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Gandhinagar, Nov 19 (IANS) The Gujarat Cabinet on Wednesday approved extending the hours of power supply to farmers in key districts to aid Rabi season farming.
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Shanghvi announced that from Thursday, farmers in 13 talukas of Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Patan, Surendranagar, Vav-Tharad and Morbi districts will get 10 hours of electricity instead of the current eight hours.
Additionally, farmers in Garbada and Dahod taluka of Dahod district will now get 12 hours of power supply per day. The state government estimates that more than 58,000 farmers will benefit from this decision.
State Home Minister Sanghvi said the move reflects the Cabinet’s commitment to ensure uninterrupted farm activity during the crucial Rabi sowing period.
These announcements were made after the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar.
In a parallel update, the Chief Minister also reviewed the condition of roads in all the districts during the same cabinet session.
Last week, Patel had directed all guardian ministers to hold district-level review meetings with officials and prepare detailed reports on the road condition based on field inspections.
Deputy Chief Minister and government spokesperson Harsh Sanghvi said that all the guardian ministers have completed assessment and review meetings at the ground level in their respective districts.
The Chief Minister reviewed the progress of the exercise during Wednesday’s meeting and directed that the final consolidated report be submitted by November 30.
Officials have been asked to submit district-wise, ground-verified reports by the end of this week, to ensure that the government can prioritize road repairs and infrastructure improvements ahead of upcoming seasonal and administrative requirements.
Gujarat has about 49 lakh farmers, most of whom cultivate a diverse mix of food grains, cash crops and horticultural products suited to the state’s semi-arid climate.
Major crops include cotton, groundnut, castor, wheat, millet, maize and rice, while the state is also a major producer of fruits and spices such as mango, banana, onion, tomato and cumin.
Together, these farming patterns shape Gujarat’s strong agri-economy and support both domestic markets and export-linked industries.
–IANS
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