Jamnagar City LIC Development Officer Manoharsinh Jadeja officer tops GPSC Exams

A development officer with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in Anand City has topped the Gujarat Civil Services, class 1 and class 2 exams.

The results were declared by Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) on Thursday.

Manoharsinh Jadeja, 33, a native of Jambida village in Dhrol Taluka of Jamnagar district, secured 735 marks in the final exam to achieve his feat.

The son of a retired sales tax officer Natvarsinh Jadeja, Manoharsinh, was always determined to join the ranks of a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) since the day he decided to appear for the public service exams. So much so, that Jadeja had successfully cleared the police sub-inspector and chief officers' competitive exams earlier but didn't join the forces, harboring the desire to become a DSP. In the chief officers' results too he had made the top ten at the sixth position.

"I was quite confident and was determined to join as DSP. I consider this job as a challenging one and I am happy that I could do it. It was my second attempt,'' Jadeja. He went on to add, "I am a science post-graduate and it has helped me a lot in my exam. My subject was world history and geography.'' Jadeja has done his MSc with chemistry from Saurashtra University.

Besides preparing for competitive exams, he also worked as a development officer with LIC. "It was a difficult task to appear for the exam and do a job simultaneously, but I managed it by effective time management. There is no alternative to hard work,'' he said.

Meanwhile, villagers of remote Jambida cheered after the news. "Manoharsinh sincere in studies since his childhood days.

We feel very proud that he not only successfully cleared GPSC but also stood a topper,'' his proud father said from Dhrol.

Manoharsinh's inspiration is from his own family members.

"Ours is a joint family and most of my kin have been associated with social services.

One of my Uncle Arjunsinh Jadeja's works of watershed development project in the village has transformed the village's economy. There are many such cases. I hope I will be able continue this by doing my job effectively,'' Jadeja said.

Jamnagar Bhavnagar Gandhidham News - Andhra Bank will Open Shortly

Andhra Bank to open 10 branches in Mumbai zone this fiscal Eyeing a healthy growth in its business from the Mumbai zone, Andhra Bank is planning to open 10 new branches during the current fiscal, a senior bank official said.

"Presently, we have 86 branches in the Mumbai zone. We now plan to open 10 new branches here and we have already received licenses for five branches," Andhra Bank's general manager (Mumbai Zone), M Anjaneya Prasad, told PTI here.

The five new branches would be opened in Gandhidham City, Bhavnagar City, Jamnagar City, Jalgaon and Sangli.

The bank opened 125 branches across the country including 22 in the Mumbai zone during FY 10.

In the current fiscal (FY 11), Andhra Bank is targeting an overall business growth of 25% from the Mumbai Zone, Prasad said.

Andhra Bank registered a growth of 60.15% overall in its net profit at Rs1, 046 crore in FY 10 as compared to Rs653 crore in FY 09.

During the last fiscal (FY 10), the bank's business grew 29.26% at Rs1, 34,194 crore as compared to Rs1, 03,818 crore in FY 09.

Net NPAs of the bank in FY 10 stood at 0.17% while gross NPA was capped at 0.86%.

Jamnagar Gujarat Coastal Area Protection - Rs 300 Crore sanctioned by World Bank

The World Bank has sanctioned 300 crore rupees for Gujarat for the protection of coastal environment along the Gulf of Kutch.

An MOU for this ambitious project was signed by the Gujarat Ecology Commission and the World Bank in New Delhi today.

Disclosing this to our Bhuj Correspondent, the Member-Secretary of Gujarat Ecology Commission, Mr. E. Balaguruswamy said that several new schemes will be launched along the coastal towns and villages of the Gulf of Kutch under this project.

He said that in addition to an Affluent Treatment Plant at Jamnagar City, two Multi-interpretation Centers will be set up at Dwarka and Mandvi in Kutch.

Poshitra Port Marine National Park Jamnagar District News Gujarat India

The ministry of environment and forests has denied permission to set up a port in Jamnagar.

Experts in the ministry said the port was to be set up in an ecologically fragile area and would have destroyed the biodiversity. “A standing committee has rejected the permission to carry out environmental impact assessment and risk assessment for establishment of a Poshitra Port Jamnagar District Gujarat India. The proposed site falls within Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park which is very rich in marine biodiversity,” a senior official of the ministry said.

The 18th meeting of standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife was held on April 12. Senior officials in the ministry said the decision was made on the basis of a report of MS Swaminathan Committee that had recommended that no port should be developed in or around protected areas and ecologically fragile zones. “Members of the standing committee had carried out a detailed site inspection and recommended against the proposal,” the official said. Taking a tough stand against commercial use of resources from ecologically fragile zones, the standing committee also rejected a proposal to withdraw water from the Majthal Wildlife Sanctuary and laying of pipeline for carrying water for expansion of a cement plant by Ambuja Cement Pvt Ltd. The proposal was rejected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Jamnagar City Railway Station News Samachar Gujarat India

With a view to exploit its real estate assets, Indian Railways plans to lease out some of them and aims to rake-in Rs 600 crore through this move this fiscal, a senior Railways official said.

"We plan to lease 15 plots in different metros and Tier 11 cities on long lease this fiscal and hope to net Rs 600 crore through this," Rail Land Development Authority, Member-Finance, F Mehmood, said.

"We have identified a land-bank of 1,900 hectares for development. This will be leased out in phases. We have appointed 15 consultants for this purpose," he said.

Most of the land available for lease is in the eastern region, he said.Leasing its land for residential purposes is not under consideration presently; the official said but added that "if good proposals come, then we may think about it." In the first phase, railway lands in Bandra in Mumbai, Aurangabad (Maharashtra) and Jamnagar City, Gujarat India are among the plots the Railways is planning to lease out to fund its infrastructure development, he said.

Jamnagar Ayurvedic College News Gujarat India

The anatomy room at the Vadodara Ayurvedic College has been gathering dust for the last one year, with the authorities struggling hard to arrange a corpse for practical classes. In the absence of a corpse, the students missed practical demonstration of human anatomy this year.

M R Pandya, in-charge administrative officer, said: “In practical classes, the students dissect the corpse and understand the anatomy. However, this year we could not conduct the classes as no corpse was sanctioned to us.”

He added that last year they had received a corpse from Jamnagar City, which was coordinated by the Jamnagar Ayurvedic Medical College. “This year, they could not send it due to some technical problem. After no other Ayurvedic college could help us, we approached the Sir Sayajirao General Hospital(SSG) but they refused to provide a corpse,” Pandya said.

First-year students of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) are supposed to take up a subject on human anatomy as a part of the curriculum.

Anatomy professor Kiran Raj said: “We had videos of dissections of previous years, which were used this year for teaching. But a video cannot match the experience of carrying out real dissections.”

Raj added: “We are not sure what will happen the next year. But if we get a corpse, we will hold integrated practical sessions; otherwise we will have to carry on with the videos.”

Jamnagar Brass Industries - Gujarat Industrial News India

The Union environment ministry’s notification requiring importers of brass scrap to register has not gone down well with brass traders and manufacturers.

Determined to regain its sheen, the Jamnagar brass parts industry is seeking policy changes from the government.

There are 5,000 brass making units in Jamnagar City, more than 80 per cent of them in the small-scale category. Their total annual turnover is about Rs 2,000 crore and they employ more than 2.5 lakh persons.

India consumes about 100,000-150,000 tonnes of brass annually, of which about 70 per cent is imported.

“Brass is a very big industry in this region, but much development is (still) required. If the government supports us at the policy level, new development can take place. As of now, most of our energy is wasted in dealing with government officials on several policy issues. Both state and Central government should ease policies so that we can concentrate on our business,” said Jineshbhai Shah of Rajhans Impex.

Recently, the Union environment ministry issued a notification requiring traders and manufacturers to register for the import of brass scrap. Industry sources said that since the brass industry is a small-scale one, such registration seems unnecessary.

“Brass scrap is not harmful to the environment, so why should we register? The government says the move will help stop duty-stealing. But the pollution control board and environment department have no concern with this. We are going to meet Jairam Ramesh, minister of environment and forests, to sort out this issue,” said Ramjibhai Patel, president of Jamnagar Factory Owners Association.

Patel said the brass industry had just come out of recession and only government support can help it survive.

Similarly, Bharatbhai Dodhiya, a partner in Nyals Brass Products, said, “Government should give us relief in import duty on brass scrap, as the international market is fluctuating. Due to price instability, manufacturers have incurred losses several times. We take orders at a certain price and in no time the international prices change. This often leads to clients cancelling their orders.”

Jamnagar imports 95 per cent of scrap from Europe and America. A sharp increase in the value of the US dollar has also made Indian imports more expensive. Prior commitments mean that Indian importers have to pay much higher for their contracts, even though global prices have taken a big hit in recent days.

Adding that certain measures in banking policy could also help the industry, Dodhiya said, “Banking policy also should be changed for small-scale units in the industry here. Many units are upgrading their technology and if banks provide us loans at lower interest rates, the industry can grow a lot.”

Jamnagar City Railway Station History – may soon be develop

As we all kathiyavadis know that in Saurashtra Region, City Railway Station play main role for tourism and now It will be prove also by Jamnagar Railway Station which among the oldest in India and a unique cultural heritage of Gujarat — might soon be home to a new hotel or multiplex.

Yes, this news is really true we will soon get old (Junu)Jamnagar Railway Station as new one because the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) of the Ministry of Railways has invited applications for pre-qualification bids from real estate developers.

Now if I am talk about History of Jamnagar Railway Station then, was built in 1897 and is known for its Victorian architecture — complete with imperial waiting rooms for the royal travellers — which included the rulers of erstwhile Saurashtra, also facilitated the transport of goods in the region.

The first train journey took place from Jamnagar City to Rajkot City in 1897, in 1922; the station was given the name of Jamnagar Rail with the addition of tracks connecting the last taluka on the western coastline at Okha.

The Indian National Trust of Art and Culture Heritage means INTACH Chairman and princess of erstwhile Jamnagar state Harshadkumari Ba said in her interview that, “for 15 years, INTACH fought to preserve and revive this site, which was inherited by Western Railway, but in vein.” INTACH and the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC) had made a couple of proposals to preserve a part of the old building, especially the Darbar Hall, as also make an interpretation zone featuring the art, culture and history of Jamnagar to the Railway authorities.

Harshadkumari Ba also said that, “But the proposal was rejected every time as the Indian Railways authorities did not agree to allot land at the minimal price. The Railways wanted to sell it at the market rate, which was not affordable for INTACH and JMC. But with the Railways inviting tenders, INTACH will make a last attempt to prevent the commercialization of the place. The station was a mode of communication and transport for the various kingdoms in Saurashtra.”

Ravindra Jadeja Family Jamnagar News Gujarat India

As read at one of the online news site, Ravindra Jadeja sister Naina Jadeja was cried when Ravindra said goodbye and was leaving our home in Jamnagar for Jaipur, where India was to play South Africa in the first ODI and Good news for all Indian Cricket Fans and for Ravindra Jadeja Family that India won this One Day Match.

As we all also know that, Ravindra Jadeja will not play in Indian Premier League, for that Naina Jadeja from Jamnagar City said that, “I felt it was just some misunderstanding, my brother never lies, and he just cannot be dishonest.”

Before left to his house, Ravindra Jadeja looked around the house which was newly-built home for his family, also missed his mother a lot who is no more.

At last, just want to say another thing that, “If you have your own family members or relatives support then nothing is possible in that world” as because Ravindra would be adjudged man-of-the-match in the Jaipur ODI which his family would not have believed it.

Gujarati Shital Pandya Jamnagar News Gujarat India

If I am talking about latest with you then before one month ago, Bollywood Legend Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who visited Gandhinagar City, for promotion of his Bollywood Hit Movie “Paa” and watched this movie with Our Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

After this event Amitabh Bachchan wanted to become Ambassador of Gujarat State especially for tourism.

But If go in past, 8th March – 2009, Sixteen-year-old girl named Shital Pandya from Jamnagar City, to propagate the message of saving the girl child skated from Jamnagar to Delhi. Just think about her, really one extraordinary work for Gujarat State India.

As I read online at yesterday that, in the process, she along with her team of four members will cover a distance of 5132 kilometers through six States.

Shital Pandya said in her interview that, “We are a team of four persons who have undertaken this campaign. This will conclude on May 5. The campaign is spread over six states such as Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra, and team will team reached Jamnagar on the evening of International Women's Day(in 2009)”

Now another woman from Gujarat named Arkhiben Mithabhai Vankar who invented an herbal pesticide that keeps aphids, white flies and mealy bugs away, has now a patent filed and a business deal with Matrix Biosciences of Hyderabad.

Another person is from Mota Devaliya Taluka, Amreli District, named Mansukhbhai Jagani, has modified his motorbike into a plough-tractor helping farmers save lakhs of rupees, and also certified as ethical hacker and forensic investigator
Above, for whom I talked are really few, but still lots of special people who make up our state and make us proud remain to talk about them.

Irwin Hospital Jamnagar City News Gujarat India

Satish Dholakia, a Plant City doctor of urology with HealthPoint, has been appointed to board of the American Cancer Society's Southeast Hillsborough Unit.

Dholakia, whose office is at 1601 W. Timberlane Drive, Suite 300, has been involved in the cancer society's Relay for Life in Plant City and Kentucky. The relay is a major fundraiser for the cancer society.

A nomination form for his cancer society board membership stated, "Dr. Dholakia sees cancer patients frequently and desires to eradicate the illness" and he wants to "make a difference in the community."

Dholakia is certified by the American Board of Urology. He completed surgical and urology training at the Irwin Group of Hospitals in Jamnagar City Gujarat India; Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, N.Y.; and Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.; where he also finished a fellowship in rental transplant. Prior to joining HealthPoint, he practiced urology in Kentucky.

Lakhota Talav Lake Birds Jamnagar City Samachar Gujarat India

Contaminated food threatens Gujarat Migratory birds.

Migratory birds flocking to wetlands in Gujarat are at a serious risk of consuming contaminated food provided by locals.

Since November last year, around 352 species of birds have flown in to the man made Lakhota Lake Talav in Jamnagar City, which has become a death zone for them.

The birds, which include slender-billed gulls, brown-headed gulls and the black-headed gulls, along with varieties of ducks like Gadwal, Gadgil, Ton and Spoonbill, are found in the lake.

Hundreds of tourists come in daily to watch these exotic birds and feed them local food items like ‘Gaathia’ (pea flour balls) and biscuits.

Over the years, the birds have become accustomed to accepting food from the people.

Environmentalists, however, believe that it is the local feed that is proving harmful for the birds.

“Local people are feeding the migratory birds ‘gaathia’ with a good intention but it is not the birds natural source of food. These birds generally survive by consuming small fishes and other species found in the lakes. Gaathia has caustic soda in it and it is generally fried in contaminated oil. This was the reason why a lot of seagulls died here two years ago,” said P H Satha, Officer, Conservator of Forests, Jamnagar State.

However, tourists continue feeding the birds with local food items.

” We feed the birds food items like ‘gaathia’ and biscuits and take good care of them. The migratory birds have become our city’s pride,” said Manish, a local.

In 2006, over 500 birds in the Lakhota Lake were reported dead due to poisoning after consumption of contaminated food items.

MLA Ranchhodbhai Chanabhai Faldu as BJP President for Gujarat India

MLA Ranchhodbhai Chanabhai Faldu was appointed president of BJP Gujarat State wing in presence of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and BJP general secretary, Gopinath Munde. Faldu is among those MLAs who showed no group loyalties and survived the change of leadership from Keshubhai to Modi.

A farmer by profession, Faldu is a leuva Patel from Saurashtra Gujarat India. He has been associated with RSS since childhood and first contested elections in 1998. This is his third term as an MLA. Faldu has been President of Jamnagar district BJP for two terms and was also president of Jamnagar District Panchayat. Faldu also is trustee of Sanskar Teerth Education Trust.

Talking to reporters in Gandhinagar City Gujarat on Faldu's appointment; Modi reacted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement asking states to act more responsibly. He said, "The PM had promised to curb increasing prices within 100 days. However, he has failed to do so as a result of which the country is feeling betrayed."

He said that the central government, instead of taking action, was inert resulting into aggravating all the three issues. He said that the Center was trying to pass on the responsibility to the states and was just busy blaming them.

Gujarat BJP President Kalawad Jamnagar District News Samachar India

MLA Faldu Ranchhodbhai Chanabhai likely to take over as Gujarat BJP president.

Three-time MLA from Kalavad Jamnagar District R C Faldu is all set to take over as BJP Gujarat unit president as he was the only one to file nomination papers here for the post.

Faldu, chief whip of the ruling BJP in the state Assembly, filed his nomination for the post to state party president in presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and BJP General Secretary Gopinath Munde.

Sources in the state BJP said that formal announcement of the party president would be made after the state executive committee meeting tomorrow.

The executive meeting will be attended by senior party leaders from the state. Munde is also likely to attend the meeting, they added.

Faldu, belonging to the Leuva Patel community, is likely to take over from Pushottam Rupala whose term as party president has ended.

Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Cricket History Jamnagar Rajkot Gujarat

Was Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi more of a sport than we know?

Drawing room conversation among a few sports aficionados the other day became the springboard for this article. Discussion predictably veered towards the current imbroglio involving the (non) auction of Pakistan cricketers for this season's IPL, and whether timely political intervention would have helped or worsened the situation. As invariably happens on such occasions, in the absence of any clear answers, the issue acquired academic intensity and crossed back and forth over many decades in time.

"How would somebody like Mahatma Gandhi have reacted in such a situation?" asked someone. "He wouldn't have acted at all," came a rather vehement reply. "Throughout his political life, he never did anything to suggest that he cared, he was actually a spoilsport."

Grand gestures combining sport and politics are not uncommon as the following two contrasting examples spread over 60 years in the previous century would illustrate. In 1936 Hitler became an active votary of the Berlin Olympic Games because he wanted dearly to establish the superiority of the Aryan race and win legitimacy for the Nazi ideology. His chauvinism, however, was rebuffed by the brilliance of black American Jesse Owens who won four gold medals, and in a small way by the all-conquering Indian hockey team led by the wizard Dhyan Chand.

Nelson Mandela in 1995 followed an altogether opposite path from Hitler. A year after becoming president of South Africa, he agreed to attend the final of the rugby World Cup to be played between his country and New Zealand. There were influential sections within the ruling ANC who advised him against associating with a sport which had become symbolic of racism and suppression. But Mandela saw this as a golden opportunity for reconciliation, and went for the game wearing the Springbok team jersey. The gesture was not lost on the crowd, 95 per cent white, which broke into applause and sang the ANC song (which had by then become the national anthem), for Mandela. Sports had the power "to change the world ... to inspire ... to unite people," he was to say.

Gandhi was hardly shy of political grandstanding, but it must be admitted that he hardly ever furthered sports directly as a vehicle for influencing the masses. Between 1915, when he returned from South Africa, and 1936, India won the Olympic hockey gold medal thrice, but there is no mention of him having gone out of his way to meet the players.

It would be reasonable to conclude that Gandhi was not enamored of sport. Unlike Mandela, say, who was intrinsically a sportsman (he shadow- boxed, jogged, played soccer and did stomach crunches throughout his incarceration); Gandhi concentrated on diet, yoga and meditation to keep his frail body away from ill-health. But the truth value of the premise that Gandhi did not simply care for sport is suspect.

There are only scant references to sport in his life, more fascinatingly cricket, but which throw up such enigmatic posers that only a full-scale treatise could do justice to this. For instance, when he first went to England to study, one of the letters of introduction he was carrying was addressed to K S Ranjitsinhji, "a prince from Jamnagar City who had acquired fame as a cricketer" as his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi reveals in the book Mohandas - A True Story of A Man his People and And an Empire (p 25). Whether Gandhi ever met Ranji is not known, but clearly he knew something about cricket.

Indeed, as a youngster, he seemed to have been rather good at it, as Ramchandra Guha relates in his book, A Corner of A Foreign Field, quoting an article in a newspaper in 1958 by journalist Harish Booch who had met one of Gandhi's Alfred High schoolmate from Rajkot City. "Ratilal Ghelabhai Mehta remembered Gandhi as a 'dashing cricketer' ," narrates Guha "who evinced keen interest in the game as a school student." He was, it seems, good at both batting and bowling, and had an uncanny understanding of the game's uncertainties. Apparently, as Mehta was to reveal, they watched a match together as schoolboys played between Rajkot city and Rajkot cantonment when Gandhiji said a particular player would be out and hey presto, that batsman was really out."

Clearly Gandhi's cricketing career was short-lived, and when he returned to India from South Africa (where he was once photographed in 1914 with a touring team from India), he had traded whatever interest he may have had in the bat for the lathi. Subsequent references to cricket in Gandhi's life emerge more in the form of protests that were to become such a strong metaphor in his political life.

In 1921, when the Prince of Wales was touring India it is believed, he wanted the Quadrangular match featuring the European team to be played at Mumbai stopped because it would be paying obeisance to the colonial power. In any case, he was strongly against the Quadrangular and Pentagulars because they were based on communalism (see main story).

In contrast, Jinnah, riding high on the success of Muslim teams in the Pentagular in the previous decade, was to tell an assemblage of students in Bombay in 1941 that "the discipline which sports teach must be harnessed for the benefit of the Muslim community as a whole." The difference in approach between Gandhi and Jinnah does not so much reflect the extent of their passion for sport as perhaps their utterly divergent political views at that point in time.

In a sense, though, this has perhaps contributed to Gandhi being considered as something of a wet blanket where establishing a sporting culture in a people is concerned. But Guha, renowned cricket and Gandhi historian, contests that vehemently.

"It would be hugely unfair to make that charge of Gandhi," argues Guha. "Why should he or any other politician or social worker be obliged to promote sport? Would you blame Ela Bhatt for the sorry state of cricket in Gujarat? Actually, as I show in A Corner of A Foreign Field, Gandhi's politics indirectly contributed massively to cricket, through the contributions of the Dalit Palwankar brothers and through the emergence of CK Nayudu as a nationalist icon."

There are no further references to cricket in Gandhi's life after 1941. By then, of course, he had moved on to play the end game of the biggest match of his life - winning freedom for his country. Perhaps he was a kind of a sporting person after all.

Jamnagar Ahmedabad Vadodara City Swine Flu News Samachar Gujarat India

Three die of swine flu in Gujarat India, death toll reaches 216 Swine flu has claimed three lives in Gujarat, taking the toll due to the deadly virus to 216 in the state, health officials said today.

Eleven fresh cases have also been reported, they said, adding so far, 1,155 people have tested positive of the virus.

20-year-old Kokilaben Chhaganbhai died at civil hospital in Ahmedabad today while two persons -- Rudi Bharwad (30) and Gulabbhai Vidhalani (52) -- died of swine flu at SSG hospital, Vadodara(Baroda) and general hospital in Jamnagar, respectively.

Bharwad and Vidhlani died yesterday. Meanwhile, fresh cases of swine flu were reported from Ahmedabad City, Jamnagar City, Rajkot City, Anand City and Vadodara City.

Jamnagar Rajkot City District News Samachar Gujarat India

“Rajkot City's own H1N1 testing lab within week”, said health minister.

Taking a serious note of H1N1 death toll across Saurashtra, Gujarat State heath and tourism minister Jay Narayan Vyas in his second consecutive address in the city on Wednesday said, the state government is going to set up a laboratory for H1N1 virus testing in Rajkot City Gujarat India.

"The laboratory will be operational within a week. It will help reduce the time lag of test results of suspected cases of Saurashtra,'' Vyas said. At present the region's hospitals send samples to BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad. He also said that new ventilators will be provided at all isolation wards of hospitals treating case in Saurashtra.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, one more death of a suspected swine flu patient Sulochana Ravi, 30, a pregnant woman from Rafaliya village of Wankaner taluka was reported from PDU hospital in the city. At present there are 33 patients out of which six are in critical condition, four are on ventilators.

As per government reports, 18 more cases were reported from the state on Wednesday six from Ahmedabad, five from Rajkot, one each from Vadodara City and Amreli City, two from Jamnagar, and two from Bhavnagar.

The state death toll is 162, with one death of Ghansham Patel, 28, in Ahmedabad Civil Hospital while on Tuesday, two deaths were reportedseven-year-old girl Vali Karshan in Guru Gobind Singh Hospital Jamnagar City and 47-year-old woman Rukya Fakir in Sir T General Hospital in Bhavnagar City.

Vijarkhi Dam Jamnagar City District Tourism Saurashtra Gujarat India

The dams around Jamnagar like Vijarkhi Dam, Ranjit Sagar Dam, Sasoi Dam, Sinhan dam are also wonderful spots for Birding.

Early mornings as well as evening times are great for watching birds; this all places are also very popular picnic spots for the local people. So taking along a picnic hamper would be a great idea.

Khijadia Bird Sanctuary is a unique wetland area with sea water on one side and fresh water on one side. This area which is about 12 km from Jamnagar (Gujarat) was declared as a Sanctuary on 6th November 1982. Before independence, a check dam had been built for storing the waters of the Ruparen river just near the sea, so gradually over the years with fresh water of the rain and river on one side and salt water of the sea on the other side, a unique area came up where both varieties of vegetation came up, gradually, birds and animals also started flocking and roosting here.

The area of this Sanctuary is 605 Hectares. There are 3 Watch Tower for bird watchers, as well as inspection paths leading deep into the foliage There are also provisions for Paddle boats, in the main as well as the Jamnbuda watch tower area.

One can find both types of sea and shore birds. Watching the arrival of the Cranes during sunset for roosting is a fantastic experience.

Some of the notable birds found here are Black Ibis, Black-winged Kite, Brahminy Kite, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Great Thick-knee, Common Greenshank, Grey Francolin, Imperial Eagle, Indian Pond Heron, Little Tern, Black-tailed Godwit, Comb Duck, Common Crane, Common Teal, Dunlin, Garganey, Marsh Harrier, Northern Pintail, Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, Pale Harrier, Demoiselle Crane, Sanderling and Darters.

The other wild life found here are Blue Bulls, Jackal, Wolf, Jungle Cat, Mongoose, Rabbits, Cobra.

Jamnagar City Heritage Development Care News Saurashtra Gujarat India

The last week began on an outrageous note. On Monday morning, Jamnagar police station registered an FIR stating that artifacts and paintings valuing anywhere between Rs2.5 to Rs5 crore were stolen from the sprawling royal palace. The story gets interesting. it was discovered that not only were these invaluable stolen at least a month-and-a-half back and nobody knew about it, but that the thieves had seemingly spent a lot of time in the palaces, perhaps even days there. It was later reported that Jam Ranjitsinh Jadeja’s revered bat, after which the domestic cricket Ranji trophy has been founded, was perhaps not stolen.

Even if this incident may or may not have been very grave in terms of the value of theft, what it certainly does is throws light on the callous disregard we as a society, the government and the caretakers themselves have for the valuables that these palaces house.

To begin with, most of the palaces, except the Gaekwads of Baroda, do not have a precise and exhaustive list of the paintings and other antique items in their palace. Good deals of the properties are disputed, leading to no investment by the warring parties in maintenance - as in case of Jamnagar.

Anything (painting, artifact, memorabilia etc…) more than 100-years-old cannot be sold, leaving very little incentive for the family to spend the high amount required to maintain it well. The government on the other hand is taking no interest in helping them with any kind of allowances / aid for maintenance. Worse still, a long-standing lament of the heritage hotel owners’ association (read the erstwhile royal families) is that the authorities are not even helping with basic tourist awareness of their around 30 properties in Gujarat.

Last but not the least, would you and I pay money to see our ancient paintings and artifacts like the carpets, chandeliers, perhaps even the classical original paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, depicting India? The answer is often a ‘No’.

The outcome of all of this is that this ‘heritage’, which historians, heritage conservationists, social scientists and art connoisseurs feel are a part of our identity - is decaying, very soon, beyond recognition. These artifacts are a depiction of Indian culture of the bygone era, when European beaches and Uncle Sam’s muscle power did not dominate the Indian mind space, and how India a century back absorbed other cultures without losing its own.

A brief look at what we are turning away our face from will be appalling to being with. Reliable sources confide at least four Raja Ravi Varma portraits are lying unpreserved in a property in Bhavnagar City. Several history books, map records, cutlery, furniture, jewellery, arms like swords, specially woven carpets, chandeliers, licensed trophies of wild animals… the list goes on. A rough estimate of these things has been put at over one billion US dollars. And this does not include several timeless artifacts like ace cricketer Ranjitsinh’s bats that were feared stolen. For a cricket enthusiast, it would be invaluable.

Many of these palaces in Saurashtra Region are close to the sea, leading to further degradation from the salt-laden air.

“The private collections of the former rulers of states are still there in these palaces. And these are perishable items. Some were specially commissioned works, some by imported artisans, some works by tribal artisans. These artisans are not there anymore; this work does not happen now. If it is not preserved, this part of our history will be lost forever,” says IPS officer Ajay Chaudhary, and a member of the state heritage policy committee.


Art collector Anil Relia says his heart bleeds when he hears of these things. “All artwork has to be fumigated at least once a year. Paper fish is generated naturally as moisture touches the painting. It is basically a very simple process. Sometimes these artifacts are not even properly documented. Our laws are not conducive to effective maintenance of such antique heritage,” he says.

But talk to those in the custody of these memorabilia, the response is pat - “Who will pay for it?” maharaja of Wankaner Digvijaysinh says, followed by a heavy pause. “Of course we know there is value to the memorabilia, but how does one value it? It is invaluable,” he says. Maintenance, armed security, et al, he feels depends on the owner. “I have no suggestions for this. Laws alone will not help. Laws are for the society, not individuals,” he finishes.

Mukesh Ambani CMD of Reliance Refinery Industries Jamnagar News Gujarat India

India’s Mukesh Ambani awarded Penn Engineering Dean’s Medal.

Mukesh Ambani, the CMD of Reliance Industries Ltd., received the Penn Engineering Dean’s Medal here in Mumbai, India, on Friday, 8th January 2010. In a ceremony at the Trident Hotel he was honoured with the Dean’s Medal by Eduardo Glandt, Dean of Penn Engineering. The University of Pennsylvania has conferred this award on Mukesh Ambani for his visionary leadership in the application of engineering and technology for the betterment of society and mankind. The award is a testimony to this global visionary; who runs India’s biggest corporate house, Reliance Industries Ltd.

The keynote address for the event was made by Dean Glandt who introduced Mukesh Ambani warmly, in a well attended gathering in the Regal Room of the Trident Hotel. Amidst the attendees were industrialists, celebrities and the Indian media including Kumaramangalam Birla, Anand Mahindra and Sachin Tendulkar. In his speech Mr. Ambani announced the newest project of the Reliance Foundation – a university in India, to be headed by Mrs. Nita Ambani. He also expressed with much passion the requirement for a global paradigm shift to include a focus on real engineering instead of financial engineering in light of the recent economic crisis.

Mr. Mukesh Ambani has come a long way having started his corporate journey in 1981 when he joined his father, late Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani, the founding chairman of Reliance. He initiated Reliance’s vertical integration journey from textiles into polyester fibres and further into petrochemicals, petroleum refining and eventually oil and gas exploration and production. He then led the creation of 51 new, world-class manufacturing facilities encompassing diverse technologies that increased Reliance’s manufacturing capacities manifold.

The Jamnagar Refinery in Gujarat which is now the world’s largest grassroots petroleum refinery was the brainchild of Mukesh Ambani. Dhirubhai’s dream project Reliance Infocomm, which is now one of the largest telecommunications companies in India and has emerged as Reliance Communications Limited was also set up by Mukesh Ambani. He is currently steering Reliance’s development of a pan-India retail network, a transformational initiative connecting, rural and urban India.

In a recent study by the Harvard Business Review, Mukesh Ambani has been recognized as the fifth best CEO of the world in a review, which surveyed a total of 1,999 CEOs of large public traded companies across the globe. In the course of his career he has been conferred as many as 5 awards by NDTV, a leading news channel in India. He has also featured in the survey of ‘Top 50 Most Respected Business Leaders of the World’ conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2002 as well as 2004. At the global level Mukesh Ambani has been felicitated twice by the United States India Business Council. He is also the only Indian CEO to be invited thus far to become a Council Member of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in July 2007.