Latest news with #Paatil
Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Every child has the right to education': Union Minister Paatil lays foundation stone for redevelopment of 7 municipal school buildings in Surat
Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil on Monday laid the foundation stones for redevelopment of seven municipal school buildings, which will be equipped with the latest technology and facilities, in different parts of Surat. These schools fall under the state government's Schools of Excellence category. Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Paatil said, 'Every child has the right to education. Many students will benefit from these new schools, as the classrooms have been equipped with the latest technologies and facilities… I also studied in a municipal school for six years.' The schools marked for redevelopment are situated in South B zone (Kanakpur), Limbayat, Varachha A and B zones, and Rander zone. Appreciating the 'innovative education system' implemented by Surat Municipal School Board, Paatil said, 'Surat is the fourth fastest developing city in the world with different development projects being carried out by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC). Surat is moving ahead with the pre-planning for the next 50 years. Within a short period, people in Surat will get facilities like Bullet train and Metro train.' At the event organised at an SMC Primary School at Pardi Kande in Surat city, the minister stressed on the importance of water conservation at homes to realise the motto of 'Water is Life' and 'Water is Tomorrow'. Paatil said children should be taught the importance of water conservation from an early age. Surat City mayor Daxesh Mavani and Choryasi BJP MLA Sandeep Desai along with officials of the Surat Municipal School Board were present on the occasion. Mavani said, 'Generally, there is a trend among the parents to get their children educated in private schools. However, here in Surat, there is a reverse trend, where parents are shifting their children from private schools to municipal schools. The reason is the good percentage obtained by students in Class 10 and Class 12 exams. On the lines of private schools, municipal students are also given training in robotics, coding, drones, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for a better future.' There are approximately 362 municipal schools in Surat catering to around 2 lakh students — the highest number in the state. Sources in the Surat Municipal Education Board said that this year, around 48 schools in the state have been approved for 'Schools of Excellence' category by the state government. These schools will have larger classrooms, computer training rooms, multipurpose halls, and laboratories. Of these 48 schools, foundation stones for redevelopment work for 10 such schools were laid in construction will be carried out at a cost of Rs 35.47 crore and the work is supposed to be completed by year-end. In the interim, students of schools undergoing redevelopment have been transferred to other municipal schools. Notably, with Surat being home to a large number of migrants drawn towards its diamond, textile and chemical industries, the SMC runs several schools imparting education in Gujarati, English, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, and Marathi. This year, the overall pass percentage of municipal school students in the state board exams was 96% for Class 10 and 94% for Class 12, said Mavani.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Chandrababu Naidu, revanth Reddy to meet Jal Shakti Minister over ₹81,900 cr Polavaram-Banakacherla link project
The Centre has called a joint meeting of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana chief ministers on Wednesday to iron out differences between the two states over Rs 81,900 crore Polavaram Banakacherla Link Project , which proposes to bring Godavari floodwaters to the state's parched region. Jal Shakti minister C R Paatil will meet Andhra chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy together on Wednesday over the project. Naidu government has proposed this ambitious inter-linking project to connect Krishna and Godavari basins and transferring Godavari floodwaters to the drought-prone Rayalaseema region through the Krishna basin . The project involves construction of a new reservoir at Bolapalli and using lift stations and tunnels to channel water to Banakacherla and Veligonda reservoirs. On its part, Telangana has objected to Naidu's proposal saying this violates provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014 and the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award of 1980. Concerns have also been raised about the project's impact on several regions, including the temple town of Bhadrachalam. Andhra Pradesh had approached the environment ministry for clearances despite Telangana's objections. However, the expert appraisal committee (EAC) had returned the proposal and asked the state to first have it examined by Central Water Commission under Jal Shakti ministry. The joint meeting has been called by Paatil following on this. In a letter to Telangana irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Paatil had assured, '… the Central Water Commission, under my ministry, will duly examine it in accordance with the extant guidelines, existing Tribunal Awards/ Inter-state Agreements and various provisions under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 and appropriate action will be taken.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Lifetime Office 365 Download Undo Earlier, Andhra Pradesh had already fast tracked the project by inviting tenders under Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). Naidu had requested the Centre for support through externally aided projects (EAP) and allocation under the Budget. Naidu has requested that 50% of the project cost be funded through EAP loans and about 20% as a grant. However, Telangana's objections have put a spanner in the works.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Beyond Political Divide: When BJP, Congress leaders shared stage to award Tazia makers
On Sunday, two senior leaders, one each from the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, attended a Tazia procession being carried out by the Muslim community members on the occasion of Muharram in Surat. During the procession, Gujarat BJP Chief and Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Paatil attended the procession with Mayor Daxesh Mavani, City BJP President Paresh Patel, and the party's municipal corporators, among others. Tazias with best designs were handed out trophies by Paatil. Former Surat Mayor and senior Congress leader Kadir Pirzada shared the stage with Paatil as the latter recalled instances from the past such as allotment of a piece of land for installing a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj when Pirzada was the Surat mayor or when, following their joint efforts, two public events — celebration of the birth anniversary of the Maratha warrior king and Tazia processions — were held peacefully in Limbayat area of the city. Meanwhile, a former Congress MLA of Savarkundla in Amreli district attended a Tazia procession, a video of which went viral on social media. Speaking to The Indian Express, Dudhat said, 'As a public leader and someone belonging to a party that follows secularism, I participate in both Tazia procession as well as festivals of other religions every year. The video which went viral is of Limdi Chowk, in Savarkundla town of Amreli district, on Sunday afternoon. As a public leader, I got an invitation and not only did I remain present, I also participated in the rituals. During Hindu festivals, the Muslims also took an active part, giving water and soft drinks to the people participating in the Hindu procession.' He further said, 'It is a norm in villages in Gujarat where both Hindus and Muslims participate in each other's religious activities. I have done nothing new.'
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gujarat Confidential: No tap water, no grant
Referring to complaints of unavailability of water from some taps installed under the Nal Se Jal Yojana, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil on Friday said that his ministry has written to all the chief ministers, stating that the Centre will not give them fresh grants till 'all the taps get water'. Addressing a function to felicitate newly elected Sarpanches and ward members of gram panchayats in Gujarat, Paatil said that under the Jal Jivan Mission, the Narendra Modi-led government has provided tap water to around 15.65 crore households. 'Some complaints have emerged that there is 'nal (tap)', but no 'jal (water)'. We have written to the chief ministers of every state and told them that till all the taps get water, they will not get any fresh grant from the government. The objective behind this is to ensure action on the complaints,' Paatil said.
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gujarat CM felicitates newly elected sarpanches, warns them against being misguided towards corruption
Stressing that the state government has a zero-tolerance policy against corruption, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel Friday warned the newly elected Sarpanches and members of the gram panchayats in Gujarat against graft, asking them to guard against 'being misguided by anybody'. Addressing a function in Gandhinagar to felicitate the newly elected Sarpanches and members of gram panchayats, the CM said, 'The governments of the state and Centre allocate sufficient money for the development of villages. Today, by allocating a grant of Rs 1,236 to the gram panchayats, (the government has) attained the resolve of fulfilling what is promised. This money, Rs 1,236 crore, too, will go to the accounts of you all.' He further said, 'Since I have talked about money, let me tell you that it is not worth it to run after money. Else, you know that there is zero tolerance currently… No one has been spared once caught and no one will be spared in the future as well. All of you are new, so you should be careful that nobody misguides you.' Referring to the recently held elections of gram panchayats, the CM said that they have broken all the records. 'As per the information I have, this time, the number of Sarpanches in the age group of 21-40 is 42%. Among them, the number of Sarpanches below the age of 30 are 616 while 1,341 of them are between the age of 31 and 40. As many as 1,337 Sarpanches are between the ages of 41 and 50, while 1,326 are above 50 years old… And one of them, sitting here, has done Ph D,' CM Patel said. In May, the Gujarat State Election Commission had declared elections to 4,564 gram panchayats in the state. Out of them, 761 have emerged as Samras Gram Panchayats where the villagers chose their Sarpanch and ward members through consensus; 56 of them are Mahila Samras Gram Panchayats. On Friday, as the newly elected Sarpanches and ward members were felicitated, the CM also disbursed over Rs 35 crore to the Samras Gram Panchayats for village development. On the occasion, the CM announced a decision of the government to double the allocation of funds for cleanliness in villages. He said that the allocation of Rs 4 per person for cleanliness in a village has been hiked to Rs 4 per person. Held at Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar, the function was also attended by Union Minister for Jal Shakti and Gujarat BJP Chief C R Paatil, Rural Development ministers Raghavji Patel and Kunvarji Halpati, among others. Addressing the function, Paatil asked the newly elected Sarpanches and panchayat members to take up the responsibility of cleanliness and water conservation in their respective villages. Paatil said through water conservation, his ministry wants to bring out 150 districts of the country from the tag of dark zones. Earlier in the day, Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Paatil also inaugurated a Solar Frame Plant of a private company, H&H Aluminium Private Limited, in Rajkot. Paatil virtually inaugurated the plant from a function in Ahmedabad. Addressing the gathering, Paatil called upon the industries to come forward in complementing the government's efforts towards water conservation by recharging the groundwater level.
