NCMB), the first institution of its kind in India, was launched recently in Jamnagar. NCMB is a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) project between the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Reliance Industries Ltd. Of the start-up cost of Rs. 300 million, MoEF will contribute Rs. 200 million and Reliance Industries will give the rest. The centre will promote research related to India’s coastal and marine eco-system, part of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme (ICZMP) recently launched by the MoEF with World Bank assistance through the Society for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (SICOM). This programme will be managed by the Gujarat Ecology Commission. NCMB will help protect the rich marine bio-diversity in Jamnagar. (10-03-2011) |
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| No Pre-Admission Interviews For Primary Schools: Primary schools will no longer be allowed to interview children or their parents prior to admissions. Admissions will now have to be on a first-come-first-served basis or by draw of lots. Following a recent notification by the Gujarat government, the administration of primary education will be subject to new rules. The objective is to enforce the right of children to free and compulsory education under the act of 2009. The rules will apply to all school boards – state CBSE, ISCE, etc. Private schools will reserve 25 per cent of seats for underprivileged children in the primary sections. Capitation fees are also prohibited. Schools violating these rules will be fined heavily. (08-03-2011) |
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