Ahead of LS poll declaration, Gujarat govt announces MSP purchase of crops from March 18, new procurement policy

Separately, Agriculture minister Raghavji Patel announced that the state government will procure tuvar, gram and mustard at MSP from March 18. The procurement will be on for 90 days by when around 3.20 lakh farmers are likely to be benefited, the release stated.

The release added that the government plans to procure tuvar worth Rs 1,734 crore, gram worth Rs 1,765 crore and mustard worth Rs 853 crore.

In addition, for Rajkot district, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced a scheme worth Rs 295 crore to construct a bulk pipeline from the Hadala Pumping Station to the Kotharia Head Works under Gujarat Water Infrastructure Limited. “Upon the completion of the bulk pipeline project, an additional 135 MLD of water will be provided to 18 lakh residents living across various villages across the Rajkot district, including the outgrowth areas and Rajkot Urban Development Authority zones of Rajkot city,” the government stated in an official release.

In another decision, Rs 3,842 crore was sanctioned to strengthen roads in internal and rural areas, including resurfacing of nearly 7,453 kms of roads. The roads covered under the sanctioned grant include various areas such as the tribal regions and border areas falling under various district panchayats.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways sanctioned two projects worth Rs 1,097 crore in the state, said an official release. As part of one of the projects, a four-lane bridge worth Rs 398 core will be built on Sabarmati river near Dharoi dam. The other project involves building a two-lane road worth Rs 699 crore with paved shoulder from Rajasthan border to the Vijaynagar-Antarsuba-Mathasur crossroads. The road has also been realigned to reduce risks of accidents due to sharp curves.

Furthermore, the state government has announced plans to run 1,500 additional buses of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) to meet increased demand of traffic on the occasion of upcoming festivity of Holi-Dhuleti. It also announced 4,500 trips by an additional 500 buses to Dwarka and Dakor in the state. Last year, a government release added, 1,200 additional buses were deployed to ferry people to their native during Holi-Dhuleti.