Chief Minister greets people in his message to people on Gujarat Foundation Day

Ahmedabad: Chief Minister Viyay Rupani today extended his hearty greetings in his message to the people on the eve of Gujarat Foundation Day on May 1, celebrated as ‘Gujarat Divas’.

He attributed the present developed status of the state to the contributions and blessings of the seers, founding fathers, successive governments, and all the citizens during the last five and a half decades. They had then described the formation of Gujarat as the best step forward for building a strong India and the state lived up to their expectations.

Mr. Rupani remembered the sacrifices of several youth for the self-esteem and pride of Gujarat in the Mahagujarat Andolan led by Induchacha, resulting in bifurcation of the bilingual Bombay State into Gujarat and Maharashtra on May 1, 1960. Excerpts:

My Brothers and Sisters of Gujarat settled all over the world,
On behalf of my Council of Ministers and myself, I extend hearty greetings to all the Gujaratis settled in or outside Gujarat, upholding the glory and majesty of the state on the occasion of our grandiose Gujarat completing 57 years on May 1, 2017.

The foundation of Gujarat as a separate state after the Mahagujarat Andolan was like culmination of Gujarat’s numerous sacrifices in India’s freedom struggle against the British rule with the unbeatable weapons of truth and non-violence. The death of many youth in the state’s struggle for a separate state with the call for ‘Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat’ given by Induchacha will remain etched in the pages of history.

Eyebrows were raised at the capability and competence of Gujarat at the time of separation from the erstwhile Bombay State on May 1, 1960, because Gujarat had no important minerals, no big factories, but only vast stretches of brine in Rann of Kutch. But over these 57 years Gujarat more than lived up to the expectation of the founding fathers and silenced its adversaries.

Gujarat began its journey with zeal, taking tips from poets like Veer Narmad and walking on the footsteps of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Shyamji Krishna Verma, Ravishankar Maharaj, Induchacha and others.

It is the time to pay our debt to the founding fathers, remember the contributions of successive governments, karma yogis and six-and-a-half crore people. The state has covered many milestones, converting challenges into opportunities.

Lately, the period from 2001 to 2014 was particularly significant when Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat provided a new leadership, new vision, redefined development, taking people’s participation, projecting ‘Gujarat Model’ as a Success Story of the 21st Century before the world. He provided a stable government in the state with ‘political will’ and ‘administrative skill’.

In the 2nd decade of the 21st Century, Mr. Modi lifted the people from gloom to hope with his slogan for good governance with ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’. Gujarat is now building huge structures on the strong plinth and pillars laid by Mr. Modi.

The state government reiterates its commitment on the anniversary of its foundation day for balanced growth of people living in villages and towns, youth, women, farmers, tribals and the have-nots with equanimity. It believed in healthy and hygienic society, necessary for development. The state has now began its journey for dispensaries in villages, providing quality generic medicines at 60-80 per cent rebate, sending doctors at health centres and sub-centres in villages twice weekly.

The government aims at solving people’s problems at one place, in clusters of ten villages under the Seva Setu scheme, having already solved problems of 41-lakh people on the spot, providing jobs for every hand, water to every farm, employing 1-lakh youth in industries and 67,000 in government service in mega job offer. It is encouraging startup and standup schemes to produce more job-givers rather than job-seekers in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.

On the rural front, the government has provided electricity connections to almost all cases till 2013, government paying 3% premium in crop insurance to reduce their debt burden, subsidy to marginal and small farmers increased from 50% to 70%, subsidy to scheduled caste and tribe 85% for drip irrigation. The SAUNI scheme is to fill up 115 dams and reservoirs in the Saurashtra region with the Narmada waters. The Sujalam Sufalam scheme has already taken the Narmada waters to once semi-arid Kutch and north Gujarat regions. The latest initiative is to provide water to the hilly eastern tribal belt from series of dams from Kadana and Karjan to Ukai.

In education, the government effort in the world-class teaching at smart classes, e-learning, internet connections at primary and secondary schools, virtual education in 2,500 classrooms in 1,200 schools, decision to provide tablets worth Rs.8,000 at token rate of Rs.1,000 to four lakh students passing out of Higher Secondary Schools in the new academic session. It passed a bill for educational reforms to keep a check on no holds barred tuition fees.

The government has decided to invoke PESA more effectively, extending facilities to tribal people for procuring minor produces as well as minor minerals, panchayats depositing money directly into their bank accounts to eliminate middlemen – for transparency.

In an important initiative, the government plans to change the land ceiling rules in municipal corporations to regularize huge tracts of land to middle class and poor people, regularizing eight lakh residential units in notified housing societies.

The government has decided to save the cow progeny as enshrined in our scripture by stricter penalty like life imprisonment for cow slaughter and impounding vehicles transporting meat, the aim is to ensure free flow of milk and ghee in the state.

The government has made de-addiction of youth as its motto in Mahatma Gandhi’s land, making violation of prohibition non-bailable offence with 7-10 years imprisonment, banning hookka bars.

The government is keen to build a Divya Bharat, Divya Gujarat, Bhavya Bharat, Bhavya Gujarat through crystal clear policies to ensure Gujarat shines in the global map, creates a bright image with the co-operation of all – to live up to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi call for ‘justice for all and appeasement of none’!

– Information