Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel successfully completes two-years in office

The Chief Minister has made many inclusive decisions for public welfare in the last two years

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel (File Photo | PTI)

Gandhinagar, September 12, 2023: Here is the list of welfare decisions made by Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel.

‘Mrudu ane Makkam’ Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel has successfully completed his two-year term, which began on September 13, 2023.

During these two years, Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel has made several important decisions for public welfare.

He has been actively implementing decisions aimed at the welfare of the people which are as under:

Good Governance

• Implementation of the recommendations of the Justice Jhaveri Commission: 27% reservations for OBCs in various offices (Mayor, Sarpanch, etc.)
• ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ Campaign’: Establishment of 15,136 toilets, 15,58,166 citizens have uploaded selfies, 21,28,105 citizens have taken a pledge for cleanliness, construction of 16,336 Amrut Vatika, 12,28,025 tree plantations, and 29,925 brave individuals and families were honored in addition to the participation of 21,01,085 in the Flag Hoisting ceremony.
• The ‘Zero-Casualty approach’ during the Biparjoy cyclone was successful in minimizing damage to life and property.
• The state government has provided immediate assistance of ₹11.60 crore and announced a relief package of ₹240 crore for 10 districts affected by to Biparjoy cyclone
• 10th Chintan Shibir was held from May 19th to May 21st.
• Over the course of two days, government officials stayed overnight in Javli, the state's first border village located in the Narmada district. This stay aimed to gather firsthand feedback from the rural population, particularly beneficiaries of various government schemes.
• Successful construction of more than 2,400 Amrit Sarovars: 100% success rate in Gujarat.
• In an effort to combat the theft of government grains, the state government has established a state-level Special Investigation Team (S.I.T.).
• Royalty through the Geology and Mining Department of Gujarat crosses ₹2,000 crores: Commencement of Geochemical Mapping.
• 7 awards to the State Government for transparent and excellent procurement practices through the GeM portal.
• The intra-district transfer for Category-3 and Category-4 employees of Panchayat services has become online, paperless, and transparent for the first time.
• In the Chief Minister's office, technology-based citizen services, known as e-modules, have been implemented to address people's grievances.
• Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation has installed 5,953 high-quality CCTV camera networks in all its warehouses.
• The state's largest-ever budget of ₹3 lakh 1 thousand 22 crore for FY 2023-24 without any new taxes.
• A decision has been made to form the state-level NITI Aayog on the lines of NITI Aayog in the Union Government.

G20 Meetings in Gujarat

• The second meeting of the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group took place in Gandhinagar.
• B20 and the third Trade and Investment Working Group meetings under G20.
• Successful organisation of U20 Mayoral Summit under G20.
• Organisation of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of G20 nations, with a focus on GIFT City.
• A highly successful MedTech Expo-2023 was held in Gandhinagar under India’s G20 presidency.
• Delegates representing the G20 Chief Scientific Advisors Meeting actively visited the Modhera Sun Temple along with the Sujanpura Solar Power Production and Storage Projects.
• Organisation of the G20 Ministerial Conference on Women Empowerment.

Department of Education

• Successful organization of the 20th edition of the Shala Praveshotsav:  More than 46,600 dignitaries visited 27,368 primary schools in 27 districts. Admission of 9 lakh 77 thousand children in Aanganwadis and 2.30 lakh children in Standard- 1.
• Online pass facility for students traveling in State Transport buses
• ‘Employment Exchange Statistics-2023’: Gujarat ranks first in the country in providing employment to the youth
• Centres of Excellence for new-age technologies like 3D printing, coding, AI-ML, electric vehicles, semiconductor design and advance verification, cyber-physical systems, and cloud services will be set up under Robotics and advanced manufacturing at Government Degree Engineering and Polytechnic Colleges. 
• ₹64 crore has been sanctioned for 400 Gyan Setu Day schools to ensure that meritorious students from Class 6 to 12 get quality education free of cost.
• More than 33,000 youth of the state were provided assistance for higher education under the Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavalamban Yojana for higher education. 
• A scheme for students of Classes 1 to 8: School vouchers to 25,000 meritorious students from Classes 1 to 8 for pursuing education in classes 9 to 12.
• Under Mission Schools of Excellence, construction of more than 4,900 classrooms has started and installation of more than 13,700 smart classrooms has been completed.
• Scheme to provide health cards to teachers of government and grant-in-aid primary schools, secondary and higher secondary schools for timely and cashless medical facilities.
• Provision of ₹70 crore for Prototype Development Centre at Innovation Hub to take the ideas of the youth from mind to market.
• ₹6 crore has been sanctioned for setting up Kavach Cyber-Security Awareness and Creative Handholding Centres in colleges to protect the youth from cybercrime, cyber-fraud, and mobile addiction and to enhance their creative capabilities through cyber awareness.
• Provision of ₹40 crore for setting up of Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the field of emerging technology.
• Under the SWAYAM Certificate Scholarship Scheme, a provision of ₹5 crores has been made to promote STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics as well as vocational education for students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward, and Economically Weaker sections.
• A special kind of Fin-tech Hub will be set up at GIFT City. The objective of this hub is to improve the quality of fin-tech education and research in India, to encourage fintech start-ups and incubation, to encourage evidence-based research in technology, and to encourage national and international researchers. Provision of ₹76 crore for the same at GIFT City.

Department of Agriculture

• Increase of 10 lakh hectares in Kharif Crop sowing compared to the previous year.
• Decision to provide an additional 2.27-million-acre feet of water for irrigation to farmers.
• More than 20 lakh farmers have been trained in natural farming and more than 7 lakh farmers in the state have adopted natural farming.
• 9,600,000 cattle in the state were protected by administering FMD/Brucellosis vaccination.
• Package of ₹330 crores for farmers cultivating red onions and potatoes
• The farmers will get assistance of ₹40 crore for export to other states and outside the country. Assistance of ₹90 crore for the sale of red onions and potatoes in APMC. An assistance of ₹200 crore was sanctioned by the Government to store only edible potatoes (table purpose) in cold storage.
• The state government plans to increase the total area under cultivation of horticultural crops to 19,500 hectares. Decision to provide financial assistance to farmers engaged in the cultivation of mango, guava, and banana crops to increase the productivity of fruit crops.
• Indext-A will be set up to promote entrepreneurship in the agriculture sector and make information related to the agriculture sector available on the central portal.
• Provision of ₹2 crore for Training for Agricultural Learning and Integration Mission (TALIM) scheme.
• Provision of ₹2 crore to set up a Centre of Excellence for sugarcane.
• Provision of ₹3 crores to expedite skill development and employment-oriented training to youth for gardening work in urban areas under the ‘Urban Green Mission Programme’.
• Decision to pay an amount of ₹417 crore as interest subvention by the state government in 100 days. Farmers will obtain loans at zero percent.
• An important decision to provide adequate water for Rabi crops to the farmers by filling up the reservoirs of 11 districts of Saurashtra through SAUNI Yojana.
• Procurement at MSP from March 10 for a period of 90 days.
• This year, tur dal will be purchased at an MSP of ₹6,600 per quintal, while the price of chana will be ₹5,335 per quintal and raida will be ₹5,450 per quintal.
• Budget for micro irrigation scheme quadrupled.
• A budgetary allocation of ₹203 crore will be made to support the farmer engaged in natural farming for the maintenance of indigenous cows.
• Under the ‘Gujarat Coconut Development Mission’, ₹4.03 crore has been sanctioned to increase the area under cultivation of coconuts in the state and develop associated industries.

State Government in support of the Marginalized, the poor, and the tribals

• 6,800 students of the Scheduled Castes will receive stipends for vocational courses to empower them.
• Over 6,500 Ambedkar Awas have been constructed to ensure that homes are available to citizens of the Scheduled Castes.
• To ensure that various social security schemes reach the families in need, it has been decided to issue a family identity card.
• Mukhyamantri Adimjati Sarvangi Utkarsh Yojana was announced for the comprehensive development of tribal communities.
• Distribution of bamboo to over 39,55,000 tribals for employment.
• Bridges were constructed at around 15 causeways to facilitate transportation in tribal areas.
• To ensure that Panchayat services are accessible to communities in tribal areas, Panchayat Ghars have been constructed in 37 villages.
• Identification of over 10,000 tribal women suffering from severe anemia for timely maternal care, thereby reducing the maternal mortality rate.
• Announcement of Mukhyamantri Adimjati Sarvangi Utkarsh Yojana tribal communities like Kotwalia, Kolgha, Kathodi, Siddi, Padhar, and Halpati.
• Scholarships of up to 20,000 will be provided to 10 lakh students of developing castes.
• 2 lakh students from Scheduled Castes and developing castes will be provided with bicycles.

Honouring Women’s Power, Prioritizing Women's Empowerment

• Under the public distribution system, fortified rice (enriched with folic acid, iron, and vitamin B12) is being distributed for enhanced nutrition in 14 districts. This initiative, costing ₹60 crore, will now expand to cover all districts in the state.
• The first-ever gender budget surpasses ₹1 lakh crore, with over 200 schemes exclusively focused on women. The budget allocates ₹1,04,986.70 crore for women-centric schemes.
• A new chapter on women's empowerment, with a budget exceeding ₹1 lakh crore, with over 200 schemes exclusively for women.
• Support has been extended to 1,285 eligible girls under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Kelavani Nidhi Yojana for pursuing medical education (MBBS program).
• Under Mukhyamantri Matrushakti Yojana, assistance is being provided to improve the nutrition levels of over 7 lakh pregnant and lactating mothers every month through the distribution of 1 kg tuvar dal, 2 kg chana, and 1 litre of refined oil.
• Financial aid has been provided to 1,85,642 pregnant women under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana to ensure safe motherhood.
• To ensure women's safety, a new team of 121 women safety units, 'SHE Team', has been launched. Additionally, Women Help Desks have been initiated in 72 police stations.

Department of Health

• Under PMJAY, starting from July 11th, the state's citizens will receive increased health coverage from ₹5 lakhs to up to ₹10 lakhs.
• Under the 'One Nation - One Dialysis' program, in the last 6 months, over 1.5 lakh dialysis sessions have been conducted across 272 dialysis centers.
• 3,32,35,291 ABHA cards have been issued in the state.
• A health check-up campaign for 1 crore children in the state has been initiated from the school admission ceremonies, with a budget allocation of ₹15,182 crore.
• Special emphasis on maternal and child welfare in the state.
• New medical colleges will be established in Aravalli, Dang, Mahisagar, and Chhota Udepur districts.

Youth

• In the next 2 years, the Panchayat Department will organize the recruitment of a total of 10,000 Karmayogis through direct recruitment.
• To provide employment opportunities to the state's youth, 10,338 positions have been filled, including 325 unarmed police sub-inspectors and 1,287 police sub-inspectors. Additionally, a plan has been made to organize 8,000 more recruitments this year.
• The state has organized 433 recruitment fairs for skilful youth, providing opportunities for over 1 lakh youth to find employment.
• Over 2,500 Karmayogis have been appointed to government services in a single day through the issuance of appointment letters. 2,306 in non-secretariat as clerk and office assistant, 133 in Gujarat Education Service as Class-II officer, and 92 in Agricultural Class-II officers appointed in the state administration.
• Launch of an updated start-up portal to encourage youth entrepreneurship. 1,176 start-ups have registered.
• Gujarat will establish the world's first international branch campus of Deakin University, Australia, in the GIFT City for the youth of Gujarat.
• Preliminary preparations have begun in Gujarat to host the Olympics in 2036.
• Plans to establish a sports complex in each district and a taluka-level sports complex in each taluka of every district through a saturation approach.
• Launch of District-level Sports Schools (DLSS) in Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS), Girl Literacy Residential School (GLRS), and Raksha Shakti Vidyalaya (RSV).
• Implementation of the In-School Program benefiting 500 new schools.

Home Department

• Stopped drugs from entering not only Gujarat but the country as well.
• Stringent laws have been enacted to control malpractice in public recruitment and board exams. The government has committed to preventing the future of the youth from dimming by introducing strict penalties against malpractices in government recruitment exams.
• A law has been enacted to make it mandatory to teach the Gujarati language from Class 1 to 8 to encourage and preserve the mother tongue and culture of the state.
• To free common and needy citizens from the clutches of usury, 4,000 Lok Darbars were conducted, in which over 1,29,000 people participated. The government provided loans totaling ₹261.97 crore to around 22,000 individuals.
• In order to combat theft and irregularities in government food grain distribution, a Special Investigation Team (S.I.T) has been formed at the state level.
• The creation of the Trinetra-Integrated Command and Control Centre (i3C) has been awarded the National E-Governance Gold Award.
• A decision has been made to establish a special Women S.R.P. Battalion in the state.

Welfare for the Poor

• Over 7 lakh workers from the unorganized sector have been registered under the e-Shram portal, making it easier for them to avail benefits like pensions and insurance.
• Smart cards have been issued to over 66,000 workers through the e-Nirman portal. This will facilitate access to various benefits including health check-ups, injury assistance, education support, and housing subsidies.
• Over 7 lakh labourers will receive meals for just 5 rupees under the Shramik Annapurna Yojana.
• The state government has increased the monthly wages for labourers by 24.63%. A skilled worker in corporations, municipalities, and local bodies receives a monthly wage of ₹9,887.80. Now the monthly salary is increased to ₹12,324.
• Shramik Annapurna Yojana will enable the provision of nutritious meals to the workers of the state at a token of 5 rupees.
• Distribution of bajra and sorghum has started at ration shops.
• Mukhyamantri Shramik Basera Yojana has been announced for the welfare of Shramyogis.
• Family identity cards will be provided for identifying families in need of social security. Various welfare schemes will be extended to them.

Urban and Rural Development

• A newly constructed at a cost of ₹40.36 crores was inaugurated near Vaishnodevi Junction
• After the formation of the Alang Expansion Development Authority, the first three draft TP (Town Planning) schemes were approved. These include TP Scheme No.1 Tarapaj, TP Scheme No. R Mahadevpara-Kathwada, and TP Scheme No.3 Alang-Manar-Kathwada.
• Approval of 4 preliminary TP schemes of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation: TP Scheme No. 74 (Chandkheda-Zundal), TP Scheme No. 103/A (Naroda), TP Scheme No. 90 (Vinzol-R), and TP Scheme No. 96/A (Hansol-Asarwa).
• Door-to-door collection of garbage in five districts under the Urban Development Authority.
• Approval of 25 new TP (Town Planning) schemes in the state to accelerate urban development and welfare services to the people.
• Promoting clean and green energy: around 92,000 solar rooftop systems installed on houses in the state to promote solar energy.
• All 'A' grade municipalities with a population of over one lakh will receive a grant of over ₹18, compared to the previously approved grant of ₹12.50 per kilometer, for CNG and electric buses under the Chief Minister's Urban Transportation Plan.
• Successful construction of 8 lakh urban houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)
• Under the PM-SVANidhi scheme, loans have been provided to 4,31,823 street vendors.
• Development work in urban areas of the state, aimed at improving the quality of life with expansion, has been approved for a total of 594 projects worth ₹674 crores in 8 municipal corporations and 12 municipalities.
• Construction of 268 Amrut Sarovars (reservoirs) in rural areas to promote water conservation and alleviate water shortage issues.
• Under the Gobar Dhan Yojana, more than 4,100 personal biogas plants have been started to make people self-reliant in the field of energy in rural areas.
• Under the 15th Finance Commission, approximately 22,000 development projects have been completed.
• With the construction of more than 2,400 Amrit Sarovars (reservoirs), 100% of the work has been completed in Gujarat.

Water Harvesting and Irrigation

• 6th phase of the statewide Sujlam-Sufalam Water Conservation Campaign has begun.

Industrial Sector Achievements

• In the first half of Vibrant Summit-2024, a total of 15 MoUs have been signed, amounting to investments worth ₹7,374 crore, in the four phases of the MoU signing initiative organized every week.
• A historic MoU has been signed between the Gujarat government and American chip maker Micron Technology. Gujarat will become the first state in India to manufacture memory chips.
• Ground-breaking ceremony of PM MITRA Park to be built on 1,141 acres of land in Vansi Borsi.
• A complete ecosystem will be developed in the thrust sector, including areas like green ammonia, fuel cells, battery storage, electric vehicles, electronics, space, and aviation.
• An allocation of ₹1 crore has been made to establish five additional councils to expedite decisions on delayed payment cases of micro and small enterprises.
• An allocation of ₹12 crore has been made for the development of a Space Manufacturing Cluster at Science City in collaboration with InSpace, an organization of the Government of India.
• A specialized fin-tech hub will be established at GIFT City with the goal of enhancing fintech education and research in India, promoting fintech start-ups and incubation, conducting evidence-based technology research, and encouraging national and international researchers. An allocation of ₹76 crore has been done for GIFT City.
• A 'Facilitation Desk' will be launched to expedite approvals from other state departments for MSME entrepreneurs.
• Transparent allotment of 161 industrial plots.
• A new policy has been announced to regularize unauthorized construction in GIDC.
• Under the "One District One Product" initiative, a Unity Mall will be established in Ekta Nagar to promote unique products from each district and create international recognition for them.

Infrastructure

• Construction of Hirasar Airport near Rajkot.
• Approval of ₹600 crore for the development of riverfront near GIFT City.
• Allocation of ₹372,45,18,300 (₹3.72 billion) for the development of internal roads in industrial clusters in and around Morbi.
• Construction of a circumferential road to connect areas around the boundary.
• Construction of a new airport in Dwarka.
• Expansion of Keshod Airport.
• Construction of riverfront near GIFT City.
• Fast-tracking the Ahmedabad and Surat Metro Rail projects with an allocation of ₹905 crores.
• Allocation of ₹605 crores for the development of roads connecting tourist circuits.

Development of Tourism and Pilgrimage Sites

• An allocation of ₹300 crores for the development of the Dharoi-Ambaji Dam testing area on the lines of Statue of Unity.
• Approval of ₹334 crores for 64 projects in the state's pilgrimage destinations.
• Comprehensive development of pilgrimage sites including Ambaji, Dwarka, Pavagadh, Bechraji, Mata no Madh, Madhavpur Krishna-Rukmani.
• Implementation of solar energy systems in 349 religious pilgrimage sites across the state, resulting in annual savings of ₹3 crores.
• Celebrating a three-day grand procession festival at Ambaji Shaktipeeth.
• Allocation of ₹17 crores for 24x7 cleanliness and sanitation efforts in 8 pilgrimage destinations.
• A commitment to re-establish the original grandeur of Dwarka city by creating a pilgrimage corridor for the complete development of the Dwarkadhish Temple and its surroundings.
• Surat hosted a Guinness World Record for the World Yoga Day celebration, with 1.5 lakh citizens practising yoga simultaneously at a single location.
• Allocation of ₹121 crores for the comprehensive development of the Sri Mahakali Mataji Temple in Pavagadh.
• The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd. (TCGL) and the Worldwide Media Pvt. Ltd. signed an MoU for the organization of the 69th Filmfare Awards 2024 in Gujarat.
• Establishment of 10 tent cities, with 5-6 tent cities becoming operational by January 2024.

Awards

• According to the 'Employment Exchange Statistics 2023', Gujarat has ranked first in providing employment to the youth across the country.
• Through the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal, Gujarat received seven awards from the Central Government for outstanding performance in transparent procurement.
• In the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2022, Gujarat secured the first position in the Export Performance pillar among the four main pillars.
• As per the RBI bulletin, banks and financial institutions have shown the highest confidence in Gujarat by funding a total of 82 development projects in the state, which were sanctioned for funding by banks and financial institutions.

(This is a press release by the Gujarat government.)