Low production of potato in UP and Bengal has improved profits for Gujarat

Potato farmers have had a windfall because of low production of potatoes in other states like UP and West Bengal. The potato farmers in Gujarat are getting better prices for their produce. As compared to the price of Rs5-6 per kg in 2015, local farmers are currently fetching Rs10 per kg in the wholesale markets basically due to lower production in other states.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 10 April 2016.

There has been a decline in production of the two top potato growing states namely, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The shortfall is of the order of 5% and 15% attributable to unfavorable weather conditions. Of course, the yield in Gujarat, too, has dipped by 10% this year, but, unlike other major states, Gujarat has managed to registered an increase in production on account of higher acreage. The potato output has, in fact, galloped substantially over the last two years.
At present, the production in an area of one lakh hectare was around 35 lakh tonnes as against 31 lakh tonnes of 2015 and 23 lakh tonnes in 2014.
Moreover, the cold storage capacity in Gujarat saw addition of approximately 6.25 lakh tonnes (1.25 crore bags of 50 kg each) and, therefore, farmers in Gujarat are able to reap the benefits. The wholesale prices had plummeted to Rs 5-6 per kg in Gujarat last year due to glut in the market but the prices have remained at Rs 10-13 per kg in 2016 which is a big relief.


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Violence in Gujarat, the land of Gandhi and Modi – 9 killed as Army called in

#NarendraModi #HardikPatel #GujaratViolence #AnandibenPatel Gujarat is once again seeing violence and, this time it is on the issue of reservation - it was apparently sparked off by police crackdown on Patidar protesters in Ahmedabad. The Anandiben Patel government had no alternative but to call in the Army to help maintain law and order. The Police and leaders of the ruling BJP were the prime targets of the rioters.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 27 August 2015.

The police action followed the arrest of protest kingpin Hardik Patel. There was also lathicharge at the venue of the Patel rally and at least nine people have been killed in the violence. The deaths were four in Ahmedabad, three in Banaskantha and one in Mehsana and a police constable in Surat. Another 100 have suffered injuries.
In order to contain the situation, five columns of the Army carried out a flag march in violence-hit areas of Ahmedabad where curfew was imposed in nine areas.
The demonstrators attacked policemen, damaged buses, ransacked government buildings and blocked highways - 140 state transport buses were set on fire and another 152 damaged.
The agitation had been going on for nearly a month and, finally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his silence on the issue of recognizing the Patidars as OBCs – he made a fervent appeal for calm.
Hardik Patel, the convener of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, has warned that the agitation to secure OBC status for Patels would only intensify. He has also told his supporters not to indulge in violence and also threatened to resign if they did not heed his call.
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Monsoon mayhem leaves at least 25 dead in Gujarat – tourists stranded in Mt Abu

It is monsoon mayhem in Gujarat where heavy rains accompanied by gusts of wind has left at least 25 dead – the worst hit is believed to be Banaskantha district where incessant rain has resulted in a flood-like situation, especially in towns bordering Rajasthan.
This is the considered to be the epicenter of a deep depression that is bringing rainfall in Gujarat.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 29 July 2015.

In Banashkantha district, reports of eight deaths have been received - two from Kankrej, and one each from Vav, Tharad, Suigam, Dhanera, Bhabhar and Lakhani. In addition, six people are also missing.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have already moved to Suigam, Tharad, Lakhani and Dhanera towns and nearly 1,000 people have been shifted to safer locations in the district. It seems around 400 villages are without electricity because of uprooting of 1,005 poles.
Communication links have gone down in Banaskantha and Patan districts since many electricity poles have been were uprooted due to strong winds and in Mount Abu, tourists are stranded - the road leading to the hill station had to be shut down due to landslides.
This is an example of the vagaries of nature – just one week ago, north Gujarat was the most rain-deficient region with just 19% of AAR (Average Annual Rainfall) and, within 48 hours the region has received nearly 70% of AAR.
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Gujarat flash floods takes its toll on wildlife – lions, blue bulls and spotted deer killed

The recent flash floods in Gujarat has taken a heavy toll of wildlife with death of ten lions, more than 1,600 blue bulls, and nearly 90 spotted deer among others.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 12 July 2015.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Gujarat has submitted a report to the to the Union Environment Ministry indicating that death of these animals took place mainly in Amreli and Bhavnagar districts.
Till July 2, carcasses of ten lions were recovered apart from carcasses of 1,670 blue bulls, 87 spotted deer, nine black bucks and six wild boars. Four of the lions died in Amreli district, and the remaining six in Bhavnagar district. The forest officials have located more than 80 lions in these two districts that are roaming "safely".
The flash flood had been triggered by torrential rains and it has also killed more than 40 people in Gujarat, while thousands had to be evacuated.
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At least 34 dead in heavy rains in Gujarat – Rajkot and Amreli face floodlike situations

Gujarat is in the grip of the monsoons and at least 34 deaths have been reported, as a result of heavy rains coupled with squally winds parts of Gujarat like Rajkot and Amreli are faced with flood-like situation, besides claiming 34 lives due to continuous downpour.
In Ahmedabad, the heavy rainfall has left many parts inundated while few of the areas are worst-affected due to water-logging.
This has been reported in zeenews.com dated 24 June 2015.

Teams of NDRF, Indian Air Force and SRP have been pressed into service at Rajkot and Amreli to rescue the stranded people. The heavy rains have led to disruption of electricity supply in many villages. Approximately 1,500 people have been shifted to safer locations.
The Met department had already cautioned earlier that a "depression" had formed over the Arabian Sea, a second time in a month, which could turn into a "deep depression" and bring heavy rains in the state of Gujarat. Districts of heavy rains include -- Gir Somnath, Amreli, Rajkot and Ahmedabad. The city of Surat recorded more than 100 mm rain-fall and Ahmedabad, more than 200 mm.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Rajasthan is No 1 in solar power in India, leaves Gujarat behind

Rajasthan has taken over the No 1 position in solar energy from Gujarat – as per data released by the Union ministry of new and renewable energy on June 4, 2015, Rajasthan boasts of an installed capacity of 1,167 megawatt against Gujarat's 1,000MW and has, thus, grabbed the number one position.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 22 June 2015.

Until recently, Gujarat was the undisputed leader in the field and Rajasthan has overtaken it. Given the number of projects in the pipeline, it is expected that Rajasthan, the desert state, will hold this distinction for quite some time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as chief minister of Gujarat, had seen the potential of solar power and the state always remained at the top as the largest generator of the green energy. It was one of the few states to spot the opportunity and brought out a solar policy in 2009. As a result, many power developers flocked to Gujarat and made substantial investments even as the cost of generating solar power. It was a costly affair because the cost was more than Rs 17 per unit against Rs 4 required to generate same amount of power from thermal sources.
However, Rajasthan is now the upcoming star - it had all the natural advantages for generating solar energy, like plenty of barren land and high solar radiation in the country. It was not able to live up to its potential because of an investor-friendly policy and an aggressive promotion by the government to promote the sector. That has changed. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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18 cases of gold smuggling reported in Ahmedabad Airport in four months

#goldsmuggling #ahmedabadairport Gujarat, the state that gave us Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is supposed to be a city where crimes are at a minimum because of the strict administration that is believed to be in place there. However, in this same city, gold smuggling has increased.
As many as 18 cases have been intercepted in the four months of 2015 by the Customs and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) who have recovered 22.87-Kg of the yellow metal worth Rs 6.17 crore at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. This is despite the relaxation by the central government in restrictions on import of gold.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 21 April 2015.

During 2012 and 2013, only 5-Kg and 10.7-Kg of gold respectively was seized by Customs at airport and, this has suddenly shot up to 54.82-Kg in 2014 and has reached 22.87-Kg in the first four months of 2015. This would give an impression that the smugglers have become more bold and daring and probably feel they can hoodwink the Customs.
The observation is that most cases of smuggling have been detected on the Dubai-Sharjah-Doha route.
It would be interesting to note that in August last year, Customs department had formed a special Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) to handle gold smuggling cases. The AIU had two commissioner-level officers and, after the formation of this unit, detection rate has increased but it has not been able to curb smuggling of gold.

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It appeared to be a pigeon lost at sea that had landed to quench its thirst. It was spotted sipping water from a bowl at the under-construction Essar jetty at Salaya shore in Devbumi Dwarka, Gujarat, in the afternoon of March 20.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 28 March 2015.

It would have gone unnoticed if it had flown away when the Essar security guard tried to shoo it away. But, it did not fly away and it was then that the guard noticed a chip tied to one of its claws and a ring with the number '28733' on the other claw. Moreover, the bird had writings in Urdu/Arabic across its wings.
Obviously, all the security agencies like the Gujarat police, Coast Guard, forest department, forensic experts and even the Union home ministry were bewildered.
Forensic experts came on the scene and the chip was removed from the feet of the bird. The chip had inscription of 'Benjing Dual' – googling this it was found that 'Benzing Dual' is a sensor chip used for racing pigeons. Then came the deciphering of the Urdu/Arabic words written in blue on the pigeon's wings. It was translated as "Rasul-ul-Allah' (messenger of Allah).
We will have to wait for further developments to find out what message the pigeon has brought and from whom.

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