Gujarat is new ‘Growth Engine’ of India,says Modi

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the two-day summit,Modi said the biennial event to be held on 12-13 January will mark a paradigm shift in underlining the themes associated with the earlier editions of the summit.

“The 21st Century is the Century of Asia,with India all poised to become a major global player. With double digit growth rates during the last five years,Gujarat is the new Growth Engine of India,” he said.

Referring to Japan’s participation in the event as a partner country,Modi remarked this was the first time that a foreign country,that too Japan,an Asian economic giant,has partnered with an Indian state. This,he said,indicated the “arrival of ‘Brand Gujarat’ on the international investment map”.

The summit will host 12 sector-specific seminars and two conventions on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and tourism,he said,adding that over 4,000 SMEs from across Gujarat are expected to attend the convention.

“Our focal area this time is the SME sector,as the need of the hour is a ‘Dual Development Model’. On one hand,we need large scale industries and on the other,we need the SMEs providing the support system to them,” the CM said.

Stressing on the SME sector’s importance,Modi said his government would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Italian government during the summit,as Italy is a front runner in the SME sector in Europe. “We hope to learn from their experience and technical know-how,” he added.

Over 100 stalls in the Exhibition Section of the summit will host SMEs,according to Maheshwar Sahu,principal secretary,Industries,Gujarat government.

“This exposure to a global congregation will help SMEs of Gujarat immensely through business networking,” he said.

Speaking on his recent visit to some African countries,Modi mentioned about the ‘club model of development’ being pursued in Uganda and Kenya.

“The Gujarat government will sign MoUs during the VGGIS that will promote Gujarati investments in these countries. But the investments will be such that we will either get raw materials for further manufacturing or get finished products for further value addition,” he added.

On the global economic meltdown’s possible effects on Gujarat’s economy,Modi said the emerging situation is “precarious”. He,however,added,“It will be a case of ‘Adversity as Additional Opportunity’ for Gujarat,and VGGIS is the first step in this direction.”

Salient features of VGGIS 2009
* 37 countries,including USA,UK,Germany,Singapore and China,are participating
* 60 foreign companies,like US Exim Bank,Alstom and Petroinvest,are participating with ‘business to government’ and ‘business to business’ investment intentions
* Business promotion presentations by foreign delegations
* 25 ‘Host Companies’ like Reliance,Adani,and Torrent having substantial presence in respective countries to host foreign delegations
*12 sector-specific seminars on IT,gas,oil & power,ports & ship building,special investment regions,petrochemicals & chemicals,biotechnology & pharma,food & agri,textiles,engineering,environment,urban development,and social infrastructure
* An exhibition with 227 stalls with about 90 major companies participating
* ASSOCHAM executive committee meeting
* CII National Convention
* International kite festival – The Colours of Gujarat on the sidelines of VGGIS 2009
* A Gujarati cultural festival on ‘Sankalp Katha’

‘Modi remedy for ailing SMEs’
* Diversification of product profile of SMEs in Gujarat
* Cluster approach for SMEs to enable them to reach global customers
* Technological upgradation and innovations through global networking using VGGIS as platform
* ‘Zero defect’ standardisation for projecting ‘Made in Gujarat’ as a global brand