Electrotherm Renewables a Gujarat based company launches a Solar range

lectrotherm Renewables, a division of Gujarat based Electrotherm (India) Limited has entered into the field of solar energy with the launch of its Elctra solar water heaters.

Announcing this, its Managing Director, Siddhartha Bhandari said that solar energy team of this division is presently working on solar process heating, solar air drying, solar air-conditioning systems and utility scale concentrated solar power plants which makes the brand “The solar energy expert.”

Company plans to exploit the vast but yet least exploited market of solar energy riding the heat of global warming. He said that Government policy to promote solar energy will be a big booster for the company in the coming years.

The electra solar heater is for both domestic and industrial use. Stating that awareness about the benefits of use of solar equipment is critical to the growth of this industry, he said we plan to run large scale awareness programs for creating this awareness amongst potential users.

The Central and state governments have floated various schemes to promote the use of solar energy based products but most potential users are not aware of the schemes, he added.

Referring to its environmental advantages Bhandari said that a 100LPD Electra solar water heater can save up to 1200 to 1500 units of electricity consumed for water heating in a small household yearly. Moreover, it can reduce the emission of Carbon Dioxide up to 1 ton annually which is really a great contribution to reduce greenhouse effect and global warming.

Country''s first Intermediate Reference Laboratory (IRL) in Gujarat

INDIA's first Intermediate Reference Laboratory (IRL) for treatment of multi-drug resistant (MDR) patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB) was inaugurated today at State TB Training and Demonstration Centre at civil hospital here. Speaking on the occasion, state health minister Jaynarayan Vyas said the establishment of laboratory aims to provide international level treatment to the common man at an affordable cost.

The human development index is expected to rise in the state with the introduction of this facility, he said.

Gujarat becomes the first state in India to have this facility.

Gujarat exempts VAT on imported sugar

In order to ensure adequate supply of sugar in the market during festival season come October and to arrest the rising prices of sugar India’s western state Gujarat has announced exemption of Value Added Tax (VAT) on imported sugar. The State Government of Gujarat has announced this exemption yesterday.

According to State Government of Gujarat officials, "Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has decided to exempt imported sugar from VAT".

The state government used to charge 4% VAT on sugar. But this will not be charged on imported sugar for the next one year, officials added.

It is learnt that the decision has been taken keeping in mind the prevailing scarcity of sugar due to lower production.

This will help those who want to import sugar and people at large in the coming festival season, they further said.

Japan's Hitachi Appliance Inc, Hitachi Home and Life Solutions opened their second plant in Ahmedabad

he Indian unit of Japan's Hitachi Appliance Inc, Hitachi Home and Life Solutions opened their second plant in Ahmedabad on Friday. The plant will manufacture air-conditioners and chillers .It has also promised to invest more in the unit to expand operations.

Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Rs.50 crore plant. It is located 40 km from the state capital, adjacent to the company's existing facility in Kadi.

Hitachi managing director Shinichi Izuka informed that the new unit would initially manufacture commercial air-conditioners.

Izuka told,"But we will expand the manufacturing facility in two years by investing another Rs.50 crore and also produce chillers.”

The agreement between Hitachi and Gujarat government was signed on Jan 13 during the Vibrant Gujarat global investors' meet to set up the second Kadi plant. This was revealed by Hitachi Home and Life's business planning head Gurmeet Singh. He said, "We were one of the first investors at this year's Vibrant Gujarat meet."

The chief minister Modi at the inaugural ceremony said, “The fact that Japanese investors, who take a decision after detailed planning and conducting thorough studies, are finding Gujarat a place to set up industries, is a recognition of the state and its people."

The new plant is spread over an area of 85,000 square metres .It took 8 months to set up and is expected to create 200 new jobs, taking the total strength of Hitachi's Kadi unit to 740.

GARVI GUJARAT.....lage raho

According to the August 8 report of the National Council of Applied Economic Research, the richest city in India is now Surat, ahead of Bangalore and Madras, with an average annual household income of Rs0.45 million (over $11,000 per year).

Between 2004-5 and 2007-8 Surat’s middle class doubled in size and its poor reduced by a third.

The fifth richest city in India is now Ahmedabad, ahead of Bombay and Delhi, and miles ahead of Calcutta

Of Gujarat’s 18,048 villages, 17,940 have electricity!!!!!

Thirty per cent of India’s cotton is grown in Gujarat, 40 per cent of India’s art-silk is manufactured in Surat, employing 0.7 Million people.

The world’s third largest denim manufacturer is Ahmedabad’s Arvind Mills.

A KPMG report says 40 per cent of India’s pharmacy industry is based in Gujarat with companies like Torrent, Zydus Cadila, Alembic, Dishman and SunPharma

Some of the best business communities in India — Parsis, Jains, Memons, Banias, Khojas and Bohras – speak Gujarati.

Ten of the 25 richest Indians are Gujarati.

Gujaratis number 55 million, five per cent of India’s population living on six per cent of surface area, but hold 30 per cent of all Indian stock.

Gujaratis account for 16 per cent of all Indian exports and 17 per cent of GDP just 5% of the population of India.

PROUD TO BE RESIDING IN GUJARAT

Gujarat produces 80% Castor in the world

“Bharuch and Kutch are two districts in Gujarat where five SEZs each are under construction. Bharuch will have a Special Economic Zone for Castor oil derivative and valuation products. Gujarat produces 80% Castor in the world. Through this proposed SEZ, Bharuch will be able to conquer the world market of about 300 Castor based value added products,” said Narendra Modi-Chief Minister of GUJARAT.

Japanese Economic and Development Minister Keizo Takewaka praised industrial environment of Gujarat and supporting approach of the government.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Sakata Inx(India) Ltd company’s ink manufacturing unit at Panoli

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said today in inaugural function of Sakata Inx(India) Ltd company’s ink manufacturing unit at Panoli industrial complex in central Gujarat’s Bharuch district. Sakata Inx (India) Limited is a 100% subsidiary of Sakata Inx Corporation, Japan.

Terming this week as “Japan-week” in Gujarat, the Chief Minister said: “today I am inaugurating Japanese company Sakata Corporation’s ink manufacturing unit

Gujarat`s industrial growth next only to China

In terms of industrial growh, Gujarat is second only to China, claimed the state government. While China recorded a Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth of 13.2 per cent during the decade from 1992 to 2002, Gujarat has posted a 8.2 per cent growth, which is higher than any other country in the world, said the state government.

Gujarat’s growth rate is higher than that of any other state in the country. While Maharashtra clocked a 6.8 per cent growth during the last decade, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka grew at 6.7 per cent and Kerala registered a a 6.1 per cent growth. “Gujarat’s strength is the manufacturing sector, which has helped the state achieve the GSDP growth of 8.2 per cent” said Arvind Aggarwal, state industries commissioner. “Gujarat will be the growth engine of India in the 21st century” said Anil Patel, minister of industries.

That sentiment is well supported by the investment figures in the engineering sector. While the investment in the sector was just around Rs 57 crore in 1998-1999, it grew to Rs 1,109 crore in 2002-2003.

The chemicals and petrochemical sector has seen an increase in the number of projects in the last five years. From just 14 projects in 1998-1999, the number has gone up to 68 in 2003-2004. The sector has seen an increase in the investment front too. From Rs 250 crore in 1998-1999, it has grown to Rs 3,648 crore in 2003-2004. The food processing sector has grown from a Rs 137 crore industry in 1998-1999 to Rs 915 crore industry in 2003-2004. The investment in the textile sector went up to Rs 296 crore in 2003-04 from Rs 100 crore in 1998-1999.

While the finance commission has projected a growth of 10.2 per cent over the next five years, government officials expect to achieve that growth in a year.