GUJARAT

Mixed bag for groundwater in Gujarat cities: LS data

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A data on the water levels in urban areas of India tabled in theLok Sabharecently gave a mixed picture for theGujaratcities. While data of Rajkot was not included, readings from nine borewells of Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara were used to ascertain how the levels have changed over a period of 10 years from November 2012 to November 2022.

According to the data, out of four wells in Ahmedabad, two each saw rise and fall in the water levels. The rise and fall were in the range of 0 to 2 metres depth.

The only borewell in Surat saw the rise of 0 to 2 metres, whereas in Vadodara three out of four wells saw a rise by 0 to 2 metres. One well in Vadodara saw a fall in water level by more than 4 metres.

Residential project launches up 26% in state: RERA

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Responding to booming demand in residential real estate, new project registrations rose by 26% in 2021-22 year-on-year in Gujarat. According to data from theGujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority(GujRERA), 17,444 new projects were registered in Gujarat so far in 2021-22, against 13,949 last year.

As demand increases, developers are coming up with new residential projects. According to estimates by developers at theGihed Property Showwhich was inaugurated at Ahmedabad on Friday, there is at least a 15% increase in new Home sales in affordable, premium and luxury residential schemes. The show is exhibiting more than 250 commercial and residential projects. The post-pandemic trend of bigger and more functional homes is growing.

Since the inauguration in 2018, Kevadia’s “Statue of Unity” in the Narmada region of Gujarat has exceeded 5 million visitors. Highlights:

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Indias first seaplane service from Gujarat began on October 31, 2020. This route connects the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad with the Statue of Unity in Kaivadia.

The Unity Statue was built to commemorate . Sardar Patel owned 560 princely states in India before independence, so the name of the statue was dubbed the “statue of unity”. It opened on October 31, 2018 to commemorate the 143rd birthday of Sardar Patel.

The Unity statue is the tallest statue in the world. Its height is 182 meters, which is 23 meters taller than the Buddha Statue in the Spring Temple in China and almost twice the statue of Liberty (93 meters high) in the United States.

Gujarat: Water conservation needed in dark zones, say experts

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Data tabled in Lok Sabha about the groundwater scenario in India over the past three years indicated that situation inGujarathas not changed much during the pandemic years – the number of wells by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) that indicated water availability at the level of 0 to 2 meters got reduced from 28% in 2019 to 23% in 2021. In 2020, the number had fallen to 18%, but good and extendedmonsoonmay have replenished the Resources“>Water Resources, saidexperts.

Experts pointed out that Gujarat’s topography and river channels have ensured that the entire region is not equal in matter of water resources – while central and south Gujarat regions have a few rivers, regions such as Kutch, north Gujarat and Saurashtra often face water scarcity in absence of round-the-year supply. Thus, the ambitious Narmada canal scheme with 532 km long pipeline aimed at reducing the disparity.

Gujarat: Ambedkar University gets A++ grade

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The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has given the Dr BR Ambedkar Open University the A++ grade in the first round of its ranking.
This is the only state university that has got A++ and it has also become Indias first state open university to get this grade.

NAAC gave theIndian Institute of Teacher Education(IITE) the B grade.
In the second week of this month, NAAC teams had carried out inspections of universities that had applied for ranking.

Sources said most universities inGujaratdo not apply for ranking.

An ambitious target of making 100 crore diyas from cow dung has been set for this festive season as part of the Kamdhenu Deepawali campaign, supported by the Union government.

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Last year, the now-defunct Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog had embarked on an ambitious exercise of empowering cow entrepreneurs and 40 crore diyas were made and sold against the target of 11 crore. With more cow entrepreneurs joining in, the target of making 100 crore diyas from cow dung has been conceived for the forthcoming festive season.

Ajit Prasad Mahapatra, who has been promoting cow-based across the country, suggested opening of gaushalas in jails where products are made using panchgavya.

Gujarat solidifies position as leader in Indias clean energy revolution

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Gujarat is blazing a trail in the sector as it ramps up its installed capacity, solidifying its position as a leader in Indias clean energy transition. Recently, Gujarat outshoneTamil Naduwith the highest Wind Energy installations in the country. Data from the Union ministry of new and renewable energy reveals that Gujarat boasts an impressive installed capacity of 10.41 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy, surpassing Chennais 10.12GW capacity. In fact, this accounts for a remarkable 51.3% of the states total renewable energy capacity, including biopower and solar power.

With this, wind energy has taken the lead over Solar Energy installations in Gujarat. The state boasts an additional 9.68GW of solar installations, along with 0.11GW of biopower generation capacity and 91.64MW of small Hydro Power.

The Centre has set a target of 500GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. Gujarat has consistently been at the forefront of this sector, with aggressive installations in wind and solar energy generation. Enhanced incentives for adoption in residential and industrial sectors are among the key factors driving this rapid Growth. To achieve the 500GW target, a diverse mix of solar, wind, and other renewable energies is essential, explains Jaideep Malaviya, a renewable energy consultant.
While Gujarat has long been a pioneer in solar installations, it currently ranks second toRajasthanin terms of cumulative solar installations in India. However, Gujarat shows no signs of slowing down, as the Gujarat UrjaVikasNigam Limited (GUVNL) recently announced plans to add 10GW of fresh renewable energy capacity in 2023-24.

With significant increases in solar and wind energy generation capacity, Gujarats renewable power generation capacity reached 7,739.67 million units (MU) in April-May 2023, representing a notable 23% increase compared to the same period last year when it stood at 6,288.61MU.
Notably, Gujarat is also pioneering the field of green hydrogen. The state cabinet recently approved a draft land allocation policy for green hydrogen projects. Over 1.99 lakh hectares of land have been designated for five key private sector players seeking to venture into green hydrogen manufacturing.

Rush to beat jantri deadline spurs 57% rise in revenue in Gujarat

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With the 100% revision in jantri rates coming into effect from April 15, investors acrossGujaratscrambled to register their properties before the deadline. The rush was reflected in the massive jump in the government’s income from stamp duty and registration fees in the January to March quarter. Revenue shot up to Rs 4,876 crore, an enormous increase of 57% compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

The number of properties registered increased from 4,36,665 in Jan-March 2022 to 5,15,116 in the same period this year- a rise of 18%. The four major cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot accounted for 60% to 70% of all the properties registered in the state.

The Gujarat government re-evaluated jantri rates after nearly 12 years. It announced that the rates would be doubled with effect from February 5. Following representations from several quarters, including real estate developers, the implementation of the new rates was deferred to April 15.

According to official data, the stamp duty and registration fee collected during 2022-23 stood at Rs 14,318 crore – 34.87% higher than Rs 10,616 crore collected in 2021-22. The number of properties registered in 2022-23 rose by 17% compared to the previous year. Government records state that 14,32,569 properties were registered in 2021-22, while 16,75,648 were registered in 2022-23.

Gujarat forest department launches helpline for wildlife conservation

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The state forest department has launched a state-wide helpline number to encourage public participation inwildlife conservation, and facilitate rescue of wild animals and action against wildlife-related crimes.

The department has an existing helpline exclusively for bird and stray animal rescue.

Earlier, people would call 1962 to receive information related to rescue Services. Now, it has been made a GIS-enabled service where a person can get all the numbers of forest department-operated rescue centres, NGOs, veterinary doctors and volunteers located in nearby areas.

Ahmedabad has highest dust particles: Report

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A Group publication put Air Pollution in Ahmedabad, andGujaratin general, under scrutiny and indicated that the city’s air pollution levels from dust particles are among the highest. Taking International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS), data as the base, the study said that Ahmedabad’s air pollution composition is different from that of other major cities.
The data in a recent World Bank Group publication ‘Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia’ pointed out that of every cubic metre of Ahmedabad’s air, there were about 20 micrograms of dust particles.