Express News Service
Paralympian Bhavina nominated for award
Tokyo Paralympics medallist Bhavina Patel has been nominated in the category of Best Female Athlete at the Asian Awards 2021 organised by the Asian Paralympic Committee. Bhavina Patel was the talk of the sports world and the nation when she went on to bag a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Becoming the first paddler from India to win a medal at either the Olympics or Paralympics, Bhavina’s outing at Tokyo was truly exciting and rewarding, Bhavina comes from Vadnagar, Gujarat. Her family’s poor financial condition and her difficulties from polio couldn’t stop this prodigy from winning national and international accolades and awards.
Budget session to be first for new CM, finance minister
The Gujarat Assembly’s budget session is slated to begin on March 2. Notably, this will be the first budget session of CM Bhupendra Patel as well as Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, both of whom were appointed in September last year after CM Vijay Rupani resigned.
For the current fiscal, the state has an estimated expenditure of Rs 2,23,333 crore, 10% more than that of 2019-20. As the state and national economy is bouncing back from the pandemic and the impact of the lockdown in 2020-21, the revenue receipts of the current and next year are likely to see buoyancy.
In 2020-21, the state’s revenue collection had declined 19%, by Rs 30,158 crore, from that of the previous year. This fiscal, the state has estimated revenue receipts of Rs 1,68,219 crore, 8% more than the annual receipts in 2019-20.
Polls months away, yet BJP adding star entrants
Assembly elections may be months away in Gujarat, but the ruling BJP is already welcoming new joinees. Former Kutch district panchayat president Jagruti Shah joined the BJP. Jagruti is the daughter of former finance minister Babubhai Meghjibhai Shah who had won from there in three of the past six elections – once on a BJP ticket in 1995, and twice on Congress tickets.
Film artists and popular local leaders make up the joinees. National president of Atmiya Yuva Sangathan Kishor Thakor; actors Falguni Rawal, Bhakti Kubawat, Mamta Soni, Kamini Patel and Dharmishtha Patel, among others, joined the BJP in presence of state party chief C R Patil.
Rs 91 crore for development of judicial infrastructure
The Gujarat government has approved an allocation of Rs 91 crore for the development of infrastructure for the judiciary – with the objective of speedy delivery of justice. It announced that the funds have been allocated to set up new taluka, zila and family courts and develop existing infrastructure.
Some portion of the fund will also be used to build residences for judicial officers. Over concerns about delivery of justice to the visually impaired, the state plans to improve accessibility at courts in Kalol, Dehgam, Malpur, Idar, Talod and Bhiloda districts. The state has also approved Rs 3 crore for developing existing infrastructure at the Gujarat High Court.
Dilip Singh Kshatriya
Our correspondent in Gujarat
