Blog

Gujarat Finance Minister Kanu Desai on Thursday presented the state budget for 2025-26 in the Assembly, with a record allocation of Rs 3,70,250 crore. This marks the fourth consecutive budget under his leadership, focusing on education, infrastructure, skill development, and social welfare.A major highlight is the Rs 59,999 crore allocation for education, reinforcing Gujarat’s commitment to modernizing its education system to align with global standards and the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

The budget places a strong emphasis on improving education quality and accessibility. The Mission Schools of Excellence programme will receive Rs 2,914 crore, enabling structural improvements in over 25,000 classrooms. The Namo Lakshmi Yojana has been allocated Rs 1,250 crore to promote girls’ education, while Rs 782 crore will be spent under the Right to Education (RTE) Act to support students in private schools. The Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana will benefit 2.5 lakh students with an allocation of Rs 250 crore, and Rs 223 crore has been earmarked for student travel concessions in State Transport (ST) buses.

The Gyan Shakti Residential Schools of Excellence will receive Rs 200 crore to enhance residential education facilities. Scholarships also see a significant push, with Rs 100 crore for the Gyan Sadhana Merit Scholarship, benefiting 75,000 students, and Rs 70 crore for the Gyan Setu Merit Scholarship, assisting 90,000 students. The recruitment of over 22,000 teachers in government and aided schools is also underway, addressing staff shortages and improving education quality. A substantial portion of the budget is dedicated to infrastructure development, with a focus on roadways, public transportation, and smart city initiatives.

Key investments include Rs 5,000 crore for road expansion projects, Rs 4,000 crore for smart cities, and Rs 3,500 crore for urban housing projects. The government aims to enhance connectivity between industrial hubs and rural areas, boosting economic growth. The healthcare sector has been allotted over Rs 40,000 crore, with plans to establish new hospitals and upgrade existing facilities.

A key initiative includes the integration of AI-based diagnostics in government hospitals to enhance patient care. The Ayushman Bharat Yojana has been allocated Rs 3,200 crore, ensuring wider healthcare coverage for low-income families.Gujarat continues its focus on women’s empowerment with Rs 15,000 crore allocated to the schemes for nutrition, financial independence, and safety. The Namo Lakshmi Yojana and Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyam Yojana are key initiatives that encourage education and entrepreneurship among women.

The government also plans to strengthen anganwadis and child nutrition programmes, ensuring better healthcare for children in rural and urban areas.

With Gujarat emerging as an industrial hub, the budget emphasizes job creation and entrepreneurship. The state has allocated Rs 10,000 crore towards skill development and startup incentives, focusing on IT, AI, renewable energy, and manufacturing sectors. New training centres and incubation hubs will be established to equip youth with industry-ready skills. To support Gujarat’s agricultural sector, the government has set aside Rs 25,000 crore for irrigation, smart farming techniques, and crop insurance subsidies.The Mukhyamantri Kisan Yojana will receive a major boost, ensuring better irrigation facilities and financial support for farmers. The focus is on sustainable agriculture, water conservation, and the adoption of technology-driven farming practices. Gujarat has committed Rs 12,000 crore towards solar, wind, and hydrogen power projects. The state aims to increase its solar capacity by 5,000 MW and invest in electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, making Gujarat a major player in India’s green energy transition.

Narcotics, including hybrid ganja, MD drugs, and charas valued at Rs 3.45 crore, were seized from Ahmedabad, police said on Thursday.The narcotics were illegally imported from the US, Canada, and Thailand, disguised as toys and food items shipped via online platforms to evade detection.

Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, shared details of the operation through a post on social media platform X.Ahmedabad Crime Branch takes decisive action to dismantle a major drug smuggling operation. This is a warning to those involved in such illegal activities that strict action will be taken to protect the public,” Mr Sanghavi stated.

The successful operation has not only exposed the international supply chain but also intensified the crackdown on local handlers and distributors. The Crime Branch has assured that further investigations are underway to trace all individuals involved in the racket.In the past two years, Gujarat’s state agencies have seized narcotic drugs worth Rs 4,058.01 crore and liquor valued at Rs 211.86 crore, leading to the arrest of over 3 lakh individuals involved in these illegal activities.

Vadodara district reported the highest seizures, totalling Rs 1,620.7 crore, followed by Bharuch with Rs 1,389.91 crore, and Kutch with Rs 1,040.57 crore.The Border Security Force (BSF) once again foiled the nefarious design of smugglers by seizing 2.35 kg of heroin dropped by a Pakistani drone near the International Border in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district today.

The BSF said, “On the intervening night of July 17-18, its troops deployed near the border fence heard the dropping of something by drone.”Early today, during a search operation conducted at about 6.45 am, the BSF said, its troops observed a suspicious packet ahead of the border fence in the farming field near Kalsian Khurd village in Tarn Taran district.

During the detailed search, the BSF troops recovered one packet of narcotics suspected to be heroin weighing 2.35 kg wrapped with yellow adhesive tape from the farming field ahead of border fencing.Between 2021 and June 2024, authorities confiscated over 87,000 kilograms of narcotics, estimated at Rs 9,600 crore, resulting in the arrest of approximately 2,600 individuals.The Gujarat government has launched an anti-drugs campaign, involving awareness programmes in schools, colleges, and religious places, and plans to establish additional rehabilitation centres in collaboration with the Health Department.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged Gujarat’s Bharwad community to adopt natural farming and plant trees as part of the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign.

He also urged the community, which is mainly into cattle rearing, to contribute towards making India a developed nation by 2047.

PM Modi was virtually addressing the community members who had gathered in large numbers at Bavaliyali Dham in Dholera taluka of Ahmedabad to attend a religious event.

“We have given immense pain to our Mother Earth as we kept drawing water and then dumped poisonous chemicals into it. Now, it is our responsibility to make it healthy again and cow dung can help revive Earth. I urge you all to adopt natural farming and serve Mother Earth,” he said.

He appealed to the community to ensure their cattle receive vaccine shots, provided free of cost by the Centre, against foot-and-mouth disease.We have to build Viksit Bharat in the next 25 years and I need your community’s support for it. And I firmly believe that the first step is to make our villages developed,” said the PM.

He informed the community members that the Kisan Credit Card, which was earlier issued to farmers only, is now being extended to cattle rearers too, enabling them to avail loans at low interest rates.

“We also run Rashtriya Gokul Mission for the conservation of indigenous bovine breeds. You should take advantage of these schemes. I also urge you to plant a tree under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign,” said the PM in his address.

He called Bavaliyali Dham a place of faith, culture and religion.

PM Modi appealed to the community to “change as per circumstances and make their daughters learn (to operate) computers”.Earlier in the day, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had visited Bavaliyali Dham and attended the religious programme organised by the Bharward community.

A direct flight between Ahmedabad and Gwalior is set to begin operations on April 7, with Akasa Air securing approval under the summer schedule. The flight’s launch comes after Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s dedicated efforts to improve air connectivity between the two cities.

Previously, Akasa Air operated a weekly service on this route during the winter, but it was discontinued due to less number of passengers.

In February 2024, Mr Scindia, then the Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, inaugurated the Gwalior-Ahmedabad flight route along with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. The service was launched with a weekly frequency, with assurances that it would be increased based on demand.

During the event, Mr Scindia said this flight would boost trade and tourism across the two states and strengthen the local economy. He spoke about Gwalior’s rapid aviation development, saying at the time that the new terminal at Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Airport was completed in just 16 months. The Rs 498 crore facility, spread over 20,000 sqm, can now accommodate 1,400 passengers per hour and handle up to 2 million annually.

Jyotiraditya Scindia also pointed out that Gwalior’s air connectivity has expanded significantly. In 2014, the city was linked to only two destinations. Now, it connects to seven cities – Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Ayodhya – with 66 flight movements per week, which is a 181 per cent increase since 2014.

“There were a total of 473 flights in the year 2014 in the entire Madhya Pradesh, which has now increased to 968 in the year 2024, i.e. an increase of more than 100 per cent,” he said.The Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Airport, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has played a key role in regional air travel development.

In March 2024, Jyotiraditya Scindia, now the Minister of Communications and Minister of Development of the North Eastern Region, also inaugurated Fly91, a regional airline, off its first flight between Goa’s Manohar International Airport (MOPA) and Agatti Islands, Lakshadweep.

The Congress party in Gujarat has announced that it will contest by-elections to the Visavadar and Kadi Assembly seats independently, without partnering with its INDIA bloc ally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The announcement was made following a key meeting of the Gujarat Congress’ Political Affairs Committee, chaired by the party’s national general secretary and state in-charge, Mukul Wasnik, in Ahmedabad. In addition to the bypoll strategy, discussions were also held on organisational matters, including the appointment of district presidents, which is expected to be finalised by May 31.Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil clarified that the decision was taken unanimously after considering past electoral trends in the state. “Gujarat’s voters have never accepted a third front,” he said, recalling historical attempts by leaders such as Shankarsinh Vaghela, Chimanbhai Patel, and others to form alternative alliances — all of which failed to make significant electoral inroads.

“Even when AAP broke 11 per cent of the votes in the last election, it only ended up damaging Congress, not benefiting the state’s opposition,” Mr Gohil asserted.The high-level meeting was attended by prominent state leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Amit Chavda, former state president Jagdish Thakor, senior leaders Siddharth Patel and Bharat Singh Solanki, as well as MLAs Jignesh Mevani and Shailesh Parmar.Mr Gohil further emphasised that the Congress remains the principal opposition in Gujarat and that contesting these bypolls under its own symbol would be a decisive step to reinforce its presence. “This decision is in the interest of the Gujarati people. We will fight and win these seats independently, and I urge voters to support Congress now and again in 2027 to build a strong, alternative government,” he added.

Earlier, the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which made its Gujarat debut in 2022 and secured five seats, further reduced Congress’ vote share, particularly in urban areas and among younger voters. Internal factionalism, lack of strong grassroots organisation, and the absence of a charismatic local leadership have added to the party’s problems.

Despite the setbacks, the Congress still holds influence in select rural regions and among traditional support bases like Dalits, tribals, and segments of the OBC community. The party is now focused on rebuilding its cadre and strengthening organisational structures ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.

More than 1,000 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, including women and children, were detained following combing operations in Ahmedabad and Surat, and efforts were underway for their deportation, Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said on Saturday.

At least 890 Bangladeshis were detained in Ahmedabad and 134 in Surat, in what the minister termed as the biggest operation of its kind by the Gujarat police to date.Mr Sanghavi warned illegal immigrants residing in Gujarat to surrender before the police on their own accord, or else they will be arrested and deported.

He also warned of legal action against people providing shelter to illegal immigrants.

“A historic success has been achieved in nabbing illegal Bangladeshis. As many as 890 illegal immigrants were caught by the Ahmedabad police and 134 by the Surat police. This is the biggest operation of the Gujarat Police against people living illegally in the state,” Mr Sanghavi told reporters in Surat after chairing a meeting with senior police officers via video-conferencing.

He said the detainees used fake documents obtained from West Bengal to stay in different parts of India before coming to Gujarat.The minister said, “Many of these people are involved with drug cartels, human trafficking, and as we saw how two out of the four Bangladeshis arrested recently worked in sleeper cells of Al Qaeda. A probe will be conducted into the background of these Bangladeshis and their activities in Gujarat.” He said arrangements were made “to complete all the procedures for their deportation as soon as possible”.

“We will also investigate fake documents they used to reach different parts of the country and Gujarat, and action will be taken against those who created the fake documents,” he added.Mr Sanghavi said the police have been instructed to take action against illegal immigrants across Gujarat, and a clear order has been given to Pakistani nationals to leave Gujarat as per the decision taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security.

It is the state government’s responsibility to ensure citizens of other countries don’t stay illegally in their state, the minister said while congratulating the Ahmedabad City and Surat police for successfully nabbing the “intruders” by staying in the field all night for the operation.

He further said that West Bengal would be provided with proof of how the detainees got fake documents made in the state.Talking to the media in Ahmedabad, Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay said the detainees were being questioned, and their nationality was being established based on documentary and other evidence.

“Once the police establish that they are Bangladeshi nationals, the process of their deportation will be carried out at the earliest in coordination with the Central government and Border Security Force (BSF),” he said.

Sahay said the operation was conducted simultaneously in Ahmedabad and Surat around 3 am on Saturday.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!