1. AMC's Draft Budget Aims for Cleaner, Greener City
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Tuesday, 22 January, announced a Rs 7,509-crore budget for the year 2019-20 with a focus on tackling issues such as traffic, pollution, and making Ahmedabad a clean city.
“We have addressed these issues in the draft budget. We will undertake capping of Pirana with an expenditure of Rs 300 crore, and make Sabarmati pollution-free with an estimated expenditure of Rs 500 crore. We are also focusing on electric mobility, and will acquire 1,000 electric buses in three years,” Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra told reporters.
AMC has proposed to spend Rs 500 crore for building five multi-level parkings, Rs 446 crore for water, Rs 457 crore for roads, Rs 260 crore for bridges and flyovers, and other works.
(Source: DNA)
2. Work on 464 Projects to Begin by March: Vijay Rupani
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday, 22 January, said that over 400 companies that have signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) worth Rs 1.11 lakh crore with the Gujarat government during the ninth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, organised since 2003, will commence work on their proposed investment projects by March 2019.
“Many opponents do not believe Vibrant Gujarat and keep on repeating themselves like an old audio-cassette that MoUs disappear and only hollow talks are being done during Vibrant (Summits). And therefore, the Gujarat government has decided that by the end of this financial year in March, work on investments worth Rs 1.11 lakh crore will commence. It could be ground-breaking event, inauguration, beginning of work or starting of the production,” the CM said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Gujarat to Showcase Dandi March on Republic Day Tableau
This year, the Gujarat government will present the historical Dandi March as the theme of its tableau during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.
With the defence ministry approving the theme, the Gujarat tableau will remind people of the independence movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
In the front part of the tableau, a very rare sculpture depicting his childhood and Kirti Mandir which is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, is shown. In the trolley part of tableau, a glimpse of Dandi March starting from Sabarmati Ashram and passing through Dandi Bridge appears.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Swine Flu Returns: Three Deaths Reported in Rajkot in a Day
Three deaths due to swine flu were reported in Rajkot on Tuesday, 22 January, taking the death toll in that city to 22 in January alone.
While the state health department’s silence on the number of patients and deaths continues, figures from various cities point to more than 25 swine flu deaths across the state of Gujarat this month.
According to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), 60 swine flu cases were reported in its jurisdiction from 1 to 20 January. Two deaths were reported at AMC-run hospitals. Civil Hospital authorities said they handled 33 H1N1 cases in January, of which 15 patients are still being treated.
Civil Hospital admitted one patient on Tuesday.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Uzbekistan Offers 20,000 Hectare Land to Farmers, Firms
Farmers, agro processing business units and others will soon come together in a conglomerate of sorts as part of an MoU signed between Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation (GAIC) and the Republic of Uzbekistan. As part of the MoU, the Uzbek government has also offered around 20,000 ha of land for farming, as well as for agro industries in the Central Asian Country.
The MoU calls for formation of various agencies under GAIC to provide training for capacity building and facilitate technology transfer between both the countries, said a government official.
"We are looking at farm to fork solutions and the Uzbek government has offered 20,000 ha of land. This means even farmers from Gujarat will be able to make use of the opportunity," said Sanjay Prasad, additional chief secretary, department of Agriculture, at the inaugural session on sustainable technology driven agriculture for new India at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2019.
(Source: DNA)
6. Girl Molested, Brother Knifed, Father Assaulted
A 25-year-old woman filed a complaint with Ahmedabad Police stating that she was molested in public by three men on 14 January, near her residence in Amraiwadi, and her brother was knifed and father thrashed by perpetrators when they resisted.
The complainant, whose family earns a livelihood from embroidery work, stated that she was returning home after handling over her work to a client when three men started teasing her. When she confronted them, one of them held her hand and the others started groping her in public.
The girl, her father and brother filed a complaint at Amraiwadi police station against the three persons, identified as Narendra Yadav, Surendra Yadav and Vijay Kumar.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. Mahuva Lion Attack: SCAT Analysis Confirms Sub-Adult Lion's Role
The scat analysis of the pride of lions that was suspected to have attacked and killed a 35-year-old man near Mahuva Taluka in Bhavnagar district has confirmed the attack.
An official in the know said that the presence of human hair was found in the scat analysis of one of the sub-adults that was part of the group. The forest department will now decide on the future course of action.
The half-eaten body of Ramabhai Chudasama was found by locals at the outskirts of Gujarada village on the morning of 13 December.
(Source: DNA)
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