The government in the western Indian state of Gujarat is aiming to make he state a leader in the auto industry in the country.

According to some estimates, about half the installed capacity for producing cars in India could be located in the state in the next three to five years. By 2015-16, about a third of the cars that is produced in the country could be from the state.

Surat, Oct 10 : Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia has criticized the government for delaying the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack accused to grab minority Muslims votes.

Togadia said: "The government is maintaining silence on this issue just to grab Muslim votes."

He urged the people to start a movement against militancy and political leaders who provide protection to anti- national elements.

Ahmedabad, Oct 8 : Slamming Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over the recent sops offered to state employees, veteran Congress leader Shankarsinh Vaghela has said the state government is fooling the employees over the hike in dearness allowances.

Modi had announced sops worth rupees 2,000 crores for state government employees on the occasion of completion of a decade in power

Surat, Oct 2 - He is 10, can neither read nor write - but Azmat Hussain from Jaipur went on to win Zee TV's "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs" on the grand finale of the singing reality show here Saturday night.

At a grand ceremony, little Azmat received his moment of fame and the winner's trophy from Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

Hussain pipped 13-year-old Salman Ali from Mewar and Nitin Kumar, 14, from Mubarakpur, to win the title. He has won a family trip to Disneyland four four nights and five days.

Ahmedabad, Sep 20 : Congress leaders led by former union minister Shankersinh Vaghela ended their 74-hour fast Tuesday, saying it had highlighted how the Narendra Modi government had betrayed the trust of the people of Gujarat.

Vaghela ended his fast on a pavement outside Sabarmati ashram here Tuesday by drinking lemon juice given by two Dalit girls.

Ahmedabad, Sep 19:  Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, will be among the top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to be present on the third and final day of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's fast here Monday.

Modi has been fasting since Saturday on a goodwill mission, seeking peace and social harmony.

Maharastra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray greeted Modi at the fast venure earlier in the day.

Small groups of victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots held protests in the city Monday. The action follows the detention of several activists and protestors the previous day.

While the BJP has hailed the fast by Modi, rival parties like the Congress and the Left have criticised it.

Ahmedabad, Sep 19 : Lauding Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his three-day fast for promoting communal harmony, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday said he would support Modi's bid for becoming Prime Minister.

Taking to reporters here, Thackeray said: "I will support Narendra Modi for becoming Prime Minister. This country needs a good governance and a good leader."

Ahmedabad, Sep. 17 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday that his state would be known worldwide for its model of inclusive growth.

Modi, a pro-business Hindu leader who some think could be India''s next prime minister began a "harmony" fast earlier in the day to soften his image that was hurt by religious riots that claimed hundreds of mostly Muslim victims nearly a decade ago.

Modi exalted his state as a model for inclusive growth and communal harmony.

Ahmedabad, Sep. 17 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began his three-day "Sadbhavna" fast with a call for "peace, unity and communal harmony".

The veteran BJP leader's 72-hour fast coincided with his 62nd birthday at the Gujarat University Convention Centre here.

A host of leaders from the BJP, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam were present on the occasion.

Security was extremely tight at the venue.

Gandhinagar, Sep 17 - Chief Minister Narendra Modi's three-day 'sadbhavana' fast beginning in Ahmedabad Saturday was poised to be a grand affair with the BJP state government making all arrangements, including five-tier security, for the event that will see the BJP top brass attending. AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has extended her support by sending two of her ministers.

Ahmedabad, Sep. 16 : Noted Indian classical dancer Mallika Sarabhai has criticized Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for planning to use public money to hold his three-day fast from Saturday.

Sarabhai told media here on Thursday that Modi had no right to hold a public fast for gaining publicity, while so many people of the state were being made to eat malnourished food.

Gandhinagar, Aug 24  : Activists taking out a rally here in support of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption crusade were baton-charged by the police late Tuesday night.

While the police claimed that the rally was illegal and was being taken out without any permission, activists claimed that it was deliberate resort to action by the cops without any provocation and on a peaceful lot of agitators.

The activists were reportedly taking out a rally when they were confronted by the policemen of the Umra police station. It led to an altercation and the police resorted to lathi charge.

More and more land in Gujarat is becoming cultivable with each passing day, for which Gujarat has been ranked topped among all the other states in the country.

“Revolutionary steps like investment in agricultural infrastructure to improve irrigation system, employment of latest technologies and establishment of a dedicated power grid to ensure regular power supply for agriculture sector has contributed to agricultural growth in Gujarat,” said DS Rawat, Secretary-General at Assocham.

In a shocking development, around 20 pupils of Jawahar Navoday Vidyalaya at Borkhadi village in Tapi region were taken to a local hospital owing to food poisoning on Friday morning.

The officials stated that more than 130 children were kept under observations.

As per district officials, the pupils of the Centre-aided residential educational institution were fed rice and curry during the night on Thursday.

The major political news that hit the headlines is the hearing on black money issue and bail of former Gujarat Minister Amit Shah.

Black money issue is a politically sensitive matter in which apex court has asked government to file reply about various probing issues which are making government reluctant in announcing the names of the Indians who have deposited black money in banks abroad.

On the other hand CBI has to convince apex court to cancel the bail granted by the Gujarat High Court to Shah, who has been arrested on the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh.

The pure momentum towards the contract worth Rs. 20.83 trillion was signed last week at the Vibrant Gujarat summit. This summit is predicted to be carried out by next week. Essential decisions were being held up during the Kamutra period.

This period ends at Uttarayan. But the Sakranti, the kite-flying festival celebrations is going to spill over to this weekend, which means the whole Gujarat is going to take over to the rooftops in emotions.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2011 which was held for a couple of days got over on 14th January at Gandhinagar in which 7936 MoUs were agreed upon with a value of Rs. 20.83 lakh crore ($450 billion). This would lead to a consequential promise of creating 52 lakh jobs within the state in next few years.

Corporates promised investments in all the chief sectors however power, production, urban development as well as infrastructure continued to be the main areas of concentration.

Among the major corporate, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group and the Ahmedabad-based Adani Group has declared to invest a huge amount over here.

Gandhinagar, Dec 14 - Thanks to nationwide road shows and a campaign featuring brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, Gujarat is witnessing an overwhelming tourist inflow this year - despite many infrastructural potholes.

While Gujaratis are known to be great travellers, the state tourism industry has never really flourished. But this year officials point to a sudden spurt. The May-September period this year is estimated to have seen 1.3 million more tourists compared to the same period last year, they say.

The officials have unveiled Gujarat's first green building, a 150-bed multi-super speciality hospital, on Thursday.

The multi-super speciality hospital has been built and equipped at a total cost of 150 crore, and it would necessitate a similar sum for further growth.

Mr. Keyur Parikh, chairman of the hospital and interventional cardiologist, stated that the Care Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) has forwarded growth plans to increase the bed capacity to 450 beds.

Mr. Parikh stated that the hospital was planned and developed in order to endorse the green building idea.

According to the Chief Minister of the Gujarat State, Narendra Modi, the Ayodhya verdict will stands a catalytic agent for unity in the country. While the CM made this announcement when he welcomed the Ayodhya verdict and said that it now lends constitutional credence to the construction of Ram temple at the disputed site.

Modi also said that there should not be any feeling for win or loss at the verdict of the high court rather people should forget the past conflict and should focus on building a bright future.