Party platform
A birthday party in the state gave Congress leaders an opportunity to come down heavily on Chief Minister Narendra Modi. On November 26, senior Congress leader and Union Minister of State Bharatsinh Solanki celebrated his 61st birthday in Anand in the presence of Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly Shankarsinh Vaghela and workers, among others. The occasion provided a good platform to Solanki and Vaghela to launch a tirade against Modi. They targeted the CM and the BJP on a range of issues, like allegedly selling off the government land to industrial houses, illegal snooping on a young woman, construction of Statue of Unity, 2002 riots, fake encounters and Modi’s alleged attempts to hijack and claim the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Solanki and Vaghela even garlanded a statue of Patel in Anand on the occasion. The local Congress workers also did not miss a chance: they claimed to have enrolled 1,000 youths in the Congress party and gave the enrolment forms as a birthday gift to Solanki.
Critically, yours
At the first “User’s Meet and Awareness Programme”, organised by Ahmedabad’s Meteorological Department recently, participants from various state organisations shared their suggestions and experiences. However, one of the participants left the panel tongue-tied when he stated that the weather forecast of a 90-year-old man, based on astrology, was more accurate and reliable than the scientific forecast by the Met Department. The audience guffawed at the remark and also nodded in agreement, which left the panel even more embarrassed. Taking control of the situation, the regional director of Met Department, Jayanta Sarkar, sportingly responded, “We accept criticism gracefully.”
Gujarati cut
The makers of an upcoming Gujarati film have announced a special press meet to launch their film. The meet will be addressed solely by the director of the film, a popular city-based radio jockey-turned filmmaker. He is credited with bringing back the comedy genre in the Gujarati film industry. He tasted success with his very first film, that explored the eternal Gujarati dream of going to the US. With the buzz around his second film, it surely looks like the director has a lot riding on his upcoming production. Interestingly, Gujarati film budgets recently crossed the “one crore club”. Gujarati cinema is the flavour of the season with The Good Road having made it to Oscars as India’s official entry. It will be interesting to see if the latest Gujarati flick can be a game-changer for the industry.
Shale Shock
The “dedication ceremony” of the country’s first shale gas-exploratory well in Jambusar in South Gujarat was surprisingly a low-key affair. The event, presided over by none other than Union Petroleum minister M Veerappa Moily and attended by a select group of very senior ONGC officials, saw Moily give a speech on “economic independence” through shale gas discoveries to an audience that comprised employees from Ankleshwar asset of the ONGC. The locals were kept away from this event of national importance. Moily himself acknowledged the “humbleness” of the event that was meant to kickstart the search of a huge quantum of oil & gas trapped in shale formations across the country that could meet the country’s energy demand for 26 long years. Not too keen to grab headlines, Moily even dismissed a question posed by a mediaperson on “snooping scandal”, involving former Gujarat Home Minister. “No political questions please,” he quipped.
SU ethics panel gets DCGI registration
RAJKOT: The ethics committee, formed by Saurashtra University for overseeing clinical research, has been granted registration by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), New Delhi, making it the only committee of its kind set up by an educational institute in the state. The committee has been formed by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DoPS) of SU. It had applied with the DCGI in February, seeking registration for conducting clinical research to test the efficacy and safety of modified drugs. The DCGI, which controls drug standards in the country, granted application of DoPS last week and issued registration to the committee for three years. While the clinical trial is conducted to test the efficacy and effects of a newly discovered drug molecule, clinical research is required to test the effectiveness of change in formulation of the drug, like turning a suspension into tablet.
Around 600 ceramic making units shut down indefinitely
RAJKOT: Wheels of around 600 manufacturing units of ceramic products in Morbi came to a grinding halt as the industry associations started their indefinite shut-down in protest against “high” gas prices and taxes.
Even as GSPC Gas, a state-owned firm that supplies piped natural gas to ceramic industry in Morbi reduced gas prices by Rs 2 per standard cubic metre, the industry associations went ahead with their decision to enforce a shut-down from the wee hours of Thursday, terming the reduction “too little”.
The 412 large units and around 200 small units remained shut throughout the day with around 2 lakh workers finding themselves jobless. Members of the four industry associations held a meeting late in the evening and decided to continue their strike until the government fulfils their demands. “Members of the associations have decided to continue with the strike until their five-point demand is met. They have decided that dispatch of ceramic products will also be discontinued from December 3 onwards,” Hitesh Patel, a spokesperson for the associations said.
The associations are demanding PNG at Rs 25 per SCM. They are also seeking permission to operate coal gasification plants that meet pollution norms. Their third demand is that VAT should be reduced to five per cent instead of the current rate of 15 per cent. They are also demanding the excise duty to be brought down from 12.36 per cent to 6 per cent to bring ceramic products at par with other construction material. They are also demanding re-imposition of 150 per cent anti-dumping duty on ceramic products imported from China, which the Centre had abolished six months ago.
HC serves notice to GPCB
AHMEDABAD: The HC on Thursday issued notice to Gujarat Pollution Control Board, while acting on a PIL that sought contempt of court proceedings against it for not dismantling ceramic industry units in Morbi-Wankaner region of Saurashtra that are allegedly running on prohibited coal-based gasifiers despite an HC order last month.
A birthday party in the state gave Congress leaders an opportunity to come down heavily on Chief Minister Narendra Modi. On November 26, senior Congress leader and Union Minister of State Bharatsinh Solanki celebrated his 61st birthday in Anand in the presence of Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly Shankarsinh Vaghela and workers, among others. The occasion provided a good platform to Solanki and Vaghela to launch a tirade against Modi. They targeted the CM and the BJP on a range of issues, like allegedly selling off the government land to industrial houses, illegal snooping on a young woman, construction of Statue of Unity, 2002 riots, fake encounters and Modi’s alleged attempts to hijack and claim the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Solanki and Vaghela even garlanded a statue of Patel in Anand on the occasion. The local Congress workers also did not miss a chance: they claimed to have enrolled 1,000 youths in the Congress party and gave the enrolment forms as a birthday gift to Solanki.
Critically, yours
At the first “User’s Meet and Awareness Programme”, organised by Ahmedabad’s Meteorological Department recently, participants from various state organisations shared their suggestions and experiences. However, one of the participants left the panel tongue-tied when he stated that the weather forecast of a 90-year-old man, based on astrology, was more accurate and reliable than the scientific forecast by the Met Department. The audience guffawed at the remark and also nodded in agreement, which left the panel even more embarrassed. Taking control of the situation, the regional director of Met Department, Jayanta Sarkar, sportingly responded, “We accept criticism gracefully.”
Gujarati cut
The makers of an upcoming Gujarati film have announced a special press meet to launch their film. The meet will be addressed solely by the director of the film, a popular city-based radio jockey-turned filmmaker. He is credited with bringing back the comedy genre in the Gujarati film industry. He tasted success with his very first film, that explored the eternal Gujarati dream of going to the US. With the buzz around his second film, it surely looks like the director has a lot riding on his upcoming production. Interestingly, Gujarati film budgets recently crossed the “one crore club”. Gujarati cinema is the flavour of the season with The Good Road having made it to Oscars as India’s official entry. It will be interesting to see if the latest Gujarati flick can be a game-changer for the industry.
Shale Shock
The “dedication ceremony” of the country’s first shale gas-exploratory well in Jambusar in South Gujarat was surprisingly a low-key affair. The event, presided over by none other than Union Petroleum minister M Veerappa Moily and attended by a select group of very senior ONGC officials, saw Moily give a speech on “economic independence” through shale gas discoveries to an audience that comprised employees from Ankleshwar asset of the ONGC. The locals were kept away from this event of national importance. Moily himself acknowledged the “humbleness” of the event that was meant to kickstart the search of a huge quantum of oil & gas trapped in shale formations across the country that could meet the country’s energy demand for 26 long years. Not too keen to grab headlines, Moily even dismissed a question posed by a mediaperson on “snooping scandal”, involving former Gujarat Home Minister. “No political questions please,” he quipped.
SU ethics panel gets DCGI registration
RAJKOT: The ethics committee, formed by Saurashtra University for overseeing clinical research, has been granted registration by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), New Delhi, making it the only committee of its kind set up by an educational institute in the state. The committee has been formed by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DoPS) of SU. It had applied with the DCGI in February, seeking registration for conducting clinical research to test the efficacy and safety of modified drugs. The DCGI, which controls drug standards in the country, granted application of DoPS last week and issued registration to the committee for three years. While the clinical trial is conducted to test the efficacy and effects of a newly discovered drug molecule, clinical research is required to test the effectiveness of change in formulation of the drug, like turning a suspension into tablet.
Around 600 ceramic making units shut down indefinitely
RAJKOT: Wheels of around 600 manufacturing units of ceramic products in Morbi came to a grinding halt as the industry associations started their indefinite shut-down in protest against “high” gas prices and taxes.
Even as GSPC Gas, a state-owned firm that supplies piped natural gas to ceramic industry in Morbi reduced gas prices by Rs 2 per standard cubic metre, the industry associations went ahead with their decision to enforce a shut-down from the wee hours of Thursday, terming the reduction “too little”.
The 412 large units and around 200 small units remained shut throughout the day with around 2 lakh workers finding themselves jobless. Members of the four industry associations held a meeting late in the evening and decided to continue their strike until the government fulfils their demands. “Members of the associations have decided to continue with the strike until their five-point demand is met. They have decided that dispatch of ceramic products will also be discontinued from December 3 onwards,” Hitesh Patel, a spokesperson for the associations said.
The associations are demanding PNG at Rs 25 per SCM. They are also seeking permission to operate coal gasification plants that meet pollution norms. Their third demand is that VAT should be reduced to five per cent instead of the current rate of 15 per cent. They are also demanding the excise duty to be brought down from 12.36 per cent to 6 per cent to bring ceramic products at par with other construction material. They are also demanding re-imposition of 150 per cent anti-dumping duty on ceramic products imported from China, which the Centre had abolished six months ago.
HC serves notice to GPCB
AHMEDABAD: The HC on Thursday issued notice to Gujarat Pollution Control Board, while acting on a PIL that sought contempt of court proceedings against it for not dismantling ceramic industry units in Morbi-Wankaner region of Saurashtra that are allegedly running on prohibited coal-based gasifiers despite an HC order last month.
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