1. Gujarat CM Takes Ill, Cancels Visit to Junagadh
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani took ill on Friday morning, 1 March, and his health deteriorated later in the day, leading to cancellation of his official engagements and a trip to Junagadh, said a medical bulletin issued by the state government.
Rupani, said to be stable now, was forced to cancel his trip to Junagadh after his health deteriorated in Rajkot, said the bulletin.
The 62-year-old chief minister has been diagnosed with swelling on intestines and advised rest by doctors, it said. All his engagements for Friday evening and Saturday, 2 March, were cancelled, officials in the CMO said.
Rupani was supposed to receive Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Rajkot airport.
From there, both of them were scheduled to visit the ongoing Shivratri fair at Junagadh town, which has been declared as a 'Mini Kumbh' by the Gujarat government, the officials said.
(Source: PTI)
2. PM Modi to Lay Foundation Stone of Patidar Empowerment Hub on 4 March
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Vishva Umiya-dham-Patidar Empowerment Hub on 4 March. The hub is being developed by the Vishv Umiya Foundation, a social and religious trust of the Kadva Patidars, to empower the members of the community, especially youth, widows and senior citizens, through various means, including providing skill training, accommodation and guidance.
Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel, who himself is a Kadva Patidar, has decided to boycott the event over the invitation extended to the Prime Minister. Modi will be in Gujarat on a two-day visit on 4 and 5March.
Hardik had written an open letter to the foundation, warning them that they would be held responsible if any untoward incident took place at the event.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. One Swine Flu Patient Dies, 95 New Cases in Gujarat
There is still no respite from swine flu, as one more patients succumbed to the H1N1 virus on Friday, 1 March, taking the total number of swine flu deaths this year to 97.
The state health department said in a release that 95 new cases of seasonal flu were reported in the state today. With these, the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the state since 1 January 2019 touched 3,112.
The number of swine flu cases in Ahmedabad city is nearing 1,000, i.e. almost one-third of the total cases. As of 28 February, the number of such cases in the city was 924. This went up to 956 with 32 more cases getting confirmed on Friday.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
4. Gujarat Illegal Mining Case: Congress MLA Gets 32-Month Rigorous Imprisonment
A Gujarat court on Friday, 1 March, sentenced a Congress MLA to 32 months of rigorous imprisonment in a 24-year-old case of illegal limestone mining.
The court of First Class Judicial Magistrate of Sutrapada, Sunil Mehta, pronounced Bhagwan Barad, MLA from Talala constituency in Gir Somnath district, guilty of stealing 2,83,525 metric tonnes of limestone, worth Rs 2.83 crore, after illegally mining the mineral from a gauchar (pastoral land) of Sutrapada town in 1995.
The court found him guilty under IPC Section 379 (theft) and sentenced him to 32 months’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed fine of Rs 2,500. The court acquitted him of the charge under IPC Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) for want of evidence.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Gujarat: Farmers Won't Allow Land Survey
Farmers of Gir Somnath district said they will not allow any survey of land for the proposed railway line between Veraval and Kodinar. They will also conduct a series of protest to press for their demand to get the project cancelled.
Farmers organised a series of public meetings at Kadvasan, Lodhva, Prashnavda, and Mithapur villages on Friday, 1 March. They claim that the project aims to fulfil logistics requirements of Ambuja Cements and Siddhi Cement as well as upcoming jetty and a power plant of Shapoorji Pallonji Group.
It will render over 350 farmers landless, disturb local connectivity and even cause water logging during Monsoon. The fertile land known for its production of coconuts, mango, other horticultural crops and food grains will be disturbed because of the railway line.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
6. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's Sludge-To-Fertiliser Plant Ready
After a delay of nearly two years, Ahmedabad civic body on Saturday, 2 March, will open a sludge hygienisation plant to its people. The fully-automatic plant will hygienise 100-ton dry sludge every day. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), in 2015, had inked an MoU to set up Cobalt-60 Gamma Irradiation Plant.
The hygienised sludge inoculated with useful bacteria will provide a value-added bio-fertiliser.
The civic body is going to sell the fertiliser with a brand name 'Bio-Gold'. When the MoU was inked, it was decided that the product will be marketed by the Gujarat Agro Industries Corporations (GAIC). Radiation source for the sludge treatment is going to be provided by the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT).
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
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