By Japan K Pathak

In Gujarat we call him ‘aapna Narendrabhai’ which means ‘our Narendrabhai’.

The longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat ever Shri Narendrabhai Modi can be safely called the most popular leader of Gujarat in last several decades. That’s because under Modi as Chief Ministerial candidate, BJP government was elected and re-elected thrice to power. There has been no other leader in Gujarat who got his government elected continuously for three terms as Chief Ministerial candidate. I take this as benchmark of popularity in political arena of Gujarat in last several decades. Then when Modi was Prime Ministerial candidate, the voters in Gujarat gave all 26 seats to BJP. This too shows his immense popularity.

Longest serving Gujarat CM to be the longest serving Gujarati PM in September

Let me be straight. Sardar Patel from Gujarat couldn’t become Prime Minister of India due to Jawaharlal Nehru, which is a known fact. A giant leader from Gujarat Shri Morarji Desai was poised to become another victim of same dynasty, but he fought against dynasty and could become the first Gujarati Prime Minister of India. Morarjibhai however couldn’t complete his term unfortunately. Then came ‘aapna Narendrabhai’, a proud son of Gujarat who became Prime Minister fighting against all odds. In upcoming September, Shri Modi will have his birthday. Once he crosses 30th of September in Prime Minister office, he will become the longest Serving Gujarati Prime Minister of India, longer period in power compared to Morarjibhai.

Continuing to serve Gujarat

Though the comparison is unfair and I haven’t yet studied it in very depth yet, I am told by someone trustworthy and knowledgeable who lived under Morarji’s rule that Morarji though was a good Prime Minister, he couldn’t do much for Gujarat as Prime Minister during his tenure. The gentleman continued to observe that Modi as Prime Minister has on the contrary done lot more for Gujarat within first two years in office itself.

On latter part I can surely bet, purely on the basis of facts.

I don’t want to put here entire list of some of very well known decisions taken by Modi government in centre for Gujarat during last two years. It will be too long list, and opportune time to put such list will be at the end of Modi’s tenure or just before elections, but let me provide a small glimpse of some of the developments initiated from Delhi for Gujarat just during present month of May in 2016 which is yet not completed.

Decisions taken by centre for Gujarat in the month of May

Perishable cargo unit at Ahmedabad airport finally in operation

Let’s first take Perishable cargo unit at Ahmedabad airport that was inaugurated this month. Gujarat government arm M/S Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Limited (GAICL) had requested land for Perishable Cargo centre under policy by central government arm Airports Authority of India(AAI). Accordingly land was allotted to GAICL for establishment of Center for Perishable Cargo(CPC) facility at Ahmedabad Airport. An agreement was also signed between GAICL and Land Directorate of AAI. However AAI under the Congress-led UPA government was denying No Objection Certificate(NOC) to GAICL for the reason that GAICL wanted to outsource the operation and management of CPC facility which was not permissible as per the extant CPC policy of AAI.

It was Modi government that cleared permission for the same soon after elected to power. Anandiben failed to mention this during inauguration of CPC early this month as she read out her speech. However Nanabhai Jebalia who is at the helm of GAICL in his speech(and I found his speech quite interesting) mentioned how UPA government in centre blocked this project and how Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the project within first month in office.

Long pending demand of GMDC granted

In another development in the month of May only, the Modi government in centre approved Gujarat government’s long pending proposal to reserve 3,015 hector lignite-rich area around Valia in Bharuch district for Gujarat government arm Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation(GMDC). According to Power Minister Saurabh Patel, this decision would avail 80-100 million tonne lignite buried in Valia area to GMDC. Once mining is commenced, the industries in Gujarat will get lignite at affordable rate on time. Patel said, coal producing states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Andhra are far away from Gujarat. In such case lignite is the only source of fuel locally available. Due to industrial development in Gujarat, the demand of lignite could go up in range of 30-35 mt per year for which lignite mining will also need to go up. 100 mt lignite in EFG lignite block of Valia area reserved for GMDC is valued at Rs 10,000 crore.

Let’s move on to another decision for Gujarat by Modi government, this too in present month of May.

Further strengthening of railway in Saurashtra

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, yesterday gave its approval for doubling of long pending Surendranagar-Rajkot project at an estimated cost of Rs.1,002.39 crore with expected completion cost of Rs.1,137.17 crore with 5% escalation per annum. The project was announced in railway budget by Modi government only earlier. According to a statement issued by government: the length of the railway line will be 116.17 km. The completion period of the project will be four years. Doubling of this line will greatly ease the ever increasing freight traffic between Okha-Rajkot, Porbandar-Kanalus, Veraval-Rajkot and Maliya Maiyana / Navalakhi-Dahinsara-Wankaner section. Surendranagar-Wankaner-Rajkot Broad Gauge Section is an important and saturated single line section carrying traffic originating and terminating at various destinations in Saurashtra region of Gujarat State. This single line has to carry the passenger as well as freight traffic originating /terminating between Okha-Rajkot section, Porbandar-Kanalus section, Veraval-Rajkot section and Maliya Miyana / Navalakhi-Dahinsara-Wankaner section. In addition to this, freight traffic from two branch lines namely Sikka-Kanalus junction and Windmill-Jamnagar sections are also converged on to the project route. This makes the project route very busy single line section with very high potential to further growth due to the high industrial development envisaged in Saurashtra region in the coming years.

Let’s move on to some other activities.

Pangariya in Japan, mission bullet train in Gujarat

The Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project is not just about a faster journey, it’s about jump-start development of cities and small towns on this corridor. It’s about setting an example that can be later replicated at cheaper price at other places across India. For this project, very crucial for Gujarat and Mumbai in short-term and India in long-term, the Prime Minister sent Arvind Panagariya to Japan. In middle part of this month Pangariya in Japan held number of meetings for bullet train project. He met Keiichi Ishii minister and Yoshihide Suga who is Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan. He also had journey in bullet train along with Sujan Chinoy, a Gujarati who is appointed ambassador of Japan by Modi government. Panagariya is Chairman of India’s Railway Board and Vice Chairman of Niti Aayog.

First PSU bank in GIFT City

On May 6, the Gift City in Gandhinagar made an announcement of IDBI bank’s entry in GIFT. Don’t forget IDBI is Public Sector Unit. Thanks to the Modi government decision to award International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) status to Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT city), there’s lot of activity here. Private sector bank Kotak Mahindra started its IIFC Banking Unit just before IDBI announcement.

It will become identity of Surat

In another development in the first week of this month, the process for developing Surat railway station as a Multi-Model Transportation Hub (MMTH) was set in motion with the stake-holders discussing modalities of the Rs 600-crore project in a meeting hosted by Indian Railways Stations Development Corp (IRSDC) in Mumbai in presence of the representatives of reputed developers and other real estate players. CEO of IRSDC Sanjeev Kumar Lohia presented the proposed plan and said the project was a golden opportunity of investment for developers and other real estate players. IRSDC is a special purpose vehicle of the Centre to develop new stations and redevelop existing ones. It is a JV between IRCON and RLDA (Rail Land Development Authority) with a 51:49 equity shareholding ratio, respectively. The Surat project, which would cost around Rs 600 crore, includes the construction of a new railway station, an international standard bus terminal besides commercial development. Surat comes under the administrative control of Mumbai Division of the Western Railway (WR). It is one of the busiest railway stations on account of existing passengers and train traffic on WR and falls under A+ category of stations. Another meeting in this regard was held in Surat itself this month. Apart from Surat, another such project in Gujarat under process is for Gandhinagar railway station redevelopment.

Chahbahar and port-led development in Gujarat

Soon after his historic Iran visit this week during which Chahbahar deal was signed, Prime Minister Modi shared an info graphic over tweet. It said: Chahbahar and Gujarat: A Win-Win. Located 550 nautical miles apart, Kandla is closest to Chahbahar. Exporting grains, petrol products, garments, rice etc. from Kandla to Chahbahar will become easy. Unlimited opportunities for setting up gas-intensive industries in Gujarat. Adequate land around Kadnala to fulfill requirement of industry. More industry means more jobs. There’s no doubt that Mumbai and number of ports in Gujarat are going to be major beneficiaries of Chahbahar deal, but we should be happier to learn that even connected industrial opportunities and employment generation is very much on card.

And some more developments.

Somnath, Dwarka and new rail connected pilgrim circuit

“7 Jyotirlinga” package of Indian Railways Bharat Darshan railway tour was launched on May 23 from Chandigarh through Delhi Cantonment covering Ujjain (Omkareshwar and Mahakaleshwar), Dwarka (Nageshwar), Veraval (Somnath), Aurangabad (Grishneshwar) and Nasik (Bhimashankar and Triyambakeshwar). There will be another “7 Jyotirlinga” tour which begins on June 6 from Delhi Safdarjung through Lucknow covering Ujjain (Omkareshwar and Mahakaleshwar), Dwarka (Nageshwar), Veraval (Somnath), Aurangabad (Grishneshwar) and Nasik (Bhimashankar and Triyambakeshwar). The Bharat Darshan Tourist train has 10 coaches and being serviced by trained tour managers.

Navoday Vidyalay

In middle of May, Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat Smt Smriti Irani laid stone for Rs 25 crore Navoday Vidyalaya(under central govt) a Hathijan near Ahmedabad. The school according to Smriti will be made operational by 2019. Two such schools will also come up in Valsad and Dahod districts in near future, she said. It should be mentioned that the school at Hathijan was announced in 2009 by then government in centre but work was not started. I have seen a model projecting upcoming school and state-of-the-art hostel campus at Hathijan. It looks better than any private school.

Maghrol gets push from Adarsh Gram Yojana

Under the model village programme conceptualized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, each member of parliament adopts a village for development works there. Union HRD minister Smriti Irani who is Gujarat MP in the middle of this month made a second visit to Maghrol village in Anand district, which she has adopted under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, and initiated works for projects worth Rs 7.14 crore for the development of the village, which includes tablet PC to each student of the government primary school and Wi-Fi access to the entire village, including the school.Smriti has earmarked Rs 42 lakh for “smart school project,” involving tablet PC to each students of the school up to Class VIII at the primary school, Wi-Fi, and basic infrastructure upgradation such as dining hall for mid-day meal, among others. Smriti laid the foundations stone for 21 developmental projects in the village worth Rs 7.14 crore. She also dedicated an ICU van to the Dharmaj Jalaram Trust and an ambulance to the local government primary health care centre, involving an investment of Rs 1.28 crore. She also distributed 500 health cards to the villagers and inaugurated a doctor-on-call project. Irani also laid foundation stone for two overhead water tank of 5,000 litre capacity each.

Response to NEET confusion

As many as 65,000 students in Gujarat could be in trouble due to Supreme Court’s order on NEET if Modi government had not taken decision to issue an ordinance. Gujarat government had moved two senior ministers to Delhi to hold meeting with union Health Minister. It was this meeting that resulted into May 16 meeting in which health ministers of majority of states were present. The centre later through an ordinance took the issue to its logical conclusion.

Something in every sector

On may 21, Union Minister of Social Justice an Empowerment, Thawar Chand Gehlot visited Gujarat to inaugurate event of a workshop under Centre’s Accessible India Campaign. On this occasion he announced that Gujarat will get a national- level institute focusing on treatment and development of mentally challenged persons.

Ujala and Ujjawala

The list can be even longer if I don’t stop here, but how can I forget to mention Ujjawala and Ujala, both scheme being launched in Gujarat this month. Ujjawala would provide gas connection to poor who are presently into ‘chulha’ practice for cooking. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at Dahod said Gujarat will get 40 lakh new gas connections in coming days.

Couple of newspapers in Gujarat published stories that Ujala Yojana in Gujarat has failed. They published such reports even before Ujala Yojana’s launching in Gujarat. Ujala is going to be launched today in Gujarat. It will make available LED bulb for Rs 80 against market cost of over Rs 300. Such bulbs will save electricity and run longer.

I think I must stop here. But this is Modi government for Gujarat, just in 25 days of the month of May in 2016.

To those outside Gujarat, I would like to tell that our state suffered some prejudice due to adverse governments in centre and state for many years. Whatever is being done for Gujarat is being done because it is just, it is deserving and it was long pending. There’s no extra favor. I suppose there can be such monthly list – may be shorter or longer – for most of the states in deserving areas.

– DeshGujarat