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Gujarat

  • Alang s toxic yard

    Alang s toxic yard

    health and environmental conditions in the world's largest shipbreaking yard at Alang, Gujarat, are deteriorating due to unscientific and unsafe shipbreaking practises, according to a study

  • Fantastic workers of the terrain

    Fantastic workers of the terrain

    About 4,000 years ago, people in Lothal showed us how best to integrate land and water management practices

  • In Short

    green flag to blue lady: The Supreme Court, on June 5, 2006, gave the green light to the French cruise liner S S Norway, a k a Blue Lady, to enter Indian territorial waters and permitted it to

  • In Short

    kandla mishap: 15 labourers were killed on June 29, 2006, at the Kandla port in Gujarat, when a Cyprus flag ship M V Pontonostos collided with the Anchor Handling Barge. The accident occurred in

  • Cost of living

    Cost of living

    The shipbreakers of Alang are an exasperated lot. "As it is we are crippled by excise duty and competition. Then these Greenpeace activists make business tough for us. Shipbreaking falls under 32 government departments. How are we supposed to operate,' says R K Jain, operator of a ship breaking plot and an ancillary steel rolling mill in Alang.<br>

  • Bad planning

    Bad planning

    <script language='javascript'> function table() { var popurl="files/images/20060831/30-table.jpg" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=450,height=350,scrollbars=yes") } </script> In a tearing hurry, the <font class="UCASE">jnnurm</font> directorate has cleared over 23 infrastructure projects worth Rs 86,482.95 crore to meet the March 31 deadline.

  • The Polo Killings Exposed How Little The State Authorities Knew What Was Happening In The Forests

    If the pristine Polo forest of Sabarkantha had not been violated, and two tribals killed in police firing on Wednesday, probably the state authorities would not have understood the gravity of the new Tribal Rights Act.

  • BoA clears 14 new SEZs

    The Board of Approval (BoA) of the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) on Monday cleared 14 new proposals, including ten formal approvals. While two SEZs each have been cleared in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, one each will come up in Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The BoA granted formal approvals to two SEZs of the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd. (SIPCOT), one for transport engineering goods at Tirunelveli and another of automobile and auto ancillary at Thiruvannamalai. Similarly, two SEZs of Mahindra Worldcity (Jaipur) Ltd. of handicrafts and light engineering at Jaipur were given formal approvals. Other SEZs cleared include an information technology SEZ by Videocon Realtors and Infrastructure Ltd. at Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, IT SEZ by Devbhumi Realtors Pvt. Ltd. at Ranga Reddy District in Andhra Pradesh, pharmaceuticals SEZ by JB SEZ Pvt. Ltd. at Panoli in Gujarat and Power SEZ by Wardha Power Company at Chandrapur in Maharashtra. According to Commerce Secretary G. K. Pillai, who also heads the Board of Approval, so far formal approvals have been granted for setting up of 439 SEZs out of which 201 have been notified as on date. The Commerce Secretary said that over Rs. 67,347 crore had been invested in these notified SEZs, giving direct employment to 97,478 persons, which is in addition to the employment provided to 1.83 lakh persons by the seven Central Government established SEZs.

  • SSP oustees' rehabilitation complete

    Rehabilitation benefits have been provided to all 32,160 families affected by Sardar Sarovar project, who had opted to be rehabilitated in Madhya Pradesh. Out of total 37,975 families of MP affected by 138.68m final dam height of the project 5815 had to be rehabilitated in Gujarat state. Out of these 5815 families, rehabilitation of 5782 families had also been completed in Gujarat. Now only 33 families have to be rehabilitated. This was informed during a review of rehabilitation progress under Narmada Valley projects by vice chairman of Narmada Valley Development Authority Pradeep Bhargava here at Narmada Bhavan. Bhargava was chairing a meeting to review the rehabilitation status of three major projects of the valley namely-Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP), Indira Sagar Project (ISP) and Omkareshwar (OSP). The Director Rehabilitation, RK Gupta informed that as much as 22438 residential plots had been allotted to the affected families in 88 rehabilitation sites developed for resettlement. There was option before displace families to take residential plot of 60x90 feet size free of cost or go for Rs 50,000 in lieu of plot. Using this option, 7806 families opted to take cash director rehabilitation informed. Bhargava reviewing the rehabilitation status of ISP and OSP directed officials to make frequent visits in the project affected areas so to address the problems of PAF's. He said that field officers should discharge rehabilitation work with full sensitivity besides keeping a strict vigil on encroachments in the areas vacated by PAF's. Bhargava also reviewed the work of shifting temples and monuments of archaeological importance from the reservoir areas of these projects with Director Archaeology Pramod Agarwal. He asked to prepare a time bound program to shift the remaining monuments before the onset of monsoon. He said that relocation sites of temples should be decided in consultation with local people and district Administration. Vice Chairman informed that a decision has been taken to cover project-affected families under various schemes of rural development. The officers have been put to specific training to make survey and prepare working plan for implementing various rural development and employment oriented schemes for displaced population of the Narmada Valley. He said that construction of irrigation field channels under Narmada Valley Projects would be undertaken in National Rural Employment Guaranty Scheme. It may be mentioned here that SSP would provide 57% of its total power generation to MP, which amounts to 826.5 MW. The state had already started drawing its power share.

  • Gujarat aims at 15% industrial growth for 5 yrs

    'Brand Gujarat' is on the roll and the state government is aiming to reach out globally this time.

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