GUJARAT

Gujaratproduces 76% of the countrys salt. Kharaghoda, Bhavnagar, Porbandar, and the Rann of Kutch are major salt-producing centres. The research study, published in Elseviers Marine Pollution Journal, has stated that of the solid microparticle pollutants separated from the samples, 90.3% were microplastic FRACTIONS and 9.7% were non-microplastic fractions. The study was carried out by a team of 10 scientists including geologists, ocean researchers, and biotechnologists.

Polyethylene (78%) was the dominant microplastic pollutant, followed by polyester (19%). Polyvinyl chloride content was found too. The packing material of salt was primarily composed of polyethylene. A few large-sizedplasticfragments which were greater than 5mm were also observed in the samples.

The Gujarat government is mulling a proposal to set up an authority to regulate the rates of various taxes likeproperty tax,water tax, user charges and the like that are levied by urban civic bodies across the state.
The authority is expected to be modelled on the provisions of theGujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission, which has the mandate to regulate the electricity sector in the state.

At present, different urban civic bodies like municipal corporations, urban development authorities and municipalities have their own tax structure. In many civic bodies, various taxes have not been revised for several years.

Due to the resumption of economic activity after the worst of the pandemic andpressure across the board, the state’sGST collectionrose by 49% this June.Gujarat‘sGSTmop-up was Rs 9,135 crore in June 2022 (till June 29) against Rs 6,128 crore last June.

The Growth is on a low base, as tax collection was subdued last year as the second wave of Covid-19 cases had barely ended and economic activity was slow.

At the recent GST council meeting, tax rates on a host of items of mass-consumption were increased and exemptions removed. The council approved a 12% tax on hotel rooms costing less than Rs 1,000 a day and a 5% levy without input tax credit on hospital rooms with rentals above Rs 5,000. Several unbranded pre-packaged and labelled food items will also attract 5% tax.

Gujarats acreage is likely to increase 10% this kharif season with farmers getting high prices for the natural fibre last year. Currently, the area under cotton cultivation in the state has increased to 16.50 lakh hectares as on July 5, compared to 15.72 lakh hectares during the same period last year. This was revealed in the latest data compiled by thestate Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture department.

The area under cotton cultivation in Gujarat had declined 15% to 23 lakh hectares in 2020 from 27 lakh hectares in 2019. The Average cotton acreage of the past three years is 25.53 lakh hectares.
Strong demand from domestic and international markets had pushed up cotton prices to a decadal high of Rs 52,000 per candy (one candy is equivalent to 356kg) by the end of the cotton season for 2020-21.

According to theCotton Association of India(CAI), despite a lower acreage last year, Gujarats cotton output is estimated to rise to about 97 lakh bales in the 2020-21 season. One bale is equivalent to 170kg. In the previous season, the output was 95 lakh bales.

The government ofGujarat, in a press statement, said that in the last two years there has been a 1,475% increase in sales of electric vehicles (EVs) due to the new incentive policy.

The launched the Gujarat State Electric Vehicle Policy in 2021 with the aim of making Gujarat a manufacturing hub for electric vehicles and related industries With the implementation of policy, the state witnessed a 1,475% increase in registration of EVs. From 7,240 EVs before the launch of the policy, the number of EVs registered in Gujarat now stands at 1,18,086.

Around 8,858 EVs have been registered every month for the last five months. Surat has the highest number of EVs at 31,561. It is followed by 20,937 in Ahmedabad, 7,648 in Vadodara, 6,678 in Rajkot and 3,259 in Jamnagar. Of the registered EVs, there are 1,06,341 two-wheelers, 4,093 three-wheelers, 5,646 four-wheelers and 2,006 others.

The state government is giving special attention to Infrastructure for electric vehicles. EV charging stations are being built at a quick pace in various cities of Gujarat. Some 250 new public charging stations will come up soon. At present, there are a total of 152 charging stations in the state. The government, in collaboration withBISAG-N, will provide uniform charging infrastructure and facilitate smoother charging station site selection. Accordingly, 91 hotspots have been selected in municipal corporations, 48 in municipal areas, 96 on state highways/national highways and 15 at tourist destinations.

Under the state government policy implemented in 2021, a maximum subsidy of Rs 20,000 is given on two-wheelers, Rs 50,000 on three-wheelers and Rs 1,50,000 on four-wheelers. So far, Rs 133.83 crore has been paid out by the state government. This policy will be operational for four years.

Taking a leaf from Madhya Pradesh, theGujarat governmentrecently announced a monthly assistance of Rs 4,000 for children who have been orphaned in Covid-19 pandemic. The financial assistance will continue till the child is 18 years old.

With prices touching a low of Rs 52,000 perkgaround September 2022, silver demand picked up, bullion traders and analysts said.

Retail consumption of silver has also increased significantly. Jewellers attribute this to the growing popularity of silver for everyday wear jewellery and gift articles and accessories.

TheGovernment of Gujarathas given an in-principle nod to Indian pharma majorMankind Pharmafor setting up a Rs 500 crorepharmaceutical plant in Gujarat.

In the first phase of the project, the company plans to invest Rs 500 crore for the plant that will be set up in Vadodara. Mankind Pharma will invest Rs 1,100 crore in a phased manner.

The plant being set up by the company will be 100% exports oriented and the products manufactured here will be sent to countries such as United States, Netherlands, to name a few, Das said. He added that companies such as Mankind Pharma will be able to benefit from Government of Indias Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and which in turn will help reduce the import dependency.

The central government informed the parliament in the recently concluded winter session that the Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) scheme has taken off inGujarat, but no property cards have been issued to farmers yet.

Drones capture the land area and maps are made which are handed over to the state, which sends these back to the Union Government after verification. Following this, property cards are issued and distributed to persons residing in villages. It may be said that as of September 2021, drone flying activity had not been taken up in the state under the scheme.

According to the schedule prepared by the union ministry, 1,000 villages of Gujarat have to be covered under the SVAMITVA scheme by 2021-22, 8,510 villages have to be covered in 2022-23 and 9,505 villages have to be covered in the year 2023-24. Against a target of 1,000 villages, drone flying has been undertaken in only 103 villages of the state so far in this financial year.

Ministry of panchayati raj (MoPR) is implementing the SVAMITVA scheme with the aim to provide theRecord of Rights to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited areas in villages. Legal ownership rights (property cards/title deeds) are issued by mapping of land parcels using drone technology. The scheme aims to cover all the villages across the country by March 2025.