GUJARAT

Fuelled by industrial demand riding on slight reduction in prices,silver demandsurged by 618% in May this year.Silver importsinGujaratstood at 4.74 metric tonnes (MT) according to data provided by Ahmedabad Air Cargo Complex, which even though much lower than earlier years, was at an 11-month high. Against this, silver imports in April stood at 0.66 MT. Analysts said that as silverpricesreduced slightly to Rs 70,800 per kg when markets resumed operations in the end of May after a three-week shutdown imposed to curb Covid-19 spread.

Due tolow pricesand pent-up demand over past 11 months, silver imports surged significantly. But the volume of imports is very low. On an Average, the annual consumption used to be around 100-150MT. Currently, a few refineries have imported silver for routine demand, said Haresh Acharya, director, India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA).
Silver imports were nil in May last year, the data further suggests. Precious Metal imports saw a steep decline in the pandemic year. According to data by Ahmedabad Air Cargo Complex, silver demand plunged 66.2% in 2020-21 at 30.35MT against 90.39MT in 2019-20.

According to estimates by bullion traders and analysts, at least 25% of the total imports of silver accounts for industrial usage whereas the rest is diverted towards retail demand in the form of jewellery, artefacts, coins and bars.

A monograph titled ‘Heat and Cold waves in India: Process and Predictability’ published recently by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and Ministry of Earth Sciences, indicated that it was not a one-off instance. The report analysing data since 1960 indicated that Gujarat had recorded a significant drop in cold waves and rise in heat waves.

According to the report, seven weather stations – Bhuj, Deesa, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Veraval, Surat, and Dwarka – recorded a significant drop in cold wave days (CWD) from 1970 to 2020. On the other hand, two stations – Bhuj and Rajkot – recorded significant rise in heat wave days (HWD), Deesa, Veraval and Surat logged rise, and Ahmedabad drop in HWD based on data from 1961 to 2020.

The criteria for heat wave and cold wave are at least 40 degrees celsius and 10 degrees celsius temperatures respectively, and deviation of up to 5 degrees for two consecutive days at more than one weather station.
In terms of frequency of heat waves, Rajkot and Deesa recorded a significant rise, whereas Bhuj recorded a rise.

Although theCentrehas asked the states to increase budgetary spending to provide better Health facilities, theGujarat governmenthas over the past few years reduced its healthcare allocation. The Union governments advice was made under the newNational Health Policy, which was announced in 2017.

TheGujaratgovernments reduction in the healthcare allocation could probably be one of the contributing reasons for the strain the public health is facing in the pandemic.

The Gujarat government reduced the Health sector budget allocation from 5.7% of the total budget in 2016-17 to 5% in 2021-22. The National Health Policy also proposed to increase budget spending of at least 2.5% of the totalGSDP(gross state domestic product) for health Services. But the Gujarat government has spent only about 0.6% so far.

Gujarataccounted for 34% of the hazardous waste generated in the country in 2021-2022, accounting for more than all other states.
Data tabled by the Union Government in the ongoingParliamentsession shows that with more than 42 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of hazardous waste generated in 2021-22, Gujarat accounted for 34% of the hazardous waste generated in the country in the year.

Hazardous waste generated in Gujarat in 2021-22 increased by 31% compared to 2020-21, the data shows. According to the data, hazardous waste generated in Gujarat in 2021-22, 2020-21 and 2019-20 was 42,02,837 MT, 31,93,378 MT and 24,85,317 MT, respectively.
In 2021-22, India produced 1.23 crore MT of hazardous waste, the Union government data showed.

Gujarat’sgroundwaterscenario has remained precarious despite attempts to extend river canals to parts of Saurashtra and northGujarat indicates data tabled in the Lok Sabha.

The data ofCentral Ground Water Board(CGWB) for the states of India indicate the number of monitoring wells with water level below 10 meters (33 feet) increased by 26% in two years from 98 in November 2019 to 124 in November 2021.

In fact, the deepest water availability in 2019 was 50.6 meters (166 feet), which increased to 52.3 meters (171 feet) in 2021. Compared to other states, Gujarat’s deepest water level was 8th worst out of 32 states and UTs putting it ahead of 24. While data did not mention districts, state-based experts said parts of Mehsana,Sabarkanthaand Banaskantha have deepest water levels in Gujarat that often go below 200 feet. CGWB website indicated Gujarat has 31 talukas identified as exploited,’ 12 as critical’ and 69 as semi-critical.’

Gujarat has 532 km long Narmada canal Network and other networks to get water to water-parched areas especially Saurashtra and central Gujarat but when it comes to dark zones’ with severe groundwater depletion, the scenario has not changed much, indicate the data.

While the threat of a possible third wave of the pandemic looms large, there is heartening news in the real estate sector. As compared to corresponding period last year, government revenue from stamp duty and registration of property shot up by 62% in the first three quarters of the ongoing financial year.

Simultaneously, a 34% jump has been recorded in the number of properties registered between April and December this year, as compared to the same period last year.

Government revenue from stamp duty and property registration stood at Rs 7,499 crore in the first nine months of ongoing financial year, a 62% jump from Rs 4,624 crore in the same period last year. Similarly, the number of property registrations were 7,44,500 in the April-December period of the 2020-21 year. These shot up by 34% to 9,95,809 in the first nine months of the ongoing financial year.

A robust rise in both number of registrations and government revenue from stamp duty and registration of properties indicates a huge upswing inGujarat‘s real estate sector, which not only provides huge EMPLOYMENT, but spurs economic activity as well.