CM Bhupendra Patel the new ‘Dada’ of Gujarat completes one year

By: Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
Bhupendra Patel was unanimously elected as the BJP legislative party leader and Chief Minister elect of Gujarat on 12 September 2021. He sworn in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on 13 September 2021. Patel is, however, not a new face in politics and has served as the Ahmedabad municipal councillor. Patel, who holds a diploma in civil engineering, also served as the chairman of the Standing Committee of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA).
He is also not the first-time Chief minister but also the first-time minister of Gujarat. He became an MLA for the first time in 2017 when he defeated Congress’s Shashikant Patel by over 1 lakh votes. There were amid allegations and speculations that Patel will be a “remote-controlled” CM but Union home minister Amit Shah expressed confidence in Bhupendra Patel’s leadership. After Patel became Chief Minister, there were Gandhinagar Municipal polls and everyone said that the AAP will come to power, but BJP won as many as 41 out of 44. Earlier, the BJP was never in a majority because it used to win about 50 per cent of the seats only.
Under the initiative, the state government has prepared 82 Vande Gujarat Vikas Rath that will travel through all the villages and cities of the state. The chariots are equipped with LED screens that will showcase the development Gujarat has witnessed in the last 20 years in the form of mini films. It is believed that Patel holds a strong influence in the Patidar community in Gujarat which the BJP has banked upon to win the upcoming elections.
The state government has cared about all sections of society, including the poor, deprived and weak. Gujarat has developed a work culture where people feel least troubled and their issues are resolved at the earliest. State has given the definition of a balanced development of health, agriculture and industry to the country and the world. Cow-based natural farming has also been given a special focus. While giving priority to slum redevelopment in cities, the state government has started construction of 59,000 houses in 166 slums at a fast pace and 7,800 units of redevelopment has also been completed.
Along with education, health and security, the government has also focused on agriculture, rural development, uplift of the poor and industrial development. PM Modi’s call for the creation of 75 ‘Amrit Sarovars’ in each district as part of the ‘Azadika Amrit Mahotsav,’ the state has so far created 673 such lakes.The state government is prioritising the welfare of the younger generation and education.
As far as the initiatives and achievements of the urban sector in Gujarat, the state government is fully committed to realising the dream of the Prime Minister of making Gujarat’s cities world-class. For speedy development of cities, the state government has given top priority to various welfare schemes for planned urban development and citizen-oriented governance. The area under horticulture has increased by 300 per cent from 4.80 lakh hectares to 20 lakh hectares in the state in the last two decades. Similarly, there has been an increase of 65 per cent in the area under cultivation of pulses. The cultivation of fruits like pomegranate, dates and Kamalam (dragon fruit) has also been included in the micro-irrigation system covering more area through SPV. The state has taken up several mega projects to boost electricity generation from renewable energy sources. PM Modi has already laid the foundation stone for a 30,000MW hybrid (solar and wind) renewable energy park in Kutch, which is also claimed to be the world’s largest of its kind. Besides, several projects worth crores by Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited have already started expanding in the state giving a massive boost to its renewable energy production capabilities.
There is no doubt that Gujarat’s development will witness many mega infrastructure projects and one such mega-project is Dholera, India’s First Greenfield Smart City. A fin-tech hub is being set up and incentives for aircraft-leasing companies are being given. Gujarat will soon become a renewable energy hub. It is reported that by 2025, Gujarat will consolidate its position as the renewable energy capital of the country.