Chief Minister’s Message to the People on Gujarat’s Foundation Day

Gandhinagar

Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has in a message extended her greetings to the people on the occasion of Gujarat’s Foundation Day. The message is as follows:

Our Gujarat is entering into the fifty-seventh year of its foundation. Hearty greetings from my side and also from my Council of Ministers to all the Gujaratis residing in Gujarat or settled outside Gujarat or abroad, upholding the pride and esteem of the state!

We began our journey on May 1, 1960 to build a majestic Gujarat, as per the ideals, blessings and guidance of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Shyamji Krishna Verma, Ravishankar Maharaj, Indulal Yagnik aka Induchacha, and countless great men, noble souls, litterateurs.

We have reached a state of development after traversing 56 years of hard work. Today is the day to repay our debt, gratitude and salute to all those people.

The development shows the 6.50-crore Gujaratis’ capacity to overcome challenges.

This apt phrase of 6.50-crore Gujaratis is no slogan, but a mantra for the people’s power.

This is the mantra for development, the path on which the state has embarked on a global march. This led to ‘sauna sath, sauna vikas’, meaning inclusive growth through collective efforts.

Gujarat has started making its marks on all round development of the state especially after the turn of the century, emerging among the developed countries of Asia. The credit for such an achievement doesn’t go to a government or a chief minister. It has been possible due the people’s power. The credit goes to all.

I am conscious of the responsibility you all have entrusted to me as the state’s first woman chief minister. It is an honour for the women’s power. I humbly reciprocate the same on this foundation day of the state.

This is the day when people have reason to know from the government the state and the stage of development achieved so far and to be achieved in future.

Brothers and Sisters,
The youth power is the pillar of progress of a state and the nation. India is a nation with 65 per cent of its population being youth. We are celebrating this year as a Year of the Youth, as a mark of respect to Induchacha on his 125th birth anniversary. He was an ideal for the youth.

I consider myself a teacher first and then a chief minister. The students, youth and the new generation have always been my priority, my focus area. We have started ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Swavalambi Yojna’ to provide equal opportunity, economic assistance and other facilities for them to pursue studies. We are providing textbooks, uniform and scholarships to 92-lakh children under this scheme and also Rs.35.42-crore assistance to meritorious students of the state for higher studies.

The state government has announced a policy as per the Centre’s Startup India and Standup India campaigns. A Startup Mission has been set up to realize innovative dreams of youth. The state government is spending crores of rupees to promote excellence in sporths through Khel Mahakumbh. It has announced new sports policy. It has presented third successive Gender Budget for the empowerment of women.

The government has reserved 33 per cent reservation in jobs for women, under which 2,800 women have been employed in Police Department. There is plan to provide jobs to 22,000 women this year. This is in addition to providing 300 sq m land and Rs.5-lakh assistance to milk societies run by women to construct milk houses, besides providing chilling centres, milking machines and chaff cutters to 2.50-lakh Sakhi Mandals (Self-Help Groups) of 35-lakh women.

To realize the goal of health for all, we have started certain important schemes, like screening of 78-lakh women to test breast, cervical and mouth cancer, treatment of 1,018 women cancer patients in super specialty hospitals free-of-cost, relief for poor and middle class families under Amritam-Ma Yojna, while allocation under Ma-Vatsalya Yojna has been increased by 33 per cent to Rs.160-crore, the government bearing the cost up to Rs.2-lakh for each such patient. The government has decided to provide free medicine to diabetes and blood pressure patients. It decided to spend Rs.102-crore on 100 vehicles in 108 Ambulance Service.

Brothers and Sisters,
The government has earmarked Rs.27,000-crore provision in the current financial year’s budget for farmers, agriculture and allied sectors, including loan up to Rs.3-lakh with 1percent interest for rabi crop, Rs.9,500-crore for drinking and irrigation water, Rs.5,200-crore for filling up dams in Saurashtra, Rs.765-crore for drip irrigation in 3-lakh hectares and Rs.495-crore for the Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme.

The government will bear the cost of Rs.126-crore for seeds, fertilizers and farm implements, Rs.120-crore as assistance to farmers buy tractor-trailers, loan at 5 percent interest to help farmers buy cattle.

The government will set up a Tribal University in the Narmada district, over 100 smart ashram shalas, 10 new hostels for tribal girl students at a cost of Rs.3-crore, samras hostels at a cost of Rs.10-crore.

The government allocated Rs.926-crore for traditional irrigation methods, check dams and lift irrigation, Rs.356-crore for group water supply schemes and connecting taps.

The government has implemented Annapurna Yojna to provide food grains at a rebate to the needy (Antyodaya families), 5kg/head/month food grains, wheat at Rs.2/kg and rice Rs.3/kg, earmarking Rs.382.

Friends,
When I tour rural areas, the local population always ask me to repair the roads, as follow-up action the Gatisheel Gujarat earmarked Rs.10-crore for next three years, as also Rs.2,500-crore in current year under Chief Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojna, make them as par with that in urban areas.

Now that the concept of Smart City has reached Smart Village, the government decided to make 300 villages self-reliant, clean and hygienic in the first year.

I feel happy to join the nation in celebrating the 125th birth anniversary of architect of Constitution Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar for the have-nots with éclat and enthusiasm.

The government has introduced Lok Samvad Setu to ensure at least 90 per cent of people’s problems are solved at complainant’s level.

Cleanliness is our culture and Gujarat is poised to set an example before the nation. Gujarat has alone built 70 per cent of toilets built in the country. We resolve to ensure not a single village remains without toilet. The Gujarat has also shown the way to the nation in door-to-door waste collection, fulfilling the dream of building house ‘ghar-nu ghar’ for urban and rural poor.

The state government has built 1.37-lakh houses as against a target of 3.51-lakh houses in urban houses, another 2.70-lakh houses being built in rural areas.

Let us together, do something good, something new. The Gujarat we see today is due to our efforts. It is going to be so in future, too.

We are 6.50-crore Gujaratis, just instruments of development.

Brothers and Sisters,
Gujarat today is because of yesterday’s Gujarat. Gujarat today will be the base for tomorrow’s Gujarat.

We remember the contribution of one and all in the development of Gujarat as the state achieved the current level of development with their blessings. Let us all now be the medium of global Gujarat.

I once again extend my greetings of Gujarat Gaurav Diwas to Gurjar brothers and sisters, spread all over the world!

Jai Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat
Jai Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat

– DeshGujarat