Gujarat is a state in western India.

It has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,077 km) with a coastline of 1,600 km, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula, and a population in excess of 50 million. The state is bordered by Rajasthanto the north, Maharashtra to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the east and the Arabian Sea as well as the Pakistani province of Sindh on the west. Its capital is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. Gujarat is home to the Gujarati-speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, such as Lothal and Dholavira. Lothal is believed to be one of the world's first ports. Gujarat's coastal cities, chiefly Bharuch, served as ports and trading centers in the Maurya and Gupta empires. Mohandas Gandhi, considered India's "father of the nation", was a Gujarati who led the Indian Independence Movement against the British colonial rule.
[1]

Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India. growing economy in India.
[3][4][5] [6]

[2]

The state has the fastest

It is also one of the most industrialized states of India, and has a per capita GDP almost

twice that of the national average.

Geography
Gujarat borders with Pakistan to the north-west, bounded by the Arabian Sea to the southwest, the state of Rajasthanto the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and by Maharashtra, Union territories of Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the south. Historically, the North was known as Anarta, the Kathiawad peninsula, "Saurastra", and the South as "Lata".[15] Gujarat was also known as Pratichya and Varuna.[16] The Arabian Sea makes up the state's western coast. The capital, Gandhinagar is a planned city. Gujarat has an area of 75,686 sq mi (196,077 km) with the longest coast line 1600 km, dotted with 41 ports; 1 major, 11 intermediate and 29 minor ports.

Forests and wildlife

As per the India State Of Forest Report 2009, Gujarat has 7.46 % of its total geographical area under forest cover. As per the districts, The Dangs has the largest area under forest cover. Gujarat has 4 National parks and 21 sanctuaries. Gujarat is the only home of Asiatic Lions. Outside Africa, Gujarat is the only present natural habitat of lions. Gir Forest National Park in the south-west part of the state covers only part of the lions' habitat. Besides lions, the other big cat that can be found in the state is the leopard. Leopards are spread across large plains of Saurashtra and mountains of South Gujarat. Other National parks include Vansda National Park, Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar and Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch. Wildlife sanctuaries include: Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary, NalSarovar Bird Sanctuary, Porbandar Bird Sanctuary, Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Kutch Bustard Sanctuary, Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary, Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Anjal, Balaram-Ambaji, Barda, Jambughoda, Khavda, Paniya, Purna, Rampura, Ratanmahal, and Surpaneshwar. Gujarat is one state where you can find major mountain-ranges of India. Aravalli, Sahyadri, Vindhya and Satpura are having their presence in Gujarat. Apart from this Gir hills, Barda, Jessore, Chotila etc. are situated in different parts of the Gujarat. Girnar is the tallest hill of Gujarat. Saputara is the only hill-station of the state.

Major rivers
Narmada is the biggest river of Gujarat followed by Tapi, although Sabarmati covers the longest area in the state. SardarSarovar Project is built on Narmada river. Narmada is one of the major rivers of peninsular India with a length of around 1312 km. It is one of only three rivers in peninsular India that run from east to west the others being the Tapi River and the Mahi River.

Industrial growth

etrochemical roducts. he state is rich

in calcite, gypsum, manganese, lignite, bauxite, limestone, agate, feldspar and quart sand, and successful mining of these

significantly above India's average. Kalol, Khambhat andAnkleshwar are today known for their oil and natural gas

made near Bhuj. Surat, a city by the Gulf of Khambhat, is a hub of the global diamond trade. In diamonds were cut and polished in Surat.
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Gujarat is the main producer of tobacco, cotton, and groundnuts in India. Other major food crops produced are rice, wheat, jowar, bajra, maize, Tur, and gram. Gujarat has an agricultural economy; the total crop area amounts to more than one-half of the total land area.[26] Animal husbandry and dairying have played a vital role in the rural economy of Gujarat. Dairy farming, primarily concerned with milk production, functions on a cooperative basis and has more than a million members. Gujarat is the largest producer of milk in India. Amul - Anand milk co-operative federation products are well known all over India, and it is Asia's biggest dairy. Among livestock raised are buffalo and other cattle, sheep, and goats. As per the results of livestock census 1997, there were 209.70 lakh livestock in Gujarat State. As per the estimates of the survey of major livestock products, during the year 200203, the Gujarat produced 6.09 million tonnes of milk, 385 million eggs and 2.71 million kg of wool. Gujarat also contributes inputs to industries like textiles, oil, and soap. As in much of India, since the 1960s farmers in Gujarat have increasingly relied on extensive groundwater irrigation to maintain production. In recent years, however, experts have become increasingly alarmed at the rate of waterdepletion in the state. The water table in Gujarat has been falling steadily for the last 1520 years, leading to a risk of catastrophic, irreversible salt-water intrusion into the groundwater.
[28]

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that electricity for farmers is

subsidized,leaving little incentive to conserve water. To address this issue, the government of Gujarat has begun working with NGOs and universities to create new incentives for water conservation and to promote the adoption of water-saving technologies.

Demographics
The population of the Gujarat State was 60,383,628 as per the 2011 census data. The density of population is 308/km2 (797.6/sq mi), a lower density compared to other states of the country. About 89.1% of the population of Gujarat are Hindu. the population.
[32] [32]

Muslims (Attarwala) account for 9.1%, Jain 1.0% and Sikh 0.1% of

Amongst Hindus, the deity of Krishna is famously worshiped in His form of Shrinathji throughout Gujarat.

Gujarat, as a heavily industrialized state of India, attracts lots of outsiders from various parts of India.

Education
The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) are in charge of the schools run by the Government of Gujarat. However, most of the private schools in Gujarat are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) board. Gujarat has 13 universities and four agricultural universities. Gujarat is also known for many national level institutions. The Space Applications Centre (SAC) is an institution for space research and satellite communication in Ahmedabad, India, under the aegis of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, a renowned scientist, industrialist, and visionary Gujarati, played an important role in it. He also founded Physical Research Laboratory, a research institute encompasses Astrophysics, Solar System, and cosmic radiation. He also envisioned Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, one of the internationally reputed management research institute that is located in Gujarat's commercial capital Ahmadabad and is the top ranked management institutes in the country.
[citation needed]

Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute has been established underCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research Govt. of India at Bhavnagar. It was inaugurated by Late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India on 10 April 1954, with a view to carry out research on marine salt, and salt from inland lakes and sub-soil brine. It is

working on reverse osmosis, electro membrane process, salt and marine chemicals, analytical science, marine biotechnology, and other related fields. B.K. School of Business Management is ranked 6th in terms of financial Management. K. S. School of Business Management is also an MBA College in Gujarat University providing a unique five year's integrated MBA Cource. The National Institute of Design (NID) in Gandhinagar is internationally acclaimed as one of the foremost multi-disciplinary institutions in the field of design education and research. In addition, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) is one of the leading sectoralinstitution in rural management. IRMA is a unique institution in the sense that it provides professional education to train managers for rural management. It is the only one of its kind in all Asia. SardarVallabhbhai National Institute of Technology located in Surat is one of the best engineering colleges in India. It is one of the 20 National Institutes of Technology created by the central government and is a deemed university. It has students from all over India and some foreign students as well. Also, there is Nirma University ranked 14th in self-financed engineering colleges in India. Gujarat Science City,
[64]

is a government initiative to draw more students towards education in

science, which hosts India's first IMAX 3D theatre, an energy park, a hall of science, an amphitheatre, and dancing musical fountains among others. Apart from that, Mudra Institute of Communication Ahmedabad (MICA) is one of the most famous institutes for mass communication and is well-renowned across India. IIT Indian institute of technologywas established at Gandhinagar in the year 2008. IIT Gandhinagar is mentored by IIT Bombay. IIT'S first batch started on 1 August 2008, at a temporary building of government college, Chandkheda, Gandhinagar.The Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) has been established by the Science and Technology Department, Government of Gujarat in 2003 and is registered as a Society.ISR campus is at Raisan, Gandhinagar in a sprawling and picturesque area on the banks of Sabarmati river. Aims and objectives include assigning optimum seismic factors for buildings in different regions and long-term assessment of earthquake potential. The ISR is the only institute in India fully dedicated to seismological research and is planned to be developed into a premier International institute in few years time.

Gujarat Fact File

Area Population Capital

: 1,96,024 sq km : 50,671,017 : Gandhinagar

Principal Language Gujarati : Other Languages : English, Hindi and other Indian languages Literacy Rate Rainfall Temperature : 79.8% : 93.2 cm : Summer: min 25 degrees to 45 dig s Winter: min 15 degrees to max 35 dig s

Season Eco System

: November to February : Ranges from deserts, scrublands, grasslands, decid forests, and wetlands to mangroves, coral reefs, es and gulfs.

As the century begins, natural resources are under increasing pressure, threatening public health and development. Water shortages, soil exhaustion, loss of forests, air and water pollution, and degradation of coastlines afflict many areas. As the worlds population grows, improving living standards without destroying the environment is a global challenge.

Most developed economies currently consume resources much faster than they can regenerate. Most developing countries with rapid population growth face the urgent need to improve living standards. As we humans exploit nature to meet present needs, are we destroying resources needed for the future?

Environment getting worse

About 3 million die from pollution each year. In the past decade in every environmental sector, conditions have either failed to improve, or they are worsening: Public health: Unclean water, along with poor sanitation, kills over 12 million people each year, most in developing countries. Air pollution kills nearly 3 million more. Heavy metals and other contaminants also cause widespread health problems. Amount of land lost to farming by degradation equals 2/3 of North America. Food supply: Will there be enough food to go around? In 64 of 105 developing countries studied by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the population has been growing faster than food supplies. Population pressures have degraded some 2 billion hectares of arable land an area the size of Canada and the U.S.

Freshwater: The supply of freshwater is finite, but demand is soaring as population grows and use per capita rises. By 2025, when world population is projected to be 8 billion, 48 countries containing 3 billion people will face shortages.

Coastlines and oceans: Half of all coastal ecosystems are pressured by high population densities and urban development. A tide of pollution is rising in the worlds seas. Ocean fisheries are being overexploited, and fish catches are down. The demand for forest products exceeds sustainable consumption by 25%. Forests: Nearly half of the worlds original forest cover has been lost, and each year another 16 million hectares are cut, bulldozed, or burned. Forests provide over US$400 billion to the world economy annually and are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems. Yet, current demand for forest products may exceed the limit of sustainable consumption by 25%.

2/3 of the worlds species are in decline. Biodiversity: The earths biological diversity is crucial to the continued vitality of agriculture and medicine and perhaps even to life on earth itself. Yet human activities are pushing many thousands of plant and animal species into extinction. Two of every three species is estimated to be in decline.

Global climate change: The earths surface is warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, largely from burning fossil fuels. If the global temperature rises as projected, sea levels would rise by several meters, causing widespread flooding. Global warming also could cause droughts and disrupt agriculture.

Toward a livable future

How people preserve or abuse the environment could largely determine whether living standards improve or deteriorate. Growing human numbers, urban expansion, and resource exploitation do not bode well for the future. Without practicing sustainable development, humanity faces a deteriorating environment and may even invite ecological disaster. Taking action: Many steps toward sustainability can be taken today. These include: using energy more efficiently, managing cities better, phasing out subsidies that encourage waste, [etc.] The world must sustain 1 billion more people every 13 years. Stabilizing population: While population growth has slowed, the absolute number of people continues to increase by about 1 billion every 13 years. Slowing population growth would help improve living standards and would buy time to protect natural resources. In the long run, to sustain higher living standards, world population size must stabilize. Less growth will provide time to solve sustainability problems.

Population and sustainable development

Environmentalists and economists increasingly agree that efforts to protect the environment and to achieve better living standards can be closely linked and are mutually reinforcing. Slowing the increase in population, especially in the face of rising per capita demand for natural resources, can take pressure off the environment and buy time to improve living standards on a sustainable basis.3,8,11,12 As population growth slows, countries can invest more in education, health care, job creation, and other improvements that help boost living standards.11 In turn, as individual income, savings, and investment rise, more resources become available that can boost productivity. This dynamic process has been identified as one of the key reasons that the economies of many Asian countries grew rapidly between 1960 and 1990.5 A dynamic economy also needs slower population growth. In recent years fertility has been falling in many developing countries and, as a result, annual world p opulation growth has fallen to about 1.4% in 2000 compared with about 2% in 1960. The UN estimated recently that population is growing by about 78 million per year, down from about 90 million estimated early in the 10 1990s. Still, at the current pace world population increases by about 1 billion every 13 years. World population surpassed 6 billion in 1999 and is projected to rise to over 8 billion by 2025. In many countries, births far outnumber deaths, creating overpopulation.

Globally, fertility has fallen by half since the 1960s, to about three children per woman.10 In 65 countries, including 9 in the developing world, fertility rates have fallen below replacement level of about two children per woman.9 Nonetheless, fertility is above replacement level in 123 countries, and in some countries it is substantially above replacement level. In these countries the population continues to increase rapidly. About 1.7 billion people live in 47 countries where the fertility rate averages between three and five children per woman. Another 730 7 million people live in 44 countries where the average woman has five children or more. The rise in populations is mainly in developing nations. Almost all population growth is in the developing world. As a result of differences in population growth, Europes population will decline from 13% to 7% of world population over the next quarter century, while that of subSaharan Africa will rise from 10% to 17%. The shares of other regions are projected to remain about the same as today.6 Parts of Africa will experience drastic water shortages by 2025. As population and demand for natural resources continue to grow, environmental limits will become increasingly apparent.6 Water shortages are expected to affect nearly 3 billion people in 2025, with sub-Saharan Africa worst affected. Many countries could avoid environmental crises if they took steps now to conserve and manage supplies and demand better, while slowing population growth by providing families and individuals with information and services needed to make informed choices about reproductive health. Family planning is effective in stabilizing growth. Family planning programs play a key role. When family planning information and services are widely available and accessible, couples are better able to achieve their fertility desires.4 Even in adverse circumstance low incomes, limited education, and few opportunities for women family planning programs have meant slower population growth and improved family welfare, the World Bank has noted.1
2

Conclusion
If every country made a commitment to population stabilization and resource conservation, the world would be better able to meet the challenges of sustainable development. Practicing sustainable development requires a combination of wise public investment, effective natural resource management, cleaner agricultural and industrial technologies, less pollution, and slower population growth. Conclusion: We risk destroying our standard of living if we dont control populati on growth. Worries about a population bomb may have lessened as fertility rates have fallen, but the worlds population is projected to continue expanding until the middle of the century. Just when it stabilizes and thus the level at which it stabilizes will have a powerful effect on living standards and the global environment. As population size continues to reach levels never before experienced, and per capita consumption rises, the environment hangs in the balance.

Forest Cover
Currently, nearly half of the original forest cover has already been lost worldwide. More than 16 million hectares are cleared annually. As world populations grow, there will not only be an increased need for resources to be extracted from those forests but the space that the forest occupies as well. Current demand already exceeds the limits of sustainable yield by more than 25 percent worldwide. Forest cover is linked not only to biodiversity issues but also to the preservation of freshwater ecosystems, groundwater supplies, and reducing the amount of greenhouse gases, which cause climate change.

More achievements for Gujarat in the 'green' region - the latest report of the forest survey of India revealing that the state's green cover has gone up fractionally by 16sq km. However, though the extension of the total forest area has seen an upward movement by 0.08% and the state has thereby gained 86sq km in open forest area, 70sq km of moderately dense forest has been lost. This brings the state's total forest cover to 9.66% of the state's total geographical area, much lower than the ideal requirement of a third of the total land. The report quotes state forest officials citing tree cutting by villagers as the reason for loss of forest cover in districts of Narmada, Surat, Valsad and Navsari. The report is on the basis of the satellite data derived in a survey conducted in 2007. Though the increase might be diminutive, foresters are happy about the development, though not satisfied. "We have been striving hard for some time to increase the state's forest cover. Though we are happy that there has been some improvement, it is by no means satisfying and we have a lot more to do before we can settle down," principal chief conservator of forest, PradipKhanna said. Most of the increase in the green cover has been attributed to mangrove plantation in districts of Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Jamnagar and Kutch. The forest cover had decreased by 99 sq km comprising 0.66% of the total state forest cover as per forest survey of India's findings of 2005. Forest cover has been one of the main concerns of the state forest department and a good deal of their efforts are geared towards increasing the green cover. Over the past few years, aggressive mangrove plantation has been the main activity of forest departments like Gujarat Ecology Commission and intensive studies on mangroves by GEER Foundation.

Global Warming : Climate Change Initiatives

The Environment wing of the Department is the apex body in the Gujarat State for implementation of all the environment related matters to achieve the sustainable development in the State and introducing the sound environmental management practices. The Department has four executing agencies viz Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Ecology Commission, Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology and Gujarat Environmental Management Institute, for discharging its functions. Various studies are initiated for Environmental Management and sustainable development in the State of Gujarat by identifying the critical areas that need special attention for Green Cover. The Forest and Environment initiatives have been implemented at length as 60% of Population in Gujarat dwells in rural areas who rely for living on Forest regions. Hence, the regeneration, maintaining the productivity level and sustainability of the non-forest lands, particularly the common lands has become imperative for the state for a continuous supply of rural needs. Gujarat Forest Department manage a Social Forestry Programme for planting trees on non-forest lands and became a pioneer to improve Green Cover of the state. The objectives were to increase the number of trees in Gujarat, promoting the participation of people and institutions to grow trees, make use of unproductive land to productive use apart from many other areas that called for attention towards sustainable growth. Managing Climate Change is a major challenge to humanity. To tackle it, Gujarat has established a separate Department for Climate Change. This Initiative by Gujarat Government is a trendsetter not only for India but for the whole of Asia as it is the First in Asia with a Department for Climate Change. It is the only 4th

Forest & Environment : Smart Goals 20082009

To take actions with regard to Climate change and its awareness To take special measures for Gir Lions To expedite forest settlement issues and dwellers' rights To utilize the JBIC fund for afforestation To increase network of JFMs and expand the coverage of Eco- clubs To finalise the Eco fragile zone through surveys Development of new forests / eco based tourism spots Declaration of ChhariDhandh as Conservation reserve Relocation of maldharis on alternate lands To take series of preventive pollution measures, through user industries and

companies and make an Environmental Infrastructure Plan for 10 years in light of Vibrant Gujarat offers. To ensure more strict enforcement of pollution control laws and encoura ge. P- P- P in laying of effluent lines , pipes and adoption of hazard dumping sites for green zones

State/Province in the World to have a Department for Climate Change. Set up in February 2009, the Department is headed by CM NarendraModi to handle issues of Climate Change. The Initiative is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership, which will ensure all citizens and people in Gujarat to enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

Thirty nine clean energy initiatives of energy and petrochemicals, urban transportation, forest and environment, rural development and industrial and mines will fall under this new Department. It will also carry out a study on the impact of global warming along the State's 1600 km. coastline. Gujarat currently has 29 percent share of the entire country's carbon credit. State government further intends to launch 'Green Credit Movement' on the lines of carbon credit. Under the Green credit movement, if someone cuts trees to set up an Industry he would have to replace with the same number of full grown trees.

The Green Priorities of DCC:

Promote Green Tech Earn more carbon credits Power saving Preserve ground water Promote CNG network Increase mangrove cover Fund research in Green Tech Preparation of comprehensive multi-dimensional Climate Change Policy of Gujarat State

Conservation of Land, Water and Air Coordination with all other departments with respect to Climate Change Educational curricul Climate Change will be prepared and introduced. Universities will undertake R&D on Climate Change along with introduction of new courses a teachers training modules on Climate Change. Public Participation and Public Awareness will be developed in this cause in an extensive way Cooperation with national and international agencies will be undertaken. Constant interactio and consultation will be undertaken with National Clean Development Authority and concern international agencies under the umbrella of United Nations.

Factopedia: Global Warming

There is seriousness of Global Warming, an increase in the earth's temperature due to the use of fossil fuels and other industrial processes leading to a buildup of "greenhouse gases" (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons) in the atmosphere. It has been known since 1896 that carbon dioxide helps stop the sun's infrared radiation from escaping into space and thus functions to maintain the earth s relatively warm temperature. This is called the "greenhouse effect." Many of the world's top scientists have urged immediate action, and have called for international cooperation on the problem. Many scientists agree that warmer temperatures would cause rise in sea levels, the oceans when warmed up will occupy more space. The glaciers and polar ice will begin to melt. Since humidity of the atmosphere increases with the temperature, more snow would fall on earth s extremes. It is is predicted by 2030, the sea will rise by 150 to 300 mm endangering coastal town and cities around the world. The growing blanket of Carbon dioxide gas will become thicker and cause havoc. The Nuclear threat of explosions has yet posed another man made environmental imbalance and it s after effects will have yet to be weighed as to the cause of temperature effects.

Gujarat s Initiatives In Environment Conservation

1.

A Dynamic, Investor friendly, new Solar Policy with a target to set up 500 MW of Solar Energy Plants

2. 5. 6. 8.

A proactive Wind Power Policy to make the wind energy capacity from 1300 MW to 8000 MW Gandhinagar Solar Energy Project under implementation, as a part of Energy Conservation Program and is under CDM Projec Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) being implemented to shift 40% of the trips from Personal transport vehicles to Public Trans Large Urban Efficiency Program covering all Municipal Corporations and Municipalities in the State under implementation wh lead to 30% energy saving.

11. 3.6 Lac Auto Vehicles switched over to Clean Fuel of CNG/LPG in the last 7 years. Ahmedabad, which was the 4th Most Pollut India has improved to the 66th rank in the last four years. 12. 25000 Hectares of Mangrove Forest have been added in the Postal areas of Gujarat which will be working as strong Carbon S absorbing 50 tons of Carbon per Hectare. 13. Social Forestry in Gujarat has achieved a benchmark of 14 Trees per Hectare. 14. Ground Water dependence has been reduced by a laying a State wide Water Grid which covers 75% of the Population with su surface water resources for drinking water. 15. 3 Lac Water Harvesting Structures constructed in last 5 years has increased the ground water level throughout the State and the Agriculture Income by four times. 16. Drip Irrigation System (DIS) has been introduced and inter-linking of 21 rivers of the State for Conservation of water.

The Protection of Environment is rooted in Indian Culture Hon ble CM, NarendraModi

The literacy rate among the Gujarati population has improved. The literacy rate has increased to 69.97% from 61.57% recorded in the census conducted ten years ago.

ation Projects & Initiatives

Smart Goals with a future vision 'Education for All' is a major Project of the Education Department with its Continuous Education and Literacy Policies geared to promote Literacy, reduce drop out rates, Focus on Girl Education, Teachers Training and a series of other Initiatives being implemented. Girl Education, Infrastructure, Health and Sanitation are the many areas in the process of continuous Education, Literacy, Edu Awareness and on path to enhancement in quality implementation. The Government vision is for SEE (Socio-Economic-Education) growth with primary education, secondary education, higher education, continuous education, literacy education, technical education, pharmacy education etc. The focus is on Concentration of plan and non -plan provisions and best use of investments made in education sector and the purpose of development. It aims for UEE (universalisation of primary education) for children in age group 6 to 14 years with specific planning, target setting and power initiative key role to 100% male and female literacy by 2010. The Campaign for Education for All is implemented with Literacy initiatives like Training to 9000 teachers, covering all the students of Standards 4 and 7 under student Achievement profile, Extra coaching togirls studying in standards 2,3,4 and 5 in 12,500 schools to upgrade level by 10 to 15% in Gujarati and Arithmetic . It aims for

increase in capability by 5 to 10% in writing, reading and calculating by students of standard -3.

Financial Aid schemes like Viidhyalaxmi Bond Yojna and Insurance schemes like VidhyadeepYojna are implemented by the Government to provide facilities to children and families to support Education. Health of School children is a prime concern for the Government and hence, with co-operation of WHO (World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNESCO) and World Bank Health Developing School-Programme pilot project pioneer in Gujarat. Computer Training is enhanced for Primary Level Education. The Government adopt Tech nology by promoting Computer aided Learning, which is expected to benefit around 8,50,000 students of government run schools of Gujarat. It also aims for education in rural places to set path of development with continuous power supply and broadband connectivity. The Government has also initiated the SCOPE program to sharpen English language skills among Gujarati learners. Desirous Schools to set up Language Laboratory are supported by learning software for improving pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. The software includes self learning program for improving pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. The students can master the English language skills and gain confidence. The Education Department s SarvaShikshanAbhiyaan (National Program) and other pro motional schemes are managed by Gujarat Council of Elementary Education (GCEE) which has grown from an agency implementing a project in just three districts to an organization implementing several different projects in primary education sector in the state, viz. DPEP (Distant Primary Education Program) II & IV.

National Project Implementation:

SarvaShikshaAbhiyan Mission (SSAM), Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) Kasturba Gandhi BalikaVidyalaya (KGBV)KGBV

du-Project Initiatives:

Under SarvaShikshaAbhiyan Mission (SSAM), all the 25 districts and Municipal Corporations in Gujarat are being covered. Under the umbrella of SSAM, it is implementing National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) in 1093 clusters of 78 rural Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) and 39 clusters of 13 urban slums in 21 districts (excluding Bharuch, Dang, Porbandar and Valsad) in the state. The Department execute Kasturba Gandhi BalikaVidyalaya (KGBV) Yojana, under which, 30 residential elementary schools with boarding facilities are being set up for girls belonging to the disadvantaged groups of SC/ST/ OBC/ Minority and BPL in difficult areas.

Childhood in Gujarat should not be lifeless but full of vigour and enthusiasm CM, NarendraModi

mes Adopted to Enhance Education

Primary Education

Vidhyalaxmi Bond Yojna VidhyadeepYojna Hon. Chief Ministers The Girl Child Development Program School-Health Check-up Program Computer Training at the Primary Educational level
Secondary and Higher Secondary Department

Diploma for the teachers to improve their teaching skills ( Teachers Training Program ) Common Entrance Test for admission Teleconference for the students of Std. 10th and 12th.
Technical Education

Self employment programs for the women

KanyaKelavani

The Educated Girl Child Initiative was born out of a painful distress call as Womens Education in Gujarat in 2001 stood on 20th Position with Literacy rate among Female with 48.1%. Honble CM joined hands with all Government officers IAS, IPS and other beauracrats, in a massive KanyaKelavaniRath and turned into a massive movement to face the challenge in 2009. Government charts out plans to enroll 525,000 girls in the state in KanyaKelavani drive. It covers 1,865 routes and as a result, 100% enrollment and reduction in the drop out rate from 40% to 2.29% is achieved. It foresees a vision 2010 that, when Gujarat celebrates its golden Jubilee, there should be a zero - 0 percentdrop out rate in Gujarat (Literally No Drop Outs). Girl Child Education program is initiated in villages across Gujarat. It covers almost 18,000 villages esp. where the literacy rate is below 20 percent and focus on identified suburbs of the urban areas to spread the message of education. The Government further envisage the Initiative to road ahead of success by making Jyoti-Gram and Broadband connectivity available in all villages. Also, Education would be one of the major sector in the Gram MitraYojna comprising of 5 Gram Mitra departments viz. Agriculture, Health, Education, Vikas (Development) and Human Development. (Gram MitraYojna is aimed to provide a boost to the social and economic structure of villages). Education is power and the government is all set to transform the villages to illuminate with knowledge information and awareness to bring a change in socio-economic drawbacks.

BalPravesh | Mid Day Meal Schemes

Government schemes like BalPravesh and NirogiBal is also made a part of the KanyaKelavani campaign. Government ensures Literacy 100% in rural areas as it encourages BalPravesh (Child Admissions) by providing Admission forms and enrolling over 525,000 girls in the state in KanyaKelavani drive. The Ministers, beauracrats and other Government officials motivate, encourage and inspire the parents to enroll their children for Education as it is a prime factor to combat poverty.

To ensure co-operation and enhance better quality of food with nutrition, the officials even share the food with children under Mid Day Meal schemes which was started by the Government as the second state in the country, committed to social integration and social up-liftment.

NirogiBal
Government ensures on NirogiBal scheme along with BalPravesh as Health is a prime concern of the child while it attends the classroom. Literacy to Health with NirogiBal is announced for 2008-09 with mass movement for Safe Health with impact to Social Development of Gujarat. It ensures universal reach and delivery of quality health services. It also make certain of quality nutrition and growth through effective implementation of MamtaAbhiyan. One of the many goals is to guarantee Elementary Education and Life Skills Education for all children.

Vidhyalaxmi Bonds
Gujarat Government focus on role of Education in Poverty Eradication and the campaign is aimed at ensuring maximum enrollment of boys and girls in primary schools all across the state. To encourage Girl Child Education, Vidhyalaxmi Bonds are entrusted among areas with low literacy rates, below 35 percent among women and this serve as an incentive to poor parents to send their daughters to schools.

Vidhya Deep Yojna

Vidhya Deep Yojna, the Insurance scheme is adopted children where the premium is paid by the Government to ensure financial assistance to parents in case of untoward incident.

Teachers Training and Distance Teachers Training Program

For the KanyaKelavani Initiative, due care is taken by the Government to recruit qualified Teachers. The Government sets up Teachers Training Centers and under Education Improvement programs, School development Institutes gets grant and Teacher Incentives to procure enhanced teaching certificates. Initiatives are taken by the Government for Distance Teachers Training Programme. Honble CM addresses the Distance Teachers' Training Programme for the Elementary school teachers through Satellite Technology. Over 1,94,000 Teachers over 4000 receiving Centers participated in the Interactive Training Program in June 2009. Teachers get to watch and listen to eminent scholars as well as academicians as well as interact with them. Gujarat Government transforms lives and follows the Gandhian Principles. Gandhiji said, If one boy is education, a child becomes literate but if a girl is educated, the whole family gets literacy. The Government believes in reforming lives and bring revolutionary change in the mindsets of people for edusocio-economical growth.

A glimpse to progress : 2007

8500 Schools upgraded since 1998 18053 schools equipped with power supply facilities Primary School children gets School text books at no cost as 36 Crores Grant >> Initiated by Govt. School Laboratories enhanced at the cost of 3.4 Crores every year 84,33,426 children gets Health Check up and 12, 27, 199 children get immediate . health treatment by 2007
Key Factors & Achievement:

Special campaign to recruit 1.05 lakh Assistant Teachers for a strong and prosperous Gujarat KanyaKelavaniRathyatra and PraveshMahotsav (mid June 2009) have led to a reduction in the drop out ra Efforts in Primary chools have led to 49.34 lakh students obtaining uniforms at total expenditure of Rs.6,5 Efforts in Primary chools have led to 49.34 lakh students obtaining uniforms at total expenditure of Rs.6,518 lakh Facility of free bus transport for girls in rural areas Special concentration on 6 special schemes of KanyaKelavani for girls in 41 most backward talukas With increased efforts, KanyaKelavani Fund has reached Rs. 21.83 crore, for girls Education The next steps for Gujarat in the area of Human Development Index: Children University and BalGokulamSanstha Reading, writing and numeracy of students in Primary Schools has improved by 80%

Some Vision 2010

Admission rate in schools is 90.30% - to be raised to 100% Rate of drop-outs in 48.1% - to be decreased to zero. Literacy rate among male is 73% - to be raised to 100% Literacy rate among female is 48.6 % - to be raised to 100% Literacy rate among scheduled castes is 61.07% - to be raised to 100% Literacy rate among scheduled tribes in 36.45% - to be raised to 100%
Besides schools, Gujarat also houses some of the well known colleges and universities that are offering types of degree courses of different themes. Like IIM Ahmedabad, National Institute of Design, National Institute of Technology Surat, SardarVallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology, NIT, Marine Chemicals Research Institute are some of the prestigious education institutes of higher education in Gujarat. The four agricultural universities in Gujarat also play an important role in attracting students towards Gujarat. All these universities and colleges offer different types of undergraduate and postgraduate level of degree courses. Here indiaedumart offers state wise education system that includes list of schools, colleges and universities of every state and cities of India. This section of indiaedumart offers detail information about Gujarat education that includes list of schools, colleges and universities of the same.

GUJARAT

Industrial estates of Gujarat are cesspools of filth and environmental health hazards. Yet the government is blindly promoting industry Gujarat has more than 90,000 industrial units, according to the state government. About 8,000 of these units are polluting, also says the state government. Major polluting industries are located in the Vadodara Petrochemical Complex, Nandesari,

Ankleshwar, Vapi, Vatva and Hazira near Surat. The Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) was managing 270 industrial estates as on March 1996, and its activity plan for the year 1998-99 included sanctioning of eight new ones. About 70 per cent of the investment in Gujarat since the 1970s has been in the chemicals sector, says R C Trivedi, former chairperson of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB). He says that in the 1970s, the state government was encouraging small-scale units in the chemicals sector through financial incentives. These industrial units came up in huge numbers. But the government gave a very low priority to the environment. This is why environmental problems cropped up in Gujarat, says Trivedi. Nowhere more so than in the nearly 400-km stretch between Vapi in southern Gujarat and Vatva in northern Gujarat, called the golden corridor, an industrialists dream come true. This stretch has become a hot bed of pollution. In the golden corridor, we have created a number of potential disasters similar to the Bhopal gas tragedy. The time-bomb is ticking very fast, says AchyutbhaiYagnik, secretary of Setu, an Ahmedabad-based ngo. Another example of an environmental nightmare is Alang, the largest shipbreaking yard of the world, situated 50 km from Bhavnagar. The 11-km coastline of the yard has been severely polluted due to scrapping of hazardous ships.(see Bare Facts; Down To Earth, Vol 6, No 20; March 15, 1998).

Government response, or the lack of it

We are suffering because of the lack of proper planning in the past. But it is now a futile exercise to blame anyone for that. The situation is in front of everybody. We have to come out of it, says Suresh Mehta, industry minister of Gujarat. Optimistic words. But what is the state government doing to deal with the growing pollution problems? Well, it is trying its best to set up more industries. The state government has planned the Infrastructure Vision 2010, which hardly lays any focus on environment. In a meeting organised by gec in Ahmedabad on October 29, 1999, K V Bhanujan, principal secretary of finance to the state government, had observed: The Vision 2010 is a focused and comprehensive document on infrastructure. But environmental concerns in general or anticipated as a consequence of the implementations of the vision have not been even touched upon anywhere.

Blackened rivers
Gujarats rivers are bearing the brunt of industrial pollution, as are the people living on the banks of these rivers. All the major rivers and streams of Gujarat are in a bad state due to effluent discharged by industry, be it the Kolak, the Mahi, the Daman Ganga or the Amlakhadi. One can see red water flowing in the Sabarmati, released by the common effluent treatment plant (CETP) in Vatva. Several times, drug factories in Vapi dump spoilt batches in the open. These contain chemicals that are high ly toxic. Take the case of the farmers from 11 villages between Lali and Navagam, who irrigate their fields with untreated effluents released into the Khaririver. Nearly 100 tubewells and borewells have been contaminated. When factories were prevented from dumping effluents in the Mini river, they resorted to reverse boring, pumping untreated effluents straight into underground aquifers, says SahabsinhDarbar, 73, a farmer from Sherkhi village in Vadodara district.

We do not require any study to confirm that channels and rivers in Gujarat are polluted. You can see that from the colour of the water, says MayurPandya, a noted lawyer who chaired a committee set up to investigate pollution of Khaririver near Ahmedabad by the Gujarat High Court in 1995. So, what have the people done to prevent their land and rivers from being defiled?

The rise and fall of a peoples campaign

On June 19, 1987, two people who had climbed down to do repair work in a well in Lali village died. The villagers knew the cause of death. Effluents carried by the neighbouring Khaririver, better described as an effluent channel, had leached into the groundwater. The reaction had produced poisonous gases, which lead to asphyxia tion. The river has been carrying industrial wastes for the past 20 years, says PravinbhaiJashbhai Patel, a farmer from Navagram village. A public outcry followed. But as usual, the government chose to remain silent, says Patel. Finally, on February 16, 1995, the 11 villages filed a public interest petition in the Gujarat High Court. The bench comprising chief justice B N Kirpal and justice H L Gokhale set up the Pandya Committee to look into the matter. The committee reported that water samples taken from the Khaririver, where it flows through Lali, had pH levels as low as 2, showing that the water was highly acidic. The biological oxygen demand was about 14 times the permissible limit and the chemical oxygen demand was much more than 16 times the limit, says Jashbhai Patel. On the basis of the report, on August 5, 1995, the court ordered that 756 industrial units, which were regarded as highly polluting, pay up 1 per cent of their gross turnover of the year 1993-94 or 1995-96, whichever was higher. The court ruled: The amount be utilised for the works of socio-economic uplift in the villages and on educational, medical and veterinary

facilities and the betterment of the agriculture and livestock in the said villages. But even today, farmers use waters from the polluted Khari river when water is released from the upstream Kadana dam, says Girish Patel, a lawyer based in Ahmedabad. As for compensation, sources point out that while some industrial units have paid up, others are still in the process of doing so. Several units have started production again. The situation has not changed at all. Untreated effluents still flow in the river. Water in the 100-odd wells near Khari is still a distinct red. Kanubhai Patel, a farmer, says the paddy yield has gone down by half. The villagers find a difference in milk quality, too, which they attribute to cattle grazing in contaminated areas. In August 1999, Down To Earth got a sample of groundwater from Lali village analysed at the Facility for Ecological and Analytical Testing (FEAT) of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. It had a mercury concentration that was 211 times the permissible limit. Mercury is an extremely toxic heavy metal and is known to cause damage to kidneys and the central nervous system.

Failure of the courts

The most damaging aspect of Gujarats struggle against industrial pollution has been the failure of the courts to deliver. There was a phase in 1995 when the Gujarat High Court was cracking down on polluters, giving an impetus to the environmental movement in the state. Hundreds of cases were filed in the court. This continued for two to three years. As long Justice B N Kirpal was the chief justice of the high court, he took stern action against polluters. After this period, the court got bogged down in dealing with applications to reopen industrial units after a closure order given by justice Kirpal. But the implementing and regulatory agencies remained lackadaisical. Soon, people handling these cases lost interest as the exercise could not yield the desired results. In Gujarat, industry controls politicians, rather than the other way round. The situation does not look like it will improve, says MayurPandya. If we try to find out how many industrialists have been put behind bars under the Water Act or the Air Act, we will hardly find any. So they are not scared at all, adds Girish Patel. The courts usually go by the the findings of GPCB. This is not acceptable at all. The court should stop relying on GPCB information if it wants better results, says AnandMazgaonkar of PSS. He says gpcb annual reports look like primary school books: These are not the kind of reports needed in a state where so many industries produce extremely toxic chemicals.

Waste: solid and hazardous

Factories have been dumping thousands of tonnes of hazardous wastes in the open. Not only has this polluted the groundwater but it has also damaged fertile lands. Take the case of Bajwa, a village in Vadodara district where industrial waste has been accumulating for the past 30 years and there is barely any agricultural land to be proud of in terms of productivity. Now, industries are constructing landfill sites. But even in the construction and planning of these, environmental health has not been kept in mind. One example is GIDCs Nandesari Industrial Estate north of Vadodara. Plans of a site to dump toxic wastes are severely flawed and there are fears of a major ecological disaster. From Vapi to Mehsana, several units dealing with pharmaceuticals, dyes and dye intermediaries are constructing landfills sites to dump their hazardous wastes. However, Mazgaonkar cites a 1977 study conducted for the us Environmental Protection Agency, conducted on 50 landfills, showed that 86 per cent had contaminated underground water supplies beyond the b oundaries of the landfill. Environment impact assessments by the National Productivity Council, Gandhinagar, in 1997-98 and 1997-98 showed high levels of lead contamination in the groundwater of Nandesari. Samples taken nearby the gidc dump contained 38.2 5 milligramme per litre (mg/l) of lead, whereas the permissible limit is a mere 0.05 mg/l for drinking water. The groundwater has been severely contaminated to a depth of about 60 metres, the study says. Disposal of untreated mercury-contaminated effluent from caustic manufacturers has contaminated large tracks of land in Nandesari in Gujarat, says a draft Sectoral Environment Report submitted in 1997 by the Union ministry of environment and forests to the World Bank.

Systems that do not work

The entire machinery to control pollution in the state has failed, says Girish Patel. The view of the ruling party is that environmental problems are just a problem of the elite. They do not accept that the poor people are the most severely affected because it is they who live in a polluted environment and drink contaminated water, he adds.

gpcb is the one of the worst pollution control boards in India. It has mainly political appointees or bureaucrats at senior positions, who lack knowledge of environmental issues, rues Trivedi. It is an irony that only the first two chairpersons of gpcb had any background in the field of the environment. I was the second chairperson during 1980 -82. After me, either bureaucrats or the political appointees have been appointed. A former chairperson of gpcb was allegedly forced to leave because he did not work as the politicians wanted him to, says Trivedi. There is no pressure from the implementing agencies over industrialists. They do not have an initiative to meet the environmental norms, he adds. This has certainly helped big industries find ways to flout environmental norms. Today, industrialists first invest money in a project and then plead in the court that they cannot stop the work on environmental grounds as they have already made the investment. In most of the cases, the court relaxes some of the norms. As a result, what happens is that the pollution remains, but the conditions disappear, comments Patel.

A fatigued civil society

The NGOs that are working in this field do not have the support to do anything concrete. So, by and large, there is no strong voice against pollution problems in Gujarat today, says Girish Patel. D S Ker, president of GramyaVikas Trust, an NGO based in Dwarka, says: NGOs here have not been able to mobilise grassroots-level support. The voice of ngos in the state mainly comes from the middle class. But these people have not been able to carry together the grassroots level people. Although people of Gujarat are gradually realising that pollution is becoming a serious problem, they are not reacting the way they should, considering that their very lives are at stake. The spirit of public good that saw numerous people going to court against polluting industry has been snuffed out after implementing agencies failed to enact the orders of the courts.

A way out?
Michael Mazgaonkar says the only way out of the present situation is to have a very democratic system of permitting industries: If we can ensure this along with easy access to information, we can reduce the problem to a great extent. We have adequate environmental rules that, if implemented properly, can control most of the industrial hazards. But the industries have found ways to circumvent these rules. So even if all these rules are implemented and the decision-making is not democratic, the problem is likely to continue, he feels. The problem can only be dealt with if good ngos and people take up the issue seriously. If community-based organisations come up, then some improvement can be made in the present situation, says Trivedi. C J Jose, member secretary of GEC, has another view: To protect their trade at the international level, these industries will be forced to comply with international environmental norms. Gujarat clearly needs direction today when it comes to environmental governance. The civil society is faced with a huge task. The first thing to do, however, is to involve rural communities and industrial workers in the struggle against pollution. That being done, solutions will emerge. But if that is not done, then the cesspool is only going to worsen.

Contaminated Groundwater
Until the 1980s, BharatbhaiBhagat, a farmer who lives a kilometre away from the Sarigam Industrial Estate (sie) in Valsad district of Gujarat, had 600 mango trees. He had been selling 10 truckloads of mangoes every year. Today, we have to buy the fruit, even for our own consumption, he says. Bhagats story is no different from those living in villages near sie. The 450-odd industrial units, including 50 chemical units, have in 12 years contaminated the groundwater. And if villagers are to be believed, some units even use borewells to pump untreated effluents into the ground. A recent Greenpeace study shows that groundwater in Sarigam is contaminated with organic pollutants such as tri chloroethane, benzene and several organochlorine compounds. Benzene is a known carcinogen and dichlorobenzene is a persistent organic pollutant, which remains in the environment for a very long period of time. Groundwater is the only source of drinking water for the villagers. But use of groundwater results in health problems, ruins our crops and the land as well, says Prakash B Arekar, former sarpanch (head) of Sarigam village council. Arekar, along

with fellow villagers, has been has been trying to bring to task industrial units responsible for contamination but without success. A 1986-87 incident explains their failure. Seventy-year-old blind farmer GaneshbhaiAmbalis 1.2-hectare land was completely destroyed after untreated effluents from Ami Chemicals spilled onto his fields. The company official offered me money. He said that was all I would get. He also said that since he controlled 32 inspectors of the pollution control board, I was small fry, recalls Ambali. The current controversy over Sabero Organics, which deals with chemicals, is also a case in point. According to Rajendra Singh Jadeja, vice-president of the Sarigam Industrial Association, Sabero had been caught red-handed dumping untreated effluents in the open. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board served a closure notice to Sabero in 1999. The company is now seeking permission to set up a unit to manufacture the fungicide mancozeb. AnandMazgaonkar of the ParyavaranSurakshaSamiti, a non-governmental organisation, says production of this fungicide has been banned in several industrialised countries in view of the health risk it poses: Its usage could adversely affect the central nervous system and is a suspected endocrine disrupter. In a public hearing held at the collectors office in Valsad on March 31, 1999, 100-odd people protested against Saberos decision to set up the plant. However, some questioned the very idea of calling a public hearing wh en almost 60 per cent construction of the proposed plant had been completed. We have been cheated by our own representatives, says Arekar. In 1983, the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (gidc) acquired land in Sarigam for setting up the industrial estate. Politicians played mischief with us. They had said there would only be engineering units in the area, says Bhagat. But they declared it a chemicals zone. Now our area has become like a multi-storeyed building without any latrines and bathrooms, says Arekar. But we have to fight. Our future generation will curse us if we do not protect the environment now, he adds.