PM Modi Addresses Grand Gathering at 20th Anniversary Celebration of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit
Ira Singh
28 Sep’23
The Prime Minister,Narendra Modi addressed the programme marking 20 years celebration of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit at Science City in Ahmedabad on 27 Sep’23, (Wednesday). The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit was started 20 years ago on 28 September 2003 under the visionary leadership of the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi. Over time, it transformed into a truly global event, attaining the status of being one of the premier business summits in India.
PM addresses programme marking 20 years celebration of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit,Inaugurates Summit of Success Pavillion, Science City.
Industry leaders praise Prime Minister’s vision
“Vibrant Gujarat is not just an event of branding, but more than that it is also an event of bonding”
“We were not just thinking about reconstruction but were also planning for the state’s future and we made the Vibrant Gujarat Summit the chief medium for this ”
“Main attraction of Gujarat was good governance, fair and policy-driven governance, an equal system of growth and transparency”
“Core elements of the success of Vibrant Gujarat are idea, imagination and implementation”
“Vibrant Gujarat has become an institution from a one-time event”
“2014’s goal of making India the growth engine of the world is finding resonance among international agencies and experts”
“Next 20 years are more important than last 20 years”
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister remarked that the seeds sown twenty years ago have taken the form of a magnificent and diverse Vibrant Gujarat. He expressed delight at becoming a part of the 20th-anniversary celebrations of Vibrant Gujarat Summit. Reiterating that Vibrant Gujarat is not merely a branding exercise for the state but an occasion to strengthen the bonding, the Prime Minister emphasized that the summit is a symbol of a solid bond associated with him and the capabilities of 7 crore people of the state. “This bond is based upon the immense love of the people for me”, he added.
He said it is difficult to imagine the condition of Gujarat after the 2001 earthquake. Even before the earthquake, Gujarat was undergoing a long drought. These were compounded by the collapse of Madhavpura Mercantile Cooperative Bank leading to a chain reaction in other cooperative banks also. PM Modi recalled that it was a new experience for him as he was new in the role in the government at that time. In this scenario, violence erupted in Gujarat in the wake of the heart-rending Godhara incident. PM Modi said that despite his lack of experience as Chief Minister, he had full confidence in Gujarat and its people. He also recalled agenda-driven doomsayers of the time as a conspiracy to defame Gujarat was pursued.
The Prime Minister explained the success of the Summit through its journey. The 2003 edition attracted only a few hundred participants; today more than 40000 participants and delegates and 135 countries take part in the summit, he informed. The number of exhibitors has also increased from 30 in 2003 to more than 2000 today.
The Prime Minister said that core elements of the success of Vibrant Gujarat are, idea, imagination and implementation. He underlined the audacity of the idea and imagination behind the Vibrant Gujarat and said that it was followed in other states.
The Prime Minister said “When we started Vibrant Gujarat, our intention was that this state should become the growth engine of the country’s progress. The country has seen this vision become reality.” He said in 2014’s goal of making India the growth engine of the world is finding resonance among international agencies and experts. “Today India is the fastest growing economy in the world. Now we are standing at a turning point where India is going to become a global economic powerhouse. Now India has to become the third largest economy in the world.”, he said. He asked the industrialists to focus on sectors which will help in giving new possibilities to India. He asked for a discussion of ways of giving momentum to the startup ecosystem, agri-tech, food processing and Shri Anna.
Talking about the growing need for institutions of financial cooperation the Prime Minister commented on the increasing relevance of GiFT City. “GIFT City reflects our Whole of Government approach. Here the Centre, State and IFSC authorities work together to create the best regulatory environment in the world. We should intensify efforts to make it a globally competitive financial marketplace”, he added.
The Prime Minister said that this is not the time to pause. “The next 20 years are more important than the last 20 years. When Vibrant Gujarat completes 40 years, India will not be far away from the centenary of its independence. This is the time when India will have to create a roadmap that will make it a developed and self-reliant nation by 2047”, concluded the Prime Minister expressing the hope that the Summit will move in this direction.
Governor of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel, Member of Parliament, C R Patil, Ministers from Government of Gujarat and Industry Leaders were present on the occasion among others.