Gujarat

Gujarat Tourism by Amitabh Bachan must see..

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Environment-friendly solar fishing trawler launched in Gujarat


Fishing could become more environment-friendly and commercially viable with the introduction of a fishing trawler that runs on solar energy.

"I began using the solar fishing boat last month. It is functioning well and delivering good results", Asghar Saiyed who hails from Mangrol taluka in Gujarat's Junagadh district said.
Saiyed is the owner of the solar boat developed by two private companies. The trawler was launched in Ahmedabad in
December last year.

For Saiyed, who has been using the solar boat for over a month now, fishing has become less expensive against huge expenses incurred towards fuel and maintenance of traditional trawler.

"My old boat consumed enormous amount of petrol, diesel and kerosene resulting in huge expenditure. Using solar boat for fishing does not entail any expenditure on this front", Saiyed said.

The angler claims marginal increase in the catch as well as the solar boat does not generate any sound as had been the case with the trawler which would result in fish getting away.

However, the catch lies in the higher cost even as manufacturers feel it will gradually come down in near future.

Akhil Gujarat Macchimaar Mahamandal vice president Velji Masani agrees, saying the solar boat is too expensive.

"However, introduction of solar fishing boat is a good move keeping in mind the environment", he added.

While, conventional fuel-operated fishing trawler costs around Rs. 3 lakh, the solar version Rs. 8.5 lakh, Masani said, adding the outboard motor of solar fishing boat is equivalent to the total cost of a traditional fishing boat.

In addition, its battery is heavy and generating speed becomes difficult in turbulent waters, he said.

Solar fishing boat is the brainchild of Ahmedabad-based Devarch Technologies Pvt Ltd and Kochi-based Navgathi Marine Design and Constructions Pvt Ltd.

Explaining the mechanics, Navgathi Marine Design and Constructions Pvt Ltd CEO Sandith Thandasherry said solar panels installed on top of solar boats convert sunlight into electrical energy and also provides shade to fishermen.

"The energy gets stored in the battery through a charge controller which improves the efficiency of electricity generation apart from protecting the battery life", he said.

According to Thandasherry, the charge controllers are fitted with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) which ensures that even when sunlight is low optimum energy will be generated.

"The biggest benefit is drastic reduction in consumption of fuel for fishing", he claimed.

Thandasherry said the company was planning to manufacture more solar fishing boats as many fishermen have evinced interest but admitted that the initial cost is a hindrance and they are hoping that the government can provide subsidy to anglers.

Devarch Technologies Pvt Ltd MD KK Jadeja agrees that poor fishermen may not be in a position to buy solar fishing boats but the cost can get even in four years.

"In four years, the cost incurred on solar fishing boat can be recovered", he claimed.

On the structural aspect of the solar fishing boat, Jadeja said it was more or less similar to a conventional fishing trawler with the only addition being a small structure to support the panels

Gujarat's "Jurassic Park " coming up on a grand scale from Feb 13


The prized possession of Aliya Sultana Babi, a member of the family that used to rule this former princely state in Gujarat, is a fossilised dinosaur egg. The egg, the size of a woman's hand, sits in a red velvet jewellery box, ensconced in a bed of white silk. Her brother found it more than a decade ago in a nearby village, where a woman was using it to grind spices.


Ms Babi says the homemaker was not alone in her ignorance of the fossil.
"I have heard that some of tribes who live in the interiors used to worship the eggs," she says.
The fossils, first discovered near the tiny village of Raioli by the Geological Survey of India in the early 1980s and now in museums across India, led to one of the world's largest finds. The site stretches from Gujarat for about 800km to Jabalpur in the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh.
Sardar Singh Kalu Singh Chauhan, 75, who lives in Raioli, remembers when the paleontologists first arrived. "They used to come for the digs from Jaipur and we were not sure what they were looking for," he says. "They kept putting these large pieces of rocks in their cars and driving away. We used to have a good laugh about that."
When the villagers finally learnt these rocks were the fossilised remains of a gigantic extinct species, they were even more astounded. "These rocks were animals? That was our first reaction," says Magan Varam, 60.
One of those fossils, found to be 67 million years old, was a new species of dinosaur. Jeffrey Wilson, a paleontologist from the University of Michigan in the United States, was part of the team that discovered the Rajasaurus narmadensis, a Tyrannosaurus rex-like carnivore. The Rajasaurus, whose name means "princely lizard from the Narmada Valley," had an unusual hornlike growth above its nasal cavity.
Today, the rural landscape is dominated by a six-metre tall, life-size replica of a roaring Rajasaurus, made of metal and cement and mud with an exterior of brass paint. The former Balasinor royal family have become the unofficial protectors of the fossil fields and are eager to turn it into a tourist destination.
A museum is due to open next month, set up by the Gujarat government, and the villagers are excited about the prospect of jobs tourists will bring, as well as the bragging rights of living next to what they call, "mota prani", or "giant forms of life" in Gujarati.
Dr Wilson believes that dinosaurs in India followed a unique evolutionary trajectory, spending hundreds of millions of year isolated after the landmass that is now India separated from Australia and collided with Central Asia, creating the Himalayas. "The dinosaurs show us the last chapter of India's pre-Himalayan history," he says. Dr Wilson has been to Raioli five times in the past decade and describes a certain "magic" at the site.
"Raioli has fascinating fossils we don't see anywhere else. Some of the bones are jutting out of the rocks," he says.
Among paleontologists, the site is best known for a fossil of a snake curled around a clutch of dinosaur eggs.
Discovered in 2000 during one of Dr Wilson's visits to Balasinor, it appears to show a 3.5-metre-long prehistoric snake, called a Sanajeh, in the process of devouring one of the eggs.
The find led to two important discoveries for paleontologists: that non-dinosaurs preyed upon dinosaurs and that dinosaurs in India did not guard their eggs.
About 17 species of dinosaur have been identified in the so-called "Lameta Formation", the section of sedimentary rock in which the area's fossils are found. Of those, two are unique to the area: the Rajasaurus and the Jainosaurus, a Brontosaurus-like herbivore.
Uday Singh, 85, a former head of the area's villages, says that word had spread about the dinosaurs, including among his relatives.
"When they visit, they want to go visit the hills. We show them around, and we have learnt to identify a few," says Mr Singh, who is now nearly blind. "It makes me proud to know the world knows about us now.
"And all for this big animal that is embedded in stone."


Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/south-asia/indias-jurassic-park-hopes-princely-lizards-will-attract-tourists#ixzz2Iu4wvdCc

Gujarat potential market for ayurveda-based tourism like panchkarma treatment


Gujarat which is doing well in medical tourism has good potential for Ayurveda-based medical tourism said members of the Mission Ayurveda, Rajkot on Friday. The mission is working for development of ayurvedic medicine in India.


“Gujarat is the first state in India that start ayurveda university. Now it is time to explore other possibilities to develop and popularise ayurveda," said Gaurang Joshi, organizing secretary, Mission Ayurveda, Rajkot.


"Ayurveda based medical tourism is still an untouched area where Gujarat has good potential and many things can be explored," Joshi said. 
He said that on behalf of the mission he and his team would be soon meeting chief minister Narendra Modi to discuss ayurveda-based medical tourism in the state. They are also preparing a draft paper in this regard. 
Explaining the importance of ayurveda based tourism Joshi said, “Panchkarma treatment is becoming popular in Gujarat and India. So many people from abroad also come here for panchkarma treatment and we have to develop such policy which can increase ayurveda tourism in Gujarat,”Joshi said.
According to him more and more people are shifting to ayurveda but they face big problem of raw material. Due to lack of awareness and decline in natural forest cover area, availability of raw material has decreased, he added.
Dhirendra Joshi, president of Mission Ayurveda said, “India need separate drug control authority for ayurveda. While many things are being done in countries like America and Europe with regard to ayurveda based treatment and research, but in India nothing was being done.”He also felt that there was need to organise the sector. 
Giving details of the international ayurveda conference ‘Raj Ayu Con 2013’ to be held in February, Joshi said that they were considering to form national level association for ayurveda during the event.
The conference will include 28 national and international speakers, while 120 research papers on Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani comprising diversified segments will be presented during the event. Approximately 150 international delegates from USA, UK, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Israel and Brazil will participated in the event. While approximately 900 delegates from India will participate from across states. 

Gujarat Tourism bags one more award


In acknowledgement of the fact that "Khushboo Gujarat Ki" is continuing to boost the image, Gujarat Tourism has been selected for the India Pride Award 2013 as a state PSU under the category "India Image Enhancement a Global Brand".
Vipul Mittra, principal secretary, Gujarat Tourism will be receiving this award at hands of Dr M Veerappa Moily, Union petroleum minister at a special ceremony to be held in New Delhi on January 28, 2013, Monday.
It is worthwhile to mention that TCGL has adopted multi-pronged strategy to promote some of the world class tourist destinations in the state. Apart from the ad campaign on electronic media, it also organized road-shows in the metro cities like Mumbai and Kolkata and hosted festivals like Saputara Monsoon festival, Rann utsav, Kite Festivals etc. As a result of this campaign, the number of tourists, who have visited Gujarat during the last two years, has gone up by 54 lakh.
Numerous initiatives have also been launched to further facilitate the tourists visiting Gujarat right from the planning of the journey to its end. A number of tourist hubs have also been created, which are well-equipped and upgraded with the modern infrastructure, facilities and services in the areas of commerce, communication, connectivity, hospitality, transportation, medical facilities.

SOURCE: TOI

Gujarat creates 7 new Districts and 22 new Talukas


The state cabinet, which met on Wednesday under the leadership of CM Narendra Modi, gave in-principle approval for creation of seven new districts and 22 new talukas in the state.
 
There are currently 26 districts in the state. The number will go up to 33 with the creation of these new districts. The division and re-organisation of the new districts and talukas is part of the state government’s move to decentralise administration for fast and efficient service.
 
The seven proposed districts are Aravalli, Gir-Somnath, Botad district, Chhota Udepur, Mahisagar, Morbi, and Dwarka, officials said.
 
The newly-created talukas are Gir-Gadhada, Junagadh City, Lakhni, Gozaria, Jesar, Khergam, Shankheshwar, Saraswati, Vapi, Vaghai, Jotana, Netrang, Suigam, Thangadh, Dholera, Vinchhia, Fagwel, Galteshwar, Bodeli, Poshina, Sanjeli and Subir. Modi had announced the creation of new districts and talukas for administrative convenience and geographical reasons during the course of his month-long Vivekananda Yuva Vikas Yatra undertaken ahead of the assembly elections.
 
Modi had said that the new districts and talukas would come into existence from January 26. However, it may actually take some time for the new districts and talukas to come into being.
 

FSSAI decides to implement Gujarat's food safety model in other states


Street food in India - chaat items like pani puri to elaborate preparations such as dosas - is very popular. But when it comes to food safety then street food is perhaps the most unsafe in the country in the absence of proper vigil and regulations.

However, the state of Gujarat seems to be an exception as it has been following a street food safety model since 1979 and has been very successful at keeping a watchful eye as well as ensuring that regulations are followed by all concerned when it comes to street food.

It is in wake of this success that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to take the Gujarat model to other states of the country by implementing it in a similar fashion.

The Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) since 1979 when Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, was in force had been following the street food safety model in 25 districts of the state. The state already has standard norms in place which in the near future are likely to be taken to other states of the country.

Speaking to F&B News, H G Koshia, commissioner, FDCA, Gujarat, informed, “We have the model to ensure street food safety since 1979 when PFA Act was in force. FDCA commissioner, joint commissioner (food), deputy commissioner (food), 25 deputy officers and 25 senior food safety officers along with municipal corporation officials are deployed in 25 districts of Gujarat to keep a check on street food.”

He added that after the implementation of FSS Act, 2006, “In one-and-a-half years we have organised more than 50 awareness programmes for street food vendors to ensure food safety. We have explained to them the standard pertaining to food safety in terms of the location of vending spots and hygienic food preparation practices to be followed.”

Recently S S Ghonkrokta, director, enforcement, FSSAI, talking on the sidelines of a seminar on enforcement of food safety organised as a precursor to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit said, “Gujarat has shown leadership in developing a collaborative model to ensure enforcement of quality amongst street food vendors. We are thinking of replicating the model in other major cities as well,"

Koshia added, “According to industry estimates, nearly 80 per cent of consumers in India access street food. To ensure the safety of these consumers all the states should follow the street food safety model. We are proud that Gujarat is setting an example for other states.”

FSSAI is planning to replicate the Gujarat model to ensure street food safety in eight cities including Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Delhi, Lucknow, and Kolkata among others.

Source: Food and beverage news

Maruti Suzuki developing two facilities in Gujarat


Maruti, the largest subsidiary of Japanese carmaker Suzuki, has charted out its future production model on the lines of Haryana operations, where it operates five plants from two separate locations in Gurgaon and Manesar.

To finalise its Gujarat plans, SMC chairman Osamu Suzuki is making an unscheduled trip to India on January 24 and 25. Maruti is now directly acquiring a 480-acre plot at Ughroz and Ukarade villages in Gujarat from farmers. This is in addition to the 700 acres allotted to Maruti Suzuki for a manufacturing facility in Mehsana by the Gujarat government.

The company plans to invest around 4,000 crore in Gujarat in the first phase that would go into acquiring the land and constructing the proposed plant, which will have an initial annual capacity of 2.5 lakh cars. The company has planned new models for India along with a strategy to export more cars from the modern Manesar factory and the upcoming Gujarat facility.

"We are looking for a second location and the land is being acquired currently. We are saturated in Haryana with no scope of expansion. We would have a similar two-location model in Gujarat that would be developed and expanded in accordance with market demand," Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava had recently told reporters.

According to a top executive, Maruti has already started the process of acquiring additional land as it has learnt a few lessons from the increased land prices at its Manesar locations. A court order has recently asked the company to pay many times the 20 lakh per acre it shelled out to acquire around 600 acres in 2005. "To avoid further complexities, the company has decided to acquire more land on its own. The acquisition would be done directly from land owners keeping in mind its future needs. Land price have already started moving north in Gujarat," the executive added.

Purchase of new plots of lands is in accordance with the Maruti management's long-term agenda to expand its Indian manufacturing facilities, which will help Maruti meet future market demand in Asia. These new plants will be located around 100 km from Ahmedabad, and will be within a 300-km radius of the Mundra port, which has been developed by Maruti keeping in view its long-term export plans.

source: ET