Modi to dedicate 600 MW solar power projects to the nation on Thursday

Gandhinagar, April 17:  

 

 

Gujarat is set to emerge as India's largest solar power destination as the Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, dedicates 600 MW solar power projects to the nation on Thursday.

Currently, India’s total solar power production is nearly 900 MW, two-thirds of which will be produced by Gujarat alone.

On Thursday, Mr Modi will launch India’s first Solar Power Park with power generation capacity of 500 MW in 3,000 acres at village Charanka, Randhanpur taluka, in Patan district. Currently, it has an aggregated operational capacity of 214 MW of solar power projects commissioned at a single location.

Private companies have set up their solar power plants in this park.

The State’s solar power project also covered districts such as Anand, Banaskantha, Jamnangar, Junagadh, Kutch, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surat, and Surendranagar.

These will also be dedicated on this occasion, official sources said here.

The Patan ceremony will be attended by representatives from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the USA.

The Gujarat Solar Park is an innovative concept of the State Government to promote solar installations in which it allocated developed land to the project developers with the entire infrastructure including power evacuation, roads and water for commissioning of the power project put on fast track.

Under its Solar Power Policy, the State Government had signed up MoUs for generation of 968.5 MW of solar power by December 2011 and also took an initiative to launch the Gujarat Solar Park with a vision to build it as the world's largest solar power park. Its foundation stone was laid in December, 2010.

The 600 MW solar power project dedication ceremony will be followed by the “India Solar Summit 2012: Investment and Technology Expo” to be held in Gandhinagar on April 20 and 21, said Mr D.J. Pandian, Principal Secretary, Energy and Petrochemicals Department.

Modi presents Rs.7.30-cr incentive awards to 298 ‘samras' villages of central Gujarat

Friday, March 23, 2012

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi presented incentive awards worth Rs.7.30-crore to 298 ‘samras gram' panchayats and felicitated their sarpanch (village heads) from seven districts in central zone at a glittering function at Anand today.

Villages which elect their panchayat members through consensus instead of elections attain the status of ‘samras gram'. The seven districts covered today are Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Kheda, Dahod, Panchmahals and Surendranagar.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that several villages in the past had been centres of rivalry between a few influential families and the village panchayat elections also used to be marred by avoidable clashes, leading to neglect of development works in the village. Contesting elections has its charm and appeal, but consensus could be more appealing. With the introduction of ‘samras gram' in the state, he said that such villages now manage their own affairs better than other villages. The concept is democratic and yet more effective. Such villages in cooperation with the officials can do wonders and literally become Eden Garden.

Mr. Modi said that there are many more government schemes which do not require any funds. He called upon the village panchayats to take advantage of such schemes.

Describing ‘samras gram' as Gujarat's yet another gift to the nation, Mr. Modi welcomed the sarpanchs of Maharashtra, who have come to Gujarat to study the novel scheme.

He described Gujarat's massive check dams' network to check rainwater going down the rivers into the sea, implemented at village level, as another unique scheme which is paying handsome dividends in the form of recharging wells and raising the underground water table, to last till another monsoon. He said that ‘nirmal gram' is another successful state government initiative. It began with four such villages ten years back and now number about 6,000. The minimum goals are education of every girl child, nutritious food for every family, toilet in every home and drip irrigation in every farm.

Additional Chief Secretary for Panchayat Rajnikant Patel gave details of the scheme.

Prominent among those who attended the function included Panchayat Minister Narottam Patel, Education Minister Ramanlal Vora, Ministers of State for Health Parbat Patel and Jashwantsinh Bhabhor, Deputy Whip Ambalal Rohit, MPs Smriti Irani and Mansukh Mandviya, Gujarat Mahila Commission Chairperson Lilaben Ankoliya, MLAs Jyotsna Patel and Shrish Shukla, District Panchayat Presidents, ex-MP Deepak Patel and Principal Secretary Sangita Singh.

Muslims to seek their share from Congress pie

Mar 24, 2012

RAJKOT: The red carpet rolled out by chief minister Narendra Modi to welcome Muslims at his 'Sadbhavana Mission' fasts has made the community realize its political clout at least in Saurashtra and Kutch. Muslim votes are a deciding factor in at least 18 assembly seats in the region. Thanks to Sadbhavana fasts, Muslims seems to have gained in confidence and are in a mood to bargain with Congress for their share in the political skyline of Saurashtra and Kutch.

On Saturday, at least 250 Muslim leaders, most of whom who owe their allegiance to Congress, from Saurashtra and Kutch will hold a meeting in Palitana town of Bhavnagar district where they will discuss the issues concerning their community and the strategy for ensuing assembly elections in Gujarat.

"There are at least 18 assembly seats in Saurashtra and Kutch where Muslim votes are a deciding factor. However, no political party, including Congress, is very keen to give tickets to Muslim candidates in assembly and parliamentary elections. No Muslim leader from the region has been nominated to Rajya Sabha by any party for a long time now," a senior Muslim leader from Saurashtra said.

"In the past, except Amreli district, Muslim candidates had been elected from different assembly constituencies. Now there is only one Muslim MLA. Mohammed Javid Pirzada has been elected on Congress ticket from Wankaner in Rajkot district," said M K Bloch, ex-law minister in Madhavsinh Solanki's government in 1981-85.

"Muslims traditionally have voted for Congress, but nothing much has been done to empower the community. In fact, the benefits of central government schemes are not reaching the Muslims in the state. Time has come for the community to decide its political future. Muslims hold significant number of votes in 18 assembly seats in Saurashtra and Kutch yet they are being neglected. Muslim leaders need to discuss why this has happened and what is the way out?" said Nusrat Panja, secretary, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee. Panja had contested assembly election on Congress ticket from Somnath-Veraval in 1998, but had lost.

Another senior Muslim leader said, "We want more from Congress in the coming assembly elections. Frustration is building among Muslims.''

Bhuj, Mundra, Jamnagar, Wankaner, Dhoraji, Bhavnagar, Mahuva, Junagadh, Somnath, Mangrol, Kodinar, Manavadar and Rajkot are among the places where there are a sizeable number of Muslim voters.

Modi, Guj Guv unfurl flag at Bhavnagar

Continuing the practice Chief Minister Narendra Modi started a decade back, the State-level Republic Day celebration was held at Bhavnagar.

Soon after taking over the reins in Gujarat, Modi had started celebrating the Republic Day, Independence Day and the Gujarat Foundation Day (May1) at different district headquarters by turns so that people in all parts of the State get a chance to participate in these programmes.

Governor Dr Kamala Beniwal and Chief Minister unfurled the national flag at the Jawahar Maidan and inspected the parade by the police forces.

Chief Minister announced Rs 1,900 crores development package for Bhavnagar district. This fund would be spent on a ship-building park of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), a new industrial estate of the GIDC and various other projects.

Modi announces 3,500 cr package for Jamnagar

JAMNAGAR: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced Rs 3,500 crore for the development of Jamnagar at his 13th Sadbhavana Mission fast held in the city. He said plans would be drawn for all round development of the district.

Energy minister Saurabh Patel said an additional 4,000 mega watt would be produced from Jamnagar within the next two years.

Many senior BJP ministers and leaders were present on the occasion. Among those were finance minister Vajubhai Vala, agriculture minister Dilip Sanghani, higher and technical education minister Vasuben Trivedi, Gujarat Pradesh BJP president R C Faldu, Parshottam Rupala and Vijay Rupani. Satrusalya Sinhji of Jamnagar royal family welcomed Modi. He described the chief minister as a promising leader of Gujarat.

Congress leaders did not hold any rival fast. However, some Youth Congress leaders showed black flags to Modi and at least 130 of them were detained by the police.

Narendra Modi pays tribute to Dev Anand,recollecting emergency days

Gandhinagar, 4 December, 2011
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to veteran bollywood actor Dev Anand remembering his role in emergency period.
On demise of Hindi film actor Dev Anand(88) in London on Saturday night due to cardiac arrest, Gujarat Chief Minister on Sunday morning tweeted, “the guide of entertainment industry, Dev sahab has passed away. Our tributes to him….May his soul rest in peace.”
Modi further tweeted: “during the 1975-77 emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, Dev Sahab was the one who stood up in favour of democracy with most conviction.”
It should be mentioned that Modi was active underground worker against emergency imposed by then Prime Minister and Congress leader Indira Gandhi. Modi has also written a book about his activities in emergency period.

Sadbhavna mission is giving sleepless nights to anti-Gujarat elements:Narendra Modi in Kutch

By our political desk, Bhuj, 19 November, 2011

As many as 10,000 people from Kutch today voluntarily fasted with the Chief Minister Narendra Modi when he took upon a day-long fast today at Bhachau of Kutch district as a part of Sadbhavna mission.

Rounding up his fast Chief Minister said that all-round growth of the people of Gujarat is the indicator of the strength of unity and peace, which is the only way to development.

Because of Sadbhavna mission, Chief Minister said, the anti-Gujarat elements are now facing sleepless nights, which itself suggests the power of Sadbhavna that is prevailing in Gujarat from the last one decade. People of Gujarat never pay heed to the conspiracies and lies devised by the anti-Gujarat elements. Gujarat will never bow down despite a thousand try by the rulers of Delhi Sultanate.

Mr. Modi thanked the large gathering that came from the four talukas of Kutch – Bachau, Anjar, Rapar and Gandhidham to support the Chief Minister and the objectives of the Sadbhavna mission.

The venom of communalism was not there in India before independence but it was spread by some who played vote-bank politics to grill their political bread. Gujarat, for the first time, has raised voice against it and showed a way to bring a change, Mr. Modi said.

People of other state would also have to take the path of unity and peace if they want growth as it is happening in Gujarat. With the prevalence of Sadbhana, growth will come automatically, he said.

He also said how the Centre in indifferent towards the conservation of cow-progeny even after the directives of Supreme Court. Contrary to it, he said, Gujarat has organized over 3000 cattle health fair and eliminated some 112 diseases related to the animals.

Chief Minister also urged people to identify the growth-hurdling people who are out to hinder the development works of the state government.