Gandhinagar

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today asked the youth to prepare themselves for about 55,000 vacancies to be filled up in different departments in near future. She said the state government will provide intensive training to youth at district towns to make them employable.

In another major development, she said that the state government has decided to increase the number of seats at the government-run Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA) to 1,000, extending the reach of its training centres to district towns. This is with a view to prepare the job-seekers for the UPSC competitive examinations for IAS, IPS, IFS and other services. She said the meritorious medical students belonging to families with less than Rs.4.50-lakh annual income would get fee assistance before Diwali.

She was speaking at a function to mark the ground breaking ceremony of development works totaling Rs.106-crore at the famous Pavagadh pilgrimage centre on the first day of the Navratri Festival. They include widening the stairs leading up to the hilltop and four-lane road at a cost of Rs.52-crore in phase-1.

The Chief Minister also launched the website of Champaner-Pavagad, took round of the stalls at the exhibition site, visited ‘budhia-darwaja anna-ksehtra’, reviewed the facilities for the pilgrims and performed the maha-arati with 501 lamps at the adyashaktipith.

She also visited the Narayan Teerth Tajpura in Halol taluka, inaugurated the new operation theatre at Netrarog Trust Hospital and released a book.

Mrs. Patel said that the state government has improved basic facilities at several places of places of tourist interest during the last 15 years, neglected by the previous Congress governments. The ‘sauna saath, sauna vikas’ mantra led to creation of job opportunities for local populace, including socio-economic uplift of men and women, old and young.

She said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minsiter, he provided drinking water right up to the hilltop besides refurbishing the panchayat bhavan as a resting place for the pilgrims. She also thanked the local citizens Vitthalbhai Patel and Kalika Yuvak Mandal for the development works in the area.

Industrial units and philanthropists donated Rs.9-lakh to the Chief Minister’s Fund for Girls’ Education on the occasion.

Referring to the specter of deficient rain in the state, she said the administration has been directed to provide irrigation water for rabi crops and preserve dam water till summer

Roads & Buildings Minister Nitin Patel and Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma, who is also the District In-charge, spoke on the occasion.

Minister of State for Pilgrims Centre Pradeepsinh Jadeja said the State Government has made a provision of Rs.580-crore for the development of pilgrims’ centres, including Ambaji, Dakor, Dwarka, Somnath, Shamlaji, Sidhpur and Bahucharaji.

Those present included Minister of State for Roads & Buildings Jaydrathsinhji PArmar, MP Prabhatsinh Chauhan, Ramsinh Rathwa, Jashwantsinh Bhabhor, MLAS Jethabhai Bharwad, Arvindsinhji Rathod, Nimishaben Suthar, Panchmahals District Panchayat President Rashmikaben Patel, Mahakali Temple Trust Chairman Surendrabhai Patel, Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board Chairman Mahendra Trivedi, Mahila Arthik Vikas Nigam Chairperson Meena Pandya, Collector and DDO, among others.

– Information