GUJARAT

Signalling greater financial requirements to meet WORKING CAPITAL needs of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEs),Gujarathas had the third highest borrowing under theemergency creditline guarantee scheme(ECLGS).

According to the latest report of the state-level bankers committee (SLBC), Gujarat, Rs 20,862 crore was borrowed under ECLGS the third highest amount in India after Maharashtra and Nadu. Guarantees worth this amount have been issued by the National Credit Guarantee Trust Company Limited (NCGTCL).

Bankers and Industry stakeholders say that Gujarat is not just a manufacturing-heavy state but also is Home to various MSMEs, which faced increased cash needs soon after the pandemic began. When industry was faced with higher freight and raw material costs, their working capital needs shot up further. Gujarat had some 12.18 lakh MSMEs as of July 2021, according to data from the MSME ministry tabled in Parliament.

Gujarat is a manufacturing-heavy state with a high number of MSMEs. The emergency credit extended by way of government guarantees provided to businesses came as a huge booster to industries that were struggling for working capital due to pandemic-induced disruptions.

For the first time, a thorough guideline to strike off provisions for chemical Plants in development plans and town planning schemes of eight municipal corporations and 156 nagarpalikas will be released by the state urban development department, a few weeks after Diwali.

The state’s urban development department has already requested from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) a list of chemical unit types, to be included in the new upcoming guidelines. These units should be producing hazardous chemicals, disposing of toxic waste, or having chimneys that vent dangerous industrial gases. Back in July last year, the Vijay Rupani government had initiated discussions in this direction.

Aiming to give an impetus to tourism and economic activities in the state,Gujaratgovernment has proposed a new 1,630-kilometre coastal corridor from Umeragm in the south to Narayan Sarovar in Kutch. To be completed under PM GatiShakti scheme, the government proposes to set aside a buffer area along the highway for industrial and allied activities. The government has already earmarked the first 300 km covering Valsad, Navsari, Surat and Bharuch districts.

With the objective of giving an impetus to tourism and economic activities in the state, the Gujarat government has proposed a new 1,630km long coastal corridor from Umargam in south Gujarat to Narayan Sarovar in Kutch. To be completed under thePM Gati Shakti scheme, the government proposes to set aside a stipulated area along the highway for various industrial and allied activities.
The has already earmarked the first 300 kilometres of the project covering the districts of Valsad, Navsari, Surat and Bharuch in south Gujarat.

Under the PM Gati Shakti project, a detailed plan has been prepared for first 300km stretch. Sources said that the entire corridor is being planned keeping in mind the CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) restrictions, forest regulations and the like.

Union micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) minister Narayan Rane said on Monday that the EMPLOYMENT opportunities in theMSME sectoris set to increase inGujarat. He said that theMSMEministry is making efforts to double the employment opportunities in the sector within the next few years.

In Gujarat, the ministry of MSME has sanctioned two SFURTI clusters with a project outlay of Rs 4.72 crores Samavedana Coir Cluster and Tarapur Coir Cluster.

The 206 Dams in the state have only 51% water, including the Sardar Sarovar dam which is filled only to 49.2% of its capacity. TheSSNLhas 4,339.52 million cubic metre (MCM) of water which was 4,310MCM on August 26.

Of the 206 dams in the state, only seven dams have water stored to 90% of capacity or more, eight have between 80% and 90%. Only 11% of dams have more than 70% storage. Officials said that one of every four dams in the state have reached less than 10% of their storage.
The data shows that 63 dams have storage between 30% and 10%, and 185 dams in the state have less than 70% water.

Adopting the government of India’s Model Tenancy Act 2021, theGujaratgovernment plans to introduce a new tenancy act for the state to replace the Bombay (now Gujarat) Rents, Hotel andLodging House Rates Control Act, 1947.

Although the new act will be structured to ensure impartiality to both owners and tenants of properties, the new act is expected to shield property owners from unwarranted harassment by tenants.

The new law is expected to facilitate the Growth ofrented propertiesin the state. The existing laws give less protection to owners, who are apprehensive of renting out properties as they fear harassment by tenants who do not vacate the premises.

The new act will have a provision to establish a state-level authority to regulate the rented property market.

The model tenancy act makes it mandatory for the landlord and tenant to sign a written agreement which specifies the rent, period of tenancy and other related terms. The will establish a body on the lines ofRERA(Real Estate Regulation Authority) to regulate all rented property transactions.

Every day, citizens in the state collectively lose Rs 1 crore to Rs 1. 2 crore to online financial fraud, according to the cybercell ofGujaratCID crime. Most of these co mplaints are pertaining to victims falling prey to sextortion rackets and cyberbullying related to instant loan apps.

The complaints are largely from four major cities of the state including Ahmedabad. This startling fact was revealed by officials of the cybercell of the Gujarat, CID crime, at the Hacked session held atSurya Emeraldresidential Society on Iscon-Ambli Road.

The sessionwas organized by The Times of India and Gujarat CID (crime) to make societies more aware of cybercrime and its prevention. The cops revealed that, every day, they receive about 1,200 calls on the cybercrime helpline 1930. Of these around 250 calls are related to financial frauds.

Industrial units inNarolwill be subjected to a new emission cap. After the implementation of the first Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for Surat industrial cluster, the has now begun work on educating the Narol industrial cluster owners on the new emission-cap rules to curb particulate matter 2.5 microns (PM 2.5).

UnderETS-Particulate Matter(PM), a select group of industries in Narol will be allotted permits or caps by GPCB for PM emissions in terms of kilograms in a year. The industrial units will use the national commodity exchange trading platform to settle their allotted emissions permit balance. This way, industries emitting lower than their annual cap can sell their trading units for a price while those emitting higher than the cap shall have to buy these units. This will incentivize reducing emissions for industries.

Delhiites may soon enjoy clear wintry mornings without choking on smoggy air caused by rampant burning of stubble in farms across Punjab and Haryana. A Gujarat-based biotech firm has come up with multi-microbial consortia that will not only put a lid on the environmental mess, but also improve the quality as a bonus.

In India, rice, wheat, sugarcane and Cotton are prone to maximum crop residue. Stubble burning is often blamed not only for Air Pollution but also deteriorating Soil fertility. It is also a major source of greenhouse gases. If the state governments adopt microbial consortia, this problem can be dealt with effectively.

GLSL, a Biotechnology firm based in Vadodara, was established in 2000 with an aim to develop agro products that eco-friendly, cost effective and organic.

With the support of villagers, the two organisations have worked on the lakes to add an additional 7,500 cubic metres of water storage in each lake. This means, an estimated 17 crore litre water will be made available for usage to a Population of 64,000 people across these villages.