The Vibrant Gujarat summit has helped development reach every section of society in the state, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said Wednesday while addressing an event commemorating the completion of 20 years of the summit. “Narendrabhai’s dream of projecting Gujarat on a global map for job creation, industrial development and investments has become 100 per cent successful. We are celebrating it as a ‘summit of success’. This ‘summit of success’ is not just a name, but it is a synonym for the all-round development of the state. Along with economic growth, Vibrant Gujarat has helped vikas percolate to every section and segment of society,” he said at the event in the Gujarat Science City where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also present. “The increase in infrastructure facilities has also reached even those at the bottom of the pyramid. It (the summit) has also provided youths with global opportunities and platforms. Vibrant Gujarat has set a new benchmark for Gujarat’s progress,” he added. The chief minister also pointed out that many Fortune 500 companies had commenced operations in Gujarat and that this could be credited to Vibrant Gujarat. “Gujarat has become the country’s growth engine and the number one state in attracting FDI (foreign direct investment). In the last four years, Gujarat has led the industrial growth of the country,” he said. The central government’s figures, however, show that Gujarat was ranked fourth—behind Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi—in attracting FDI in 2022-23. A film shown at the venue captured the past 20 years of Vibrant Gujarat summits. “Look back and marvel at where we started and where we are today. Factories doubled, cargo capacity quadrupled, universities multiplied fivefold, MSMEs rose sixfold, per capita income 13-fold, state GDP 16-fold and cumulative FDI is at $55 billion,” the narrator in the film said. Industry representatives present at the event also hailed the summit. B K Goenka, chairman of Welspun Group, said, “As a participant from the first the event to the last, I have seen how this event has increased the investment in Gujarat, leading to unparalleled growth and improvement in the socio- economic standards of Gujarat.” Goenka said he was the first to expand his business from Vapi to an earthquake-hit Kutch. “Today Kutch, which was once a deserted area, has become a paradise for investments. In the next 5-7 years, Kutch will be the capital for green hydrogen,” he added. Japanese semiconductor firms to visit Gujarat Takashi Suzuki, chief director-general of Japan External Trade Organisation, said a Japanese delegation consisting of semiconductor firms was expected to visit the state on November 8-9. Suzuki also remembered that the organisation was the first to join the Vibrant Gujarat summit in 2009. He said there were 360 Japanese companies operating in Gujarat.
