Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a wind farm, of the company owned by BJP leader Yashwant Sinha’s son Sumant Sinha at Kalasar village near Jasdan on Sunday.

A 25 MW wind power farm, set up by ReNew Power company of Sumant Sinha will have 12 wind mills. Power produced from the wind farm will be sold to JETCO. There are more than 50 wind mills operating in Jasdan taluka’s various villages.

Gujarat government has leased 52 ha land for 20 years to Sumant Sinha’s company.

According to the official website of the company, Renew Wind Power plans to develop 1000 MW of Renewable Energy projects by 2015. Jasdan is the first project of the company, while 60 MW projects are planned in Maharashtra.

Last year ReNew Wind Power Pvt. Limited announced that is has secured an equity investment of up to Rs 1,000 crore from Goldman Sachs for renewable energy generation.

About Sumant Sinha

From 2008 to May 2010, Sumant was the Chief Operating Officer of Suzlon Energy Ltd, the world’s third largest renewable energy company (FY 2010 sales of $5 billion). At Suzlon, Sumant shared the CEO’s responsibilities with Mr. Tulsi Tanti, the founder Chairman and majority shareholder of the company. During this period, Sumant was directly running the finance, marketing, supply chain, and organizational transformation and integration initiatives of the company. Under his watch, Suzlon refinanced its entire outstanding debt worth $3 billion, raised additional funds of approximately $800 million, restructured $500 million of convertible bonds, generated an order book in excess of $2 billion, and turned the company around in an extremely difficult external operating environment.

Prior to joining Suzlon, he set up the Aditya Birla Group’s venture in the retail sector in India, Aditya Birla Retail (ABRL) and was it’s founder CEO. During a stint of 18 months he set up 600 supermarkets and 2 hypermarkets, hired over 12000 people and positioned ABRL as one of the leading retail operators in India.

From 2002 to 2007, he was the Group CFO of the Aditya Birla Group, one of India’s largest and most diversified business groups (market cap of USD 25 bn). He was responsible for some of the largest acquisitions in India’s corporate history.

He has a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management and a Masters degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He was a Dean’s Fellow at Columbia, a National Talent Scholar and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Ahmedabad, 2 May 2012

For the first time today, Gujarat University conducted internal exam ONLINE at its newly set up computer lab. Total 400 students gave exam without pen and paper, giving the answers online. The new lab has capacity to accommodate 1000 students at a time. In future more exams will be conducted online without using pen and paper.

New Delhi, 27 April 2012

Apple’s new iPad, with a price tag of Rs.30,500-Rs.50,900, has been launched in the Indian market today.

The tablet features a new retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera and 1080pHD video.

The new iPads are available in black and white colours. While the 16GB model wi-fi models are available for Rs.30,500, the 32GB model costs Rs.36,500 and 64GB model Rs.42,500, the company said in a statement.

The iPad wi-fi, 4G tablets are available for Rs.38,900 for the 16GB model, Rs.44,900 for the 32GB model and Rs.50,900 for the 64GB model.

The PC maker said it had slashed by almost 20 percent the price of iPad 2, which was launched in India last year, to Rs.24,500.

iPad 2 whose prices have been slashed are available for Rs.24,500 for the 16 GB wi-fi model instead of Rs.29,500 and Rs.32,900 for the 16 GB wi-fi + 3G model instead of earlier pricing of Rs.34,500.

Ahmedabad, 27 April 2012

The All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE) has approved 3180 more seats of mechanical(1320), automobile(300), civil(630) and electrical(780), computer(60), instrument control(60) and chemical engineering(30) in 27 colleges across Gujarat.

Permission for 300 seats has been granted to two new colleges of Navrachna University(240 seats) and Ahmedabad University(new course of Information and Communication Technology with 60 seats).

In last year 6,000 seats remained vacant in engineering colleges in the state despite the admission criteria lowered to 45% for general category and 40% for reserved category students. With new addition, there are now 50,661 degree engineering seats in the state available for admission through the centralized admission process.

Sources said, more 15 colleges are likely to get more seats before the next admission season.

Ahmedabad, 26 April 2012

It is a matter of pride that Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), the main part of RISAT-1 satellite is ‘made in Ahmedabad’.

RISAT-1 was successfully launched today morning by Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO).

The main payload of RISAT is a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), operating in C-band (5.35 GHz). This payload, developed at Ahemdabad based Space Application Center(SAC) of ISRO, works like an eye of the satellite and enables imaging of the earth surface features during both day and night under all weather conditions.

Active Microwave Remote Sensing provides for cloud penetration and day-night imaging capability. These unique characteristics of C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar enables applications in agriculture, particularly paddy monitoring in kharif season and management of natural disasters like flood and cyclone.

-It is the first such machine India has built on its own.

-While most remote sensing satellites need light to snap pictures, RISAT uses microwaves – similar to the ones in your kitchen oven.

-Just like your camera fires a flash of light, RISAT-1 fires microwaves, which the ground reflects back. A radar inside the satellite uses those reflections to make pictures so clear, that from six hundred kilometers above, the satellite can tell what car you’re driving.

-Because it doesn’t need light, RISAT works both by day and night, in cloudy conditions and crucially, they see you even if you’re hiding under trees, in forests. That makes them useful for the military. ISRO officials however clarify that this satellite would not be used for defence applications. RISAT-2, primarily a spy spacecraft, is already doing that job.

-Officially, pictures from RISAT-1 will be used to estimate the number of hectares being farmed in India, to assess crop health and predict total yield. It can also be used for disaster management during cyclones and floods. They can also be used to identify wreckage from airplanes that go down in forested areas.

-India has launched similar Israeli satellites earlier. The first, called Tecsar, was launched in January 2008 and the second, RISAT-2 went up in April 2009. While Israel uses the images from Tecsar, India uses the feed from RISAT-2.

-The fabrication and launch of RISAT-1 was postponed in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks in order to prioritize the launch of RISAT-2 with its X-band SAR of Israeli origin.

-The 1,858 kg spacecraft, the country’s first microwave remote sensing satellite, was injected into orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle about 19 minutes after a perfect lift off at 5.47 am at the end of the 71-hour countdown from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, around 90 km from Chennai.

-The approved cost of RISAT-1, including its development, is Rs. 378 crore, while Rs. 120 crore has been spent to build the rocket (PSLV-C19), making it a Rs. 498-crore mission.

-The spacecraft, which would be parked at its final orbit of 536 km altitude, has a mission life of five years and would make 14 orbits per day.

Brochure of PSLV C-19 and RISAT-1 in PDF

Ahmedabad, 23 April, 2012

Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the world’s first canal-based 1 MW solar power project commissioned on Sanand branch canal near Chandrasan village of Kadi taluka in Mehsana district, on 24th April 2012.

The pilot project, designed to eliminate the requirement of land for setting up a solar plant, is set up by Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL) with active support from Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL). The solar power panels are set up over the 750 meter-long stretch of the branch canal and the project will generate 16 lakh units of clean electricity annually. Not only that, it will also prevent evaporation of 90 lakh liters of water from the canal every year. Thus, the project holds significance in view of energy security and water security as well.

Interestingly, the trial run of the solar plants indicates that solar panels set up under this project produce 15% more power as compared to similar panels set up under a plant on land or roof-top. The water flowing under the panels keeps them relatively cool and this helps in generating more power.

It is worthwhile to mention that the length of the Narmada Main Canal, constructed under the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP), is 458 km, while the length of entire canal network under the project built up so far is about 19,000 km. The total length of entire canal network planned under the project is around 85,000 km. If 10% of the existing canal network can be used for setting up solar power plants, it will have a potential to install power generation capacity of 2,200 MW. This can eliminate the need of 11,000 acre of land that would have been required otherwise and save evaporation of 2,000 crore liters of water annually.

The commissioning of the canal-based solar power plants reaffirms Gujarat’s commitment towards tapping solar energy potential available in the state in a big way. The state has made a significant headway in this direction by installing 600 MW capacity in this sphere very recently. The achievement holds significance as the total installed capacity of solar power in rest of the country is just about 120 MW.

Ahmedabad, 3 April 2012

The horticulture department has designed swanky laaris or push-carts with inbuilt cold storage to vend vegetables. These push-carts can carry 125 kg vegetables. The cost of each push-cart is Rs 37,000 which is offered at Rs 22,000 to farmers. The state government offers a subsidy of Rs 15,000 for farmers who want to use this push-cart to vend their produce. The push-carts can carry 15-20 different kinds of vegetables. The cost of charging this push-cart for power is only Rs 15 for one time.

Ahmedabad, 3 April 2012

Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi will perform ground breaking and lay stone for 35-acre iCreate campus opposite Kensville golf and country club on Thursday, 5 April evening. Shri NR Narayan Murthy(Chairman, Emeritus, Infosys) will be the chief guest at the function, while Shri Saurabhbhai Patel(Minister of state Industries, Mines, Finance) will be the special guest at this function.

The event is organized by Gujarat Foundation of Entrepreneurial Excellence, a joint venture of Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited and Gujarat Entrepreneurship and Venture Promotion Foundation.

iCreate is Presently functioning at GMDC building in Ahmedabad. Shri Narendra Modi had inaugurated iCreate in the month of September last year.

Ahmedabad, 30 March 2012

Ground breaking ceremony of a 35 acre campus of International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCreate) will be held on April 5 at Kensville Golf and Country Club near Ahmedabad.

Presently iCreate is functioning in GMDC headquarter building in Ahmedabad under the aegis of Gujarat Foundation of Entrepreneurial Excellence, a joint venture company in public private partnership.

Last year Chief Minister had inaugurated iCreate in the month of September.

Understanding the icreate initiative of govt. of Gujarat
Narendra Modi’s address to youths after launching icreate (Video)

Ahmedabad, 26 March 2012

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) will begin trials of its 4G operations next month in Jamnagar complex, a report published in DNAMoney said.

The report further said that the company is expected to begin rolling out services using the ultra-fast Long Term Evolution or LTE technology. The company is roping in equipment vendors such as Huaei, ZTE, Alcatel Lucent for network roll out and consumer devices.

Gandhinagar, 22 March, 2012

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Gujarat Government’s joint sector enterprise Dahej SEZ Ltd and a consortium of Japanese-Singapore companies here today to build Asia’s biggest desalination plant near Dahej in south Gujarat, situated on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).

The consortium, comprising Hitachi and ITOCHO of Japan and Hyflux of Singapore, will work as co-developers with Dahej Spring Desalination Private Limited set up to implement the project.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Japan’s Ambassador Mr. Akitaka Saiki, Gujarat Chief Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, Minister of State for Energy Mr. Saurabh Patel and Chief Secretary Mr. A.K. Joti.

Also present on the occasion were DMIC Development Company Chief Executive Officer Mr.Amitabh Kant and Government of Japan’s METI Deputy Director-General Mr. Goto, besides senior officers of the companies concerned.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Modi described the agreement as Gujarat Government’s landmark initiative for water management on World Water Day. He said the project would prove to be a boon for a water-deficit state like Gujarat in recycling sea water and in water conservation measures. The project would also be unique in the sense as it would be run on solar energy. He said the Gujarat Government would not like to use the water meant for drinking and irrigation for industries.

The Chief Minister said the Dahej SEZ is India’s largest Special Economic Zone and is recognized to be the world’s best free trade zone among the top 25. He thanked the Japanese Government and other companies for extending their cooperation in setting up a modern desalination plant in Gujarat.

Japan’s Ambassador Mr. Saiki and METI Deputy Director-General Mr. Goto were also in high praise of Gujarat Government’s dynamic leadership and progressive policies and described their cooperation with Gujarat Government in the implementation of development projects as effective.