NEW DELHI(TIP): “Vibrant Gujarat is connecting India to the world,” Resident Commissioner of Gujarat in New Delhi Bharat Lal said. “Our objective is to interact with government officials and the business community during this road show in Canada and USA, to attract investors, scientist, and entrepreneurs from all over the world to come to Gujarat and participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017,” he said.

“Vibrant Gujarat is the biggest platform for enabling business in India. In the post GST (Goods and Services Tax Bill) scenario, when India becomes ‘One Nation – One Market’, Gujarat holds a unique distinction with favorable geographical location, state-of-the-art infrastructure and sound policies,” he added.

“We have had various meeting with leading companies across USA and had an amazing response. People are very excited about GST. Business industry is bullish they think this is the right time to invest. The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, which started in 2003 to rekindle the pace of investments in the state, has since established itself as one of the most important international business events in the country, Bharat Lal told this correspondent.

Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is an example of the visionary approach of the Government of Gujarat towards inclusive and sustainable development by ensuring policy coherence and effective investment promotion.

Far from the regional investment fair that characterized the first Summit in 2003, the biennial Summit has today become a unique forum for exchanging ideas, sharing knowledge, networking, exploring business opportunities and signing cooperation agreements and partnerships, while setting the policy agenda for meeting some of the current global challenges.

Having successfully organized seven constructive summits, Government of Gujarat, as part of its journey towards sustainable long-term growth and inclusive development is organizing the 8th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit from the 10th to 13th of January 2017 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar. The central focus of the Summit is Sustainable Economic and Social Development.

It will bring together heads of states and governments, ministers, leaders from the corporate world, senior policy makers, heads of international institutions and academia from around the world to further the cause of development and to promote cooperation, he said.

There will be enough opportunity to interact with key policy makers, industry leaders, global thought leaders, regulators and renowned academicians from all over the world. The participants can witness deliberations between sector experts and global luminaries in an array of knowledge seminars during the summit to comprehend evolving global sectoral trends.

The Summit provides platform for SMEs to connect globally with potential partners to explore opportunities of collaboration and partnership networking forums to foster interaction between stakeholders through B2B and B2G meetings in an exhibition spread over 1,25,000 sq.mts with exclusive demo sessions showcasing the latest trends and technology, products and services across sectors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Global Trade Show by in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister and MOS (Independent Charge), Commerce & Industries Nirmala Seetharaman. There will be a Global CEO Roundtable chaired by Modi with Select 50 top CEOs. The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 is receiving tremendous response in the US, members of a high level state delegation said after meeting senior government officials and CEOs of top tech companies here.

Underlining the rapid economic development that is taking place underPrime Minister Narendra Modi Lal referred to Gujarat as being the driving engine of Indian growth.

“The state accounts for 19 per cent of industrial output, 41 per cent of cargo exports and 10 per cent of India’s manufacturing industries,” he said, adding that Gujarat ranked number one in “ease of doing business”.

The US has agreed to be a partner country in the next edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in January 2017. US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal had conveyed this to Bharat Lal, Resident Commissioner of Gujarat in New Delhi. Biswal recently met with a Gujarat delegation, led by Resident Commissioner Bharat Lal, who was accompanied by Indian Charge d’Affairs Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu in Washington.

The Assistant Secretary praised Resident Commissioner Lal for his efforts to make the state of Gujarat a model of innovation and sustainable economic growth and reform for India.

She also announced US’ intent to participate as a Partner Country in the 2017 Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, the government of Gujarat’s biennial investors’ summit that brings together global business leaders, investors, corporations, Kerry thought leaders, and policymakers. US Secretary of State John had attended the last Vibrant Gujarat Summit.