Recent Current Affairs related to Gujarat

The Gujarat government has signed an MoU with Meta Platforms Inc to launch a WhatsApp chatbot under the ‘Sugam Digital’ initiative.

The 2-year collaboration aims to enhance e-governance in the state by implementing AI driven public services, accessibility projects, and digital skilling programmes. Through this chatbot, citizens can access around 20 public services from 5 departments in both Gujarati and English.

The Department of Space (DoS) has approved the establishment of Common Technical Facilities (CTFs) in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The initiative aims to strengthen the space ecosystem of India by promoting domestic manufacturing capabilities and supporting the growth of the space sector industry base.

Under this, a Space Manufacturing Park will be established at Khoraj, Gujarat, while a Space Vehicles Cluster will be set up at Thoothukudi, TN.

Skydo has secured in-principle approval to operate as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) within the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the ₹20,667 crore Ahmedabad (Sarkhej)–Dholera Semi High-Speed Double-Line railway project in Gujarat.

Spanning a distance of 134 km, this is the first Indian Railways (IR) project to utilize indigenous semi high-speed technology. The technology is designed to support train speeds of up to 220 km/h.

PM Narendra Modi participated in the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav at the Somnath Temple in Gir Somnath, Gujarat. He released a commemorative stamp and a ₹75 coin to mark 1,000 years of faith at Somnath and 75 years of the reconstruction of the temple after Independence.

PM Modi also inaugurated the Sardardham Hostel in Vadodara, Gujarat, built at a cost of ₹150 crore. He launched the Sardar Dham Education Support Yojana with an outlay of ₹500 crore to provide financial assistance, mentorship, and academic guidance to economically weaker students.

The Union Cabinet has approved two semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 1.0 with an investment of ₹3,936 crore. The projects include the first commercial Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology-based Mini/Micro-Light Emitting Diode (LED) display facility in India by Crystal Matrix Ltd (CML) and a semiconductor packaging unit by Suchi Semicon Pvt Ltd (SSPL) in Gujarat.

These are the final projects sanctioned under ISM 1.0, which is a specialized division of the Digital India Corporation under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It is to be noted that ISM was launched in 2021 with a total outlay of ₹76,000 crore to build a self-reliant semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in India.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the development of a brownfield ship repair facility at Vadinar in Gujarat with an estimated investment of ₹1,570 crore. The project will be jointly executed by the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) and Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL).

The proposed infrastructure of the facility includes a 650-meter jetty. Additionally, the CCEA has sanctioned several railway multi-tracking projects with a total financial outlay of ₹23,437 crore.

The first green methanol production facility of India is being established at the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in Kutch, Gujarat.

The project is being executed by Thermax Ltd for Synthesis in collaboration with Ankur Scientific. The plant has an initial production capacity of 5 tonnes per day. It is to be noted that the facility uses advanced biomass gasification technology to convert Prosopis juliflora (an invasive shrub locally known as ‘Gando Baval’) into green marine fuel for ocean-going vessels.

According to the “ICAR-CMFRI Annual Report 2025” released by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Tamil Nadu is the leading marine fish producer in India with an output of 6.85 lakh tonnes.

It is to be noted that the aggregate marine fish production of India increased by 3% to 35.7 lakh tonnes in 2025. Karnataka and Maharashtra are ranked 4th and 5th respectively.

Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd (SMT) has secured the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 50001:2018 Energy Management System certification. It becomes the first domestic cardiovascular manufacturing unit in India to adopt a structured international energy management system.

The certification applies to the manufacturing facilities of the company located in Surat (Gujarat) and Hyderabad (Telangana). It is to be noted that ISO 50001 is an international framework that defines requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and enhancing an Energy Management System (EnMS).

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has inaugurated the first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) based tolling system of India at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza, located on the Surat-Bharuch section of National Highway-48 (NH-48) in Gujarat. The system aims to modernize the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) infrastructure.

The MLFF framework enables barrier-less tolling with minimal human intervention, allowing vehicles to transit toll locations without stopping for a seamless traffic flow. It is to be noted that 41,500 vehicles used the facility on the inaugural day of its implementation.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I) has notified the establishment of the first semiconductor fabrication plant in India as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Dholera, Gujarat.

The project is developed by Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing Pvt Ltd (TSMPL), a subsidiary of the Tata Group, with a total investment of ₹91,000 crore. The SEZ, spanning 66.166 hectares (ha), aims to strengthen the domestic semiconductor ecosystem and the national import substitution strategy.

The Gujarat government has signed an MoU with Allegiance International Company Ltd to establish an Indo-Taiwan Industrial Park in the Sanand-Dholera region.

The proposed industrial park will focus on high-technology sectors like semiconductors, electronics manufacturing, Electric Vehicles (EVs), robotics, and related supply chain infrastructure.

The Aluminium Extrusion Manufacturers Association of India (ALEMAI) has launched the ‘Aluminium Bharat’ initiative in New Delhi to boost domestic manufacturing and sustainable industrial growth.

The initiative, unveiled by Union Minister of State Jitin Prasada, aims to position India as a global leader in aluminium production and exports. As part of the initiative, ALEMAI will host ‘Aluminium Bharat 2026’, which will be the first comprehensive exhibition of India dedicated to the entire aluminium value chain.