Gujarat holds road show in Bengaluru for upcoming global summit

Bengaluru: A high-level team led by Jitubhai Vaghani, Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat, held a roadshow in Bengaluru on Tuesday, as part of the forthcoming 10th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) 2022 in January. He was accompanied by Vijay Nehra, Secretary, Science and Technology, Gujarat.

Addressing dignitaries in India's 'Silicon Valley', the Minister said the country has, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, registered remarkable socio-economic development and evolved into a dynamic country with a strong standing across the world. Vaghani cited the initiatives undertaken by the Centre that would have far-reaching impact on India's future. They include the Prime Minister's GatiShatki Master Plan, Production- Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, transparent and predictable tax system, reducing compliance burden, Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living, and Make in India.

The VGGS was conceptualized in 2003 under the visionary leadership of Narendra Modi (who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat). Ever since, the summit has emerged as a global forums for business networking, knowledge-sharing and strategic partnerships for inclusive socio-economic development. He said the PM will inaugurate the Summit on January 10, at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in the presence of dignitaries from India and abroad, ministers from the Government of India, global and Indian business heads, and thought leaders.

In 2020, the PM gave the clarion call for "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" to leverage India's strengths, skills, and capabilities for galvanizing the country to becoming self- reliant. The theme of the 10th VGGS 2022 is 'Aatmanirbhar Gujarat to Aatmanirbhar Bharat', the minister pointed out.

In its 75th year of Independence in 2022, as India celebrates the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Gujarat is committed to realizing the PM's vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Gujarat's focus on building robust industrial infrastructure, including roads, ports, airports, power, and gas has helped the State stay on the top of the chart in the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) for three years--2018, 2019 and 2021.

He asserted that Gujarat is a policy-driven State. To create an enabling environment, the State Government has launched policies and schemes incentivizing investors for future growth, including the Industrial Policy 2020, Integrated Logistics and Logistics Park Policy, Electric Vehicle Policy, Solar Energy Policy, and Tourism and Textiles policy, 2021.

To enhance 'Ease of Doing Business', the Gujarat Government has created portals for Land Bank and Investor Facilitation. The State's agency, iNDEXTb, has dedicated investor relationship officers and country desks to handhold and facilitate investors.

The Gujarat government is keen to scale up investments in the next generation infrastructure, energy and digital networks, emerging technologies, financial technologies (fintech), Startups and innovation, electric vehicles, research and development, knowledge exchange, exports, tourism, and financial services. The State will also benefit from the upcoming 'Dedicated Freight Corridor' (DFC) and 'Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor' (DMIC).

He said Karnataka is home to leading IT firms and over 2,000 IT firms, including Startups. "Gujarat is also revamping its Startup Innovation Policy and IT and ITeS Policy to encourage and support the existing and forthcoming IT firms to expand their business in the State which is home to leading Startups mentorship institutes including iHub, iCreate and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI).

Three of the State's cities--Surat, Ahmedabad and Vadodara-- feature in India's Smart City Ranking. The State is well-known for some of India's best educational institutes, such as the IIM-Ahmedabad, National Institute of Design (NID), and National Forensic Sciences University.

Inviting investors, Vaghani said the VGGS 2022 presents a unique business opportunity them. Vijay Nehra, Secretary, Science and Technology, said Gujarat attracted the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), worth USD 21.9 billion (INR 1.63 lakh crore), or 37 percent of the total FDI equity inflows in India in FY21.

The Summit will host flagship events on key national initiatives like the PM's GatiShakti National Master Plan, Production-Linked Incentive (PLI), Good Governance, Reducing Compliance Burden, Green Hydrogen, Renewable Energy, Electric Mobility and Futuristic Technology and Innovation.

The PM will inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show (VGGTS) on January 9 and the VGGS 2022 on January 10. The three-day VGGS will conclude on January 12 and the Trade Show on January 13.

Earlier, Air Marshal R K Dhir, Defense Advisor to the Gujarat Government, made a presentation.

The Gujarat delegation also had one-on-meetings with business and industry leaders, including Daisy Chittilapilly (President, India and SAARC Operations, CISCO), AlokOhrie (President and MD, Dell Technologies, India), Rakesh Mohan Agarwal (Chairman and MD, ITI Ltd), Dr K Sivan (Chairman, ISRO), Kamal Bali (President and MD, Volvo Group), and Ramesh BV (MD Bosch Rexroth, Bosch India Ltd).

The Bengaluru roadshow received an enthusiastic response, indicative of the stakeholders exploring new possibilities of investments in Gujarat in diverse sectors.