Government Change Information Technology Policy

IT becomes the most useful and tactical stuff. From the last few decades, IT/ITes industry has emerged globally as a key driver of growth and is a large industry employing millions of people across the continents. Today, in short span of time, Information Technology has become an integral part of almost all industries in the world. A part from industries, it has also penetrated into all walks of life making it impossible to think of the world with out Information Technology. Indian IT and ITes industry has been a consistent growth driver for the Indian economy over the last two decades. It has been increasingly contributing to the country's GDP, employment and exports.

Simultaneously, there has been a growing realization that economy growth of government helps governments in achieving various objectives, including (but not limited to) poverty alleviation, employment generation and mobilization of financial resources for important programmers of the government in the social sectors comprising education and health.

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Khel Mahakumbh Gujarat’s Sports Extravaganza

Khel Mahakumbh is the grand sports extravaganza that takes place at the state level every year, where sports enthusiasts come from each district to participate in various sporting events.

Sports is essential for the holistic development of an individual and society. It instills the spirit of determination,  teamwork,  ethics and perseverance. These virtues are important in every aspect of life.  Khel Mahakumbh took birth from an idea to promote sports in Gujarat, especially among the youth. This month-long sporting event involves participation of athletes from all villages, towns and cities of Gujarat across all age groups.

As a separate category of participants, the differently tabled and even senior citizens are encouraged to participate in these events. Even younger children are encouraged to learn and participate in various events with an aim to introduce and nurture the children's skills at an early age.

Khel Mahakumbh’ was initiated by the then CM of Gujarat and the present PM Narendra Modi in 2010 to mark the golden jubilee of formation of Gujarat in a grand celebration of Swarnim Jayanti, and has become increasingly successful ever since.

This year, under the guidance of the visionary Chief Minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel, the Sports Authority of Gujarat organised Khel Mahakumbh, the sports festival of Gujarat which brought together talent from the farthest corners of the state on one stage.

The CM of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel, inaugurated the fifth series of the statewide Khel Mahakumbh on october 5, 2014 from Bhavnagar city. At this event, the CM appreciated the talent of Gujarat’s youth and declared to set up a state level table tennis and basketball academy for international championships and a synthetic athletic track for an intensive training of sportsman in Bhavnagar.

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Gunotsav - Evaluating qualitative development in Education

Chief Minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel launched three day statewide “Gunotsav Abhiyan” on November 20, 2014 from a school in Mahisagar district. This is Gujarat state’s revolutionary measure to ensure standards of quality in education across the state.

At the launch of Gunotsav 2014, the CM appealed to society to contribute towards Government’s efforts to provide basic amenities to villages. The statewide drive was launched from the government-run primary school in Hardaspur. Here, the CM said that the state Government  is committed to providing city-like basic facilities in every villages of Gujarat.

The statewide three day Gunotsav Abhiyan aims at qualitative improvement of primary education and ranking of schools all over the state. While visiting the schools, the CM Anandiben Patel tested out firsthand the health of the school children and cleanliness aspects of the schools. With the Gujarat taking a leap towards the nation-wide cleanliness campaign, this was an important quality issues during this year’s Gunotsav Abhiyan. 

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Women Empowerment - A Visionary Step Towards Development

India is the country where respecting women and protecting their honor has been long standing tradition. Here, women are considered to be the embodiment of the goddess of the strength, wealth and wisdom in their various forms. The birth of girl child in the family is said to be the blessings of goddess of good fortune upon the family.

ln the backdrop of this culture, when some women of certain sections of the society do not receive the benefits that are their fundamental rights and that deter their development, the need rises to take certain measures to ensure that all sections or the society are strong and grow equally.

In Gujarat, inclusive development has been emphasized upon for all the development activities that take place. In the last decade, the former Chief Minister Narendra Modi laid emphasis on this idea of inclusive development, and women have been a very important part of this.

Anandiben Patel, the first woman Chief Minister of Gujarat, stresses on the subject or emancipation of women which is vital and close to her heart as the CM of the state. Gujarat has a large population of women residing in the state. She recognize that if this woman-power is involved in the economic activities and independent decision making, it will contribute to a great extent towards development of the state. It is said that if a man progresses, it is his personal achievement, or the achievement of one family unit. But if a woman progresses, it is the progress of the whole society and generations to come.

With this vision of the Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, the Gujarat Government took up this mission to give further impetus to the upliftment of women in the state.

Many steps have been taken in this regard in the past. Revolutionary steps like relief on stamp duty if agricultural land is on a Woman's name. including women's names in the papers of the property granted by the government in earthquake relief programme, empowering the anganwadi workers to encourage them, are all a step towards uplifting the status of women in the society.

Women empowerment gives a new energy to the development of a State, and this is the Vision of the CM with which she gave rise to the idea of Gatisheel Gujarat.

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Saputara Monsoon Festival

“Desh Ki Ankhon Ka Tara”, or a sparkle in the eyes of the country, Saputara is Gujarat’s own hill station in the Sahyadri region. B it for a week trip, or a family vacation, saputara is a must visit especially during the monsoons.

The scenic beauty and route Saputara is breathtaking. The lake in Saputara is brimming with the rain water. Waterfalls with sights of rainbows during the monsoon make for a wonderful experience.  Every year during the monsoons, the Tourism department of Gujarat arranges a month-long festival for tourists to enjoy Saputara at its best. This year, the saputara monsoon festival received a grand inauguration with groups of tourists in large numbers visiting here to enjoy their holidays.  

Saputara monsoon festival is a celebration of Nature at its best. With the popularity that the festival has achieved in the past 3 years, this year tourists flocked in large numbers, especially from neighbouring states for a short holiday. According to Khyati Naik, spokesperson for Gujarat Tourism Board, the tourist flow in Saputara has registered a phenomenal 28% increase in 2013 compared to last year. In 2013, 3.86 lakh tourists had visited Saputara compared to 2.90 lakh visitors in 2012.

The tourism department had arranged for many fun activities for the  tourists to enjoy, like water games. Apart from this, the tourists could enjoy more than 13 adventure sports activities. Saputara is like heaven for the people of Gujarat who wants more enjoyment in less budget.

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Swavalamban Abhiyan - An Initiative by Government of Gujarat

On September 17, 2014. a grand event was hosted in Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, called 'Swavalamban Abhiyan'. The former Chief Minister of Gujarat, and current Prime Minister of the country Narendra Modi was the guest of honour at the event. The event was presided over by Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.

The state of Gujarat welcomed the former CM as he visited the city for the first time after his election as the PM. It was the same day that Narendra Modi celebrated his 64th birthday. Upon his arrival in Gandhinagar, he first visited his home in the city where his mother resides, to take her blessings on his birthday.

At the grand event in Mahatma Mandir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 11 welfare schemes of Gujarat Government under 'Swavalamban Abhiyan’. These 11 schemes focus on empowering women, labourers, Cattle-rearers, youth and farmers through various initiatives, assistance, relief, benefits and opportunities. PM Narendra Modi marked e -launch of 'Swavalamban Abhiyan' through laser torch, in the presence of ihe State Governor 0 P kohli and Chief Minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel at Mahatma Gandhi, Mandir, Gandhi nagar.

Speaking at the event, the PM said that the commencement of ‘Swavalamban Abhiyan’ on the day of Vishwakarma Puja is symbolic of the various welfare schemes launched for the needy and the deprived. Appreciating the nature of ‘Swavalamban Abhiyan’, he said that qualities or swashraya (self-help), swavalamban (self-reliance) and Swabhimaan (self-respect) are deeply instilled in the people of Gujarat. He said that only when the people of India live a life of self-respect, will they become self-reliant, which in turn, will make the country self-reliant.

Government should continue to empower every section of the society and help them become self-reliant in every walk of life. the PM added. He also congratulated the Government of Gujarat for persistent efforts and hard work under the initiative of Gatisheel Gujarat.

The PM added that, initiatives like tablets and benefits in interest on self-employment loan to ITI graduates and 'Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay young entrepreneurs scheme' under ‘Swavalamban Abhiyan' are significant in empowering the youth and shaping their dreams. Talking about the entrepreneurial qualities and abilities of women, he lauded the efforts of women of Gujarat engaged in dairy sector and cattle-rearing.

On the occasion, CM Anandiben Patel said that Government of Gujarat is committed to work endlessly towards the PM's vision for Gujarat. The aim of Swavalamban Abhiyan is to ensure that the poor and needy people are not deprived of any opportunities and that they should also be a part or the progress of Gujarat, she added. Talking about the difficulties of BPL and neo-middle class families, the CM said that no one should be deprived of basic necessities of life like employment, good health and one's own home. Everyone has a right to live a better and dignified life, she added. she also expressed her joy saying that Gujarat is fortunate to have the esteemed presence of Narendra Modi in the state on his birthday.

During this event, the PM distributed tablets and cheques to the select beneficiaries of various schemes under Swavalamban Abhiyan.

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LokSamvad Setu - Building A Bridge Between People and Government

In a democratic government set up, it is the duty of the government to understand the problems of their people and redress any such issues. For the country and the state, as populated and diverse like ours, it is essential to ensure that the distance between the government and people remains minimal. There has to be a ‘bridge’ which connects people to the government. The idea of good governance which the State of Gujarat firmly believes in can only be released when the government puts aside the old approach and proactively strives to redress the common man's grievances.

This endeavor requires creating a mechanism with the help of which, the government officials are apprised of the people’s problems, especially at a district and taluka level._ For this, former Chief Minister Narendra Modi adopted a two-pronged strategy along the lines of Mahatma Gandhi's idea of Gram Swaraj. At one hand, 'Aapno Taluko, Vibrant Taluko' programme was launched with an aim to decentralize administrative power and to provide all public services at the local level. On the other hand, the programme — ‘SWAGAT online’ — was launched, a scheme through which the Chief minister can directly listen to the problems of the people and provide solutions to their grievances. This very popular programme, a ray of hope for common people. has also bagged the United Nation's Public Service` award.

Giving further impetus to this endeavour, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel launched Loksamvad Setu programme on August 01, 2014 at Matar in Kheda district.. This was done with a view to resolve people's grievances in a time-bound manner at the local level_ The first loksamvad setu saw positive redressal to 160 issues of the people.

Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has taken forward the former CM Narendra Modi's idea of inclusive governance and given it a further impetus under the idea of ‘Gatisheel Gujarat'. She has taken up the initiative to continue leading the stale on the path of development, but with a greater speed and force. 'Loksamvad Setu' is an important part of this greater goal, to ensure immediate redressal of all issues so that Gujarat reaches its goal of development faster.

'Loksamvad’ is a Gujarati word which literally translates to 'Dialogue with people', and the word "Setu” means bridge. “Loksamvad Setu” aims to be a bridge of communication between the people and the government.

The Government used various media of mass communication to acquaint people with this programme and to call for submission of their taluka and district level issues, People took this opportunity and put forward their problems_ These were then sent to the concerned district/taluka offices. The concerned offices resolved the problems and informed the applicants about it in written during the programme,

MPs, MLAs, District Panchayat Presidents, Panchayat members of the concerned talukas and municipality chairman were invited to the programme. Besides, officials including district collector, District Development Officer, district police chief and taluka office head also attended the programme.

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A Little Information About Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation

Energy has always been a key and leading driver of growth and development of any society. Energy consumption in India continues to grow consistent with the demand for sustained economic growth. With the path breaking initiatives of Government of Gujarat in the energy Sector, particularly in the Oil and Gas sector, tremendous growth is being witnessed in this field. The vital infrastructure projects being undertaken currently would not only be a catalyst for economic growth, such intervention would most certainly improve the quality of human life in the direction of the avowed objective of faster and more inclusive growth.

GSPC is a leading player in the Oil & Gas sector. GSPC's Oil & Gas portfolio has increased to 64 blocks which includes 53 domestic blocks and 11 international blocks spread internationally, across Egypt, Yemen, Australia and Indonesia. In the midstream section of the value chain, Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL), a subsidiary of GSPC has emerged as a leading gas transportation player in the State. With a view to promote use of clean, green and efficient fuel for the small and medium enterprise; as well as for commercial, households and automobile sectors, Government of Gujarat as embarked on an ambitious plan to set up city Gas distribution projects across all the districts in the State.

To fulfill this vision, GSPC Gas Company Ltd. was incorporated in 2005 with mission to develop a gas distribution network complementary to GSPL’s Gas grid spread across Gujarat state. At every locations where GSPL gas network ends,  the GSPC gas retail network starts and this has resulted in a strongly synergy of network management besides ensuring that gas is adequately available to all retail segments in Gujarat with highest level of service standards with complete focus on health, safety and environment.

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