Modi's Power Play [ Articles 5 to 14]

Gujarat Series -5

MODI’S ‘POWER PLAY’ AND GUJARAT’S TURNAROUND


For two days, 30th & 31st July 2012 a major part of India including the national capital of New Delhi plunged into darkness due to a massive power grid failure. On 31st July, it was not only the Northern Grid but also the Eastern Grid that failed leaving more than 60 crore people and 19 states in the dark. Experts have called it India’s worst power crisis.

However, one state that remained totally unaffected from the massive power crisis across more than half of India was Gujarat.

Since those two days, there has been renewed focus on Gujarat’s success in the power sector. From international media houses, the Indian mainstream media to the netizens on Twitter, Gujarat’s “brightness” in the time of Delhi and other part’s “darkness” became the hot topic of discussion.

On 1st August 2012, leading international newspaper Wall Street Journal carried a story titled “More Power to India’s States” in which it criticized the lack of reforms in the Indian power sector for the last many years.

Wall Street Journal however noted Gujarat’s success in the power sector as a major exception. It writes, “But perhaps the greatest display of political gumption and policy creativity comes from Gujarat in the west. Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s first victory was curbing the theft of power, one reason for transmission and distribution losses.”

WSJ also mentioned that Gujarat’s biggest innovative zeal has been to establish a parallel distribution network that has led to stability in supply along with giving farmers competitive prices. It acknowledges Gujarat as, “…the only Indian state that generates more power than it consumes.” But WSJ notes that while all states may not be as bold as Gujarat, the real scope for power reforms comes from the states. Shri Narendra Modi is a stark contrast to the Centre and could be an inspiration for other states.

Gujarat's power sector was in a shambles in 2001, when Narendra Modi became chief minister. A decade later it is in the forefront of states that have carried out sweeping power reforms, as a result of which it now has surplus power.

When Narendra Modi took over as chief minister of Gujarat in October 2001, the state's power situation was grim. The Gujarat State Electricity Board, or GSEB, had posted a loss of Rs 2,246 crore for 2000/01, on revenues of Rs 6,280 crore. Interest costs alone were Rs 1,227 crore. Transmission and distribution, or T&D, losses were a substantial 35.27 per cent, and load shedding was frequent. GSEB had no funds to add generation capacity on its own, nor was it able to persuade the private sector to invest.



Reforming the GSEB, thus, became one of Modi's top priorities. On this background, we discuss key power sector reforms and initiatives undertaken by the present Gujarat government since 2003.

The present government has been ruling the state since October 2001. It is alive to the fact that a wellmanaged, financially, economically, and environmentally sustainable power sector is a pre-requisite for any state to empower its people to participate in, and contribute to, sustained inclusive growth and in the development of human capabilities.

Power Sector Reforms need to be specific to the condition, context, and capabilities of the state. Any reform requires constant nurturing and adaptation to different needs and conditions.

In 2001, Gujarat’s power situation was disconcerting. Its subsidy to the agricultural sector and the crosssubsidy burden of its industrial consumers had adversely affected its growth and competitiveness.

Large transmission and distribution losses had damaged the viability of its power sector, and distorted the efficient allocation of electricity to different uses and sectors.

Rural areas were prone to load-shedding. The state’s power sector urgently needed a multi-faceted approach to achieve a turnaround.

The Modi Govt. rightly concluded that an appropriate balance between demand and supply of power, and efficiency in allocation of power to different uses and sectors, were critical to inclusive growth. There was consensus on this issue among the political and administrative leadership, and this facilitated design and implementation of power-sector reform initiatives. They were designed to be complementary, to make the power sector more robust. The key reform initiatives undertaken by the state are summarised below.

Restructuring power generation, transmission, and distribution organisations

The state initially focused on restructuring the rather unwieldy and nearly bankrupt Gujarat State Electricity Board (GSEB).

GSEB’s generation, transmission, and distribution activities were segregated into seven functional parts – a generation company, a transmission company, four distributional companies, and an over-arching company for planning, co-coordinating, and ensuring standardised organisational practices across the sector.

Each of the seven parts was corporatised for superior accountability and governance through independent boards. The state further liberalised its power sector to augment private sector participation in all segments of the industry.

The process of restructuring had other vital components, some of which even preceded the corporate restructuring, so as to achieve a more multi-dimensional and holistic solution. The more important of these were:

• GSEB had large loans at high interest rates, and it undertook debt restructuring. It also re-negotiated its power purchase agreements. It centralised all procurements to optimise on inventories and procurement costs. It increasingly switched to the use of washed coal in its plants to lower their pollution level, and increase plant performance;

• Curtailing power thefts was a crucial component of policy measures aimed at achieving higher operational efficiency. Strict anti-electricity-theft laws were passed and police vigilance was enhanced for prevention and enforcement of the law. The police worked alongside the 70 installation checking squads that were set up at the distribution companies. For this, the state took the help of 500 retired army officers, who networked with the police and the legal system. Metering equipment was installed wherever absent; these were theftproof sealed metal meter boxes. Additionally, the collection of bills was strictly enforced.

• Equally crucially, the then government- owned electricity company’s employees were positively engaged and their morale boosted through town hall meetings and participation in reform-oriented seminars. Subsequently, they became the engines of change across the sector. ‘Reform Champions’ were appointed from among the workforce. This gave employees a sense of ownership over the reform process and outcomes.

Implementing Jyotigram Yojana

Commissioned in 2006, Jyoti Gram provides for a separate electric feeder for domestic use and a limited agricultural supply of nearly eight hours a day continuously and of constant voltage.

The Gujarat government spent Rs 1,200 crore to implement Jyoti Gram by separating 12,000 agricultural feeders from domestic feeders. It brought down transmission and distribution losses from 35 per cent five years ago to 15-19 per cent this year.

Through the Jyotigram Yojana, feeders in the rural areas were segregated into two separate lines – one for supply of electricity for agricultural purposes and the other for supply to rural homes and other non-agricultural purposes.

Jyotigram Yojana needed a complete alternate transmission system of power feeders to be set up across rural Gujarat. One feeder, to provide 440 volts for eight hours a day for agricultural needs and another, a regular feeder for 24x7 domestic and industrial purposes.

In cases where such bifurcation was not possible, the state government provided special 'switch over' feeders called SDTs - to switch from 3-phase, 440 volts to 2-phase, 220 volts. The segregated feeder system was achieved in 1,000 days.

The Modi government has also taken scrupulous care to ensure that the state electricity regulator - unlike in most states - remains truly independent of political pressures. The regulator has, thus, been able to revise power tariffs every year, which ensured the state bridged the gap between the average cost of supply and what users paid for it.



The result ? The state electricity board posted its first profit of Rs 203 crore - after tax - in 2005/06. By 2010/11, net profit had risen to Rs 533 crore, while T&D losses had fallen to 20.13 per cent. Tariff collection efficiency is close to 100 per cent. Private players, once reluctant to invest in Gujarat's power generation, are now rushing in: of the power plants with a total installed capacity of 16,945 MW coming up in the state, 6,864 MW - or roughly, a third - is by the private sector.

Today Gujarat is a power surplus state with near 24-hour electricity supply not just in cities like Ahmedabad and Vadodara but in all the 18,000 villages. Now, the Gujarat government plans to further sharply increase power generation from 13,500 MW now to 18,000 MW by the end of the current year.

The Narendra Modi government was able to ensure almost 24 hour electricity supply, especially in villages, by implementing the Jyoti Gram project. Even the Government of India has accepted this as a flagship scheme for the 12th Five-Year plan (2012-17) for supplying round-the-clock, high-quality, three-phase power to all villages.

Utimately, it is a remarkable transformation for a state which was power deficient barely a decade ago, but now has a surplus of 2,114 MW and a vibrant energy sector.

- Dayanand Nene

Gujarat Series 6

THE NARMADA CANAL SOLAR PROJECT

Some of the best ideas, when it comes to the introduction of relatively new technology

comes when it solves a couple of problems at the same time. The idea to cover the

Narmada branch canal in Gujarat with solar panels is a gem of an Idea.

Not only will the solar power generated from the panels provide clean energy for the

local residents, it will be saving an incredible amount of land. When the canal is covered

there is the additional benefit of saving huge quantities of water that would otherwise be

lost from the irrigation canals through evaporation. That means three benefits gained

from an ingenious idea - the installation of solar panels on top of canals and a

significant saving of some of our most important natural resources.

The project has been set up as part of an experimental process by the State-owned

Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) and the Gujarat State Electricity

Corporation Limited. This small-scale experiment covers a 750 meter stretch of canal to

generate 1MW of electricity from the panels. The solar panels are capable of producing

power at a 15% premium to the power that might be generated on land thanks to the

cooling effect of the water running beneath them.

This trial project suggests that there is enormous potential for large scale solar energy

generation through the use of the canals considering the Narmada dam project in

Gujarat consists of 85,000 kilometres of canals when you take into consideration the

main, branch and sub-branch canals. Figures floated around suggest that if 10 per cent

of the canal network were to be covered by solar panels the generating capabilities

would be around 2,200MW. Using the canals to produce this much solar energy would

save 11,000 acres of land and would eliminate the loss of millions of litres of water per

year.

This idea can be replicated by other Govt’s also and would save them a lot of money.

The project, which was completed by Sun Edison, was completed at a cost of Rs 17.71

crore. Gurdeep Singh, MD of Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL) has

informed that this cost was higher than normal because of it was the first of its kind and

indicated that similar sized projects could be completed at a lower cost of around Rs 12

crore.

As of now, these solar panels are being placed on the narrower sub-branch parts of the

canals. but work is being done on finding a way to engineer a solution for putting the

solar panels up over the wider main canals. The limitation comes down to working out a

way to support the panels without affecting the water flow underneath.

Gujarat is set to potentially use the existing 19,000 km-long network of Narmada canals

across the State for setting up solar panels to generate power.

Gujarat, which invests nearly Rs 2,000 crore an year on renewable energy, has

attracted investments of Rs 9,000 crore so far on solar energy projects.

The pilot project has been developed on a 750-m stretch of the canal by Gujarat State

Electricity Corporation (GSECL) with support from Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd

(SSNNL), which owns and maintains the canal network.

The pilot project will generate 16 lakh units of clean energy per annum and also prevent

evaporation of 90 lakh litres of water annually from the canal. The concept will,

therefore, tackle two of the challenges simultaneously by providing energy and water

security.

The cost of per megawatt of solar power, in this case, is likely to be much less than the

estimated Rs 10-11 crore, as the two banks of the canal will be used to cover the canal

by installing solar power panel and the government will not have to spend much on

creating basic infrastructure, including land acquisition .

Today, Gujarat has about 458 km of open Main Canal, while the total canal length,

including sub-branches, is about 19,000 km at present.

When completed, the SSNNL's canal network will be about 85,000 km long.

Assuming a utilisation of only 10 per cent of the existing canal network of 19,000 km, it

is estimated that 2,200 MW of solar power generating capacity can be installed by

covering the canals with solar panels.

This also implies that 11,000 acres of land can be potentially conserved along with

about 2,000 crore litres of water saved per annum.

The part of the savings for the government that are realised by using the canal system

to locate these solar panels is the elimination of the expense of procuring the land that

would otherwise be required.

This is a model that holds a lot of promise, and can be replicated for the rest of the

canals in India.

In what can be called as Gujarat’s quantum leap in the field of solar power generation

the Chief Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated 600 MW solar power projects to the

nation. These projects include solar power plants at the Asia’s largest solar park at

Charnka village as well as solar units at ten other places in Gujarat.

Spread in 3000 acre land the ‘Gujarat Solar Park’ at Charnka has been set up in

line with the vision of Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The foundation of the park was

laid by Mr. Modi in December 2010. Around 21 national and international companies

have invested in the park. The 500 MW solar park has been made functional in a record

time of just one year.

Today when the entire world is engulfed by the problem of climate change, it is

Gujarat’s that is demonstrating to the world an example of climate justice. This

achievement is not merely a step in the direction of power conservation but it

provides the world with a vision that how the power needs of the future

generations can be solved in an environment-friendly manner.

When Gujarat was ready with its own solar energy policy for the first time in the country,

Mr. Modi said, the Central government was mulling the nation’s solar policy just on a

primary level. “Due to the efforts made by the Gujarat government, the cost of

solar power has come down to Rs.8.50 per unit from Rs.15 per unit”, he said. He

exuded faith this cost will further go down to rupees four per unit in future once the

supply of solar power gets increase.

Speaking about the State government’s future moves in the solar sector the Chief

Minister said the government has planned to come up with roof-top solar power policy.

This will enable a common man to generate solar power by putting solar panel on the

roof of his house and sell the power to the State government.

- Dayanand Nene

Gujarat Series 7

THE TURNAROUND OF THE SABARMATI RIVER FRONT

Sabarmati Riverfront is among the most innovative projects in the world. The

project is an urban regeneration and environmental improvement initiative

according to leading international advisory firm KPMG 

KPMG, one of the world’s top advisory firm has included Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati

Riverfront Development Project in the list of ‘100 Most Innovative Projects’ towards

urban regeneration that make cities livable as well as sustainable.

A release by the KPMG about the Sabarmati Riverfront states, “The Sabarmati

Riverfront Development Project is an urban regeneration and environmental

improvement initiative currently under way in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It involves the

reclamation of a 10.5 kilometer stretch of the banks of the Sabarmati River, creating a

new public space for cultural and civic institutions. Along the river, space will be made

for recreation use and markets. The aim is to transform the stretch of river from a

geographical divider in the middle of the city to a focal point for leisure and recreation.”

Recently, in April this year the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) received

HUDCO National Award 2012 for innovative infrastructure development for the

Riverfront Project. On an earlier occasion, the Sabarmati Riverfront project also bagged

the Prime Minister award for the best concept and design of a public project. In 2006,

the Sabarmati Riverfront Project was the recipient of the National Safety Council of

India, Safety Award (Prashansa Patra). 

Since eternity, rivers have been the cradles of civilization even giving a unique identity

to urban space. Ahmedabad has been blessed with the Sabarmati River, which has

served as a lifeline for Gujarat and its people. However till the last decade the

Sabarmati had come under increased strain. It began to be known as a ‘ground’ for

cricket matches and circuses rather than a river.

Since Shri Modi took over as Chief Minister in 2001, he decided to give immense

importance to the re-development of the Sabarmati River front. Apart from serving as an

icon for the city of Ahmedabad, the project will bring a marked environmental

improvement in the city by allowing retaining of ground water and providing cleaner

water to the city. It also provides a green coverage in the heart of Ahmedabad.

For the city, the SRFD Project implies more recreational spaces as well. This includes

parks and gardens and even spaces for cultural facilities. The Riverfront will also be

home to adventure activities that would be enjoyed by people from Ahmedabad and

nearby areas. Just recently, the AMC announced that it is considering floating busses

on the Sabarmati. The Riverfront was put on the tourist map when it hosted the annual

International Kite Festival this year, which draws participants from all across the world.

Not only this, the SRFD will strengthen and upgrade informal markets, which will be of

immense economic importance to the poor. 

The Sabarmati Riverfront project is an environmental improvement, social upliftment

and urban rejuvenation project that will renew Ahmedabad. The project aims to reclaim

the private river edge as a public asset and restore the city’s relationship with its river.

The idea for developing the Sabarmati Riverfront is an old one but it was only Narendra

Modi who took up the issue seriously and has transformed the river front, says Jitesh

Shah,a regular jogger now at the front.

Along the river, space is made for recreation use and markets. The aim is to transform

the stretch of river from a geographical divider in the middle of the city to a focal point

for leisure and recreation.

All in all, the Sabarmati Riverfront marks a wonderful blend of innovation and pro-people

governance that will write a fresh chapter in the history of urban development in India.

- Dayanand Nene

Gujarat Series 8

Narendra Modi auctions his gifts and spends the

money to promote Girls education

In June every year, when most people heave a sigh of relief from the scorching heat,

Team Gujarat including the CM himself goes out to villages and remote areas visiting

primary schools. Do you know what the motivation behind that is?

It is the passion of Narendra Modi to spread quality education to every child in Gujarat –

especially the girl child and quip them with knowledge which shall help them in their

future lives.

The likes of Mayawatis and Laloo Prasad Yadavs should take a lesson or two from

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s style of governance, instead of accepting

garlands of currency notes worth millions of rupees on their birthdays and filling up their

individual coffers with public money.

From the beginning of his tenure, Mr. Modi has made it a practice to auction the gifts

received by him and donate the proceeds for the girl child education.

Public auctioning of gift articles from the collection of Modi’s treasure house generated

more than $10 million in Vadodara, Gujarat. The proceedings of public auction would be

spent on girls’ education in the state.

As many as 1,173 gift articles from Modi’s treasure house were auctioned during the

exhibition cum auction held at Vivekananda Art gallery there which included 87 silver

articles, 109 shields mementos and 185 art pieces from the deposits of gifts and

momentos awarded to him as a mark of respect and affection by citizens in various

public functions held across the state over the years.

The gifts deposited in the treasury and auctioned include silver wristlets, golden and

silver statues and figurines, artistic chariot, watches, mementos and medals, shawls,

turbans, artistic umbrellas, coins, photo frames, swords, bows and arrows, traditional

cloths of tribes and other communities and more. Some 48 items among these are of

made up of gold and silver which alone are worth Rs.10-lakh.

He has so far received 7,994 gifts since November 2011. The nine auctions of 6,634 of

these gifts have fetched a sum of around Rs.10-crore.

People from all walks of life, ranging from ordinary citizens to various associations and

organizations, take part in the auction conducted by the district administration.

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is leading a campaign to popularise girls’

education and enrolment drive in primary schools of the state.

A large chunk of the money raised through these auctions is diverted to Kanya Kelavni

Nidhi, created for educating the girl child in Gujarat. A lot of scholarships to bright girl

students and bonds worth Rs 1,000 each to help support the education of millions of

girls have come out of this fund.

The government has also taken various other initiatives to popularise girls’ education. It

has distributed ‘Vidyalakshmi Bond’ of Rs.1,000 each to 11 lakh poor girl students. The

Chief Minister’s Kanya Kelavni Nidhi has received Rs. 44-crore from individuals and

institutions, and by raising money through auctioning of gifts received by the Chief

Minister himself. The construction of 50,914 washrooms in schools has also played an

important role in decline in the dropout rate of girl students.

The annual campaign known as Kanya Kelavni and Shala Praveshotsav started nine

years ago and has already started paying dividends. A comparative study of the Census

2001 and 2011 shows a 13 per cent rise in the girls’ literacy rate and 29.77 per cent

decrease in school dropout ratio of girls.

Kanya Kelavani Nidhi’ has been formed with a view give encouragement to girl child

education in the state. This special fund has got a huge response from the people of the

state and the people have poured more than Rs.48.87-crore into the fund so far. About

42,944 girls have been given various encouragements worth Rs.15.54-crore. The state

government also gives Vidhya Lakshmi Bond of Rs.1000 to the girls taking admission in

the school and on successful completion of primary school study; the amount with

interest is given back to the girls to encourage them for further study.

The number of girls who received Vidhya Lakshmi Bond so far has reached to 12.39

lakh. A substantial amount is also given to the girls who take up higher education

courses like medical, engineering, PTC and B.Ed and also to those who go for civil

service exams.

According to his aides, a part of the collections also goes to the Chief Minister’s Relief

Fund, which saw inflow to the tune of $1000 M ever since Modi took over the reins.

His dedication towards promoting education in the society is evident from the fact that

he launched a program called ‘Vanche Gujarat’ (Read Gujarat) as a part of the state’s

Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2010.

Outlining the essence of ‘Vanche Gujarat’ mission, Chief Minister said reading does not

just provide knowledge it inspires the intellectuality to evoke and lead to growth.

Motivating people to include a library in their house, he said that there should not be a

house without books. He also suggested giving a book instead of flower on greeting

occasions and that such small experiments can make a big difference.

For a child ‘reading’ is something, which he does to pass the exam of school. “We

should infuse the environment with such a craze for reading that the child starts taking

‘reading’ as a tool to pass the exam of life,” he said.

- Dayanand Nene

Gujarat Series 9

The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) –

A feather in the crown of Gujarat's progress.

Ahmedabad is the seventh largest metropolis in India and the largest in Gujarat.

Ahmedabad’s transportation system is predominantly dependent on roadway system.

Public transport mainly constitutes the city-run buses [AMTS] and privately run shared

and non shared autorikshaws. Buses constitute 15% of the total commuters while

bicycles account for 18%. All most 33% of people use public transport.

The biggest question that growing cities are facing today is how to deal with the

immense criss-cross movement of people. Ordinarily, public transport buses weave in

and out of the mixed traffic on the roads. This causes problems to both, the passengers

in terms of alighting and disembarking as well as other traffic causing delays and traffic

congestion.

The Bus Rapid Transit System [BRTS] is a concept that details out of a dedicated traffic

lane for the movement of public transport buses. In a BRT system, since the vehicles

travel in exclusive lanes, they avoid the congestion on the road. At the same time, other

motorized traffic is benefitted due to shifting of buses to dedicated lanes.

The Bus Rapid Transit System aims at providing smooth and affordable transport to the

public. BRTS has dedicated bus lanes and stations for high capacity buses, use of

smart cards and rapid ticketing systems, pre-boarding fare collection, transit

prioritisation at intersections, platforms as high as bus floors, uninterrupted bus

movement and computer controlled traffic signals. In short, the system can move a

large number of passengers quickly.

The concept of BRTS is to encourage more people on the public transit system which,

with high quality service is easily feasible. BRTS is a system being adopted by many

countries across the world as a comprehensive system that is relatively low on capital

costs.

In India, BRTS has been adopted in several cities like Pune, Delhi, Indore etc. but it’s

been most successful in Ahmedabad. As part of the vision, of ‘Accessible Ahmedabad’,

BRTS is officially called ‘Janmarg’- a route for people,

The BRTS project was approved in November 2006 and the work commenced in 2007.

The first stretch of phase 1, from RTO to Pirana, a distance of 12.5 km. was dedicated

for the people on 14th October 2009. The Janmarg would be covering the span of 88.8

km. of network, through the city, connecting the central areas as well as industrial and

residential areas as well as institutional areas.

Unlike in Delhi and Jaipur – where the BRTS experiment failed, Ahmedabad's

Colombia-inspired Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) is its pride. It is nearly 30 km

long and will grow to 90 km in two years.

It won the prestigious Sustainable Transport Award from the Transportation Research

Board in Washington. From being clouded by doubt on whether bus rapid transit, which

works well in Latin American cities, would be workable in Indian conditions,

Ahmedabad's BRTS, which moves 70,000 passengers daily, is on its way to being a

model for developing countries. In contrast, the Delhi government is struggling to keep

its 5.8-km BRTS from absolute chaos.

Ahmedabad’s BRTS project, known as Janmarg (people’s way), started operations in

2009 and has come to change perceptions about public transport in the city. The project

was implemented by Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL), a special purpose vehicle

floated by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

They built a network and not just corridors. It generates revenue of Rs.9 lakh per day

and about 1 lakh riders commute by it on a daily basis. Today, the Ahmedabad BRTS

network covers 45km and aims to take this to 135km by 2015. While the central

government funds 35% of the project under its Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban

Renewal Mission (JNNURM), 15% comes from the state government and the remaining

50% from the municipal corporation.

What is the secret of the success of BRTS in Ahmedabad? How did they do it?

For the first three months, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) ran its BRTS

free; then made design changes based on commuter feedback, such as longer buses.

During the first three months of the trial run last year, the AMC picked up special opinion

makers-students, professors and teachers, journalists, top industrialists of Gujarat-and

gave them free rides to seek suggestions.

The way the lanes have been drawn, the bus stands designed and the manner in which

the system is managed by a computerised traffic management and signal control

system from a chamber in the AMC office is proof of its success.

BRTS has turned out to be success at places where the ROW is sufficently large and

was easier to accomodate BRTS lanes along with roads for private vehicles and LCVs.

Even in Ahmedabad the BRTS corridor was identified along the road which had

sufficient ROW.

Just for the sake of introduction of BRTS planners should not succumb to the pressure

of politicians or bureaucrats just to get funding from MOUD or JNNURM which was the

case in many cities in India.

Introducton of BRTS corridor alone will not solve the commuting problem it needs

introduction of good number of best quality buses which should attract the commuters,

with good frequency, should provide accessibility to place of work and educational

institutions, with best of facilities like good bus shelters, good information systems etc.,

These are the facilties which has mades Ahmedabad BRTS as one of the best in India.

The success of Ahmedabad’s bus rapid transit system (BRTS) has encouraged Gujarat

to extend the model to Rajkot and Surat, which will see such services starting this year.

Elsewhere in India, BRTS is operational in Delhi, Jaipur and Pune.

The state’s enthusiasm runs counter to the mixed experience of users and planners in

Delhi and Pune, where the BRTS hasn’t exactly been successful.

A BRT system involves the deployment of public transport buses in a closed or semi-

closed network, with the aim of achieving the comfort and quality of rail while keeping

costs down.

The Ahmedabad project differs from those in Delhi and Pune in that it has sharply

segregated bus lanes and real time monitoring system, where commuters can track

arrival or departure time similar to a Metro system monitoring. It was also closed off to

other traffic, unlike Delhi which has a hybrid system. Only designated BRT buses can

use the system in Ahmedabad unlike Delhi, were all buses can do so.

Another reason cited for the smooth running of the Ahmedabad BRTS is single

ownership from the outset. In the capital, the nodal agency, Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal

Transit System Ltd (DIMTS), came into the picture at a much later stage, after the pilot

project was designed. There was also a lack of coordination between the traffic police

department and the municipal body in Delhi.

Amidst the serious concern about urban mobility and challenges like a safer, fuel-

efficient, space-saving and less polluting transport system, Ahmedabad BRTS

(Janmarg) sets an example to other cities for sustainable urban transport system.

- Dayanand Nene

Gujarat Series 10

GUJARAT’S ‘ROAD’ TO PROSPERITY

Hearing a PIL regarding a road-maintenance contract, the Bombay High Court recently

observed that roads in neighbouring Gujarat are in better condition than Maharashtra.

"People say that Gujarat has got best of the roads...as long as you have not crossed the

border (into Maharashtra). It's a shame for our government that we cannot build good

roads," said Justice J N Patel.

As anyway I was to travel to Ahmedabad as part of my ‘discovery’ of Gujarat, we

decided to take the Road route to check out the much tommtommed Roads.

MY first problem was the first 75 kms stretch from my house in Thane to Manor on NH8,

which has been witnessing horrific traffic jams at 2-3 points’ thanks due to the delayed

work of building 3 flyovers on the Ghodbunder Road to the Vasai-Virar toll gate.

Therefore, I decided to skip the first section of NH8 by going on a parallel road direct

from Thane to Manor via Bhiwandi & Wada. Leaving my home at 4 am into what is

peak hour traffic on NH8 milling with trucks, I had a peaceful drive through Bhiwandi

town (totally avoidable after the sun rises, thanks to the huge traffic choke-ups inside

the town), but found that the road to Manor via Wada was very bad in some places.

Nonetheless, it is far better to go this way compared to NH8 till Manor which would have

taken more time. The bad roads meant that I was able to cover the 88 kms to Manor in

2 hrs, compared with the normal speed of 1.30 hour, delaying me by 30 minutes!

From Manor onwards, traffic was surprisingly light and most of the 6-lane work was

complete, except at the flyover junctions, which were happily clean thanks to the early

hour eliminating all but truckers from the highway. I stopped at McDonalds at Vapi for a

toilet break (although I am no fan of either breaks or burgers!).

Excellent Roads, free from pot holes and craters – what we have become accustomed

in Mumbai, except for some flyover junctions which saw detours and slowed down the

traffic. I picked up speed and maintained crusiing speeds of 110-120 kmph steadily and

reached Surat at 8.20 am (285 kms in 4.20 hrs).

Light vehicle traffic started picking up thereafter but being Sunday, I think the tarffic was

nowhere near its normal intensity and from Surat onwards, the 6-lane road to Baroda

was a fast drive, and I did the next 148 kms to Baroda in 120 minutes (2 hrs). The toll

gates in this stretch are well-regulated and efficient, not taking more than 2-3 minutes

per vehicle regardless of the Q of vehicles. There was a huge jam on the old River

Narmada Bridge due to maintainance or because it is too weak - and all trucks were

being diverted through the ne NH Bridge, but happily the traffic flow was smooth and the

major headache on NH8 was no more a worry. As is my practice over past 40 years, I

threw my offering coin into the holy waters of Narmada.

I noticed one thing - very funnily, all petrol pumps on the Baroda bypass are on the

south-bound lane! Truck traffic was very high, and there is absolutely no lane discipline

on the Surat-Baroda sector, which means you have to weave in and out of the 3 lanes

on your side of the road to proceed at good speed. Once you enter Gujarat, there are

very few restaurants with good washroom facilities. I am told that the Hotel Plazio in the

Baroda bypass has good facilities, but we did not stop by to check.

From Baroda bypass, you have 2 options to go to Ahmedabad. Continue on NH8, or

take the NE1 expressway. No guesses which one I took.

The Baroda-Ahmedabad expressway is a delight to drive on as usual, although traffic

keeps increasing day by day and the 4-laned expressway is no more adequate, and

needs to be widened fast before traffic spills all over the place. I had to stop over in the

a petrol pump midway to refuel so that lost me some time, but the speeds on the

expressway were as follows:

- first toll gate to Reliance petrol pump, 67 kms, 34 minutes

- Reliance petrol pump to exit toll gate, 21 kms, 11 minutes

That means in 45 minutes I had covered the toll gate-to-toll gate distance of 88 kms.

Sebastian Vettel – I am coming..

What I noticed on this stretch of Road was that the Road conditions were very good with

lush green trees on both sides at many places, making driving a pleasure.

We were told by all coming from Gujarat that roads there are the best in the country.

And so we saw. It is not just the National Highways, State Highways and Expressways

that connect big cities with districts, the rural roads are very good too.

All of Gujarat’s 18,000 villages are connected via pucca roads. The state’s geographical

expanse includes hilly areas, flat areas, regions near the sea and big desert zones like

Kachchh. Whatever the type of geographical area, the Gujarat government has

connected all with roads.

Excellent Roads everywhere..

A top Planning Commission study, supported by World Bank, has said that Gujarat

offers an example of international best practice in roads management. Authored by Clell

Harral, Graham Smith and William DO Paterson, the study 'Lessons from International

Experience: Road Asset Management' provides guidelines to the National Transport

Development Policy Committee of Planning Commission on how reforms in Gujarat in

the roads sector come closer to international standards for other states and developing

countries to follow.

Presenting a comparison of roads sector management in South Africa, Sub-Saharan

Africa, Argentina, Indonesia and India, with reference to Gujarat and Karnataka, the

study has found four major reforms undertaken in Gujarat that make the state

exemplary.

These include

 reduced share of administrative cost in the capital and maintenance budget from

30% to 16% during 2000-2007;

 reduced maintenance backlog by half from 10,000 km to 5,000 km;

 increased annual plan budget for roads from $26 million in 1995-96 (4.9% of the

annual plan) to $550 million (9.3%) in 2010-11.

 The study also hails initiatives like doubling of funds for routine and periodic

maintenance by 2008-09 compared to 1998-99 and reducing of labour force by

40% and operational force by 15% as labour productivity grew with the improved

tools, organisation, and management.

Gujarat has also excelled in bringing about a very close collaboration between

government and private sector, having a sustainable planning based on holistic cost

analysis, outsourcing and engineering functions as well as execution of main roads,

monitoring quantitative performance by posting main performance indicators on internet,

and plans to implement a new monitoring system, according to the study.

The study is based on an analysis of about 40,000 kmlong state roads, including 16,000

km of state highways and 20,000 km of district main roads.

The follow up and review system, all over the state, is very good. Chief Minister

Narendra Modi reviews all the big projects of any city or department personally. He

views their presentations and even guides them. And if the need be, he himself visits

the site and offers them advice.

As one Senior Engineer from PWD told us:

“Our work is better than the others, our maintenance is better than the others. We take

care that the design being made is strong. While it is being implemented, we ensure

that the material being used is good. And we keep a condition before the contractors in

two categories – one for three years and the other for five years. The condition is that if

the road gets damaged in the time frame of a contractor’s contract (according to the

category he falls in), he himself will have to maintain it.

We ask for accountability. We don’t leave them free once the construction is done. Also,

we ministers move in the entire state, so do our MLAs, IAS officers and the entire

department. We all take the responsibility for the project. If we find even slight

weakness somewhere, we take immediate steps to rectify that anamoly.”

Sure.. these good roads measure up to Gujarat’s progress to prosperity..

- Dayanand Nene

Gujarat Series 11

YEH NARENDRA MODI SAAB KA RTO POST HAIN – YAHAN

RISHWAT NAHI CHALTI..

Much is made about India blindly imposing an alien Constitution and bureaucracy on the

people of the Country.. While it’s true that several key portions of the Indian Constitution

do not reflect the true aspirations of the soul of this ancient nation, it still provides a

workable model.

Our intellectual class and media, which has made a profession of abusing our large and

“unworkable” bureaucracy rarely looks at how the same bureaucracy can be used to

deliver the goods.

Narendra Modi has used the selfsame bureaucracy to make Gujarat what it is today.

Perhaps no other Indian leader has genuinely implemented the much-touted “single

window clearance” as effectively and as consistently as he has done.

An important but much-overlooked factor is Modi’s punctuality. Every single Indian

politician wears his unpunctuality as a badge of pride whereas Modi’s decade-old record

shows what kind of a stickler for time he is. People from various walks of life have

testified that Modi always honours his appointments right as the clock strikes. Which

makes sense because a nation or culture that doesn’t respect time doesn’t deserve to

progress.

Corruption and scams are the most talked about items today. People are fed up with the

pace and regularity with which one after another scams are tumbling out of the UPA 2

closet.

In sharp contrast, we have a state like Gujarat where, even Modi’s worst detractors

agree that he has rid the State from Corruption. This can only be achieved by the

dedicated efforts by the people and activists, and the govt. extends full hearted support

for the removal of Corruption from the system.

Narendra Modi has not only illustrated dynamism in laying Gujarat as the role model of

development, but has presented scam and corruption free rule in last ten years.

We are giving an illustration of how Modi has become a role model for the bureaucracy

and how they pride themselves of being a corruption free state:

On the entrant Check-post, at Bhilad near Valsad, on the national highway no.8, an over

loaded truck, coming from Kochi and heading towards Vapi, comes post mid-night, at

2.30 A.M. The trucker Varghese, is a regular, who has travelled umpteen times on this

route and “managed” to get his own way by transferring two green “Gandhis”, in the

palm of the officer on duty, generally a junior - post midnight, while passing from Kerala,

Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Maharashtra and Goa.

But, this was Gujarat and he was travelling there for the first time. Of course he was

very well warned by his colleagues, that Gujarat is different but Varghese was least

bothered.

Post 2 A.M. his heavily and over loaded truck, left the last check post of Maharashtra, at

Achchad.

The high-mast lights of Bhilad R.T.O. check post could be seen from distance. His

calculation was accurate. There was no senior officer on duty, at that unearthly hour.

After paying Escort tax, he turned to go back to his Eischer..

And, he was stopped by two officers, on duty. Varghese tried to use his old charm..

Immediately, the two Green Gandhis popped out..

But, the Green currency did not do the trick; instead it brought a rude redness on the

face of concerned officers. On officer caught hold of Varghese while the other gave a

resounding slap on his face.

Before Varghese could regain his composure, the strong words came ringing to him..

“Abe, Yeh Narendra Modi Saab ki R.T.O. Check post hai. Yanha rishwat denewale ke

haath-per tod diye jaate hai. Yanha rishwat nahi, imandari chalti hai. Chal , tax aur

jurmana milake 1.20 lakh bhar de aur South main bethe tere Aka ko bol, ke paise bhar

kar gadi chuda de.”

Varghese had no option but to call and contact his boss in South and pay off the entire

tax along with fine!

The Bhilad check post, which has been completely computerized since 1st March 2000,

has become the prominent check post of the country. It is one of the check posts that

have been the top most earning check post of the nation.

In the financial year, 2009-10, it recorded income of Rs. 81.47 crore. On the same

national highway, about 1 and a half km. away, the Achchad check post of Maharashtra

is situated.

Bhilad check post earned 52.64 crores of additional income as compared to Achchad. It

is notable that about 12,000 vehicles enter into Gujarat, from Maharashtra passing from

both these check posts and about the same numbers of vehicles travel back. Still, the

Bhilad check post’s income reaches the amount Rs. 81, 47, 22, 626 as compared to

Achchad check post’s income of Rs.28, 82,99,535. The income of Bhilad check post is

Rs. 52, 64, 23, 091 more.

Just realize the financial discipline in Gujarat. Narendra Modi plans to increase the state

revenue through financial discipline rather than levying more taxes. The Bhilad check

post, has earned Rs. 5 millions, 50 crore, 44 lakhs, 70 thousand in the time span from

2001-02 to till date. This amount is higher by Rs. 3 million, 83 crores, 15 lakhs, 65

thousand more than the earnings at Achchad check post.

There’s a reason why we see sweeping election victories solely on the strength of one

leader. That reason again, is rooted in our history. Look at any major political event in

this nation’s history where the nation’s traditions and native values have triumphed. You

find an extremely strong and inspiring leader behind every such event.

Be it Krishna who inspired the Pandava victory, be it Chanakya who inspired the

Mauryan empire, be it the founding fathers of the Gupta empire, be it a Shankaracharya

who reinforced the cultural unity of India, be it a Vidyaranya behind the Vijayanagar

empire, be it Samarth Ramadas behind Shivaji, be it a culmination of all these

inspirations that motivated the likes of Tilak, there’s a single, unifying strand that runs

through these events. This is the strand of a shared cultural consciousness, which

continues to unify India against predatory attacks both within and without.

It is this same phenomenon that is playing out in the case of Narendra Modi. And it is

this inherited cultural consciousness that has prompted around six crore people of

Gujarat to endorse him thrice.

This piece on the Bhilad Check post was necessary only to recall the values we have

lost and that, once those values are recovered, renewed and put in practise again,

success follows.

Gujarat’s development under Modi isn’t a miracle: it is a culmination of all these and

similar factors he assiduously cultivated over a decade.

- Dayanand Nene

Gujarat Series 12

Paani Bachao - the key to Prosperity of the state...

Gujarat has always been a state with scarce rainfall...to the extent that when Mr. Suresh

Mehta was the CM, the state had to resort to Cloud seeding and artificial rains.

Hence its necessary that the people of Gujarat be acclaimatised with methods of water

conservation. Shri Narendra Modi’s razor-sharp mindset captured this capacity of the

Gujaratis and programmed it to be utilized for welfare and betterment of the society.

Many schemes and yojnas adopted for water reservoir and conservation have tendered

Gujarat, to be a Tanker free state.

The height of Narmada Dam has been raised, which has yielded production of energy

for Gujarat and the water shortage of the neighbouring state Rajasthan was also

allieviated to a great extent due to canal network.

In every rural region, more and more lakes and ponds have been dug deeper, which

has aided in increasing the water level.

The dedicated movement prevailing since last decade, to create well equipped water

administration system, has enriched about six and a half lakh farmer’s lives, through

5,09,162 water reservoirs. Till date, 1, 17,870 Check dams, 1, 22,035 Bori Bandhs, 2,

49,537 Farm Ponds and 750 Jal Mandir has been constructed and are operational. Due

to efforts by the Gujarat Govt., has entitled the state to increase the level of water by 3

to 9 feet.

In last 40 years, there only 4000 Check Dams had been constructed but in the last

decade, 1,50,000 more Check Dams were built. The Check Dams have been created

through the Public-Private Partnership model.

The farmers are actively participating, in creating well tuned irrigation systems. About

1,349 small groups are formed and 3, 74,538 hecters are irrigated.

With unlimited dedicated efforts by the current govt. has bestowed upon the people with

Sardar Sarovar project. The 121.98 meter height of the dam has enabled the water flow

into 458 km. long canal, which benefits 5 lakh farmers of the state. The other big and

small irrigation projects of the state have facilitated more area of 1.09 lakh hectares of

land.

The introduction of Gujarat Green Revolution Company has developed The Drip

Irrigation technique and it has doubled the income of farmers covering 1.50 lakh hecters

since 2005.

The farsightedness of Narendra Modi has conferred the fact that Jalvikas [Water

Resources Development] is the key to Janvikas [Human Resource Development].

The construction of Check Dams, Lake and Pond echoing as well as various irrigation

facilities has empowered the state to create Water Revolution.

In Sabarkantha district’s Tatrak, Meshwo and Mazam dam area, in Banaskantha

district’s Dantiwada and Sipu dam areas, in Panchmahal distric’s Lunwada, Godhra and

Shehera, the pipelines for water have been created worth 180 crores.

In certain regions of Kutch, Saurashtra and South Gujarat the process of minerals

controlling has been adopted.

To secure Surat, from floods regulation of creeks has been undertaken.

South Gujarat’s 9600 acres of tribal land area, to be irrigated through Ukai-Purna high

level canal has been created.

Under Modi, Water Conservation has found its momentum in Gujarat and it has excelled

in agricultural output as well as industrial development.

Gujarat Series 13

Gujarat – where Villages and Cities grow together..

A decade after he took over as Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi remains the most

polarising political figure of our times. No Indian politician has earned as much

admiration and derision as him. Modi is lauded for his development credo, for turning

Gujarat into an investment magnet, for making it easy to do business in the state.

Agriculture in Gujarat has grown more than 9% in the past five years, the highest in

India.

Every village in Gujarat is self-sufficient in drinking water thanks to taking the waters of

the Narmada River to every nook and corner of the state. Gujarat is the No. 1 in

providing jobs. The most retold accomplishment, if it can be called that, is investments

worth Rs 39.6 lakh crore promised in the five Vibrant Gujarat summits, Modi's

showpiece meeting of global investors.

Narendra Modi’s philosophy is straight and simple: When faced with a problem – think

out of the box. He has cut red tape, he has almost ended corruption and made it easy to

do business.

On a sweltering afternoon in mid June, the Sachivalya, the headquarters of the state

government in Gandhinagar, was buzzing with activity. Bureaucrats were busy signing

and disposing off files and shouting orders to their juniors. Soon after, a steady stream

of officers walked briskly towards their cars. Some jostled for space in packed elevators,

where visitors followed them to the way out. It was only 4 pm.

To an outsider who had heard stories of the super efficiency of Gujarat's administration,

this sight of officials leaving office during working hours would come as a surprise. But

for people familiar with the Narendra Modi’s style of functioning , this was routine.

The bureaucrats, including senior officers in the rank of principal secretaries, were off to

rural areas to monitor the Kanya Kelavani and Shala Pravesh Mahotsav, the

government's massive drive to enroll children in schools. In the next three days, they

would visit 34,000 schools in 18,000 villages. They have been at it for the past 10 years.

The results are striking. Under Modi, the dropout levels in primary education that was as

high 41% (see Dropout Rate...) has fallen to under 8%. That is a significant

achievement for a society that places entrepreneurship on a higher pedestal than

education.

During my recent visit to Gujarat, I was acquainted with the government’s philosophy of

‘Aatma gaav ki, Suvidha sheher ki’- meaning keeping the rural character of our villages

alive while invigorating them with facilities associated with world class cities. Combining

innovation with efficient execution, the Gujarat Government is working towards turning

this vision into a golden reality.

As Gujarat is celebrating a decade of peace, unity, stability and brotherhood it is

appropriate we show case one aspect of Gujarat’s development. Otherwise known for

vibrant cities, the Gujarat government has given tremendous importance to the

development of its villages.

The Government started from this area that needs maximum attention. Otherwise

known for unity and clan solidarity, villages turn into virtual battlefields during times of

elections. This is an all-India phenomenon and the situation is worse during Panchayat

more than Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha elections. People who till then walked shoulder

to shoulder become sworn enemies as relations often get strained.

The Gujarat government ended this by introducing the Samras Gram Yojana. The

initiative was aimed at strengthening a culture of consensus and collective decision-

making. Samras Grams are those villages that select their Panchayats unanimously

through consensus.

For doing so, the villages are rewarded- a Samras Gram is awarded Rs. 1,50,000 and

those Samras Grams with women Panchayats are awarded Rs. 3,00,000. Gujarat has a

total of 8044 Samras Grams and 40 of them are women-governed Panchayats.

The Samras Gram Yojana has made representatives not only more responsible but also

more humble and sensitive towards the grievances of the people. This has paved way

for an approach of consensus and collective decision-making where everybody is an

equal stakeholder.

After political consensus the Government tackled the menace of crime and social

disturbances in the villages. Through the Paavan Gram and Tirth Gram Yojanas, the

Government sought to strengthen the atmosphere of goodwill and social harmony

among the villages of Gujarat.

A village that is crime free for 5 preceding years classifies as a Tirth Gram while a

village that is crime free for 3 years is designated as a Paavan Gram. A Tirth Gram gets

an award of Rs. 1,00,000 and a Paavan Gram is awarded Rs. 50,000. Today Gujarat

has 867 Tirth Grams and 206 Paavan Grams.

How villages can become centres of development rising above petty politics is

something one must learn from Gujarat. There are 11,000 Nirmal Villages in Gujarat

due to excellent standards of hygiene and sanitation. Lakhs of women in the state have

joined Sakhi Mandals through which they manage financial activities worth more than

Rs.1, 000 crore.

During my visit I also had the opportunity to meet various persons who were building

these institutions across Gujarat. Their mission was clear- to make villages self

sufficient and free from any disturbances. Realizing that the process would be

incomplete without providing facilities associated with the cities, the Government took

equal care to ensure that they get it.

First and foremost was providing of adequate supplies of electricity to the villages. The

Gujarat Government’s Jyoti Gram Yojana made a path breaking contribution in

providing 24 hours, 3-phase power supply to our villages. Electricity in Gujarat is no

longer restricted to urban areas only.

18,000 villages of Gujarat hosted the annual Krishi Mahotsavs that have deeply

enriched the lives of our farmers. The State Government has also completed the

construction of 6.5 lakh check dams, farm ponds and bori-bandhs for water

conservation.

A village cannot call itself developed if it lacks access to the latest technology. Though

cutting edge technology reached the cities first, the Gujarat Government is making rapid

advances in taking technology to the villages.

A major role was played by the e-Gram Yojana due to which the villages enjoyed

continued broadband connectivity. The advantage of this can be seen in multiple fields.

It has made grievance redressal much simpler and has brought the people very close to

their Chief Minister, Minsters and other Government functionaries. At the same time,

these villages require a balanced environment where work and leisure go side by side.

With the Panchvati Yojana, parks and gardens were constructed so that leisure can

complement a hard day of work.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi gave the nation the concept of ‘Rurban’- the rural spirit

with world-class ‘urban’ facilities. It is heartening to see the state work overtime to

achieve this..

Gujarat Series 14

After 5 years, we may have to import people for

employment in Gujarat

Gujarat has lowest unemployment rate among Indian states!

One of the biggest worries of contemporary times that has been agonizing the entire

world is unemployment. Countries like the USA and UK and other developed nations

like France and Germany too are feeling the brunt of unemployment rather severely.

They too, find it difficult to eradicate the problem of acute unemployment.

In such a scenario, I was shocked when Mr. Amit Patel, a builder from Vadodara

mentioned to me that they are facing problems in getting good people for employment in

Gujarat. He stated that even if he was ready to pay good salary, he did not find people

and joked that if the situation continues, then Gujarat may have to import people for

employment.

This was corroborated by Dr. Suchitra Nene, a gynaecologist in Vadodara and Mrs.

Swati Bedekar, who runs an NGO for women with centres in Dahod, Godhra, Vadtal

and Ahmedabad.

A little more investigation and we found that Gujarat has taken lead in providing

opportunity of employment to the people, since last seven years.

In some extremely positive news for Gujarat, the latest report for the year 2011-2012 by

the Labour Bureau categorically states that Gujarat has the least unemployment rate

among all states across the country. Daman and Diu has the lowest unemployment rate

for Union Territories.

According to the report, while India’s jobless rate stood at 3.8% during the last fiscal,

Gujarat showed lowest rate of less than 1%. The Report also noted that Gujarat has an

extremely low unemployment rate among females in urban areas.

The Labour Bureau conducted this survey and the first such survey was conducted in

2009-2010. The Bureau is an apex organization for providing database at the national

level for research and policy formation.

This report is yet another indication of Gujarat’s vibrant strides in every sphere including

providing a steady stream of jobs for its people, especially the youngsters. At the core of

these advances is the vision of Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who has been a

staunch advocate of strengthening the people of the state with appropriate skill sets that

would enable them to maximize their potential in the job market.

In the last decade, Gujarat has taken a super leap in development as the youth of the

state is bustling with energy due to the enormous prospects of growth and progress.

In the last decade, more than 2 Lakh youth have been given jobs in the state govt.

For the smooth functioning of the state’s administration, the state govt. has given

permission to create 1,15,000 new posts around the state. 71,542 posts have already

been filled and the rest are on the way .

The state govt. has timely recognized the importance of educational field and keeping

the significance of human resource development in the mind, about 1,21,000 posts

have been filled by recruiting educational helper [Vidya Sahayak].

This decision has propagated the opening of jobs to huge numbers of young and

educated and it has also brought a fresh and positive change in the administration.

In the last ten years, the state govt. of Gujarat has been instrumental, in providing

employment occasions to more than 12.50 lakhs young unemployed, through

Employment Exchange.

Gujarat has remained on the top position, since last seven years, in the entire country.

In the year 2007, Gujarat’s share was about 73% in the entire country, in providing

employment through Shram and Rojgar Vinimay Agency.

According to the Union Govt.‘s figures, All India Employment Exchange Agencies have

provided 3,04,900 job opportunities. In which, Gujarat’s Govt.’s employment exchange

agencies have created 2,17,700 job opportunities.

The state of Gujarat is progressing at a jet speed. Such giant steps towards progress

require efficient human resources. The state has established 696 industrial training

institutes and 161 vocation related courses.

A major impetus to job creation in Gujarat has come thanks to the great focus of the

state Government on the development of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the last

decade. Back in 2001, the state had 81,925 seats in ITIs but a decade later the figure

shot up to 1,24,098. Other sweeping reforms in ITIs included updating the syllabus and

increasing the scope of an ITI education- a student who passes out on ITIs can now

avail of diploma and degree programmes in engineering. The biggest beneficiaries of

these pro-people benefits of the Government have been the poor of Gujarat.

In the 2012-2013 Budget, the Finance Minister Shri Vajubhai Vala made substantial

provisions for the vocational sector including a new scheme to train 4.5 lakh youngsters,

the establishment of 10 new ITIs and increase capacity and infrastructure in the existing

ones. Furthermore, the state Government has started 3000 skill development centres in

rural areas. About 2.16 lakh students are getting training in soft skill centres out of which

50% are women.

34 I.T.I. started Motor Driving Schools. The trainees at Industrial training centers were

provided with Group Accidental Insurance and were entitled to the insurance worth 1

lakh.

To provide proficient work force in the construction field, industrial training centers were

endowed with training along with stipend.

Coaching cum Guidance was provided to ensure entry into Naval force.

Gujarat produces 70 % of total Salt production of the entire country. About 1 lakh

laborers related to this field, have been presented with various schemes for their

welfare.

Rural laborers have been offered schemes with funds to fight the serious ailments like

Cancer, Heart troubles and Kidney diseases.

Due to the encouraging atmosphere for promoting Industry by the state govt. and the

social and economical progress of the state has inspired employment opportunities

even in the private sector.

The state govt. has started short term vocational courses in order to ensure

employment to the young generation and for creating Opportunities through

Employment Exchange, CNN-IBN-7 presented Diamond State Award to Gujarat in the

year 2008.

Gujarat is celebrating this year as ‘Yuva Shakti Varsh’ or the ‘Year of Youth Power’ to

commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s 150 th birth anniversary. As a part of the

celebrations, the Gujarat Government observed the Swami Vivekananda Youth

Employment Week in April this year during which Shri Modi himself handed over a

record 65,000 job letters to youngsters at programmes held in South Gujarat, Kutch-

Saurashtra, Central Gujarat and Ahmedabad. This has truly been a remarkable feat in

itself.

A couple of months ago, Shri Modi launched eMPOWER which seeks to provide basic

technology training to the people. More than a lakh people including youngsters had

already registered for the programme when it was inaugurated. There is an automobile

training centre in Sanand that has become very popular for job seekers.

Thus, the figures given by the Labour Bureau pertaining to Gujarat are not only

extremely encouraging but also showcase the results of a determined decade long

effort to strengthen the state’s population with skills and technology that enables them

to find respectable jobs and enhance their potentials.