The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank, will support Gujarat in the replication in five cities of the rooftop solar project, completed last month in Gandhinagar, in order to improve access to power and reduce air pollution from the burning of wood and fossil fuels.

The two pilot projects of 2.5 MW each demonstrated the viability of generating solar power through a grid-interactive system on rooftops, and will serve as a model for roll-out in the cities of Bhavnagar, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara.

To attract investments, Maharashtra has rolled out a red carpet for the Gujarat textile sector. State textile minister Naseem Khan plans to lead a high level delegation to Ahmedabad in May to ask the textile industry in Gujarat to invest in Maharashtra in order to take the benefit of the newly released textile policy and the sops offered for development of textile parks in the state.

Maharashtra textile policy offers a 10 per cent capital subsidy for new textile projects in Vidarbha, Marathwada and north Maharashtra, and 12.5 per cent interest subsidy on long-term loans linked to centrally-sponsored Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme for new projects.

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Tuesday admitted in the state assembly that a sharp rise in the price of coal and gas, made available to the state’s power companies, is a major reason for increase in the price of electricity to the various categories of consumers – residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural.

The green cover in the state has declined by 554 sq km. This was revealed on Wednesday in the report of the Forest Survey of India. The forest cover (sanctuaries and protected area) recorded a nominal decline of just one sq km while the trees outside the forest area recorded a decrease of 553 sq km. Additional principal chief conservator of forest, social forestry, H S Singh, said, "The data released in the report 2011 is for the year 2008-09.

Ahmedabad: Two cities of Gujarat, both industrial hubs, top the list of cities with lowest sex ratio in India. Vapi, the industrial town in south Gujarat, has got the lowest sex ratio in the country with only 734 women per 1,000 men. Diamond city Surat is second with 754 women per 1,000 men.

AHMEDABAD: Here is another instance of a suspected cover up by the state health department.

If the figures given out by the directorate of national vectorborne disease control program (NVBDCP) are to be believed then there were just 14 malaria deaths in the state between January and October this year.

Chennai The Tamil Nadu government announced on Friday a R127.40-crore interest-free loan to 15 common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) situated at Tirupur to enable 700-odd dyeing units to attain zero liquid discharge (ZLD). The dyeing units were forced to shut down by the Madras High Court in January owing to non-compliance of its earlier order in attaining ZLD.