Gujarat eyes $1 bn investment for pharma industry

Gujarat, which accounts for nearly a half of the Indian pharma industry's turnover, is betting big on making the state a global hub as it eyes deals worth over $1 billion at the upcoming business conclave here next month. 

"Our government is proactive. We have systems in place. The discretionary mechanism in the system is less. That's why we're a preferred destination for industries, including the pharma sector," said M. Sahu, Gujarat's principal secretary for industries. 

"Anything to be done is put through a policy in our state. Obviously, a combination of things has helped industries prosper -- good regulation, enough credit and a visionary leadership have ensured that growth is unhindered," Sahu told IANS in an interview. 

He said if the previous edition of the conclave "Vibrant Gujarat" in 2009 was able to attract investment in the pharma industry worth $500 million via 26 pacts, this edition will certainly see it doubling, if not more, going by the interest generated thus far. 

The two-day conclave every two years will be held here Jan 12-13. It is being personally overseen by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has asked investors from overseas to personally visit the state, see the environment and then invest. 

According to government and industry officials here, the size of the Indian pharmaceuticals industry is estimated at around $20 billion currently, of which exports account for $9 billion. Gujarat accounts for 45 percent of this turnover and 22 percent of exports. 

"A lot of pharma businesses have been largely entrepreneur-driven. But in Gujarat, the conducive environment created by the government has helped greatly," said Sharvil Patel, deputy managing director of Zydus Cadila, India's fifth-largest pharma company. 

"That is why you see so many companies that have origins or manufacturing facilities in the state," Patel, whose company also has Gujarat as the hub for pharma manufacturing, told IANS. 

Both Sahu and Patel gave the example of the state Food and Drugs Control Administration to drive home the point on how an enabling environment in terms of regulation and control has helped nurse the pharma industry. 

The watchdog, they said, monitors both chemists and drug manufacturers and has digitised its entire processes, operations and records, making Gujarat the first state to be able to issue licences online. 

"All our records and process are digitised. We monitor and coordinate with all district-level officials online. The result is we can do things much faster," said H.G. Koshia, commissioner of the Food and Drugs Control Administration. 

"Subjects like issuing new licences to manufacturers or asking our officials to take a drug off the market are all done online in our state and this process is instantaneous," said Koshia. 

"The same can take anywhere between two-three months in other states by which time the drug's stock that has come under some suspicion will be sold to the public, defeating the entire purpose of withdrawing it." 

The state -- which is four-fifths the size of Britain-- has also been showcasing its overall achievements to attract investments. It has been registering a double-digit growth for over a decade. 

Officials said the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Summit was expected to attract more than 20,000 delegates from nearly 60 countries, including 100 eminent political leaders and diplomats

Tata power to install a 25mw solar power plant in Mithapur Gujarat

Tata group promoted Tata Power Company Limited has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) for a 25 Mw solar photovoltaic power project being developed at Mithapur in Gujarat.

In an announcement made today, the company informed that the PPA was signed with GUVNL on December 18 2010. The 25 Mw plant at Mithapur is being developed under Solar Power Policy 2009 announced by the Gujarat government and is expected to be commissioned by December 2011.

"Spread over 100 acres of land, the solar plant will be located along the coast of Gujarat. For this project, Tata Power has chosen Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic technology, which is modular, proven and widely deployed," the company said in a release.

Commenting on the signing of the PPA, Prasad R Menon, managing director, Tata Power, said, "The signing of the Power Purchase Agreement with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited is a step in the right direction and we look forward to participating in many such initiatives in solar power."

The company had set up its first solar power plant of 100 kW in 1996 at Walwhan in Lonavla, and is currently executing a 3 MW solar photovoltaic plant at Mulshi, one of the largest grid-connected solar projects in the state of Maharashtra.

"The company's strategy emphasises the development of clean energy generation from renewable sources to balance the carbon emissions from fossil fuel based generation capacity while contributing towards energy security of the country," the statement added.

GUVNL, the state run power generation, distribution and transmission company, has so far signed PPAs with 26 solar power companies for 365 Mw. Development of these projects is likely to attract investment of Rs 5,500 crore in the state.

In order to encourage project developers to take up solar power projects in the state, Gujarat government has recently decided to allot additional 565 Mw capacity to various solar power project developers. As many as 58 players have been finalised for the allocation. Earlier, the state government had allocated 716 Mw generation capacity to 34 national and international project developers in the first round.

Gujarat to lead IT growth in next decade: NASSCOM

With an improved IT infrastructure and education, Gujarat is set to drive IT growth in the next decade, says National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). According to Som Mittal, president of the IT industry body, while currently six cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune form 90 per cent of total IT industry, newer cities like Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mysore and Chandigarh will drive it in the next decade.

"Today, 90 per cent of IT services work in India happen from the major six IT destinations including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune. In the coming years, I clearly envision 40 per cent of IT services work happening from outside of these six cities, including Ahmedabad. This opportunity gives way to Ahmedabad as a major IT destination in future in the ICT space. With an integrated IT policy, initiatives like GSWAN, e-governance and GIFT, Gujarat has immense potential to become the next IT hub," said Mittal at the Vibrant Gujarat IT Summit organised by Gujarat Informatics Limited, Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat alongwith NASSCOM and Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb). Suggesting steps to grow further as an IT hub in the next decade, Mittal said that Gujarat can help small companies emerging out of the state to grow as well as attract large companies from outside. "Gujarat can use small companies from within and also attract large companies outside the state who are setting up their second or third units as part of expansion," Mittal added.

Offering a projection of the IT industry in the country, Mittal said that the total turnover of the industry this year will be at around $70 billion (Rs 3.178 lakh crore approx.) which will grow to $225 billion (Rs 10.23 lakh crore approx.) by 2020. "The CAGR of IT for the next decade is pegged at 15 per cent. In fact, the first half of fiscal 2010-11 has seen a growth of 20 per cent," he added.

Titled 'Gujarat: Catalysing Inclusive Growth through ICT', the summit focused on ICT adoption in education, e-governance which has been the major focus of Gujarat till now. It also deliberated on possibilities of exploring opportunities to capitalize on, in the context of BPO, KPO, and semiconductor sectors.

"Gujarat has been one of the front line states in the implementation of key e-governance infrastructure, policies and projects. The government of Gujarat in partnership with NASSCOM and the ICT industry has been working towards creating an enabling environment for IT-BPO companies to setup operations in the state. An integrated IT policy, state-of-the-art infrastructure development and a strong focus towards developing human capital development are some of the major steps taken by the government," said Ravi Saxena, additional chief secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of Gujarat. Apart from Mittal, the speaker list at the summit also included representatives of Mahindra Satyam, HCL Infosystems Ltd, Mindtree, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, among others.

Gujarat's Sabarmati Marathon to see 10000 participants

Before most of you start reading this news, the Sabarmati Marathon will have already started. More than 10,000 participants, including international athletes, will be in action on this Sunday morning.

A major attraction here will be Robinson Kwemoi of Kenya, who is coming fresh from his victory in Goa last weekend. He bagged a prize of Rs60,000 there, and now aims to win the maximum, $12,000, from the total prize money of $100,000. All those who finish in the top 10 will walk away with prizes ranging from $350 to $8,500, while the top Indian finisher will be richer by $2,150.

Robinson will be accompanied by another regular, Peter Mwangi, at this race that marks Ahmedabad's 600 years and Gujarat's golden jubilee. The organizers have made arrangements to taken optimum care of the 10,000 runners. Acupressure clinics to relive muscular tension, and ice tubs will be set up at the riverfront.

Apart from the 42-km run, four other events - a half marathon (21 km), Amdavad Dream Run (6 km), a senior citizens' run (4.5 km) and special races for the disabled and visually impaired - will also be organised. Ahmedabad's first citizen Asit Vora is expected to run at the 6-km dream run.

The marathon will begin from Ellisbridge and cover Astodia, Kankaria, Danilimda, Ambedkar Bridge, Chandranagar, Nehrunagar, Shivranjani, Judges Bungalow Road, Vastrapur Lake, Drive-in Road, Helmet crossroads, AEC intersection and Ashram Road, among other stretches. The race will conclude at Ellisbridge.

With more than 10,000 registered participants, the marathon is likely to give the cops a tough time. Coping with sporting extravaganzas like Khel Mahakumbh and Swarnim Chess Mahotsav one after the other, and now with the marathon coinciding with the Kankaria festival, the men in khaki are expected to be on their toes. The police have urged citizens to cooperate with the police in the checking and frisking procedures, for their own safety

Gujarat's RANN UTSAV 2010 out of the world experience

Rann Utsav 2010: Adding colour to the white desert

Kutch (Guj), Dec 26 (PTI) It''s six in the evening and a full moon shines down on hundreds of tourists travelling on camel carts to the Great Rann of Kutch where a cultural event is being held in the midst of the desert to mark Rann Utsav 2010.
As one approaches the White Rann, named so due to the huge salt content in the desert making it look like ice, the whiteness is suddenly interrupted with bright lights and people in colourful dresses performing in an open-air theatre on the second day of the festival.
Right in the middle of the desert, which separates Kutch from the Sindh region of Pakistan, performers chart the cultural history of Gujarat as well as that of India, from the Ramayan to the visit of Swami Vivekananda to Kutch before leaving for the Chicago conference in 1893.
Rann Utsav, organised by the Gujarat tourism department annually, is an opportunity for visitors to attend folk dance and music concepts, watch artisans at work, visit handicraft villages, see the historical monuments in the state and go trekking as well.
The festival inauguration took place on December 19 on the banks of the Hamir Sagar Lake in Bhuj, where a parade of about 42 floats represented the cultural heritage of Gujarat, remembering the freedom fighters hailing from the state as well as prominent leaders.
The inaugural also saw performances by dance groups from Punjab, Rajasthan as well as the Bengali community living in Gujarat, who paid tribute to Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore to mark his 150th birth anniversary, dancing to his famous song ''Momo Chitte Nite Nitte''.
Though the Utsav has been going on for the past several years, this year it is being celebrated as a month-long festival (December 19 to Jan 19) for the first time.

Rann Utsav this year has a Tent City comprising about 450 tents set up at Dhordo, about two kilometres from the Great Rann, to accommodate tourists coming to enjoy the festival.
Dhordo is more than 300 kms away from the state capital Ahmedabad. During the festival tourists are taken to the BSF-controlled white rann on camel carts from Dhordo as the ground is too soft for cars and buses.
Tourists are taken to various places in and around Kutch durring Rann Utsav, including the 400 hundred years old Dattatrey temple at the Kala Dungar, where jackals are served ''prasad'' after the evening ''aarti'' of the deity, Mandvi beach, Indo-Pak border and the eco-friendly Hudko village.
Handicrafts from the region can be seen at the village ''Ludia''. Other places to visit are Narayan Sarovar, bird sanctury of Chhari Dhangh, a thousand-year-old Kera Shiv Temple and archeological site of Dhola Veera.
The festival is marked with the Gujarati spirit, with tourists mainly comprising NRIs native to the state. The food served in the tent city is authentic Gujarati, making no attempts at accommodating taste buds of other kinds.

Gujarat creates world record in Chess

The sprawling grounds at the Gujarat University in Ahmedabad looked like one giant chess board with as many as 20,480 players packed into the area divided into 64 huge squares on Friday. The end result was an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for most number of chess games playedsimultaneously at a single venue.

The festive atmosphere at the venue was boosted by the presence of world champion Viswanathan Anand, who oversaw Ahmedabad break the previous record, set in 2004 involving 13,446 players in Mexico City.

Around 140 visually challenged players also took part in the record-breaking effort.

Anand was delighted: “It is no doubt one of the best days of my life,” he said. “I've never seen a chess event of this scale. I am sure we will produce many more world masters now.”

The special representative from the Guinness Book of World Records, Tarika Vara, said at the conclusion that it was indeed a record.

“I am truly amazed with the talent and turnout here. It is a great pleasure to announce that 20,480 played chess at this place simultaneously, and have created a new world record,” she announced.

Anand later played simultaneous chess against 64 players, including film star Paresh Rawal and theatre personality Mohan Joshi to wrap up the event.

Gujarat a model state on soil health certification

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi December 14, 2010, 0:32 IST

Gujarat is a role model for the rest of the country with respect to certification of agricultural land, with more than 70 per cent of the state's farmers provided cards with information on the quality of their soil, a senior Agriculture Ministry officer said on Monday.

"Gujarat has emerged as a model in issuing soil health cards, where more than 70 per cent of the farmers have been provided with the cards in the last three years giving details of quality of the soil," said Dhruvendra Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation. Southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are also doing well with regard to testing the micro-nutrient content of soil in order to help farmers increase productivity through prudent and balanced use of fertilisers, he said at a national workshop on 'Soil Health Management & Support System' here.

The Centre provides fund to the states under different schemes -- such as the National Management of Soil Health and Fertiliser, Macro Management of Agriculture and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna -- for soil health cards.

Speakers at the workshop, organised by environment NGO Greenpeace, highlighted the declining soil health in different parts of the country due to the rampant use of chemical fertilisers provided by the government at a subsidised rate. Speakers such as J Venkateswarlu, the former director of CAZRI, Jodhpur, emphasised on greater application of organic fertilisers for better soil health. Organic fertilisers are naturally-occurring fertilisers or naturally-occurring mineral deposits.

Naturally-occurring organic fertilisers include manure, slurry, worm castings, peat, seaweed and humic acid. Kumar said though chemical fertilisers are not as widely used in India as some other countries, balanced use of chemical and organic fertilisers would be good for sustainability of soil.

"In India, the average usage of chemical fertilisers is about 128 kg per hectare, which is less than those in countries like China, Japan and South Korea, where it is in the range of 400-500 kg per hectare annually," he said.

source: Business Standard

Gujarat will turn 50 towns green

Gujarat as it shows the way to India has decided to turn 50 towns green.


"I have also made a proposal to the Prime Minister to implement this clean and green city project in about 500 cities of the country with Revenue model, earlier,” said Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat.

He further added, “I would not like to wait whether GOI might implement it or not, Gujarat will surely take initiative.”

Modi was speaking at the 10th National Convention of Real Estate Industry organized by Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association (CREDAI) on the theme of home for All – Working Together.

Under Swarnim Jayanti Mukhya Mantri Shaheri Vikas Yojana, Gujarat has focused on towns and cities including JnNURM mission cities.

The state has also approved Rs 2050 crores for constructing 1.3 lakhs housing for urban poor, out of which 64,000 units have been completed and 33000 are under progress, an official statement said today.

The chief minister also emphasized on cluster based township with the facilities of urban infrastructures and keeping intact the soul of rural culture.

This is the innovative RURBAN Concept of Government of Gujarat whereby Rural areas should be provided infrastructure facilities and public amenities equal to urban cities.