Congress President Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said attacks on the migrant workforce in Gujarat are not good for business and the economy and that the Government must act decisively to restore peace and ensure the safety of every Indian.

In a Facebook post, he said "poor'" economic policies, demonetisation and a "poorly-implemented" GST has led to the closure of factories and rise in unemployment that is being manifested in violent attacks on migrants across Gujarat.

He said there is growing frustration and anger with the government's "inability" to create jobs.

Across Gujarat, poor economic policies, demonetisation and poorly executed GST have devastated industry resulting in shutting down of factories and industrial units, leading to massive unemployment.&nbsp;

Amongst the youth, there is growing frustration and anger with the Government's inability to create jobs. This anger and frustration is being manifested in violent attacks on migrants, across the state of Gujarat, he said in his post.

The Congress chief said the migrant workforce is "critical to our economic growth" and attacks on them create an environment of fear and insecurity that isn't good for business and economy".&nbsp;

He also said, that the Government must act decisively, and do all it can to restore peace and to ensure the safety of every Indian.&nbsp;

Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, has witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police said.

Police have arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime.&nbsp;

Congress President Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said attacks on the migrant workforce in Gujarat are not good for business and the economy and that the Government must act decisively to restore peace and ensure the safety of every Indian.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said attacks on the migrant workforce in Gujarat are not good for business and the economy and that the Government must act decisively to restore peace and ensure the safety of every Indian. In a Facebook post, he said "poor'" economic policies, demonetisation and a "poorly-implemented" GST has led to the closure of factories and rise in unemployment that is being manifested in violent attacks on migrants across Gujarat. He said there is growing frustration and anger with the government's "inability" to create jobs. Across Gujarat, poor economic policies, demonetisation and poorly executed GST have devastated industry resulting in shutting down of factories and industrial units, leading to massive unemployment. Amongst the youth, there is growing frustration and anger with the Government's inability to create jobs. This anger and frustration is being manifested in violent attacks on migrants, across the state of Gujarat, he said in his post. The Congress chief said the migrant workforce is "critical to our economic growth" and attacks on them create an environment of fear and insecurity that isn't good for business and economy". He also said, that the Government must act decisively, and do all it can to restore peace and to ensure the safety of every Indian. Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, has witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police said. Police have arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime.

Gujarat migrant attacks: Rahul Gandhi says govt must act decisively to restore peace

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he had wanted to make Gujarat like South Korea when he was chief minister of the state.&nbsp;

Modi made his comment at the Uttarakhand Investors' Summit held in Dehradun on Sunday.&nbsp;

"Our states have more power than many countries in the world. Compared to many small countries, our states have more potential. I still remember when I became the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the first time on October 7, 2001, I didn't know what the government is, as I lacked experience. I was completely new. So, one journalist came to me and asked such questions so that I give answers which will not allow my journey (as Chief Minister of Gujarat) to take off," ANI quoted Modi as saying at the summit.&nbsp;

"I was asked who I see as my idol for development in Gujarat. Usually, when people are asked this, they say, 'I want to make it like America or like England.' But I gave a different answer," Modi added.&nbsp;

"I was asked who I see as my idol for development in Gujarat. Usually, when people are asked this, they say, 'I want to make it like America or like England.' But I gave a different answer to him. I said that I want to make it (Gujarat) like South Korea. The journalist didn't know anything. Later I explained to him that the population of Gujarat and South Korea are similar... I said that I have studied it so precisely that if we move towards that direction then we will not stop," Modi said.&nbsp;

At the summit, Modi added that the government was modernising 400 railway stations and building a 100 new airports and helipads.&nbsp;

Finally, he added that his government had improved the country's tax system.&nbsp;

"We have improved the tax system in the country. We are trying to make the tax system more swift and transparent. Doing business has become easier due to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The banking system has also got strengthened. Potential, policy and performance, these are the sources of progress," ANI quoted Modi as saying.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he had wanted to make Gujarat like South Korea when he was chief minister of the state. Modi made his comment at the Uttarakhand Investors' Summit held in Dehradun on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he had wanted to make Gujarat like South Korea when he was chief minister of the state. Modi made his comment at the Uttarakhand Investors' Summit held in Dehradun on Sunday. "Our states have more power than many countries in the world. Compared to many small countries, our states have more potential. I still remember when I became the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the first time on October 7, 2001, I didn't know what the government is, as I lacked experience. I was completely new. So, one journalist came to me and asked such questions so that I give answers which will not allow my journey (as Chief Minister of Gujarat) to take off," ANI quoted Modi as saying at the summit. "I was asked who I see as my idol for development in Gujarat. Usually, when people are asked this, they say, 'I want to make it like America or like England.' But I gave a different answer," Modi added. "I was asked who I see as my idol for development in Gujarat. Usually, when people are asked this, they say, 'I want to make it like America or like England.' But I gave a different answer to him. I said that I want to make it (Gujarat) like South Korea. The journalist didn't know anything. Later I explained to him that the population of Gujarat and South Korea are similar... I said that I have studied it so precisely that if we move towards that direction then we will not stop," Modi said. At the summit, Modi added that the government was modernising 400 railway stations and building a 100 new airports and helipads. Finally, he added that his government had improved the country's tax system. "We have improved the tax system in the country. We are trying to make the tax system more swift and transparent. Doing business has become easier due to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The banking system has also got strengthened. Potential, policy and performance, these are the sources of progress," ANI quoted Modi as saying. (With inputs from ANI)

Had wanted to make Gujarat like South Korea when I was CM: Modi

Shortly after Union Minister Arun Jaitley announced <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/centre-has-decided-to-cut-fuel-prices-by-rs-25-with-immediate-effect-state">fuel-price cut by Rs 2.5</a>0 on Thursday, the governments of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura decided to cut fuel prices by Rs 2.50, giving a cumulative relief of Rs 5 to the consumers. While Maharashtra has offered a cut of Rs 2.50 for petrol, Jharkhand has done the same for diesel prices in the state.&nbsp;

"Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Ji has announced Rs.2.50 cuts in petrol and diesel prices, reciprocating positively to FM’s announcement, the Govt Of Gujarat has also decided to reduce Rs.2.50 on both petrol &amp; diesel. Thus petrol and diesel would be Rs. 5 cheaper in the State of Gujarat," Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani tweeted.&nbsp;

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Finance Minister Sh <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@arunjaitley</a> Ji has announced Rs.2.5 cuts in petrol &amp; diesel prices, reciprocating positively to FM’s announcement, the Govt Of Gujarat has also decided to reduce Rs.2.50 on both petrol &amp; diesel. Thus petrol &amp; diesel wd be Rs. 5 cheaper in the State of Gujarat
— Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) <a href="https://twitter.com/vijayrupanibjp/status/1047794009819602945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Maharashtra's Chief Minister also tweeted out announcing a petrol-price cut in the state by Rs 2.50. The government is contemplating a cut in state diesel price.&nbsp;

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Govt of Chhattisgarh has also decided to reduce Rs 2.50 on both petrol &amp; diesel in the state. Thus petrol &amp; diesel will be Rs 5 cheaper in Chhattisgarh: Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh (file pic) <a href="https://t.co/7ChJfrNOwK">pic.twitter.com/7ChJfrNOwK</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1047808802819592192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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"Maharashtra Government also decided to give additional relief of ₹2.50/litre on Petrol to give a total benefit of ₹5/litre in the State of Maharashtra," the tweet read. &nbsp;

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Madhya Pradesh government has also decided to give an additional relief of ₹2.5/litre on petrol&amp;diesel to give total benefit of ₹5/litre in the state, tweets Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. (File pic) <a href="https://t.co/FcENG8IbBf">pic.twitter.com/FcENG8IbBf</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1047828819472736256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The government of has Jharkhand announced a Rs 2.50 cut in diesel price.&nbsp;

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Jharkhand Government has decided to give an additional relief of ₹2.5/litre on diesel in the state: Raghubar Das, Jharkhand Chief Minister. (File pic) <a href="https://t.co/CZGY0clUJl">pic.twitter.com/CZGY0clUJl</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1047811236031807488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday announced that the excise duty will be cut by Rs 1.5 rupee to give relief to the consumers, whereas oil companies in the country will "absorb another Rs 1" to give Rs 2.50 relief on fuel prices to consumers.&nbsp;

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Tripura Government has also decided to give additional relief of ₹2.5/litre on Petrol &amp; Diesel to give total benefit of ₹5/litre in the state of Tripura.
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1047809757518725120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Finance Minister urged state governments to also follow the lead and make necessary reductions in state fuel prices to give further respite to citizens.&nbsp;

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Central Govt reduced prices of petrol &amp; diesel by Rs. 2.50 per litre today that will give a great relief to common man. UP Govt has also decided to give additional relief of Rs. 2.50 per litre on the prices of petrol &amp; diesel: CM Yogi Adityanath <a href="https://t.co/irLH9c9k63">pic.twitter.com/irLH9c9k63</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1047824280086560768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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"We have decided to cut the excise duty through the revenue department and the oil marketing companies. I would urge state governments to also absorb similar amount to provide relief to the consumer," Jaitley told media.

Shortly after Union Minister Arun Jaitley announced fuel-price cut by Rs 2.50 on Thursday, the governments of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura decided to cut fuel prices by Rs 2.

Shortly after Union Minister Arun Jaitley announced fuel-price cut by Rs 2.50 on Thursday, the governments of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura decided to cut fuel prices by Rs 2.50, giving a cumulative relief of Rs 5 to the consumers. While Maharashtra has offered a cut of Rs 2.50 for petrol, Jharkhand has done the same for diesel prices in the state. "Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Ji has announced Rs.2.50 cuts in petrol and diesel prices, reciprocating positively to FM’s announcement, the Govt Of Gujarat has also decided to reduce Rs.2.50 on both petrol & diesel. Thus petrol and diesel would be Rs. 5 cheaper in the State of Gujarat," Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani tweeted. Finance Minister Sh @arunjaitley Ji has announced Rs.2.5 cuts in petrol & diesel prices, reciprocating positively to FM’s announcement, the Govt Of Gujarat has also decided to reduce Rs.2.50 on both petrol & diesel. Thus petrol & diesel wd be Rs. 5 cheaper in the State of Gujarat — Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) October 4, 2018 × Maharashtra's Chief Minister also tweeted out announcing a petrol-price cut in the state by Rs 2.50. The government is contemplating a cut in state diesel price. Govt of Chhattisgarh has also decided to reduce Rs 2.50 on both petrol & diesel in the state. Thus petrol & diesel will be Rs 5 cheaper in Chhattisgarh: Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh (file pic) pic.twitter.com/7ChJfrNOwK — ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2018 × "Maharashtra Government also decided to give additional relief of ₹2.50/litre on Petrol to give a total benefit of ₹5/litre in the State of Maharashtra," the tweet read. Madhya Pradesh government has also decided to give an additional relief of ₹2.5/litre on petrol&diesel to give total benefit of ₹5/litre in the state, tweets Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/FcENG8IbBf — ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2018 × The government of has Jharkhand announced a Rs 2.50 cut in diesel price. Jharkhand Government has decided to give an additional relief of ₹2.5/litre on diesel in the state: Raghubar Das, Jharkhand Chief Minister. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/CZGY0clUJl — ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2018 × Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday announced that the excise duty will be cut by Rs 1.5 rupee to give relief to the consumers, whereas oil companies in the country will "absorb another Rs 1" to give Rs 2.50 relief on fuel prices to consumers. Tripura Government has also decided to give additional relief of ₹2.5/litre on Petrol & Diesel to give total benefit of ₹5/litre in the state of Tripura. — ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2018 × × The Finance Minister urged state governments to also follow the lead and make necessary reductions in state fuel prices to give further respite to citizens. Central Govt reduced prices of petrol & diesel by Rs. 2.50 per litre today that will give a great relief to common man. UP Govt has also decided to give additional relief of Rs. 2.50 per litre on the prices of petrol & diesel: CM Yogi Adityanath pic.twitter.com/irLH9c9k63 — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 4, 2018 × "We have decided to cut the excise duty through the revenue department and the oil marketing companies. I would urge state governments to also absorb similar amount to provide relief to the consumer," Jaitley told media.

Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, UP follow Jaitley's lead, cut petrol, diesel prices by Rs 2.50

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed upon the significance of innovation and value addition while addressing a public gathering here on Sunday.

"There was a time when there would be scarcity. We had to import food grains. Now, things have changed. Today, the time has come to give importance to innovation and value addition", he said.

Prime Minister Modi was in Anand to inaugurate a number of modern food processing facilities worth Rs 1100 crore, including Amul`s ultra-modern chocolate plant and Anand Agricultural Univesity`s incubation center-cum-center of excellence in food processing.

He also inaugurated a solar cooperative society at Mujhkuva village and laid the foundation stone for the expansion of Amul manufacturing facilities at Anand and Khatraj.

Talking further about the importance of the cooperative sector in helping the farmers of Gujarat, Prime Minister Modi said, "Not only Amul, people in North Gujarat also worked in the cooperative sector. We have the Banas Dairy, the Dudhsagar Dairy. All these endeavours helped the people of Gujarat, particularly the farmers. For a long time, we had people sitting in Gandhinagar who disliked the cooperatives. They prevented the sector from acquiring a foothold in Saurashtra. Things changed after the late 1990s and today almost all districts in Gujarat are doing well in the sector."

Emphasizing on the global brand value of Amul, Prime Minister Modi also termed it as an outstanding model of empowerment.

He said, "The brand of Amul is known worldwide. Today, Amul has become an inspiration across the globe. People from overseas also ask me about Amul. Amul is not only about milk processing. This is an excellent model of empowerment."

He also underscored the need of exploring possibilities with the camel milk."A long time back, I had gone to Kutch and spoken about the need to popularise camel milk. That time a group of people mocked me. But, today the camel milk chocolate of Amul is doing well. We are doing well in milk processing but we can do even better. And, I am sure if Amul thinks in this direction, it will surely happen even faster", he said.

Talking about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel`s most important contribution in the field of cooperative development, Prime Minister Modi said, "In various parts of the world, at various times we saw what socialism is, we also saw capitalism. But, through Amul, Sardar Patel showed another way. Here is a way where neither Government nor industrialists call the shots. It is the people who matter. This is a unique model."

"A century ago, Sardar Patel entered civic politics of Ahmedabad. He won from Dariapur. His margin of victory then was 1 vote. When he assumed office as the head of the municipality, he laid emphasis on urban development, planning and in that he worked on cooperative housing. Guided by Sardar Patel, Pritamrai Desai Ji worked on cooperative housing in a big way in Ahmedabad. These efforts gave wings to the aspirations of several people," he added.

Prime Minister Modi also hailed the spirit of team Amul."We are focusing on Jan Dhan, Van Dhan and Gobar Dhan. This will help our farmers. In a few years, Amul will complete 75 years. This is a team that is unstoppable. I admire their spirit. Let us think about what targets Amul can set for their own 75th anniversary and for 2022 when India marks 75 years of freedom."

He also requested more dairies to work towards `sweet revolution` and said, "I told several dairies in Gujarat to also work on the sweet revolution, which is related to honeybees. I am aware that Banas Dairy and the dairy in Amreli have done commendable work in this direction. I urge more dairies to also devote attention to this."

In his one day visit to the state, the Prime Minister will also travel to Anjar where he will inaugurate the Mundra LNG terminal, the Anjar-Mundra pipeline project and the Palanpur-Pali-Barmer pipeline project.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed upon the significance of innovation and value addition while addressing a public gathering here on Sunday. "There was a time when there would be scarcity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed upon the significance of innovation and value addition while addressing a public gathering here on Sunday. "There was a time when there would be scarcity. We had to import food grains. Now, things have changed. Today, the time has come to give importance to innovation and value addition", he said. Prime Minister Modi was in Anand to inaugurate a number of modern food processing facilities worth Rs 1100 crore, including Amul`s ultra-modern chocolate plant and Anand Agricultural Univesity`s incubation center-cum-center of excellence in food processing. He also inaugurated a solar cooperative society at Mujhkuva village and laid the foundation stone for the expansion of Amul manufacturing facilities at Anand and Khatraj. Talking further about the importance of the cooperative sector in helping the farmers of Gujarat, Prime Minister Modi said, "Not only Amul, people in North Gujarat also worked in the cooperative sector. We have the Banas Dairy, the Dudhsagar Dairy. All these endeavours helped the people of Gujarat, particularly the farmers. For a long time, we had people sitting in Gandhinagar who disliked the cooperatives. They prevented the sector from acquiring a foothold in Saurashtra. Things changed after the late 1990s and today almost all districts in Gujarat are doing well in the sector." Emphasizing on the global brand value of Amul, Prime Minister Modi also termed it as an outstanding model of empowerment. He said, "The brand of Amul is known worldwide. Today, Amul has become an inspiration across the globe. People from overseas also ask me about Amul. Amul is not only about milk processing. This is an excellent model of empowerment." He also underscored the need of exploring possibilities with the camel milk."A long time back, I had gone to Kutch and spoken about the need to popularise camel milk. That time a group of people mocked me. But, today the camel milk chocolate of Amul is doing well. We are doing well in milk processing but we can do even better. And, I am sure if Amul thinks in this direction, it will surely happen even faster", he said. Talking about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel`s most important contribution in the field of cooperative development, Prime Minister Modi said, "In various parts of the world, at various times we saw what socialism is, we also saw capitalism. But, through Amul, Sardar Patel showed another way. Here is a way where neither Government nor industrialists call the shots. It is the people who matter. This is a unique model." "A century ago, Sardar Patel entered civic politics of Ahmedabad. He won from Dariapur. His margin of victory then was 1 vote. When he assumed office as the head of the municipality, he laid emphasis on urban development, planning and in that he worked on cooperative housing. Guided by Sardar Patel, Pritamrai Desai Ji worked on cooperative housing in a big way in Ahmedabad. These efforts gave wings to the aspirations of several people," he added. Prime Minister Modi also hailed the spirit of team Amul."We are focusing on Jan Dhan, Van Dhan and Gobar Dhan. This will help our farmers. In a few years, Amul will complete 75 years. This is a team that is unstoppable. I admire their spirit. Let us think about what targets Amul can set for their own 75th anniversary and for 2022 when India marks 75 years of freedom." He also requested more dairies to work towards `sweet revolution` and said, "I told several dairies in Gujarat to also work on the sweet revolution, which is related to honeybees. I am aware that Banas Dairy and the dairy in Amreli have done commendable work in this direction. I urge more dairies to also devote attention to this." In his one day visit to the state, the Prime Minister will also travel to Anjar where he will inaugurate the Mundra LNG terminal, the Anjar-Mundra pipeline project and the Palanpur-Pali-Barmer pipeline project.

Innovation and value addition need of time: PM Modi in Anand

The Gujarat government on Thursday announced the doubling of compensation for farmers whose agricultural land situated in urban areas will be acquired for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor.

As per the Union government's prevailing compensation rates for land acquisition, landowners in rural areas get four times the market rate while the same is two times the market rate for agricultural land parcels falling in Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) and Area Development Authorities(ADAs).

Gujarat Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel on Thursday said that the state government had decided that farmers having their land under UDAs or ADAs would also get four times the market rate like their rural counterparts.

"We have taken this decision to expedite the land acquisition process for the bullet train project. Now, villages which fall in urban regions would also be entitled to get compensation four times the market rate" said Mr Patel.

In addition, the farmers would also get an additional 25 per cent "bonus" on the compensation amount agreed by the farmers and acquiring authority, he added.

The minister said that the process to acquire 681 hectares of land spread across eight districts for the project was going on in full swing.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway project currently faces land acquisition hurdles in several parts of the state and farmers have also approached Gujarat High Court over it.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is being executed by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited, a special purpose vehicle of the Railways and the governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The 508-kilometre corridor would require around 1,400 hectares of land in Gujarat and Maharashtra, 1,120 hectares of which is privately owned. Around 6,000 landowners will have to be compensated.

The Gujarat government on Thursday announced the doubling of compensation for farmers whose agricultural land situated in urban areas will be acquired for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor.

The Gujarat government on Thursday announced the doubling of compensation for farmers whose agricultural land situated in urban areas will be acquired for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor. As per the Union government's prevailing compensation rates for land acquisition, landowners in rural areas get four times the market rate while the same is two times the market rate for agricultural land parcels falling in Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) and Area Development Authorities(ADAs). Gujarat Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel on Thursday said that the state government had decided that farmers having their land under UDAs or ADAs would also get four times the market rate like their rural counterparts. "We have taken this decision to expedite the land acquisition process for the bullet train project. Now, villages which fall in urban regions would also be entitled to get compensation four times the market rate" said Mr Patel. In addition, the farmers would also get an additional 25 per cent "bonus" on the compensation amount agreed by the farmers and acquiring authority, he added. The minister said that the process to acquire 681 hectares of land spread across eight districts for the project was going on in full swing. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway project currently faces land acquisition hurdles in several parts of the state and farmers have also approached Gujarat High Court over it. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project is being executed by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited, a special purpose vehicle of the Railways and the governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The 508-kilometre corridor would require around 1,400 hectares of land in Gujarat and Maharashtra, 1,120 hectares of which is privately owned. Around 6,000 landowners will have to be compensated.

For bullet train, double compensation for Gujarat farmers in urban areas

An Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter jet crashed in Gujarat on Tuesday, killing its pilot, an official said.

The fighter jet crashed near Beraja-Ramaniya Village in Mundra taluka of Kutch.

An IAF spokesperson said the aircraft was on a routine training mission when it met with the accident at Jamnagar around 10.30 am.

"The pilot, Air Commodore Sanjay Chauhan, sustained fatal injuries during the crash," the spokesperson said.

A Court of Inquiry into the incident has been ordered by the air headquarters to investigate the cause of the accident, the sources said.&nbsp;

<img alt="1_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="581" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/1_0.jpg" width="1032" />

(A file photo of&nbsp;Air Commodore Sanjay Chauhan with&nbsp;Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.)

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>: Wreckage of IAF's Jaguar fighter jet that crashed in Kutch's Mundra, the aircraft was on a routine training mission from Jamnagar. The Pilot, Air Cmde Sanjay Chauhan, lost his life in the crash. Court of Inquiry ordered to investigate cause of accident. <a href="https://t.co/bGBiE2L53k">pic.twitter.com/bGBiE2L53k</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1003884589142573057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The plane's debris was strewn far and wide on the outskirts of the village, locals said.

Debris of the aircraft kills some cattle grazing in the village.

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The fighter jet crashed near Beraja-Ramaniya Village in Mundra taluka of Kutch.

An Indian Air Force Jaguar fighter jet crashed in Gujarat on Tuesday, killing its pilot, an official said. The fighter jet crashed near Beraja-Ramaniya Village in Mundra taluka of Kutch. An IAF spokesperson said the aircraft was on a routine training mission when it met with the accident at Jamnagar around 10.30 am. "The pilot, Air Commodore Sanjay Chauhan, sustained fatal injuries during the crash," the spokesperson said. A Court of Inquiry into the incident has been ordered by the air headquarters to investigate the cause of the accident, the sources said. (A file photo of Air Commodore Sanjay Chauhan with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.) #Gujarat: Wreckage of IAF's Jaguar fighter jet that crashed in Kutch's Mundra, the aircraft was on a routine training mission from Jamnagar. The Pilot, Air Cmde Sanjay Chauhan, lost his life in the crash. Court of Inquiry ordered to investigate cause of accident. pic.twitter.com/bGBiE2L53k — ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2018 × The plane's debris was strewn far and wide on the outskirts of the village, locals said. Debris of the aircraft kills some cattle grazing in the village.

Indian Air Force pilot killed after Jaguar fighter jet crashes in Gujarat’s Kutch

Heat wave condition is likely to prevail in Gujarat for the next couple of days as there are no chances of rain, according to the India Meteorological&nbsp;Department (IMD).

"We have given heatwave alert for Gujarat for today. Many places have seen the temperature above 44 degree Celsius in Gujarat," IMD Gujarat Director Jayant Sarkar said.

"Tomorrow and day after tomorrow temperature will decrease because the wind pattern will change from northwesterly to southwesterly, but after that maximum temperature will again rise. We have today given orange alert for Ahmedabad," Sarkar added.

The temperature in Surendra Nagar was the highest on Thursday, recording a maximum of 45.7 degree Celsius. Deesa was at 45.2 while Ahmedabad, Idar and Kandla airport registered maximum temperatures of 44 degree Celsius, the&nbsp;IMD&nbsp;stated.

Besides Gujarat, the&nbsp;IMD&nbsp;had also stated that heat wave condition will prevail in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan too until Monday.

The central and northern India continues to remain under the grip of a heat wave.

The central and northern India continues to remain under the grip of heatwave

Heat wave condition is likely to prevail in Gujarat for the next couple of days as there are no chances of rain, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). "We have given heatwave alert for Gujarat for today. Many places have seen the temperature above 44 degree Celsius in Gujarat," IMD Gujarat Director Jayant Sarkar said. "Tomorrow and day after tomorrow temperature will decrease because the wind pattern will change from northwesterly to southwesterly, but after that maximum temperature will again rise. We have today given orange alert for Ahmedabad," Sarkar added. The temperature in Surendra Nagar was the highest on Thursday, recording a maximum of 45.7 degree Celsius. Deesa was at 45.2 while Ahmedabad, Idar and Kandla airport registered maximum temperatures of 44 degree Celsius, the IMD stated. Besides Gujarat, the IMD had also stated that heat wave condition will prevail in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan too until Monday. The central and northern India continues to remain under the grip of a heat wave.

Heatwave condition to prevail in Gujarat

Amid rising criticism over steep hike in fuel prices, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram today claimed it was possible to cut up to Rs 25 per litre in petrol prices but the government will not do so.

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In a series of tweets, the former finance minister said the bonanza to central government is Rs 25 on every litre of petrol and this money rightfully belongs to the average consumer. "Central government saves Rs 15 on every litre of petrol due to fall in crude oil prices. Central government puts an additional tax of Rs 10 on every litre of petrol.

"It is possible to cut up to Rs 25 per litre, but the government will not. They will cheat the people by cutting price by Rs 1 or 2 per litre of petrol," he said on Twitter.

More than a week after state-owned oil firms ended a 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus on revising fuel prices, petrol and diesel rates have touched record highs.

Petrol costs Rs 76.87 per litre in Delhi and diesel costs Rs 68.08 a litre. In the last nine days, petrol price has risen by Rs 2.24 a litre and diesel by Rs 2.15.

Rates vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

The prices in Delhi are the cheapest among all metros and most state capitals.

The central government levies Rs 19.48 a litre of excise duty on petrol and Rs 15.33 per litre on diesel.

State sales tax or VAT varies from state to state.

Unlike excise duty, VAT is ad valorem and results in higher revenues for the state when rates move up.

In Delhi, VAT on petrol was Rs 15.84 a litre and Rs 9.68 on diesel in April.

Now, it is Rs 16.34 on petrol and Rs 10.02 a litre on diesel.

Every rupee cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in a revenue loss of Rs 13,000 crore.

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कच्चे तेल की कीमतों में गिरावट से केंद्र सरकार को पेट्रोल पर 15 रु/लीटर की बचत होती है| इसके अलावा केंद्र सरकार पेट्रोल पर 10 रु/लीटर का अतिरिक्त कर लगाती है।
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) <a href="https://twitter.com/PChidambaram_IN/status/999178344792051712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Bonanza to central government is Rs 25 on every litre of petrol. This money rightfully belongs to the average consumer.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) <a href="https://twitter.com/PChidambaram_IN/status/999113389388464133?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Central government saves Rs 15 on every litre of petrol due to fall in crude oil prices. Central government puts additional tax of Rs 10 on every litre of petrol.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) <a href="https://twitter.com/PChidambaram_IN/status/999113260703145984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The government had raised excise duty nine times between November 2014 and January 2016 to shore up finances as global oil prices fell, but then cut the tax just once in October last year by Rs 2 a litre.

Subsequent to that excise duty reduction, the Centre had asked states to also lower VAT. Just four of them -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh -- reduced rates while others including BJP-ruled ones ignored the call.

In all, duty on petrol rate was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped governments excise mop up more than double to Rs 2,42,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15.&nbsp;

'It is possible to cut up to Rs 25 per litre, but the government will not. They will cheat the people by cutting price by Rs 1 or 2 per litre of petrol,' the former finance minister said on Twitter. Every rupee cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in a revenue loss of Rs 13,000 crore

Amid rising criticism over steep hike in fuel prices, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram today claimed it was possible to cut up to Rs 25 per litre in petrol prices but the government will not do so. × In a series of tweets, the former finance minister said the bonanza to central government is Rs 25 on every litre of petrol and this money rightfully belongs to the average consumer. "Central government saves Rs 15 on every litre of petrol due to fall in crude oil prices. Central government puts an additional tax of Rs 10 on every litre of petrol. "It is possible to cut up to Rs 25 per litre, but the government will not. They will cheat the people by cutting price by Rs 1 or 2 per litre of petrol," he said on Twitter. More than a week after state-owned oil firms ended a 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus on revising fuel prices, petrol and diesel rates have touched record highs. Petrol costs Rs 76.87 per litre in Delhi and diesel costs Rs 68.08 a litre. In the last nine days, petrol price has risen by Rs 2.24 a litre and diesel by Rs 2.15. Rates vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT. The prices in Delhi are the cheapest among all metros and most state capitals. The central government levies Rs 19.48 a litre of excise duty on petrol and Rs 15.33 per litre on diesel. State sales tax or VAT varies from state to state. Unlike excise duty, VAT is ad valorem and results in higher revenues for the state when rates move up. In Delhi, VAT on petrol was Rs 15.84 a litre and Rs 9.68 on diesel in April. Now, it is Rs 16.34 on petrol and Rs 10.02 a litre on diesel. Every rupee cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel will result in a revenue loss of Rs 13,000 crore. कच्चे तेल की कीमतों में गिरावट से केंद्र सरकार को पेट्रोल पर 15 रु/लीटर की बचत होती है| इसके अलावा केंद्र सरकार पेट्रोल पर 10 रु/लीटर का अतिरिक्त कर लगाती है। — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 23, 2018 × Bonanza to central government is Rs 25 on every litre of petrol. This money rightfully belongs to the average consumer. — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 23, 2018 × Central government saves Rs 15 on every litre of petrol due to fall in crude oil prices. Central government puts additional tax of Rs 10 on every litre of petrol. — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 23, 2018 × The government had raised excise duty nine times between November 2014 and January 2016 to shore up finances as global oil prices fell, but then cut the tax just once in October last year by Rs 2 a litre. Subsequent to that excise duty reduction, the Centre had asked states to also lower VAT. Just four of them -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh -- reduced rates while others including BJP-ruled ones ignored the call. In all, duty on petrol rate was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped governments excise mop up more than double to Rs 2,42,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15.

Government can reduce petrol price by Rs 25 but won't do it: Chidambaram

A Dalit man was tied and beaten to death with a stick in Shapar industrial area&nbsp;on Sunday in Gujarat's Rajkot on orders of factory owner&nbsp;after suspicion of theft.&nbsp;

As per reports, his wife was also thrashed and tortured by the men and is now in a critical state. The man, identified as Mukesh Vaniya, succumbed to his injuries at Rajkot Civil Hospital.

Five people have been detained in relation to the incident and an FIR has been lodged in the case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

The complaint was filed by the wife of the deceased, Jaya, said the report. It further said that the factory workers stopped beating up her husband only after she rushed to the spot with some of her relatives.

Sharing a video of the incident, Gujarat's Congress Committee president Amit Chavda said that the name of the man beaten to death was Mukesh Vaniya, and that he used to collect garbage from the factory where he was beaten up mercilessly.

Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani said it was "worse than the Una attack" which happened in 2016 where four Dalits were thrashed by cow vigilantes while they were skinning a cow that had been electrocuted.

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Dalit named Mukesh Vaniya was brutally beaten to death by factory owners where he used to collect garbage, on the suspicion of theft. His wife was also brutally beaten and tortured. - I strongly condemn this heinous and inhuman act. <a href="https://t.co/Vqf9WrUQ86">pic.twitter.com/Vqf9WrUQ86</a>
— Amit Chavda (@AmitChavdaINC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmitChavdaINC/status/998438957871333376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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'Mr. Mukesh Vaniya belonging to a scheduled caste was miserably thrashed and murdered by factory owners in Rajkot and his wife was brutally beaten up'.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratIsNotSafe4Dalit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratIsNotSafe4Dalit</a> <a href="https://t.co/ffJfn7rNSc">pic.twitter.com/ffJfn7rNSc</a>
— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) <a href="https://twitter.com/jigneshmevani80/status/998248749649547264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The man's wife was reportedly also thrashed by the men and is now in critical condition. The man, identified as Mukesh Vaniya, died from his injuries at Rajkot Civil Hospital

A Dalit man was tied and beaten to death with a stick in Shapar industrial area on Sunday in Gujarat's Rajkot on orders of factory owner after suspicion of theft. As per reports, his wife was also thrashed and tortured by the men and is now in a critical state. The man, identified as Mukesh Vaniya, succumbed to his injuries at Rajkot Civil Hospital. Five people have been detained in relation to the incident and an FIR has been lodged in the case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The complaint was filed by the wife of the deceased, Jaya, said the report. It further said that the factory workers stopped beating up her husband only after she rushed to the spot with some of her relatives. Sharing a video of the incident, Gujarat's Congress Committee president Amit Chavda said that the name of the man beaten to death was Mukesh Vaniya, and that he used to collect garbage from the factory where he was beaten up mercilessly. Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani said it was "worse than the Una attack" which happened in 2016 where four Dalits were thrashed by cow vigilantes while they were skinning a cow that had been electrocuted. Dalit named Mukesh Vaniya was brutally beaten to death by factory owners where he used to collect garbage, on the suspicion of theft. His wife was also brutally beaten and tortured. - I strongly condemn this heinous and inhuman act. pic.twitter.com/Vqf9WrUQ86 — Amit Chavda (@AmitChavdaINC) May 21, 2018 × 'Mr. Mukesh Vaniya belonging to a scheduled caste was miserably thrashed and murdered by factory owners in Rajkot and his wife was brutally beaten up'.#GujaratIsNotSafe4Dalit pic.twitter.com/ffJfn7rNSc — Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) May 20, 2018 ×

Video: Dalit man tied up, beaten to death in Gujarat. Factory owners said he had stolen

A 32-year-old man, arrested by Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad on May 11, had plans to carry out terror attacks in Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh with the help of his group members, a senior ATS official said on Monday.

ATS officials are interrogating Faizal Hassan Mirza, who was arrested in Mumbai on Friday in a joint operation with the Kolkata Police's Special Task Force (STF) and the Mumbai Police, ATS chief Atulchandra Kulkarni told reporters.

Mirza left the country a few months ago on the pretext of getting a job, as per the instructions of his "handler" and his distant kin Farooq Devadiwala, who stays in Sharjah, another official said.

Devadiwala is a wanted accused in terror activities in Mumbai and has underworld links, he said.

According to sources, Devadiwala is also connected with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's trusted aide Chhota Shakil and was recruiting men from Mumbai and other cities to carry out terror activities.

He was instrumental in recruiting Mirza for terror activities and suicide bombings and had arranged air tickets for the latter from Mumbai to Sharjah, the official said.

From Sharjah, Devadiwala took Mirza to Dubai and arranged a flight for Nairobi, which had a transit halt in Pakistan, he said.

When his flight landed at the Karachi airport, Mirza was asked to deplane and with the help of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI, was taken to a terror training camp and trained by the handlers and a religious preacher, the official claimed.

After returning to Mumbai, Mirza was awaiting orders from the handlers to carry out attacks in Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, he said.

They had planned these attacks in crowded places, targeting public utilities and also VIPs of these cities, the official added.

"The ATS has registered an offence under section 16, 18, 18A, 18B, 20 of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Mirza and six others, who include trainers, facilitators, handlers and a preacher, Kulkarni said.

They had planned these attacks in crowded places, targeting public utilities and also VIPs of these cities, the official added

A 32-year-old man, arrested by Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad on May 11, had plans to carry out terror attacks in Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh with the help of his group members, a senior ATS official said on Monday. ATS officials are interrogating Faizal Hassan Mirza, who was arrested in Mumbai on Friday in a joint operation with the Kolkata Police's Special Task Force (STF) and the Mumbai Police, ATS chief Atulchandra Kulkarni told reporters. Mirza left the country a few months ago on the pretext of getting a job, as per the instructions of his "handler" and his distant kin Farooq Devadiwala, who stays in Sharjah, another official said. Devadiwala is a wanted accused in terror activities in Mumbai and has underworld links, he said. According to sources, Devadiwala is also connected with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's trusted aide Chhota Shakil and was recruiting men from Mumbai and other cities to carry out terror activities. He was instrumental in recruiting Mirza for terror activities and suicide bombings and had arranged air tickets for the latter from Mumbai to Sharjah, the official said. From Sharjah, Devadiwala took Mirza to Dubai and arranged a flight for Nairobi, which had a transit halt in Pakistan, he said. When his flight landed at the Karachi airport, Mirza was asked to deplane and with the help of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI, was taken to a terror training camp and trained by the handlers and a religious preacher, the official claimed. After returning to Mumbai, Mirza was awaiting orders from the handlers to carry out attacks in Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, he said. They had planned these attacks in crowded places, targeting public utilities and also VIPs of these cities, the official added. "The ATS has registered an offence under section 16, 18, 18A, 18B, 20 of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Mirza and six others, who include trainers, facilitators, handlers and a preacher, Kulkarni said.

Arrested man had plans to carry out attacks in Mumbai, Guj, UP: Maharashtra ATS

Former Gujarat police officer N K Amin, an accused in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, on Saturday told a CBI court in Ahmedabad that there was a "conspiracy" to prove that the encounter was fake.

Arguing in person over his discharge application before special CBI judge J K Pandya, Amin said the FIR against him was "fabricated, biased and based on false facts".

Amin, accused in the charge sheet of firing five rounds from his gun at Ishrat Jahan and three others on June 14, 2004, claimed that IPS officer Satish Verma, a former investigator in the case, was also behind the conspiracy.

Verma was part of the conspiracy hatched at the behest of "the political party then in power" as he (Verma) allowed I K Chauhan, a former accused in the case, to turn a prosecution witness and depose against Amin despite knowing that he was stating blatant lies, Amin said.

Chauhan was a police inspector with the Ahmedabad crime branch at the time of the alleged fake encounter.

Amin and retired IPS officer D G Vanzara, both on bail, in this case, have filed applications for discharge.

The CBI has opposed their pleas, saying it has sufficient evidence against them.

The court recently discharged former Gujarat DGP P P Pandey in the case.

Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old college girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, her friend Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh, Amzad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Ahmedabad police on the outskirts of the city in June 2004.

The police had then claimed that they were terrorists affiliated to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The first charge sheet filed by the CBI named seven Gujarat policemen -- Amin, Tarun Barot, P P Pandey, Vanzara, J G Parmar, K M Vaghela, and G L Singhal -- for carrying out a fake encounter.&nbsp

Former Gujarat police officer N K Amin, an accused in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, on Saturday told a CBI court in Ahmedabad that there was a 'conspiracy' to prove that the encounter was fake

Former Gujarat police officer N K Amin, an accused in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, on Saturday told a CBI court in Ahmedabad that there was a "conspiracy" to prove that the encounter was fake. Arguing in person over his discharge application before special CBI judge J K Pandya, Amin said the FIR against him was "fabricated, biased and based on false facts". Amin, accused in the charge sheet of firing five rounds from his gun at Ishrat Jahan and three others on June 14, 2004, claimed that IPS officer Satish Verma, a former investigator in the case, was also behind the conspiracy. Verma was part of the conspiracy hatched at the behest of "the political party then in power" as he (Verma) allowed I K Chauhan, a former accused in the case, to turn a prosecution witness and depose against Amin despite knowing that he was stating blatant lies, Amin said. Chauhan was a police inspector with the Ahmedabad crime branch at the time of the alleged fake encounter. Amin and retired IPS officer D G Vanzara, both on bail, in this case, have filed applications for discharge. The CBI has opposed their pleas, saying it has sufficient evidence against them. The court recently discharged former Gujarat DGP P P Pandey in the case. Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old college girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, her friend Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh, Amzad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Ahmedabad police on the outskirts of the city in June 2004. The police had then claimed that they were terrorists affiliated to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. The first charge sheet filed by the CBI named seven Gujarat policemen -- Amin, Tarun Barot, P P Pandey, Vanzara, J G Parmar, K M Vaghela, and G L Singhal -- for carrying out a fake encounter.

'Conspiracy' to prove Ishrat encounter was fake: Ex-cop Amin

The prison authorities in Gujarat has planned to instal high-quality sensors in two central jails to alert officials about any underground movement and thwart bids by prisoners to escape by digging tunnels.&nbspThe move comes five years after some prisoners dug up a tunnel in the British-era Sabarmati Central Prison here.

“To foil attempts by inmates to escape by digging a tunnel, we have decided to install a ‘tunnel detection system’ in the Sabarmati central jail here and the Lajpore central jail in Surat district,” Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, T S Bisht told PTI.

“Gujarat is probably the first state in the country which is planning to implement such a system in jails,” he claimed, adding that only the Border security force (BSF) uses it as of now to detect tunnels near border areas.

The state government has allocated a budget of Rs 2.8 crore for the implementation of the project in these two jails, the official said.&nbsp As a part of the system, several sensors will be installed about three meters under the ground at regular intervals inside the jail, Bisht said.

“The sensor is capable of detecting underground vibrations and movements three metres up and down from the place where it is installed. Thus, it would cover a radius of six metres,” he said.

The sensors would transmit real-time signals on detecting any underground movement or vibrations due to the digging activity, according to the official.

“The entire web of sensors will be connected to a control room and an alarm. Apart from activating the alarm on detecting vibrations, the system would also send an SMS to the designated numbers of jail officials about the underground activity,” he said.

The system is expected to be first implemented near the ‘high-security area’ of Sabarmati jail by the end of this year, he said, adding that it would be installed in both the central prisons in Ahmedabad and Suratin a phase-wise manner.

The jail’s high-security area is the place where hardened criminals and those accused in bomb blast cases are lodged.

In March 2013, the prison authorities had found a 214-feet long tunnel inside the Sabarmati central jail.

The authorities had then alleged that the tunnel was dug up by some of the accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case who were lodged in the jail.

The jail's high security area is the place where hardened criminals and those accused in bomb blast cases are lodged.

The prison authorities in Gujarat has planned to instal high-quality sensors in two central jails to alert officials about any underground movement and thwart bids by prisoners to escape by digging tunnels.&nbspThe move comes five years after some prisoners dug up a tunnel in the British-era Sabarmati Central Prison here. “To foil attempts by inmates to escape by digging a tunnel, we have decided to install a ‘tunnel detection system’ in the Sabarmati central jail here and the Lajpore central jail in Surat district,” Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, T S Bisht told PTI. “Gujarat is probably the first state in the country which is planning to implement such a system in jails,” he claimed, adding that only the Border security force (BSF) uses it as of now to detect tunnels near border areas. The state government has allocated a budget of Rs 2.8 crore for the implementation of the project in these two jails, the official said. As a part of the system, several sensors will be installed about three meters under the ground at regular intervals inside the jail, Bisht said. “The sensor is capable of detecting underground vibrations and movements three metres up and down from the place where it is installed. Thus, it would cover a radius of six metres,” he said. The sensors would transmit real-time signals on detecting any underground movement or vibrations due to the digging activity, according to the official. “The entire web of sensors will be connected to a control room and an alarm. Apart from activating the alarm on detecting vibrations, the system would also send an SMS to the designated numbers of jail officials about the underground activity,” he said. The system is expected to be first implemented near the ‘high-security area’ of Sabarmati jail by the end of this year, he said, adding that it would be installed in both the central prisons in Ahmedabad and Suratin a phase-wise manner. The jail’s high-security area is the place where hardened criminals and those accused in bomb blast cases are lodged. In March 2013, the prison authorities had found a 214-feet long tunnel inside the Sabarmati central jail. The authorities had then alleged that the tunnel was dug up by some of the accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case who were lodged in the jail.

To prevent Shawshank-style jailbreak, Gujarat prisons to go hi-tech

The prison authorities in Gujarat has planned to install high-quality sensors in two central jails to alert officials about any underground movement and thwart bids by prisoners to escape by digging tunnels.

The move comes five years after some prisoners dug up a tunnel in the British-era Sabarmati Central Prison here.

"To foil attempts by inmates to escape by digging a tunnel, we have decided to install a 'tunnel detection system' in the Sabarmati central jail here and the Lajpore central jail in Surat district," Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, T S Bisht told PTI.

"Gujarat is probably the first state in the country which is planning to implement such a system in jails," he claimed, adding that only the Border Security Force (BSF) uses it as of now to detect tunnels near border areas.

The state government has allocated a budget of Rs 2.8 crore for the implementation of the project in these two jails, the official said.

As a part of the system, several sensors will be installed about three meters under the ground at regular intervals inside the jail, Bisht said.

"The sensor is capable of detecting underground vibrations and movements three metres up and down from the place where it is installed. Thus, it would cover a radius of six metres," he said.

The sensors would transmit real-time signals on detecting any underground movement or vibrations due to the digging activity, according to the official.

"The entire web of sensors will be connected to a control room and an alarm. Apart from activating the alarm on detecting vibrations, the system would also send an SMS to the designated numbers of jail officials about the underground activity," he said.

The system is expected to be first implemented near the 'high-security area' of Sabarmati jail by the end of this year, he said, adding that it would be installed in both the central prisons in Ahmedabad and Suratin a phase-wise manner.

The jail's high-security area is the place where hardened criminals and those accused in bomb blast cases are lodged.

In March 2013, the prison authorities had found a 214- feet long tunnel inside the Sabarmati central jail.

The authorities had then alleged that the tunnel was dug up by some of the accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case who were lodged in the jail.&nbsp

The move comes five years after some prisoners dug up a tunnel in the British-era Sabarmati Central Prison here

The prison authorities in Gujarat has planned to install high-quality sensors in two central jails to alert officials about any underground movement and thwart bids by prisoners to escape by digging tunnels. The move comes five years after some prisoners dug up a tunnel in the British-era Sabarmati Central Prison here. "To foil attempts by inmates to escape by digging a tunnel, we have decided to install a 'tunnel detection system' in the Sabarmati central jail here and the Lajpore central jail in Surat district," Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, T S Bisht told PTI. "Gujarat is probably the first state in the country which is planning to implement such a system in jails," he claimed, adding that only the Border Security Force (BSF) uses it as of now to detect tunnels near border areas. The state government has allocated a budget of Rs 2.8 crore for the implementation of the project in these two jails, the official said. As a part of the system, several sensors will be installed about three meters under the ground at regular intervals inside the jail, Bisht said. "The sensor is capable of detecting underground vibrations and movements three metres up and down from the place where it is installed. Thus, it would cover a radius of six metres," he said. The sensors would transmit real-time signals on detecting any underground movement or vibrations due to the digging activity, according to the official. "The entire web of sensors will be connected to a control room and an alarm. Apart from activating the alarm on detecting vibrations, the system would also send an SMS to the designated numbers of jail officials about the underground activity," he said. The system is expected to be first implemented near the 'high-security area' of Sabarmati jail by the end of this year, he said, adding that it would be installed in both the central prisons in Ahmedabad and Suratin a phase-wise manner. The jail's high-security area is the place where hardened criminals and those accused in bomb blast cases are lodged. In March 2013, the prison authorities had found a 214- feet long tunnel inside the Sabarmati central jail. The authorities had then alleged that the tunnel was dug up by some of the accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case who were lodged in the jail.

Prisons in Gujarat to get hi-tech tunnel detection system

The first day of May is celebrated as the foundation day of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

On May 1, 1960, the two states were carved out of Bombay state after a&nbsplinguistic division.

Prior to the bifurcation, the Bombay state largely included Marathi and Gujarati- speaking regions. The state was expanded later with the addition of Saurashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada under the States Reorganisation Act of 1956.

Gujarat played a major role in developing trade relations between Karachi and Mumbai during the Colonial period.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the nation on Monday to wish Gujarat and Maharashtra Diwas.&nbsp

Wishing the people for Gujarat Diwas, PM Modi tweeted "Greetings on Gujarat Diwas. The state’s people are known for their simplicity and entrepreneurial zeal. Gujarat has made a significant contribution in our nation’s history, especially during the freedom movement. May Gujarat continue to add impetus to India’s progress."

While greeting the country on Maharashtra Diwas he wrote "Best wishes to the people of Maharashtra on their Statehood Day. I pray for the continued progress and prosperity of Maharashtra. May the state scale new heights and keep contributing to the development journey of our nation".

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ગુજરાત દિવસની સૌને શુભકામનાઓ! વેપાર અંગેની કુશળતા અને સાદગી - આ બે ગુણોને કારણે ગુજરાતીઓ પ્રખ્યાત છે. ભારતના ઇતિહાસમાં, ખાસ કરીને આઝાદીની લડાઈમાં, ગુજરાતીઓનું પ્રશંસનીય યોગદાન રહ્યું છે. ભારતના વિકાસમાં ગુજરાતનું પ્રદાન હંમેશા અગ્રેસર રહે એવી મનોકામના!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/991142401124290561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp

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महाराष्ट्रातील सर्व नागरिकांना महाराष्ट्र दिनाच्या शुभेच्छा ! महाराष्ट्राच्या निरंतर प्रगती आणि समृद्धीसाठी मी प्रार्थना करतो. हे राज्य प्रगतीच्या नव्या उंचीवर पोहोचावे आणि देशाच्या विकासाच्या प्रवासात त्याचे योगदान असेच वाढत जावे.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/991142897755082752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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President Ram Nath Kovind also greeted the nation on the occasion.&nbsp

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On Maharashtra Day, greetings and good wishes to the people of Maharashtra. May the state continue to prosper and develop in the years to come <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentKovind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentKovind</a>
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) <a href="https://twitter.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/991131270263422978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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On the occasion of Gujarat Day, warm greetings and best wishes to the people of Gujarat. May the state scale newer heights of development in the years to come <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentKovind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentKovind</a>
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) <a href="https://twitter.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/991129918112182272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp

On May 1, 1960, the two states were carved out of Bombay state after a linguistic division

The first day of May is celebrated as the foundation day of Gujarat and Maharashtra. On May 1, 1960, the two states were carved out of Bombay state after a&nbsplinguistic division. Prior to the bifurcation, the Bombay state largely included Marathi and Gujarati- speaking regions. The state was expanded later with the addition of Saurashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada under the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. Gujarat played a major role in developing trade relations between Karachi and Mumbai during the Colonial period. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the nation on Monday to wish Gujarat and Maharashtra Diwas. Wishing the people for Gujarat Diwas, PM Modi tweeted "Greetings on Gujarat Diwas. The state’s people are known for their simplicity and entrepreneurial zeal. Gujarat has made a significant contribution in our nation’s history, especially during the freedom movement. May Gujarat continue to add impetus to India’s progress." While greeting the country on Maharashtra Diwas he wrote "Best wishes to the people of Maharashtra on their Statehood Day. I pray for the continued progress and prosperity of Maharashtra. May the state scale new heights and keep contributing to the development journey of our nation". ગુજરાત દિવસની સૌને શુભકામનાઓ! વેપાર અંગેની કુશળતા અને સાદગી - આ બે ગુણોને કારણે ગુજરાતીઓ પ્રખ્યાત છે. ભારતના ઇતિહાસમાં, ખાસ કરીને આઝાદીની લડાઈમાં, ગુજરાતીઓનું પ્રશંસનીય યોગદાન રહ્યું છે. ભારતના વિકાસમાં ગુજરાતનું પ્રદાન હંમેશા અગ્રેસર રહે એવી મનોકામના! — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 1, 2018 × महाराष्ट्रातील सर्व नागरिकांना महाराष्ट्र दिनाच्या शुभेच्छा ! महाराष्ट्राच्या निरंतर प्रगती आणि समृद्धीसाठी मी प्रार्थना करतो. हे राज्य प्रगतीच्या नव्या उंचीवर पोहोचावे आणि देशाच्या विकासाच्या प्रवासात त्याचे योगदान असेच वाढत जावे. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 1, 2018 × President Ram Nath Kovind also greeted the nation on the occasion. On Maharashtra Day, greetings and good wishes to the people of Maharashtra. May the state continue to prosper and develop in the years to come #PresidentKovind — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 1, 2018 × On the occasion of Gujarat Day, warm greetings and best wishes to the people of Gujarat. May the state scale newer heights of development in the years to come #PresidentKovind — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 1, 2018 ×

PM Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind greet nation on Gujarat, Maharashtra Day

A Dalit man on Sunday was beaten up&nbsp;and forced off a horse by a group of villagers a day before his wedding in Rajasthan.&nbsp;

The incident took place on Sunday night in Rajasthan's Govardhanpura village of Bhilwara district when stones were hurled at him and his friends were beaten up by villagers who were outraged over a scheduled caste groom riding a mare during the traditional ceremony of Bindoli.&nbsp;

As per reports, the groom alleged that most of the attackers were from the Gurjar community.

The police reached the spot and tried to stop the villagers&nbsp;but they forced the groom to get down from the horse and go back to his house.&nbsp;

An FIR has been lodged under IPC sections including 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) along with sections of the SC/ST Act.

Police said that a case has been registered under SC/ST Act and seven people have been arrested so far in this regard.

Reports of discrimination against Dalits are reported from different parts of India. On Sunday, to protest against discrimination and caste-based violence, hundreds of Dalits converted to Buddhism in Una district of Gujarat.

Previously a Dalit groom was asked to take a longer route to ‘avoid’ Thakur areas during the Kasanj incident.&nbsp;

As per reports, the groom alleged that most of the attackers were from the Gurjar community

A Dalit man on Sunday was beaten up and forced off a horse by a group of villagers a day before his wedding in Rajasthan. The incident took place on Sunday night in Rajasthan's Govardhanpura village of Bhilwara district when stones were hurled at him and his friends were beaten up by villagers who were outraged over a scheduled caste groom riding a mare during the traditional ceremony of Bindoli. As per reports, the groom alleged that most of the attackers were from the Gurjar community. The police reached the spot and tried to stop the villagers but they forced the groom to get down from the horse and go back to his house. An FIR has been lodged under IPC sections including 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) along with sections of the SC/ST Act. Police said that a case has been registered under SC/ST Act and seven people have been arrested so far in this regard. Reports of discrimination against Dalits are reported from different parts of India. On Sunday, to protest against discrimination and caste-based violence, hundreds of Dalits converted to Buddhism in Una district of Gujarat. Previously a Dalit groom was asked to take a longer route to ‘avoid’ Thakur areas during the Kasanj incident.

Rajasthan: Dalit groom beaten up, forced off horse during wedding procession

The Gujarat government will start a month-long initiative from May 1, the state's Foundation Day, to increase its water conservation capacity, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said today.

Tasks like deepening ponds, desilting water reservoirs and check dams, cleaning and repairing Narmada canal networks, and implementing rain water harvesting projects in urban areas will be undertaken during the 31-day statewide 'Sujalam Sufalam Water Conservation Initiative,' Rupani told reporters at a press conference.

Through the month-long programme, the government aims to increase rain water conservation capacity in the state by 11,000 lakh square feet, he said.

The government has earmarked Rs 345 crore for the initiative which will also involve, apart form various government departments, voluntary organisations, industries, educational and religious institutes, and PSUs, he said.

He said the state government had an aim to revive 32 rivers, across a length of 340 kilometres, as part of the initiative.

The move, he said, will see deepening of around 4,000 ponds, 1,500 check dams, 200 water reservoirs, and cleaning and repairing of 5,400 kilometres of canals covering 6,000 villages.

"Development gets hampered due to water scarcity. For systematic solution to the problem of water scarcity faced by the state due to low rainfall, the state government will undertake a month-long water conservation initiative starting May 1," Rupani said.

The allocation and implementation of the work will take place at the district level, and collectors have prepared master plans of works required in their respective districts, he said.

"We call for public participation through manpower, machinery and money. Collectors will co-ordinate the projects at the district level and will reimburse funds to the participants," Rupani said.

He informed that he would launch the project on May 1 by participating in the desilting of a pond at Kosamdi village in Ankleshwar tehsil of Bharuch district.

Local leaders as well as MLAs and MPs will participate in their respective areas. A committee headed by state Chief Secretary J N Singh has been set up to oversee the project, he said.

Through the month-long programme, the government aims to increase rain water conservation capacity in the state by 11,000 lakh square feet

The Gujarat government will start a month-long initiative from May 1, the state's Foundation Day, to increase its water conservation capacity, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said today. Tasks like deepening ponds, desilting water reservoirs and check dams, cleaning and repairing Narmada canal networks, and implementing rain water harvesting projects in urban areas will be undertaken during the 31-day statewide 'Sujalam Sufalam Water Conservation Initiative,' Rupani told reporters at a press conference. Through the month-long programme, the government aims to increase rain water conservation capacity in the state by 11,000 lakh square feet, he said. The government has earmarked Rs 345 crore for the initiative which will also involve, apart form various government departments, voluntary organisations, industries, educational and religious institutes, and PSUs, he said. He said the state government had an aim to revive 32 rivers, across a length of 340 kilometres, as part of the initiative. The move, he said, will see deepening of around 4,000 ponds, 1,500 check dams, 200 water reservoirs, and cleaning and repairing of 5,400 kilometres of canals covering 6,000 villages. "Development gets hampered due to water scarcity. For systematic solution to the problem of water scarcity faced by the state due to low rainfall, the state government will undertake a month-long water conservation initiative starting May 1," Rupani said. The allocation and implementation of the work will take place at the district level, and collectors have prepared master plans of works required in their respective districts, he said. "We call for public participation through manpower, machinery and money. Collectors will co-ordinate the projects at the district level and will reimburse funds to the participants," Rupani said. He informed that he would launch the project on May 1 by participating in the desilting of a pond at Kosamdi village in Ankleshwar tehsil of Bharuch district. Local leaders as well as MLAs and MPs will participate in their respective areas. A committee headed by state Chief Secretary J N Singh has been set up to oversee the project, he said.

Gujarat to launch month-long water conservation project from May 1

Security has been provided to the family of Akhil Gupta, a witness in the rape case against Asaram Bapu in Surat, who was shot dead in January 2015, ahead of the godman's verdict in Jodhpur today, police said.

"Security has been provided to the wife and father of Gupta," SP (city) Ombir Singh said.

He was returning home from his shop on a scooter when the two motorcycle-borne assailant shot at him on Januray 11, 2015. Gupta was a cook and personal aide of Asaram, who is in jail since September 2013 in connection with another case of sexual assault on a minor girl in Jodhpur.

Meanwhile, the deceased's father Naresh Gupta said, " I am confident that justice will be given to the victim today in Jodhpur case."

Two sisters in Surat had accused Asaram and his son Narayan Sai of raping them. Gupta was a witness in the rape case against Asaram and had recorded his statement before a Gandhinagar court.&nbsp;

Akhil Gupta, a witness in the Gujarat rape case against Asaram, was shot dead in January 2015

Security has been provided to the family of Akhil Gupta, a witness in the rape case against Asaram Bapu in Surat, who was shot dead in January 2015, ahead of the godman's verdict in Jodhpur today, police said. "Security has been provided to the wife and father of Gupta," SP (city) Ombir Singh said. He was returning home from his shop on a scooter when the two motorcycle-borne assailant shot at him on Januray 11, 2015. Gupta was a cook and personal aide of Asaram, who is in jail since September 2013 in connection with another case of sexual assault on a minor girl in Jodhpur. Meanwhile, the deceased's father Naresh Gupta said, " I am confident that justice will be given to the victim today in Jodhpur case." Two sisters in Surat had accused Asaram and his son Narayan Sai of raping them. Gupta was a witness in the rape case against Asaram and had recorded his statement before a Gandhinagar court.

Asaram witness killing: Security provided to deceased's family

Nearly five years after rape charges were levelled against self-styled godman, Asaram Bapu, the Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday found him guilty.&nbsp;

Asaram's involvement was probed in two separate cases - one from Rajasthan and the other from Gujarat.

In the case registered in Rajasthan, a teenage girl from Shahajahanpur of Uttar Pradesh had accused Asaram of raping her at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur on the night of August 15, 2013, while in Gujarat, two Surat-based sisters lodged separate complaints against the self-styled godman and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape.

However, ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict in the above cases, here are the developments that have taken place so far:

-Asaram was taken into police custody in August 2013, following which he was taken to Jodhpur Central jail. A month later, a potency test was conducted on him and was produced before a Jodhpur court. While the self-styled godman has filed a number of bail petitions, a total of 12 applications were rejected by the trial court, the Rajasthan High Court, and the Supreme Court.

-In November the same year, the charge sheet filed against Asaram and four others had indicated blackmail in exchange of sexual favours, after which the former was booked under Sections 342, 376, 506 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

-In the years that followed, a number of the key witnesses in the case were attacked or went missing. In 2014, Asaram's personal aide was shot dead, while another associate was killed in 2015 in Muzaffarnagar. In the same year, two more witnesses were attacked by unidentified individuals, while another witness went missing from Lucknow.

-Ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict, security has been beefed up in three states, namely Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana. Furthermore, the judgement in the case will be pronounced inside the Jodhpur Central Jail, fearing possible communal violence similar to that in Panchkula following the conviction of controversial godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.

-The Jodhpur Court also dismissed a petition seeking entry of media persons in Central Jail of Jodhpur for the coverage of the judgement.

-Furthermore, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) will be imposed in Jodhpur till April 30.

Nearly five years after rape charges were levelled against self-styled godman, Asaram Bapu, the Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday found him guilty.

Nearly five years after rape charges were levelled against self-styled godman, Asaram Bapu, the Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday found him guilty. Asaram's involvement was probed in two separate cases - one from Rajasthan and the other from Gujarat. In the case registered in Rajasthan, a teenage girl from Shahajahanpur of Uttar Pradesh had accused Asaram of raping her at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur on the night of August 15, 2013, while in Gujarat, two Surat-based sisters lodged separate complaints against the self-styled godman and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape. However, ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict in the above cases, here are the developments that have taken place so far: -Asaram was taken into police custody in August 2013, following which he was taken to Jodhpur Central jail. A month later, a potency test was conducted on him and was produced before a Jodhpur court. While the self-styled godman has filed a number of bail petitions, a total of 12 applications were rejected by the trial court, the Rajasthan High Court, and the Supreme Court. -In November the same year, the charge sheet filed against Asaram and four others had indicated blackmail in exchange of sexual favours, after which the former was booked under Sections 342, 376, 506 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). -In the years that followed, a number of the key witnesses in the case were attacked or went missing. In 2014, Asaram's personal aide was shot dead, while another associate was killed in 2015 in Muzaffarnagar. In the same year, two more witnesses were attacked by unidentified individuals, while another witness went missing from Lucknow. -Ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict, security has been beefed up in three states, namely Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana. Furthermore, the judgement in the case will be pronounced inside the Jodhpur Central Jail, fearing possible communal violence similar to that in Panchkula following the conviction of controversial godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case. -The Jodhpur Court also dismissed a petition seeking entry of media persons in Central Jail of Jodhpur for the coverage of the judgement. -Furthermore, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) will be imposed in Jodhpur till April 30.

Asaram found guilty of rape: All you need to know

The Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court will pronounce its verdict today in a rape case against Asaram Bapu, a self-styled godman.&nbsp;

The judgement in the case will be pronounced inside the Jodhpur Central Jail.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Jodhpur court dismissed a petition seeking entry of media persons in Central Jail of Jodhpur for the coverage of Asaram Bapu rape case judgdment.&nbsp;

Security has also been beefed up outside Asaram rape case victim`s residence. "We have provided full security and safety to the victim and her family members and are alert," KB Singh, CO, Shahjahanpur said.

Delhi Police CPRO Deepender Pathak said that the police is alert and is in constant touch with concerned states and that adequate forces will immediately be deployed if required.&nbsp;

"Delhi police alert and in touch with concerned states. All field formations of police put on alert. Adequate forces will immediately be deployed if required. All officers will be present in their areas," Pathak said.&nbsp;

Jodhpur East (DCP) Amandeep Singh Kapoor said that all precautionary measures have been taken by the police to handle law and order ahead of the verdict tomorrow.&nbsp;

"We will not tolerate any kind of nonsense. We have taken all precautionary measures. We are confident that we will be able to handle law and order," Kapoor said.&nbsp;

A flag-march was also conducted by the security forces in Rajasthan`s Jodhpur ahead of the verdict.&nbsp;

Earlier in the day, the Union Home Ministry had reportedly asked Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana to tighten security and deploy additional forces.&nbsp;

These three states have a large number of followers of the self-styled godman.&nbsp;

The Ministry also told the three states to ensure that no violence takes place after the verdict.

On April 21, Jodhpur police said that Rajasthan High Court has beefed up security arrangements to ward off any untoward incident during the pronouncement of judgment in Asaram Bapu rape case.&nbsp;

The police further said that Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) will be imposed in Jodhpur till April 30.&nbsp;

On April 17, the court had decided to pronounce the verdict against self-styled godman in the rape case in Jodhpur Central Jail to avoid any law and order situation in the state.&nbsp;

The police had earlier filed a petition in the high court stating that Rajasthan may witness Panchkula-like violence, which broke out after the conviction of controversial godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.&nbsp;

The Jodhpur SC/ST Court on April 7 completed its hearing in the rape case against Asaram.

Asaram, who is currently lodged in the Jodhpur Central jail, is facing trial in two sexual assault cases: one in Rajasthan and the other in Gujarat.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> from Ahmedabad: Followers of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Asaram?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Asaram</a> praying ahead of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsaramCaseVerdict?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsaramCaseVerdict</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qn96T8mNhz">pic.twitter.com/Qn96T8mNhz</a>
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In the case registered in Rajasthan, a teenage girl from Shahajahanpur of Uttar Pradesh had accused Asaram of raping her at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur on the night of 15 August 2013.

Asaram was arrested after the teenage girl had filed a complaint against him.

In Gujarat, two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against the self-styled godman and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape.&nbsp;

The Jodhpur Police arrested Asaram on September 1, 2013, and since then, he is in prison.&nbsp;

The verdict against Asaram, on the charge of rape, will be pronounced inside the Jodhpur Central Jail itself. The Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court had on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking the entry of the media into the jail

The Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court will pronounce its verdict today in a rape case against Asaram Bapu, a self-styled godman. The judgement in the case will be pronounced inside the Jodhpur Central Jail. Earlier on Tuesday, the Jodhpur court dismissed a petition seeking entry of media persons in Central Jail of Jodhpur for the coverage of Asaram Bapu rape case judgdment. Security has also been beefed up outside Asaram rape case victim`s residence. "We have provided full security and safety to the victim and her family members and are alert," KB Singh, CO, Shahjahanpur said. Delhi Police CPRO Deepender Pathak said that the police is alert and is in constant touch with concerned states and that adequate forces will immediately be deployed if required. "Delhi police alert and in touch with concerned states. All field formations of police put on alert. Adequate forces will immediately be deployed if required. All officers will be present in their areas," Pathak said. Jodhpur East (DCP) Amandeep Singh Kapoor said that all precautionary measures have been taken by the police to handle law and order ahead of the verdict tomorrow. "We will not tolerate any kind of nonsense. We have taken all precautionary measures. We are confident that we will be able to handle law and order," Kapoor said. A flag-march was also conducted by the security forces in Rajasthan`s Jodhpur ahead of the verdict. Earlier in the day, the Union Home Ministry had reportedly asked Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana to tighten security and deploy additional forces. These three states have a large number of followers of the self-styled godman. The Ministry also told the three states to ensure that no violence takes place after the verdict. On April 21, Jodhpur police said that Rajasthan High Court has beefed up security arrangements to ward off any untoward incident during the pronouncement of judgment in Asaram Bapu rape case. The police further said that Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) will be imposed in Jodhpur till April 30. On April 17, the court had decided to pronounce the verdict against self-styled godman in the rape case in Jodhpur Central Jail to avoid any law and order situation in the state. The police had earlier filed a petition in the high court stating that Rajasthan may witness Panchkula-like violence, which broke out after the conviction of controversial godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case. The Jodhpur SC/ST Court on April 7 completed its hearing in the rape case against Asaram. Asaram, who is currently lodged in the Jodhpur Central jail, is facing trial in two sexual assault cases: one in Rajasthan and the other in Gujarat. #Visuals from Ahmedabad: Followers of #Asaram praying ahead of #AsaramCaseVerdict. #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/Qn96T8mNhz — ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2018 × In the case registered in Rajasthan, a teenage girl from Shahajahanpur of Uttar Pradesh had accused Asaram of raping her at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur on the night of 15 August 2013. Asaram was arrested after the teenage girl had filed a complaint against him. In Gujarat, two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against the self-styled godman and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape. The Jodhpur Police arrested Asaram on September 1, 2013, and since then, he is in prison.

Asaram verdict today: Security heightened in 3 states, entry of media banned

An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 struck Narmada district of Gujarat on Saturday evening.

Tremors were felt in Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Narmada. The epicentre was said to be near Bharuch, 213 kms south of capital Gandhinagar.

Since the quake dissipated quickly, there were no reports of loss of life, injuries or property.

Further details awaited.&nbsp;

An earthquake of magnitude&nbsp;4.6&nbsp;occurred in Bhachau&nbsp;in Kutch district of Gujarat last month. As per United States government sites USGS, the epicentre of the earthquake was 8km east-southeast of Bhachau.&nbsp;There are no reports of any loss of life or damage to property due to the earthquake.

Tremors were felt in Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Narmada. The epicentre was said to be near Bharuch, 213 kms south of capital Gandhinagar

An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 struck Narmada district of Gujarat on Saturday evening. Tremors were felt in Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Narmada. The epicentre was said to be near Bharuch, 213 kms south of capital Gandhinagar. Since the quake dissipated quickly, there were no reports of loss of life, injuries or property. Further details awaited. An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 occurred in Bhachau in Kutch district of Gujarat last month. As per United States government sites USGS, the epicentre of the earthquake was 8km east-southeast of Bhachau. There are no reports of any loss of life or damage to property due to the earthquake.

Earthquake measuring 3.7 hits Gujarat, no casualties yet

Police have found body of a nine-year-old girl in Surat with 86 injury marks in Surat.

Police recovered the severely injured body of the girl near from a cricket ground in Bhestan area of Surat on April 6.

After five-hour long postmortem, it was revealed that the girl was raped and tortured for at least eight days.

She was strangled to death.

The girl has not been identified yet and none from her family has come forward to claim the body. It`s still not known who the killer is.

The police are scouting the list of the missing persons.

Ganesh Govekar, Forensic Head, Civil Hospital, said, "The girl`s body had 86 injury marks including ones on her private parts. Samples have been taken for forensic test to ascertain whether she was drugged or not."

Police inspector BK&nbsp;Jhala said, "Even after eight days, the parents of the girl are yet to be identified. The police also believe that she was murdered somewhere else and the dead body has been thrown here. The victim`s picture has been sent to the state police control room for identification process."

He said police have registered a case of rape and also booked the unidentified accused under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

A reward of Rs 20,000 has been announced for anyone providing information about the girl or her family.&nbsp;

The girl was raped, tortured, and finally strangled to death

Police have found body of a nine-year-old girl in Surat with 86 injury marks in Surat. Police recovered the severely injured body of the girl near from a cricket ground in Bhestan area of Surat on April 6. After five-hour long postmortem, it was revealed that the girl was raped and tortured for at least eight days. She was strangled to death. The girl has not been identified yet and none from her family has come forward to claim the body. It`s still not known who the killer is. The police are scouting the list of the missing persons. Ganesh Govekar, Forensic Head, Civil Hospital, said, "The girl`s body had 86 injury marks including ones on her private parts. Samples have been taken for forensic test to ascertain whether she was drugged or not." Police inspector BK Jhala said, "Even after eight days, the parents of the girl are yet to be identified. The police also believe that she was murdered somewhere else and the dead body has been thrown here. The victim`s picture has been sent to the state police control room for identification process." He said police have registered a case of rape and also booked the unidentified accused under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. A reward of Rs 20,000 has been announced for anyone providing information about the girl or her family.

9-year-old's body with 86 injury marks found in Surat; she was raped for at least 8 days

A body of an eleven-year-old girl was found in Surat with 86 injuries.

Reports suspect the girl&nbsp;to have been raped before being brutally murdered on April 6.

Medical reports have revealed that a blunt object was used to rupture the victim's organs.&nbsp;

The Forensic&nbsp;head of Civil hospital said that the body also had injuries on private parts.

A sample has been sent to the&nbsp;Forensic Science Laboratory for further investigation.

The identity of the girl has not yet been identified, however, reports say that she was a speech impaired girl.

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Surat: Police says body of a 11-yr-old girl with injuries found. Forensic head, Civil hospital says,' 86 injuries found on her body including ones on her private parts, sample taken for FSL test which will make clear if she suffered sexual assault, she was strangled to death'
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Reports said sticks and a blunt object were used to rupture the victim's organs

A body of an eleven-year-old girl was found in Surat with 86 injuries. Reports suspect the girl to have been raped before being brutally murdered on April 6. Medical reports have revealed that a blunt object was used to rupture the victim's organs. The Forensic head of Civil hospital said that the body also had injuries on private parts. A sample has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for further investigation. The identity of the girl has not yet been identified, however, reports say that she was a speech impaired girl. Surat: Police says body of a 11-yr-old girl with injuries found. Forensic head, Civil hospital says,' 86 injuries found on her body including ones on her private parts, sample taken for FSL test which will make clear if she suffered sexual assault, she was strangled to death' — ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2018 ×

Body of 11-year-old girl with 86 injuries on it found in Surat, rape suspected

Gujarat Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel on Sunday said that "all three of us", referring to Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and OBC leader Alpesh Thakore, was ready to "work in Madhya Pradesh like we did in Gujarat".

He said that he was ready to support the Congress in the MP Assembly polls slated for later this year if the party asked for help, adding that his fight was against "fascist forces which are trying to divide society".

"I have come for a programme of the backward classes. If asked, I would extend support to the Congress. The Congress should project a party face (chief ministerial candidate) in the coming election. All three of us (Jignesh Mewani and Alpesh Thakore being the other two) are ready to work in Madhya Pradesh like we did in Gujarat," he said.

"I am fighting against fascist forces which are trying to divide society and are trying to change the basic concept of the Constitution. I am fighting against these forces to ensure equality for all," Hardik said

He termed demonetisation a big scam and accused the BJP of winning elections by deploying money and muscle power.&nbsp

Later in the evening, while addressing a gathering at Garhakota town of Sagar district, Patel hit out at the BJP saying that it feared exposure of a scam related to its Narmada conservation programme.&nbsp

He alleged that it was this fear that led to the state government granting Minister of State rank to some religious leaders.&nbsp

He claimed that Bundelkhand region, of which Sagar district (where he addressed a gathering) was a part, was facing problems as its people had lost the ability to fight against atrocities.&nbsp

Referring to the incident at Ujjain yesterday where a man threw ink on him at a local hotel, Patel said that the man might have been an "andh bhakt" (diehard supporter) of some BJP leader. "I have forgiven him," Patel added.

Patel alleged that while the BJP had spent Rs 1,200 crore to build a headquarter complex for itself, Lord Rama continued to be be under a tent (referring to the makeshift temple of Ram Lala in Ayodhya) despite the BJP promising, since 1992, to build a magnificent temple there.

He termed demonetisation a big scam and accused the BJP of winning elections by deploying money and muscle power.

Gujarat Patidar quota leader Hardik Patel on Sunday said that "all three of us", referring to Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and OBC leader Alpesh Thakore, was ready to "work in Madhya Pradesh like we did in Gujarat". He said that he was ready to support the Congress in the MP Assembly polls slated for later this year if the party asked for help, adding that his fight was against "fascist forces which are trying to divide society". "I have come for a programme of the backward classes. If asked, I would extend support to the Congress. The Congress should project a party face (chief ministerial candidate) in the coming election. All three of us (Jignesh Mewani and Alpesh Thakore being the other two) are ready to work in Madhya Pradesh like we did in Gujarat," he said. "I am fighting against fascist forces which are trying to divide society and are trying to change the basic concept of the Constitution. I am fighting against these forces to ensure equality for all," Hardik said He termed demonetisation a big scam and accused the BJP of winning elections by deploying money and muscle power. Later in the evening, while addressing a gathering at Garhakota town of Sagar district, Patel hit out at the BJP saying that it feared exposure of a scam related to its Narmada conservation programme. He alleged that it was this fear that led to the state government granting Minister of State rank to some religious leaders. He claimed that Bundelkhand region, of which Sagar district (where he addressed a gathering) was a part, was facing problems as its people had lost the ability to fight against atrocities. Referring to the incident at Ujjain yesterday where a man threw ink on him at a local hotel, Patel said that the man might have been an "andh bhakt" (diehard supporter) of some BJP leader. "I have forgiven him," Patel added. Patel alleged that while the BJP had spent Rs 1,200 crore to build a headquarter complex for itself, Lord Rama continued to be be under a tent (referring to the makeshift temple of Ram Lala in Ayodhya) despite the BJP promising, since 1992, to build a magnificent temple there.

Ready to work in Madhya Pradesh the way we did in Gujarat: Hardik Patel

20 students injured after their school bus overturned in Amreli, Gujarat.

Rescue operation underway.

20 students injured after their school bus overturned in Amreli, Gujarat. Rescue operation underway.

Bus accident in Gujarat, 20 students injured

An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 on the Richter scale hit Rajkot`s Hanjiyasar village on Thursday morning.

As per the meteorological department, the earthquake occurred at around 04:03 am in the morning.As of now no loss of life or property has been reported.&nbsp;

The earthquake occurred at around 04:03 am in the morning

An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 on the Richter scale hit Rajkot`s Hanjiyasar village on Thursday morning. As per the meteorological department, the earthquake occurred at around 04:03 am in the morning.As of now no loss of life or property has been reported.

Earthquake in Gujarat: Termors felt in Hanjiyasar

Three people were arrested in Surat on Monday for attempting to derail the Pune-Ahmedabad Ahimsa Express in December 2017.

The trio has been identified as Babla, Biranj and Balram.&nbsp;

Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said, &quot;More than eight or nine people were involved in this matter. These people were objecting to the police patrol against drug smuggling.&quot;&nbsp;

The three arrested along with other 10 -12 people kept obstacles on the tracks on 28th December 2017. The reason for the same is still unknown and the police is interrogating the same.

The trio has been identified as Babla, Biranj and Balram

Three people were arrested in Surat on Monday for attempting to derail the Pune-Ahmedabad Ahimsa Express in December 2017. The trio has been identified as Babla, Biranj and Balram. Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said, "More than eight or nine people were involved in this matter. These people were objecting to the police patrol against drug smuggling." The three arrested along with other 10 -12 people kept obstacles on the tracks on 28th December 2017. The reason for the same is still unknown and the police is interrogating the same.

Surat: 3 held for attempting to derail train

The Reserve Bank of India chief said on Wednesday that it had &quot;very limited authority&quot; over state-run banks and called for reforms in the wake of a $2 billion fraud to give the regulator the same powers to police state-run banks as it has over private lenders.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel defended the central bank`s role in the aftermath of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case and launched an indirect broadside against the Indian government, which has been critical of the role of the regulator and auditors in failing to spot the huge alleged scam.

In a speech at a law university in the Western Indian state of Gujarat, Patel said there were numerous limitations in the RBI`s powers over state-run lenders, such as its inability to remove directors, replace management, push through a merger or initiate liquidation.

While the RBI regulates all banks in India, state-run banks are also regulated by the government, which owns majority-stakes in them.

This has, in effect, led to a system of &quot;dual regulation&quot;, said Patel, adding that this &quot;fault line is bound to lead to tremors such as the most recent fraud&quot;.

The unravelling PNB fraud, the biggest in Indian banking history, has stunned the financial sector and pushed the RBI and government to crack down on bank systems and lending practices.

In a speech at a law university in the Western Indian state of Gujarat, Patel said there were numerous limitations in the RBI`s powers over state-run lenders

The Reserve Bank of India chief said on Wednesday that it had "very limited authority" over state-run banks and called for reforms in the wake of a $2 billion fraud to give the regulator the same powers to police state-run banks as it has over private lenders. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel defended the central bank`s role in the aftermath of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case and launched an indirect broadside against the Indian government, which has been critical of the role of the regulator and auditors in failing to spot the huge alleged scam. In a speech at a law university in the Western Indian state of Gujarat, Patel said there were numerous limitations in the RBI`s powers over state-run lenders, such as its inability to remove directors, replace management, push through a merger or initiate liquidation. While the RBI regulates all banks in India, state-run banks are also regulated by the government, which owns majority-stakes in them. This has, in effect, led to a system of "dual regulation", said Patel, adding that this "fault line is bound to lead to tremors such as the most recent fraud". The unravelling PNB fraud, the biggest in Indian banking history, has stunned the financial sector and pushed the RBI and government to crack down on bank systems and lending practices.

RBI Governor Urjit Patel calls for more power over state-run banks in wake of PNB fraud

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, currently a Rajya Sabha member of parliament (MP) from Gujarat, will be contesting from Uttar Pradesh, according to Bhartiya Janta Party&#39;s&nbsp;list of eight candidates announced ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections to be held in six different states.

Other than Arun Jaitley, Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was shifted to his home state Maharashtra. He was elected from Madhya Pradesh in 2014.

The announcement was made on Wednesday by BJP&#39;s central election committee.

Five other union ministers and one general secretary were also announced who will be contesting from the same states they have been elected from earlier.

According to the statement, Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot will contest from Madhya Pradesh, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar and J P Nadda from Himachal Pradesh.

Parshottam Rupala and Manusukh Mandaviya will contest from Gujarat. Bhupender Yadav, the party&#39;s general secretary, will again contest from Rajasthan.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also been shifted to Madhya Pradesh from Bihar.

(With inputs from PTI)

Other than Arun Jaitley, Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was shifted to his home state Maharashtra

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, currently a Rajya Sabha member of parliament (MP) from Gujarat, will be contesting from Uttar Pradesh, according to Bhartiya Janta Party's list of eight candidates announced ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections to be held in six different states. Other than Arun Jaitley, Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was shifted to his home state Maharashtra. He was elected from Madhya Pradesh in 2014. The announcement was made on Wednesday by BJP's central election committee. Five other union ministers and one general secretary were also announced who will be contesting from the same states they have been elected from earlier. According to the statement, Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot will contest from Madhya Pradesh, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar and J P Nadda from Himachal Pradesh. Parshottam Rupala and Manusukh Mandaviya will contest from Gujarat. Bhupender Yadav, the party's general secretary, will again contest from Rajasthan. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also been shifted to Madhya Pradesh from Bihar. (With inputs from PTI)

Arun Jaitley to contest for Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh

NITI Aayog&#39;s latest release states a drop in sex ratio&nbsp;at birth (SRB) in 17 Indian states.&nbsp;

According to the report, Gujarat recorded the most alarming dip of 53 points, the sex ratio at birth here fell to 854 females from 907 females per 1,000 males born from 2012-14 (base year) to 2013-15.

Gujarat is followed by Haryana, which registered a drop of 35 points. Rajasthan at 32 points followed with Uttarakhand (27 points), Maharashtra (18 points), Himachal Pradesh (14 points), Chhattisgarh (12 points), and Karnataka (11 points) following closely.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6wQaJjkKAoU" width="560"></iframe>

NITI Aayog&#39;s &lsquo;Healthy States, Progressive India&rsquo; report called out for the need to check sex-selective abortion rate.&nbsp;

&ldquo;There is a clear need for states to effectively implement the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 and take appropriate measures to promote the value of the girl child,&rdquo; the report stated.

The report was released last week and noted states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to have shown improvement in the SRB.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Sex ratio at birth is an important indicator and reflects the extent to which there is a reduction in the number of girl children born by sex-selective abortions,&rdquo; the report noted.

(With inputs from PTI)

According to the report, Gujarat recorded the most alarming dip of 53 points

NITI Aayog's latest release states a drop in sex ratio at birth (SRB) in 17 Indian states. According to the report, Gujarat recorded the most alarming dip of 53 points, the sex ratio at birth here fell to 854 females from 907 females per 1,000 males born from 2012-14 (base year) to 2013-15. Gujarat is followed by Haryana, which registered a drop of 35 points. Rajasthan at 32 points followed with Uttarakhand (27 points), Maharashtra (18 points), Himachal Pradesh (14 points), Chhattisgarh (12 points), and Karnataka (11 points) following closely. NITI Aayog's ‘Healthy States, Progressive India’ report called out for the need to check sex-selective abortion rate. “There is a clear need for states to effectively implement the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 and take appropriate measures to promote the value of the girl child,” the report stated. The report was released last week and noted states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to have shown improvement in the SRB. “Sex ratio at birth is an important indicator and reflects the extent to which there is a reduction in the number of girl children born by sex-selective abortions,” the report noted. (With inputs from PTI)

'Sex ratio at birth' drop in 17 Indian states: NITI Aayog

From the outside, Number 2 Hoveniersstraat Street in Antwerp is a nondescript office block. Only the clusters of businessmen speaking in Gujarati on their mobile phones or with each other, give any indication of the hive of activity inside. In the lobby, streams of people shuttle back and forth through the electronic barriers while a queue of visitors waits to have their photo taken and their fingerprints scanned in order to receive a temporary ID card. The business is diamonds. It is a scene repeated elsewhere in the city, and it represents the remarkable and growing dominance of the Indian diaspora in a famous local industry.

As you look along the names on the office doors, what is striking are the names. Whereas a generation ago, the vast majority of them were Jewish, today, a significant majority are of Indian, and in particular, Gujarati origin. Names like Mehta and Patel are particularly common. Indeed, while the orthodox Jewish presence in Antwerp is still highly visible, the numbers have dwindled over time, as a new generation of young and dynamic entrepreneurs from the Gujarat have displaced them. It has been unexpected, so what is the secret to their success?

The diamond industry cannot enforce written contracts &ndash; diamonds are easily portable, universally valuable and virtually untraceable, and state courts are incapable of enforcing executory contracts for diamond sales. It operates on credit, relies on trust, and hence favours tightly knit community and family-based business networks. The Orthodox Jewish community in Antwerp had long relied on the effective social control mechanisms of their community in order to ensure trust, with anyone seeking to cheat seeing their reputation and hence ability to do business quickly destroyed. Gujarati business communities operate along similar lines, with strong family networks and a high incidence of marriage within their ethnic group. In the Gujarati case however, an additional source of community cohesion, support and solidarity comes from their caste community.

Building from the bottom

My interviews with Gujarati traders show that beginning in the 1960s, the first Gujaratis, from the Jain community and known as Palanpuri Jains, from the area of Palanpur in Gujarat, began to arrive in Antwerp, the world&rsquo;s biggest trading hub for rough diamonds. The Palanpuri Jains are a historic &ldquo;business community&rdquo; in India that has traditionally engaged in trade and hence their first foray into Antwerp was one based on capital and prior experience on the polishing side of the diamond trade in India.

The Gujarati Jains took advantage of two key factors to enter into the closed world of Antwerp&rsquo;s diamond industry: they started to specialise in smaller, lower-value stones, and used the cheap labour and excellent skill of Surat&rsquo;s diamond cutters and polishers to produce diamonds that had larger market potential. Thus, Gujaratis were able, as one trader put it: &ldquo;to polish in rupees and sell in dollars&rdquo;.

These two factors, along with others, such as initially buying from source and offering longer buying periods on credit in order to undercut the competition, enabled the Gujaratis to gain a foothold in Antwerp. Many of the early traders also mention English as the international language of diamonds further facilitating their entry into the field.

This foothold has now expanded to such an extent, that in the latest elections to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre in 2012, five out of the six representatives elected to the board were Gujarati. In 2014, a Gujarati businessman was nominated vice president.

Dynasty

However, when we speak about Gujaratis in the diamond industry in Antwerp, we are in fact referring to just two communities which have come to dominate the trade &ndash; the Palanpuri Jains and the Katiawadi Patels. The latter are a community that in just one generation has distinguished itself with a dizzying rate of social mobility. The Katiawadi Patels were once agricultural labourers who moved to Surat (Gurjarat&rsquo;s diamond polishing centre), in order to escape drought. They started off as cutters and polishers, but quickly moved up the ranks and over time accumulated enough capital to open their own factories. They were able to use their contacts with Palanpuri Jains in order to first establish themselves in Antwerp. Once they did, they rapidly expanded and now rival the Jain Gujarati traders there.

Although the Patels did not arrive with the same level of financial capital as the Jains, their control of diamond polishing in Surat means that their climb within the industry is secure, and indeed will continue to grow with time. Currently, most factory owners and managers in Surat are Patel, with workers now coming from other states. In contrast to the Jains, whose sons have more business opportunities available to them, the sons of the Patels, who rely more heavily on diamonds, continue to enter into the diamond business in large numbers, starting from a young age to visit their fathers&rsquo; offices to learn the trade. The growing prominence of the Katiawadi Patel community has led to tension in India&acute;s diamond trading centre of Mumbai. In a recent hotly contested decision to move operations to Surat, where rent is cheaper, the diamond community was divided between the Palanpuri Jains, who prefer to remain in Mumbai, versus the Patels who pushed strongly to shift to Surat.

<figure class="align-left zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/61534/original/xkfhg8k4-1413204078.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/61534/original/xkfhg8k4-1413204078.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" /></a>

<figcaption>
Modi presses the flesh in DC. <a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/speakerboehner/15224182070/in/photolist-nomtk8-oUoSsc-oUEyAn-oUCEHU-nGb7MK-bDAXVB-pbB5FQ-pt6KxR-pv25px-pbBRJx-pr4QnN-nY7uCq-ofzgbv-odxg1s-nExNwv-nb79JP-nb7tLz-nb7u74-nb7uva-nvj26p-ndPvyA-nmYMyV-pysv9V-oStUFZ-nbENeg-jcNm8u-6it5AR-pciUVL-nKRfzm-p9exDT-pqsq1M-p9ex5M-eLPE2i-jcKxHM-ooJ1pp-nKH9T5-nKRfTN-eM1ZdQ-ntrMMv-fSjRg9-mZPYSr-nHZC1W-nKRFA1-nHRbhh-ntoWeg-ntp17A-nKRhB7-nKTAGx-nKAwbt-nMF5XT">Speaker John Boehner</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a>

The Gujarati-dominated diamond industry has recently been receiving more attention from one of their own, India&rsquo;s new PM Narendra Modi. The 2014 budget passed by the Indian government gave a strong fillip to the diamond industry in the region, by raising custom duties on the import of polished and semi-polished stones, which will protect local polishing jobs (the diamond industry employs 500,000 people in Gujarat). The Modi government has also recently announced that it will be building a fast train linking Mumbai to Ahmedabad, which will cut the current travel time of seven hours to just over two hours. Gujarati traders in Antwerp eagerly await a visit from Modi, in whom they have invested high hopes for boosting the diamond industry. Although based in Antwerp, the diamond business is intricately linked to the Indian economy, immediately affected by Indian policy, and frequently connected to transnational family businesses that span multiple continents. The industry faces a number of challenges, from growing competition from the internet and from China/Hong Kong, to the rise of synthetic diamonds, and the decision by De Beers, the largest company by revenue, to move the sorting and trading of rough stones from London to Botswana.

However, in order to continue to shine, both Gujarati communities would do well to look towards a group that is currently completely overlooked in the diamond business: women. Daughters are not encouraged to enter the diamond trade, with many traders claiming that they are simply &ldquo;not interested&rdquo;, and the few that do, are not taken seriously and consequently drop out when they get married. The diamond industry in Antwerp is currently even more male dominated than most national armies. By not cultivating the talent and skills of their daughters, Gujaratis are losing out on even more sparkle.

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This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-belgiums-indian-diamond-dynasties-32332" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp; &nbsp;

Although based in Antwerp, the diamond business is intricately linked to the Indian economy, immediately affected by Indian policy, and frequently connected to transnational family businesses that span multiple continents.

From the outside, Number 2 Hoveniersstraat Street in Antwerp is a nondescript office block. Only the clusters of businessmen speaking in Gujarati on their mobile phones or with each other, give any indication of the hive of activity inside. In the lobby, streams of people shuttle back and forth through the electronic barriers while a queue of visitors waits to have their photo taken and their fingerprints scanned in order to receive a temporary ID card. The business is diamonds. It is a scene repeated elsewhere in the city, and it represents the remarkable and growing dominance of the Indian diaspora in a famous local industry. As you look along the names on the office doors, what is striking are the names. Whereas a generation ago, the vast majority of them were Jewish, today, a significant majority are of Indian, and in particular, Gujarati origin. Names like Mehta and Patel are particularly common. Indeed, while the orthodox Jewish presence in Antwerp is still highly visible, the numbers have dwindled over time, as a new generation of young and dynamic entrepreneurs from the Gujarat have displaced them. It has been unexpected, so what is the secret to their success? The diamond industry cannot enforce written contracts – diamonds are easily portable, universally valuable and virtually untraceable, and state courts are incapable of enforcing executory contracts for diamond sales. It operates on credit, relies on trust, and hence favours tightly knit community and family-based business networks. The Orthodox Jewish community in Antwerp had long relied on the effective social control mechanisms of their community in order to ensure trust, with anyone seeking to cheat seeing their reputation and hence ability to do business quickly destroyed. Gujarati business communities operate along similar lines, with strong family networks and a high incidence of marriage within their ethnic group. In the Gujarati case however, an additional source of community cohesion, support and solidarity comes from their caste community. Building from the bottom My interviews with Gujarati traders show that beginning in the 1960s, the first Gujaratis, from the Jain community and known as Palanpuri Jains, from the area of Palanpur in Gujarat, began to arrive in Antwerp, the world’s biggest trading hub for rough diamonds. The Palanpuri Jains are a historic “business community” in India that has traditionally engaged in trade and hence their first foray into Antwerp was one based on capital and prior experience on the polishing side of the diamond trade in India. The Gujarati Jains took advantage of two key factors to enter into the closed world of Antwerp’s diamond industry: they started to specialise in smaller, lower-value stones, and used the cheap labour and excellent skill of Surat’s diamond cutters and polishers to produce diamonds that had larger market potential. Thus, Gujaratis were able, as one trader put it: “to polish in rupees and sell in dollars”. These two factors, along with others, such as initially buying from source and offering longer buying periods on credit in order to undercut the competition, enabled the Gujaratis to gain a foothold in Antwerp. Many of the early traders also mention English as the international language of diamonds further facilitating their entry into the field. This foothold has now expanded to such an extent, that in the latest elections to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre in 2012, five out of the six representatives elected to the board were Gujarati. In 2014, a Gujarati businessman was nominated vice president. Dynasty However, when we speak about Gujaratis in the diamond industry in Antwerp, we are in fact referring to just two communities which have come to dominate the trade – the Palanpuri Jains and the Katiawadi Patels. The latter are a community that in just one generation has distinguished itself with a dizzying rate of social mobility. The Katiawadi Patels were once agricultural labourers who moved to Surat (Gurjarat’s diamond polishing centre), in order to escape drought. They started off as cutters and polishers, but quickly moved up the ranks and over time accumulated enough capital to open their own factories. They were able to use their contacts with Palanpuri Jains in order to first establish themselves in Antwerp. Once they did, they rapidly expanded and now rival the Jain Gujarati traders there. Although the Patels did not arrive with the same level of financial capital as the Jains, their control of diamond polishing in Surat means that their climb within the industry is secure, and indeed will continue to grow with time. Currently, most factory owners and managers in Surat are Patel, with workers now coming from other states. In contrast to the Jains, whose sons have more business opportunities available to them, the sons of the Patels, who rely more heavily on diamonds, continue to enter into the diamond business in large numbers, starting from a young age to visit their fathers’ offices to learn the trade. The growing prominence of the Katiawadi Patel community has led to tension in India´s diamond trading centre of Mumbai. In a recent hotly contested decision to move operations to Surat, where rent is cheaper, the diamond community was divided between the Palanpuri Jains, who prefer to remain in Mumbai, versus the Patels who pushed strongly to shift to Surat. Modi presses the flesh in DC. Speaker John Boehner, CC BY The Gujarati-dominated diamond industry has recently been receiving more attention from one of their own, India’s new PM Narendra Modi. The 2014 budget passed by the Indian government gave a strong fillip to the diamond industry in the region, by raising custom duties on the import of polished and semi-polished stones, which will protect local polishing jobs (the diamond industry employs 500,000 people in Gujarat). The Modi government has also recently announced that it will be building a fast train linking Mumbai to Ahmedabad, which will cut the current travel time of seven hours to just over two hours. Gujarati traders in Antwerp eagerly await a visit from Modi, in whom they have invested high hopes for boosting the diamond industry. Although based in Antwerp, the diamond business is intricately linked to the Indian economy, immediately affected by Indian policy, and frequently connected to transnational family businesses that span multiple continents. The industry faces a number of challenges, from growing competition from the internet and from China/Hong Kong, to the rise of synthetic diamonds, and the decision by De Beers, the largest company by revenue, to move the sorting and trading of rough stones from London to Botswana. However, in order to continue to shine, both Gujarati communities would do well to look towards a group that is currently completely overlooked in the diamond business: women. Daughters are not encouraged to enter the diamond trade, with many traders claiming that they are simply “not interested”, and the few that do, are not taken seriously and consequently drop out when they get married. The diamond industry in Antwerp is currently even more male dominated than most national armies. By not cultivating the talent and skills of their daughters, Gujaratis are losing out on even more sparkle. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Nirav Modi and Antwerp's Indian diamond dynasties

The BJP government in Gujarat is aiming to inaugurate the 182-metre tall &#39;Statue of Unity&#39;, dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on October 31, the birth anniversary of India&#39;s first home minister.

The towering monument, being erected at Sadhu Bet, 3.32 km from the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river at Kevadia, about 100-km from here, will be ready for inauguration on October 31, Gujarat Chief Secretary J N Singh said.

Singh yesterday visited the project site to take stock of the ongoing work.

&quot;I visited the site to take stock of the project and ensure its timely execution. The &#39;Statue of Unity&#39; will be ready for inauguration on October 31,&quot; he told.&nbsp;

The foundation stone of the monument, a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was laid on October 31, 2013, coinciding with the 138th birth anniversary of Patel, popularly known as the &#39;Iron Man of India&#39;.

Modi, who was then Gujarat Chief Minister, laid the foundation stone of the nearly Rs 3,000-crore project, being built on a public?private partnership (PPP) basis by engineering giant L&amp;T under the supervision of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL).

The memorial is dedicated to Patel, credited with integrating 562 princely states with the Union of India.

Post completion, the &#39;Statue of Unity&#39; will be the world&#39;s tallest statue, according to the project&#39;s website.

The &#39;Statue of Unity&#39; will provide visitors a meaningful experience that both educates and entertains, by focusing on Patel&#39;s personage, life, and accomplishments.

Additionally, a viewing gallery at around 500-feet will provide visitors a spectacular view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and its environs, the website said.

The statue is going to be a &quot;matchless&quot; memorial across the world, Singh said.

&quot;This place will emerge as a world-class tourist destination,&quot; said the chief secretary.

The project will also house an audio-visual gallery, a laser light and sound show on the life of Patel and a virtual tour of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, among other things.

The venture also includes setting up a tribal museum, Singh said.&nbsp;

The foundation stone of the monument, a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was laid on October 31, 2013

The BJP government in Gujarat is aiming to inaugurate the 182-metre tall 'Statue of Unity', dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on October 31, the birth anniversary of India's first home minister. The towering monument, being erected at Sadhu Bet, 3.32 km from the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river at Kevadia, about 100-km from here, will be ready for inauguration on October 31, Gujarat Chief Secretary J N Singh said. Singh yesterday visited the project site to take stock of the ongoing work. "I visited the site to take stock of the project and ensure its timely execution. The 'Statue of Unity' will be ready for inauguration on October 31," he told. The foundation stone of the monument, a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was laid on October 31, 2013, coinciding with the 138th birth anniversary of Patel, popularly known as the 'Iron Man of India'. Modi, who was then Gujarat Chief Minister, laid the foundation stone of the nearly Rs 3,000-crore project, being built on a public?private partnership (PPP) basis by engineering giant L&T under the supervision of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL). The memorial is dedicated to Patel, credited with integrating 562 princely states with the Union of India. Post completion, the 'Statue of Unity' will be the world's tallest statue, according to the project's website. The 'Statue of Unity' will provide visitors a meaningful experience that both educates and entertains, by focusing on Patel's personage, life, and accomplishments. Additionally, a viewing gallery at around 500-feet will provide visitors a spectacular view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and its environs, the website said. The statue is going to be a "matchless" memorial across the world, Singh said. "This place will emerge as a world-class tourist destination," said the chief secretary. The project will also house an audio-visual gallery, a laser light and sound show on the life of Patel and a virtual tour of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, among other things. The venture also includes setting up a tribal museum, Singh said.

'Statue of Unity' to be inaugurated on Oct 31: Gujarat govt

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