Surat : Surat is recognised as a significant textile hub, having substantial potential to become a crucial centre for garment manufacturing as well. In an endeavour to empower textile businesses in Surat with the nuances of garment manufacturing and brand building, Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) organised a ‘Knowledge Session’ featuring Mr. Siddharth Bindra, MD, BIBA Fashion Ltd.

More than 200 members of SAKET, an association that represents 160 Textile Markets in Surat, attended the session to benefit from the valuable insights shared by Mr. Bindra on how he built the BIBA brand. Under an MoU with SAKET, CMAI is committed to nurture textile industry entrepreneurs in Surat to diversify their operations into garment manufacturing as a natural progression that compliments their existing business.

During the session, Mr. Siddharth Bindra emphasized six crucial factors for building a successful brand: passion, commitment, and perseverance as driving forces, upholding the highest quality standards, understanding and meeting evolving customer needs, establishing a unique brand identity, consistent and effective customer communication for lasting relationships, and aligning brand personality with pricing, packaging, and availability to create a strong and resonating brand for the target audience.

Speaking about the knowledge session, Mr. Ajoy Bhattacharya, Chairman, Gujarat Regional Committee, CMAI, said, “We are delighted that Mr. Bindra graciously spared his time to impart invaluable life lessons from his remarkable journey of establishing the BIBA brand to textile entrepreneurs in Surat. These sessions have a profound goal of inspiring and empowering textile businesses to join the thriving Readymade Garment Industry in India. Looking ahead, we have exciting plans to organise a series of knowledge-sharing sessions with industry leaders, offering insights into the latest trends, developments, and innovations within the garments industry.”

Along with the exceptionally insightful knowledge session by Mr. Siddharth Bindra of BIBA Fashion, CMAI launched the Surat Chapter of its ‘ACHIEVERS CLUB’ initiative to encourage and facilitate the young entrepreneurs who have the passion to Achieve. These initiatives aim to foster growth and success within the industry, creating a vibrant and dynamic community of entrepreneurs.

Speaking about the CMAI MoU with SAKET, Naveen Sainani, Jt. Hon Secretary, CMAI, said, “Over the next three years, our goal is to promote garment manufacturing among entrepreneurs from the Surat textile industry, including SAKET members. We plan to achieve this by organizing programs, courses, and workshops dedicated to efficient garment production management. Additionally, we aim to enhance marketing skills and knowledge for both export and domestic markets, along with implementing various other initiatives.”

Speaking about the potential of the garment industry, Mr. Rahul Mehta, Chief Mentor, Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), commented, “Our partnership with SAKET also includes the establishment and management of a specialized training institute focused on equipping workers, operators, and staff for the garment industry. The tremendous potential of India’s garment manufacturing sector offers abundant employment opportunities. The rising demand for Indian apparel brands, both locally and globally, further enhances the job prospects within the industry.”

The Indian apparel market is valued at approximately Rs. 7.80 lakh crores, and in FY2023, it witnessed a growth rate of 15-20%. As the industry continues to evolve and expand, garment manufacturing remains pivotal in generating employment opportunities and contributing to India’s economic growth. Recognising the immense potential of the Surat textile market, CMAI (Clothing Manufacturers Association of India) strategically established its Gujarat Regional Office in Surat.

Gandhinagar: As the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 inches closer to completing three years, the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya – Vadodara, Regional Directorate of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship; and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) – Ahmedabad Region, jointly hosted a press conference on “Strategic Action Plan for Implementing National Education Policy 2020” at IITGN today.

Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN; Prof Manoj Choudhary, Vice-Chancellor, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya – Vadodara; Mr J P Meena, Regional Director, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship; and Smt Shruti Bhargava, Deputy Commissioner, KVS – Ahmedabad Region; addressed the press conference and elaborated on the initiatives taken towards implementation of NEP.

Introduced in the year 2020, NEP emphasises developing each individual’s foundational and higher cognitive capacities, such as critical thinking and problem-solving. It paves the way for developing and grooming our youth for such a responsibility, preparing them for emerging job roles of the future.

Speaking on how IITGN’s vision is aligned with the goal of NEP, Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, said, “The progressive and integrated approach under the National Education Policy will give global recognition to Indian education. It has paved the way for providing holistic education right from the beginning to equip our next generation with knowledge, skills, capabilities, and sensitivity to lead India in the 21st century. IIT Gandhinagar has always been a torchbearer of innovative, flexible, and interdisciplinary curriculum coupled with an emphasis on cutting-edge research, innovation, learning-by-doing, humanities subjects, and industry exposure. So, I strongly feel that through NEP, the future of education in India will get a major boost.”

He also shared some of the most significant projects and initiatives being implemented or planned at IITGN that are aligned with NEP 2020, including multiple entry and exit programmes; interdisciplinary centres in the fields of Archaeology, Biomedical Engineering, Sustainable Development, Design & Innovation, Creative Learning, and Safety; international exposure to students through industry/academic research internships; making social impact through outreach programmes and by proving financial support to needy students; providing different language courses to students; engaging industry experts as Professors of Practice; among others. For the first time from this year, IITGN is also going to provide verifiable digital mark sheets, degrees, and medal certificates to the graduating students in USB so that they can access it from anywhere.

Prof Manoj Choudhary, Vice-Chancellor, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya – Vadodara, shared significant information on the NEP implementation and future plans at their institution and said, “Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya is the first central university that was launched after announcement of NEP, and it has a unique and broad mandate to focus on the entire transportation and logistics sector. Our curriculum is industry demand-driven and innovation-led from the beginning. We have also established the Centre for Policy to synergise policy inputs to the government and generate knowledge to make the transport sector stronger than ever.” He also elaborated on the uniqueness of courses and curriculum at the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya that integrates subjects like artificial intelligence & machine learning, design thinking, operation research, logistics & supply chain management, among others, to make students market-ready.

Mr J P Meena, Regional Director, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, elaborated on various skill-based and entrepreneurial courses offered by them for youth of our country. He said, “With the introduction of NEP, about 1500 of our traditional programmes are being redesigned to integrate skills with education so that every child acquires some kind of skill. We are also running programmes on entrepreneurship and soft skills development for youth so that they develop the confidence to become self-employed. To promote technical education other than in the English language, we have already published about 100 books on technical education in Hindi and are in the process of publishing them in 12 regional languages.”

Smt Shruti Bhargava, Deputy Commissioner, KVS – Ahmedabad Region, elaborated on the initiatives taken at KVS schools across the state and said, “Since the inception of NEP 2020, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Ahmedabad Region is putting its best effort to implement it. As desired in NEP, the re-alignment of age of admission in class 1 is changed to 6 years. We have also introduced Balvatika in 20 KVs of Gujarat till date and a 12-week module has been adapted to bolster a child’s pre-literacy, pre-numeracy, cognitive and social skills after admission. All schools are following vocational/skill subjects under the bag-less days scheme wherein students are getting hands-on experience on pottery, carpentry etc. 100% of teachers of KVs under the Ahmedabad Region have been trained under Nishtha Courses on Diksha Portal and resources like Jadui Pitara are being used in our schools.”

The vision of NEP is to again transform India into a global knowledge superpower through a broad-based, flexible, and multidisciplinary education system. The Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam, to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on July 29, 2023, at ITPO, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, coincides with the 3rd anniversary of National Education Policy 2020. The two-day event, being organised by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, will provide a platform for experts of schools, higher educational institutions, and skilling institutions to discuss, deliberate and share insights, strategies, success stories and best practices in implementing the NEP 2020.

The Gujarat government has unveiled the Semiconductor Policy (2022-2027). This strategic initiative reflects the state’s unwavering commitment to fostering accelerated and inclusive growth within the domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing sector.
Gujarat has achieved a pioneering milestone by becoming the first state in India to introduce a dedicated Semiconductor Policy, complementing the Central Government’s vision of Aatmanirbhar India in the semiconductor sector.
The State government has also unveiled an IT/ITES (Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services) policy tailored to invigorate the information technology and semiconductor design domains.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States of America, President Joe Biden announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art Semiconductor Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP) facility, by Micron Technology Inc. in India.
An MoU was executed between Micron Technology – a distinguished semiconductor manufacturing company, and the Government of Gujarat. The agreement, valued at over 22,500 crore rupees will lead to the establishment of a cutting-edge ATMP facility in Sanand, Gujarat.

Ahmedabad : Procter & Gamble India announced that it will invest ₹2000 Crore to set up a new state-of-the-art personal healthcare manufacturing facility in Gujarat. The investment was announced by LV Vaidyanathan, CEO, P&G India, in a meeting with Mr. Bhupendra Patel, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat. The facility builds on top of the P&G India’s existing manufacturing footprint of 8 plants across the country and expands the existing presence in Gujarat. P&G already operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Sanand, Ahmedabad, since 2015.

The new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant will produce products that are part of P&G’s global healthcare product portfolio, especially digestives. This facility will be operational over the next few years and is set to become an export hub for P&G globally, as it will help P&G India in serving consumers across the globe. With this investment, P&G India will help create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, thereby offering a significant boost to the local economy.

The investment reflects upon P&G’s continued focus on partnering in India’s growth journey, and its commitment to continuously evolve and transform its supply chain to best meet the needs of its consumers, customers, and community. Just over the last decade, P&G has invested over ₹8200 crore/US$ 1 billion through its operations in the country.

Mr. Bhupendra Patel, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, said “I congratulate P&G India for the newly commissioned project. This marks a new milestone in their journey in the state and the country. This manufacturing site will also be an export hub, and we welcome all the opportunities it unlocks for the local community. Gujarat and P&G India have had a longstanding association with their existing plant in Sanand, Ahmedabad. The expansion of their operations in our state is a testament to the immense potential, opportunities, and support Gujarat offers to the industry.”

LV Vaidyanathan, CEO, P&G India said, “At P&G, we are committed to partnering in India’s growth journey and have continued to operate as a force for growth and a force for good over the years. The new manufacturing facility in Gujarat is a testament of our belief in the immense growth potential that the country offers. We extend our gratitude to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Bhupendra Patel, for the inspiring discussion, which highlighted our mutual commitment to the growth of the state, the country, and its people. With the new state-of-the-art facility, our objective is to transform India into an export hub for P&G globally. It also marks a significant milestone in our journey, enabling us to extend our local footprint and further elevate our capacity to deliver exceptional innovations to consumers.”

The new facility is situated across a 50,000 sqm area in Sanand, Gujarat. It will use state-of-the-art technology to manufacture superior products in the digestive wellness space and is designed to be fully automated based on the modern concept of ‘Industry 4.0’. This concept employs futuristic technology including the latest vision systems for quality checks, robotic equipment for material movement and operator cockpits to name a few. Further, the plant will act as an enabler towards our ambition of driving equality and inclusion across our shopfloors as it enables anyone irrespective of their gender or orientation, to fulfil any required task pertaining to the operations. The investment is being planned through an unlisted private company and does not impact any of the listed public companies of the P&G group in India.

Through its flagship CSR program P&G Shiksha, P&G India has been providing access to holistic education to lesser privileged children across the country by strengthening educational infrastructure, remediating learning gaps, and empowering marginalized groups through education. In the state, the efforts under P&G Shiksha initiatives are positively impacting nearly 2.5 lakh children.

New Delhi: – Gujarat has been awarded for achieving the highest wind capacity addition through open asses during FY 2022-23 during the celebration of Global Wind Day organized by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India in New Delhi. This achievement has pushed the long-time leader Tamil Nadu to the second spot and made Gujarat the No.1 State in installed wind power capacity. The present installed capacity of Wind Power Projects in the state is 10021.165 MW, which is the highest in the country.

On behalf of Smt. Mamta Verma, Principal Secretary, Energy & Petrochemicals Department, Government of Gujarat, Smt. Arti Kanwar, Resident Commissioner, Government of Gujarat received this award from Shri Bhupender Singh Bhalla, Secretary MNRE.

Gujarat has identified 56 potential locations along with the 1600 km coastline in the Saurashtra and Kutch Peninsula for Wind Power Generation. Also in inland areas, wind potential study shows very good results for installation of wind power projects. In the area of Southern coast line & in the northern part of the state with adjoining border of the MP and Rajasthan, the state is having a wind ‘gold mine’. The total Wind Power Generation Potential is estimated around 142.56GW by MNRE, which is highest in the country.

Gujarat was the first State to announce the Wind Power Policy in 1993-94. Subsequently, more 5 nos. of Wind Power Policies were declared and at present the 5th policy i.e. Gujarat Wind Power Policy – 2016 is being implemented.

Gujarat is likely to introduce a new integrated RE policy very soon. The main objective of the new RE policy will ensure that Gujarat takes the lead role in the effort to achieve the national target of 500GW of wind energy by 2030

Gandhinagar: Advancing its pursuit of academic and research excellence, the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has showcased extraordinary progress in the India Rankings 2023 announced by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) today. The Institute broke into the top 20 institutes in the Engineering category by being ranked at the 18th spot (from 23rd rank in the year 2022) and jumped 13 positions from last year (from 37th rank in the year 2022), to be ranked 24th in the Overall category, being the only higher education institute from Gujarat in the top 50 institutions of this category. IITGN has improved its rank in the Research Institutions category as well by reaching at the 31st rank (from 34th rank in the year 2022) and again becoming the only Institute from Gujarat to feature under this category.

The Institute’s consistent progress over the years reflects its commitment towards excellence in academics, research, and innovation with a focus on interdisciplinarity, learning by doing approach, design thinking, liberal arts, and creativity, which are at the core of its academic programmes.

Speaking on this achievement, Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, said, “IIT Gandhinagar is focused on imparting world-class education in various areas of STEAM (i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and engaging in impactful interdisciplinary research in order to contribute to India’s growth story. Our upward journey in the NIRF 2023 rankings is a testament to our commitment to constantly strive for excellence in our endeavours for education, research, and innovation. We are ready to scale newer heights in the next phase of the Institute’s development.”

NIRF outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. The parameters broadly cover – Teaching, Learning and Resources; Research and Professional Practices; Graduation Outcomes; Outreach and Inclusivity; and Perception.

Mumbai: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today laid the foundation stone of the permanent campus of National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP) at Dwarka, Gujarat, to be built at a cost of Rs. 470 crore. Several dignitaries including Union Home Secretary and Director General of Border Security Force were present on the occasion.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the work of National Coastal Police Academy has been started today on more than 450 acres of land in order to further strengthen coastal security. He said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the security of the country and the country’s borders has been strengthened and the citizens of the country feel safe. Shri Shah said that in order to strengthen the border security, it is necessary that the living and working facilities of our border guards improve, they get state-of-the-art equipment and taking care of the health of their family members. He said that the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has left no stone unturned in these three areas and has tried to provide all kinds of facilities and state of art equipment to our security forces.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that recently the Indian Navy and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), with the help of India’s intelligence agencies, have seized drugs worth Rs. 12,000 crores off the coast of Kerala. He said that while drugs worth Rs. 680 crores were seized during the 10-year rule of the previous government, but Indian security agencies have seized drugs worth Rs 12,000 crore in a single consignment now, showcasing the preparedness of our agencies.

Shri Amit Shah said that today is the death anniversary of Shri Bipin Chandra Pal, one of the greatest freedom fighters among the Lal-Bal-Pal. Today is also the birth anniversary of Martyr Piru Singh, awarded with the Param Vir Chakra. Shri Piru Singh showcased immense bravery and protected the country without caring for his life. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has also named an island in Andaman and Nicobar as Shaheed Piru Singh Island in the memory of the martyr.

Union Home Minister said if the borders of a country are not secure, there is no meaning of development. He said that a country can remain secure only through foolproof security of its borders. Shri Shah said that India has 15,000 km long land border and 7,516 km long sea border. He said that out of 7,516 km long maritime border, 5,422 km is the mainland border and over 2,000 km is the border of the islands. There are 1,382 islands, 3,337 coastal villages, 11 major ports, 241 non-major ports, and 135 establishments including those of space, defense, atomic energy, petroleum, shipping etc. He said that earlier there was no special training system for all these security personnel, but after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, the need for coherent response from jawans at every coastal police station, border security and Coast Guard was felt. Shri Shah said that this is possible only when the training for coastal security is arranged in a planned manner. He said that in 2018, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the National Coastal Police Academy and it was decided to establish it in the city of Lord Shri Krishna. He said that Dwarka means the gateway of the country and at that time Lord Shri Krishna came to this place from Mathura and built a big trade center across our sea border. Today, with the imagination of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the training for the coastal security of the entire nation is being provided in Okha, the land of Lord Shri Krishna.

Shri Amit Shah said that the total number of Coastal Police personnel in the entire country is around 12,000 and once this academy becomes fully operational, there will be arrangement for training of 3,000 people in an year. In this way, within 4 years, 100% training of all the personnel involved in the coastal security of India will be completed. He said that because of the vision and determination of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, an important task of ensuring coastal security is being initiated today.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that with about 56 crores cost, five different BSF company outposts and one observation post tower of 18th Corps were inaugurated today and our vigilant guards posted on the border will be able to live here with convenience and ensure the security of the country. He said that the people of the country sleep peacefully and consider the country safe because the BSF is deployed on the border. Shri Shah said that BSF has glorious history and till the last drop of their blood was shed, BSF jawans have fought bravely for every inch of the country’s land. He said that on many occasions when the army takes over during the war, the BSF has to go back but there are many such occasions when the BSF jawans did not think it appropriate to go back, and they fought the enemies shoulder to shoulder with the army. Shri Shah said that this heroic story of BSF is known to every child of the country.

Shri Amit Shah said that a policy of maritime security has been adopted by the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to make the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Marine Police, Customs and fishermen a complete Sudarshan Chakra of security ring for India. He said that in the open sea, security is provided by the ships and aircraft of the Indian Navy. The security is handled by the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard in the middle seas, and in the territorial waters by the water wing of the BSF, whereas the patriotic fishermen in the village ensure the country’s security by acting as a channel of information. Shri Shah said that on all these dimensions, the Government of India has adopted a well-coordinated Coastal Security Policy and has worked to secure the country’s coasts through an integrated approach. He said that our country has suffered many consequences due to negligence in coastal security. No patriotic citizen can forget the 2008 Mumbai attack in which 166 innocent lives were lost due to a slight mistake. He said that after the policy of coastal security developed by the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi if the enemy tries to carry out such incidents, he will get a befitting reply from here. Shri Shah said that this training is very important for this.

Union Home Minister said that this coastal security policy is based on several pillars. It includes coordination and communication in the matter of coastal security and intelligence, joint coastal patrols by setting protocols for patrolling at fixed time intervals, security of fishermen, giving more than 10 lakh Aadhaar cards with QR codes to fishermen, ensuring security arrangements at 1537 fish leading points and security at all fishing harbors built for Blue Economy. He said that by adding all these things an impregnable fort for coastal security has been established by the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Shri Amit Shah said that during the tenure of the previous government, Porbandar Jail had to be closed after issuing a notification and Porbandar had become the center of all kinds of thefts. He said that ever since the government led by Shri Narendra Modi came, the jail started again and the thieves fled from here. He said that Shri Narendra Modi secured Gujarat, be it the land border of Kutch, Sir Creek, Haraminala or the sea coast of Porbandar, or the sea coast of Dwarka-Okha-Jamnagar-Salaya. Shri Shah said that today by keeping all the state governments together Shri Narendra Modi, as the Prime Minister of the country, has established this training academy here to secure the country’s sea coasts.

Gandhinagar: As a gesture of gratitude towards the mess staff who feed the Institute community everyday, the Student Affairs office of the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) took the initiative to cook and serve a meal to nearly a hundred mess workers of the three dining facilities at IITGN on April 23, 2023.

The team who took charge of one of the kitchens for cooking and serving a meal for the mess staff included nearly ten students and 20 staff and faculty members, including Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, his wife Mrs Rajni Moona, and Prof Sivapriya Kirubakaran, Dean, Student Affairs.

The mess staff members, including managers, chefs, cooking assistants, serving staff, and mess housekeeping staff, were invited for lunch and were served Rice, Sambar, Salad, Medu Vada, Tomato Chutney, Poriyal, Poori + Aloo Masala (Madras style), Payasam, Rasam, Buttermilk, Papad, and Sweet in a traditional plate of banana leaf.

Prof Sivapriya Kirubakaran, Dean, Student Affairs, IITGN, said, “IITGN has bagged the Eat Right Campus Award with a five-star rating from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for three consecutive times. This has been made possible also because of the hard work of our mess staff and managers of our dining facilities, which provide us hygienic, healthy and timely meals throughout the year. This is a small initiative to show our gratitude to all of them.”

The mess staff felt honoured with this humble gesture of IITGN students, staff and faculty. Harish Thapa, a Chef in one of the dining messes at IITGN, said, “I felt really nice to meet the higher authorities and eat a meal served by them with so much affection like a family member. The food was delicious. This kind of gesture by the Institute makes us feel at home.”

Kanchanben Bihola, cleaning staff in one of the dining messes at IITGN, said, “It was a rare experience for us to get to eat the lunch made and served by Director sir, Dean ma’am, and other students and staff. We felt that people here care for us.”

New Delhi : Gujarat’s innovative approach at creating a citizen centric comprehensive transplant ecosystem has led to the ‘State Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) – Gujarat  selected for the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration, 2022; The award conferred by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on the Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The award was received by Ms. Shahmeena Husain, Commissioner (Health) during the event.

While second award on an initiative taken for Foundation Literacy and Numeracy in all 994 government elementary schools  of Mehsana District under project PATHA -(Problem Identification, Assessment & Diagnosis, Teacher Training , Hand Holding in Remedies, Assessment of Impact) conferred by PM. This award was received by Mr. Nagarajan M., Collector of Mehsana.

Gifting a life can be the most sublime and altruistic gift that one can give, and Gujarat is one of the front runners in Cadaveric Organ Donation & Transplants. With SOTTO Gujarat at its pivot, Gujarat leads the nation in Cadaveric Organ Donation & Transplants in the Public sector made possible through innovative strategies, good governance, equitable and inclusive approach and a strong ecosystem, ensuring that the most underprivileged have access to otherwise prohibitively expensive life-saving transplant services.

Saving more and more lives through organ transplantation requires a shift from Live to Cadaver transplant and Gujarat has brought about this paradigm shift with the establishment of SOTTO Gujarat. While the National Live : Cadaver transplant ratio (2019-2023) is around 5.5 : 1, this is around 2.5 : 1 in Gujarat and 1.5 : 1 when it comes to the Public sector transplants. Among the network of over 100 registered centres for transplant and retrieval, the public sector hospitals are the pacesetters by contributing 68% of all cadaver transplants as well as 42% organ retrievals.

Gujarat has been a pioneer in laying down systems & procedures for transplants. The G-DOT guidelines (for organ procurement, transplantation & governance), Brainstem Death Guidelines (for identifying cadaveric donors) and SOTTO Gujarat have provided the much needed support and thrust for deceased organ donation and transplantation.

Organ allocation is as per the medical severity of the disease and based on the best matching of the organs, irrespective of the financial status of the patients that ensures equitable care with best outcome. Affirmative Discretion (allotting additional points to children and women) ensures that they receive the needed services.

Testimonial to the State’s endeavor in creating a robust institutional framework and system to ensure that even the most marginalized and vulnerable populations have equitable access to life-saving organ transplantation and care are the state of art, NABH-accredited facilities for Organ Transplant in the public sector: IKDRC and UNMICRC. Transplant services are provided in public sector hospitals at one-third the cost of the private sector. Barring AIIMS Delhi, Gujarat is the only state to conduct Cardiac Transplants in the public sector.

Generous and Unconditional support from the Government helps ensure the affordability of these services, which is almost free of cost to the poor. Transplantation are included in PMJAY-MA package and over 1194 transplants carried out. Free transplants are done for all children (<18 yrs) under the RBSK-School Health. Over 250 Pediatric Transplantations are carried out totally free of cost. The additional costs are also bourne through grants under SC/ST/LIG scheme, PM/CM relief funds as well as through CSR support & philanthropic donations.

The state has set up the Gujarat University of Transplantation Sciences (GUTS) in 2015, which is the World’s First & Only University for Transplantation and Allied Sciences. Through various dedicated courses related to Organ retrieval and Transplantation; medical and paramedical HR with the necessary skills are made available. This has made IKDRC the most sought-after centre for super specialty courses.

Success of Cadaver transplant can only be ensured through increase in Organ donations. Positive media coverage that highlights the benevolence of donors and the good work being done at public sector hospitals has motivated people to donate organs and reaffirmed their faith in public sector hospitals. The Political commitment shown through facilitation of public financing, promoting public sector infrastructure as well as felicitation of donors has gone a long way in making Gujarat the leader in public sector transplantations.

Under project of PATHA, initiative taken in all 994 government elementary schools of Mehsana district was  also  noteworthy. This project not only improved the FLN skills of poor performing students as comparatively more number of students had achieved more than 40% marks (from 1,02,328 in December 2021 to 1,07,640 in December 2022) but also immensely helped in improving FLN skills and learning outcomes of average and good students as number of students getting more than 80% marks increased from 53,199 (in December 2021) to 58434 (in December 2022)

This project also aims to break the myth about government schools. The students as well as teachers at Government schools are equally good and competent. A very well thought and planned with constant training and hand holding can bring phenomenal results.

Gandhinagar: The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) conducted a three-day residential Yusuf Hamied Chemistry Camp for more than 80 Grade IX students  during March 29-31, 2023, in association with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), India. This Chemistry Camp aimed to infuse fun in learning chemistry and promote appreciation for the subject by providing school students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to explore practical chemistry and inspire them to pursue chemistry at university-level and beyond.

This was the 41st edition of Yusuf Hamied Chemistry Camp, hosted for the second time at IITGN and organised as part of the RSC Yusuf Hamied Inspirational Science Programme. The participating Grade IX school students were selected from around 30 schools from different districts of Gujarat, including Rajkot, Chhota Udepur, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, Patan, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and so on.

During the camp, the school students were acquainted with Chemistry lab safety tools and equipment and were provided hands-on experience to do various lab experiments including Colour Creation, Crystallisation, Forensic Challenge, Clock Reactions, Hydrogel Investigation, Global Coin Battery Experiment, and various short experiments. They also enjoyed various sports activities at the state-of-the-art Sports Complex of IITGN. There were two lectures by IITGN faculty members Prof Ragavan K and Prof Bhaskar Datta and a chemistry experiments demo by Prof Sriram Kanvah. Students of IITGN joined as mentors to the school students during their laboratory experiments. Prof Biswajit Mondal and Prof Anirban Mondal were co-coordinators of the programme along with Prof Sivapriya Kirubakaran, Dean, Student Affairs as the overall coordinator of the camp.

The students were thrilled to be part of this camp, perform various lab experiments, and interact with IITGN faculties. They cherished the camp as well as the IITGN atmosphere and wished to study at an IIT in future. Describing this camp as an exceptional opportunity, Hiral Solanki, a student of Model School, Jasdan, said, “We were too excited to come to Gandhinagar, that too in an IIT, not an ITI, because it was a rare opportunity for us. We got to learn a lot of new things about science and different chemicals during the camp, like if you mix different kinds of chemicals it produces colours. We also understood the crystallisation process. We also enjoyed sports activities a lot. I am eager to share all my experiences with my friends when I go back and try some of these experiments at home, like making paneer. This was my first visit to an IIT and I aspire to study here in future.”

Sahil Thakor, a student of Model School, Radhanpur, said, “We learnt many practical lab experiments here and I am going to share it with my friends in school. I enjoyed making different colours and Hydrogel Investigation. I aspire to pursue science after 10^th standard.”

Encouraging students to pursue Chemistry, Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, said, “Chemistry is all around us, and it can be utilised in many ways to solve our problems. Chemistry has played a major role in developing vaccines for Covid recently. With advancements in the processes of Chemistry and sophisticated instruments, one can contribute to nation-building by working towards solving some of the most pressing challenges of our times such as water, air, and soil pollution and improving our lives, and students shall definitely play a very constructive role in this in the future.”

Prof Amit Prashant, Dean, R&D, IITGN, said, “One of the missions of IITGN since its inception is to connect with neighbouring schools and institutions through various outreach programmes so that more students get inspired to pursue STEM. This camp is aimed at giving students a glimpse of the work that is being done and can be developed further by the amalgamation of Chemistry and technology so that in future they can pursue things that interest them and contribute towards the development of our nation.”

Paul Lewis, Chief Operating Officer, Royal Society of Chemistry, said, “It is inspiring to see our RSC India colleagues working together with members of the Indian education community, delivering this inspiring series of Yusuf Hamied Chemistry Camps. They are an excellent example of how our partnership with Dr Hamied both supports Indian students as well as benefiting the international chemical sciences community.”

Dr Yusuf Hamied, Non-executive Chairman, Cipla Limited, and a leading Indian philanthropist and pioneer in the pharmaceutical industry, said, “We need to encourage and motivate the best students to achieve the knowledge and skills they need to go on to study chemistry at university and, eventually to make a strong contribution to India’s success.”

All the students were awarded certificates of participation.

About Royal Society of Chemistry:

The Royal Society of Chemistry is the world’s leading chemistry community, advancing excellence in the chemical sciences. With over 50,000 members and a knowledge business that spans the globe, we are the UK’s professional body for chemical scientists; a not-for-profit organisation with 175 years of history and an international vision for the future. It promotes, supports and celebrates chemistry. They work to shape the future of the chemical sciences – for the benefit of science and humanity.