News in brief from across Gujarat

Ahmedabad

–Indian Meteorological Department(IMD) Ahmedabad office Director Jayant Sarkar has predicted light rainfall at isolated places in Gujarat on 13-14 March especially in pockets of Saurashtra, South Gujarat and North Gujarat.

–Municipal Commissioner of Junagadh Municipal Corporation in surprise check found 23 civic staff absent on duty. One day salary of 22 employees has been cut while one employee has been suspended.

–A video clipping showing Sakkarbaug Zoo employee of Junagadh playing with lion inside cage has surfaced. Zoo administration has started inquiry into this as playing with a mature lion inside cage and being too friendly to it is risky and not allowed as per the rules.

–Retired IPS DG Vanzara has filed plea in CBI special court seeking modification in conditions attached to his bail. Vanzara has been asked by court to stay outside Gujarat. He wants this condition attached to his bail to be modified and wants to live in Gujarat.

–According to the figures shared in the assembly, between 1st February 2014 and 31st January 2015, total 61 lions and 66 leopards died in Gir sanctuary for natural and unnatural reasons. The forest department has allotted 309 motorcycles for patrolling. In one year, the government spent Rs. 81.98 lakh for bike patrolling. Rs. 10.53 lakh amount was spent for repair of bikes.

–BJP Councillor of Rajkot Municipal Corporation Narendra Solanki who has become saint and opened an ashram near Chotila on Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway is sitting on fast near Trikonbag. He alleges that two cops of Bhaktinagar police station who are investigating the case of attack on BJP Councillor Damyantiben’s husband, demanded Rs. 10 lakh amount from him and threatened that if money not paid, they will fit him in this case.

–The Gujarat government today stated in the Assembly that as on March 2013, more than 30,000 people committed suicide across the state in five years.Replying to a question of Congress MLA, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, who handles the home department, stated in a written reply that 30,489 people ended their lives between 2008-13, adding that 2,529 people attempted to commit suicide during the same period. Figures provided by her suggested that 6,181 people ended their lives in 2008-09, 5,779 people killed themselves in 2009-10, 5,787 people took their lives in 2010-11, 6,134 killed themselves in 2011-12 and 6,608 people ended their lives during 2012-13. Replying to the sub-question of what the Gujarat government did to stop such incidents, Patel stated that a separate helpline number 1091 was set up by the government to provide counselling. She added that a continuous vigil is being kept near canals, rivers and railway tracks to stop people from ending their lives.

–The Gujarat government today said that more than 6.5 lakh children suffer from malnutrition across the state. During question hour in the Gujarat Assembly, Congress Tejashree Patel asked the BJP-led state government to provide details about malnourished children registered in the state and what steps are being taken to improve the situation.In her written reply to the House, Gujarat Minister for Women and Child Welfare Vasuben Trivedi admitted that 6,58,161 children in the state have been identified as malnourished, since their weight-to-age ratio is below average.Vadodara district has the highest number of such malnourished children (65,047), followed by Surat (54,595), Panchmahals (46,594), Ahmedabad (46,360) and Banaskantha (44,995).In her reply, Trivedi claimed that the number of malnourished children have decreased over the years.In 2011-12, there were 12,60,096 malnourished children, and the number came down to 11,21,215 in 2012-13, after which it reached 7,35,803 in 2013-14.As of December, 2014, the number of malnourished children stands at 6,58,161, she said.Trivedi stated that the state government has taken various measures to eradicate malnutrition among children and that include providing take-home rations, giving fruits, milk as well as breakfast to anganwadi children, besides giving supplementary food to malnourished children.

– A government-run primary school was today demolished by some unknown miscreants in Botad town of Saurashtra region in Gujarat. “Early this morning, some unknown miscreants demolished a government-run primary school at Patrawadi area in Botad town, where around 400 students from class one to eight were enrolled,” Circle Police Inspector H K Bhuva of Botad town said. Residents of Botad town, which is around 120 km from here, found that all the three rooms of the primary school were destroyed possibly using a big machine, Bhuva said. The school was being operated from a rented complex and probably some one would have wanted to usurp the place to run business activities, he said.The police, however, has not yet been able to ascertain the exact reason behind the act, Bhuva said, adding that the miscreants are at large as of now. A formal complaint has been lodged. Further investigations were underway, he added.

–Gujarat government today admitted in the State Assembly that at least 87 state-run primary schools have been functioning without an electricity connection. Congress MLA raised several questions related to the lack of basic amenities in the state-run primary schools, answers to which were put on the table of the State Assembly by the government. Through her written questions, Patel sought details about the schools that were functioning without electricity, those without pucca structures and also those lacking toilet facilities for students. In his separate written replies submitted before the House, state Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama admitted that as many as 87 government-run primary schools in the state do not have any electricity connection. Among these, Kutch district has 18 such schools, followed by Dahod (17), Porbandar(12), Vadodara(11) and others. Apart from Kutch, all others are tribal districts.On a query about the schools without toilet facilities, the minister said 19 primary schools in the state are functioning without them.

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