vibrantgujarat

General Motors to expand its Halol plant in Gujarat

vibrantgujarat — 12/22/2012 12:00:00 AM

US car maker General Motors would shortly have 110,000 units annual commissioned capacity at its Halol plant in Gujarat, up from its present installed annual capacity of 85,000 units. The company is planning to roll out the new 8- seater MPV from its Gujarat plant in the next couple of months.

The company has phased out few of its models such as the Chevrolet Optra and Aveo. After phasing out models like Chervolet Optra and Aveo and launching the Chevrolet Sail U-VA, it plans to roll out a new sedan model ―Sail by the next month.

Essar Power commissions 225 mw in Gujarat unit

vibrantgujarat — 12/22/2012 12:00:00 AM

Essar Power has commissioned the second unit of 255 MW at its Vadinar power project (phase 2) in Gujarat, taking the company‘s total installed capacity to 3,310 MW. It has added 1,710 MW of generation capacity in the last one year.

The imported coal fired Vadinar power project (phase 2) has a total installed capacity of 510 MW. The electricity generated from the unit would primarily be supplied to Essar Oil‘s nearby Vadinar oil refinery, which has a capacity of 20 million tonnes per annum/405,000 barrels per day.

Essar Power‘s installed generation capacity of 3,310 MW includes 2,110 MW of captive capacity for Essar‘s refinery and steel plants.

BASF to invest Rs 1,000 crore in Dahej plant

vibrantgujarat — 12/22/2012 12:00:00 AM

German chemical major BASF will invest Rs 1,000 crore to set up a new greenfield specialty chemicals manufacturing facility at Dahej in Gujarat by March 2014. It intends to supplement the existing plants and cater to the expanding business opportunities in various sectors such as automotives, paints, paper, home care and life style.

The company has started construction in April this year and the plant will be operational by March 2014. Besides the domestic market, the plant will export chemicals to other countries in Asia.

Italian firm Frascold sets up its facility in Gujarat

vibrantgujarat — 12/22/2012 12:00:00 AM

Frascold, an Italy-based MNC, engaged in air conditioning and refrigera-tion, is all set to commence its India operations through its Indian arm Fras-cold India Pvt Ltd (FIPL). The newly-incorporated company has set up a state-of-the-art facility at Matoda near Changodar in Gujarat to manufac-ture condensing units, which will have an installed capacity of 7,500 units per annum. While the total investment made for the facility is about Rs. 10 crore, the Italian firm holds 51% equity in the JV and rest of the stake is owned by Indian promoters.

The new facility, spread over an area of 17,000 square feet, will have a condensing unit assembly plant, for both air-cooled and water-cooled equipment, which will produce models that are same as the models manu-factured in Frascold Spa‘s plant in Italy. It will use condensing unit parts im-ported from Italy. FIPL also has a custom-bonded warehouse in Ahmedabad ICD and CWC, capable of storing 2,000 number of compressors.

Gujarat based Bombardier supplies 600th Metro car to DMRC

vibrantgujarat — 12/22/2012 12:00:00 AM

Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has successfully delivered the 600th MOVIA metro car to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) from its manufacturing facility in Vadodara. MOVIA metros from Bombardier continue to form an integral element of DMRC expansion plans to improve mobility and expand the current network in the outskirts of the city. Ridership is expected to reach an impressive 4 million passengers each day.

The modern, high capacity MOVIA vehicles are designed to accommodate 1,480 passengers comfortably per four-car train set. This can be increased to 2,220 passengers per six-car set and 2,960 passengers per eight-car set. Sustainability and eco-friendliness are among the key aspects of the tech-nologies used, such as the MITRAC propulsion system with regenerative braking which creates up to 30% in energy savings.

Shalby Limited acquires Krishna Heart Institute in Ahmedabad

vibrantgujarat — 12/22/2012 12:00:00 AM

Following the acquisition of the 140-bed Usha Hospital, Vapi (now known as Usha Shalby); the Krishna Heart Institute acquisition is their second successful acquisition this year. With this acquisition, Shalby Limited now possesses combined bed strength of more than 700 beds in Gujarat and Goa. Out of these Ahmedabad itself now has 450 beds, highest by any hospital group in Ahmedabad, at three of its units Vijay Cross roads, Shalby Hospitals-S.G. Highway and Krishna Heart Insti-tute. Krishna Heart Institute has been a strategic buyout to further augment the bed strength of Shalby. Their main unit Shalby Hospital, S.G. Highway is running at full occupancy. Hence, this acquisition was planned to cater to the increasing number of patients.

This year’s Vibrant Gujarat will focus on forging knowledge led strategic partnerships: Narendra Modi

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 12:00:00 AM

Series of knowledge-sharing and thematic events lined up
Strategic Partnerships and global collaborations across various sectors
Large delegation from Japan, Canada, USA, UK and UAE etc.

Gandhinagar, January 2, 2013 : The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi today mentioned some of the unique features of the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

Addressing the first official press conference on the summit, Shri Modi said that the upcoming summit will solely focus on forging knowledge-based strategic partnerships and global collaborations. The previous summits focused on mobilising series of investments across the industry sectors of Gujarat. However, since the 2011 summit, the government has given special emphasis on addressing need for youth development, increasing skill development and creating employment opportunities, creating more women entrepreneurs in the society and giving a boost to the sunrise sectors such as green energy.

Adding further he said that the government has realised the importance of forging knowledge based strategic partnerships and the value created by it for the industries and the society. He said that his government is committed to explore new dimensions offered by such valuable collaborations. He mentioned that such collaborations not only throw open so many areas of opportunities today but also help in finding sustainable solutions for a better tomorrow.

The much awaited biennial Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit’s events start from 5th January 2013 with a series of knowledge-sharing events lined up till 13th January 2013. Senior diplomats from the governments of Japan, the UK, China, Canada, the USA, Denmark, African Region, Australia will be attending the summit. Industry captains from companies Tata Group, Reliance Industries, ADA Group, Essar Group, Ford Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra are also going to be present.

With Gujarat rising as the economic power-house of India, the business outfits from developed economies like the UK and the US have announced their partnership with the Government of Gujarat.

Considering the focus on knowledge-based partnerships, one of the most important events is the International Conference on Academic Institutions (ICAI) where-in Gujarat-based universities will be setting up collaborations with foreign universities. The objective of the conference was to find a partner from the 51 Gujarat-based Universities & various other institutions and determine ways of generating combined value for the partner institutions. Few of the respectful universities /institutions like University of Toronto, Times Higher Education, Institute of International Education, Seneca College, Canada, University of Wollongong, Australia, University of Houston, and many more will be present for collaboration with their Indian counterparts.

One of the main focus areas of this event is the generation of quality employment. Hence appropriate importance for SME sector will be given in the summit as a thrust area. One of the other major highlight of the summit is the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show spread across an area of more than 100,000 square meters that has participation from more than 1000 companies from more than 25 sectors & 14 countries. A first of its kind in the country and possibly in the world, a concept car designed and studded with thousands of Swarovski Gems, Gold and Silver will be on display at the venue.

Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2013: Narendra Modi moves beyond state-specific planning for more national visibility

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 12:00:00 AM

The Economic Times

The awe and suspicion around investment commitments at the biennial Vibrant Gujarat summits will be tempered this time with host Narendra Modi deciding to move beyond showcasing top dollars to something immediate and tangible. The chief minister will encash his starry status to broker partnerships between companies in what is being tom-tommed as strategic alliances involving real people and companies instead of mere promises.

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Vibrant 2013 to focus on knowledge sharing instead of investments

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 2:04:13 PM

Business Standard

While the previous editions of Gujarat's flagship event the Vibrant Gujarat Summit had focussed mainly on attracting investments into the state, the sixth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, will see a shift in the state government's focus. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi said here on Wednesday, "The upcoming summit will focus solely on forging knowledge-based strategic partnerships and global collaborations." While the previous summits have focussed on mobilising series of investments across the industry sectors in the state, Modi maintained that since 2011, the government has started giving special emphasis on addressing the need for youth development, increasing skill development and creating employment opportunities, creating more women entrepreneurs in the society and giving a boost to the sunrise sectors such as green energy.

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Modi eyes knowledge-based tie-ups at Vibrant Gujarat summit

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 2:07:41 PM

The Indian Express

The coming Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit will focus on forging knowledge-based strategic partnerships and global collaborations, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday. The biennial global investor summit, organised by the state government, will be held from January 11 to 13. “The government has realised the importance of forging knowledge-based strategic partnerships and the value created by them for the industries and society. This VGS will focus on these two issues,” Modi said in an official statement here.

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Modi to kick-off Vibrant Gujarat Summit on Jan 11

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 2:12:10 PM

The Hindu Business Line

Chief Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the sixth edition of biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit (VGGIS) here on January 11. The three-day event is expected to culminate in the signing of MoUs promising huge investments in diverse sectors in the State. In the 2011 Summit, over 8,000 MoUs were signed promising investments of a whopping Rs 20 lakh crore.

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'Vibrant Gujarat to focus on knowledge-led tie-ups'

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 2:13:36 PM

The Hindustan Times

The upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit (VGS) will focus on forging knowledge-based strategic partnerships and global collaborations, chief minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday. The biennial global investor summit, organised by the Gujarat Government, will be held from January 11 to 13. "The Government has realised the importance of forging knowledge-based strategic partnerships and the value created by them for the industries and society. This VGS will focus on these two issues," Modi said in an official statement in Gandhinagar.

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Over 150 foreign varsities to attend academic meet

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 2:15:52 PM

The Indian Express

Representatives from several universities and educational institutions from a few Muslim countries are all set to participate in the two-day International Conference for Academic Institutions-2013 to be held on January 9 and 10 as part of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit. Among the 157 foreign universities and academic institutions which have agreed to attend the conference are Ferhat Abbas University and Badji Mokhtar University, both based in Algeria, and University of Trunojoya Madura in Indonesia.

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Surat to house Rs 922cr business convention centre

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 2:17:08 PM

The Times of India

The Diamond City will no longer be a business centre without a world-class convention centre to cater to its business needs. A state-of-the-art project, Tourism Development Centre (TDC), worth Rs 922 crore is coming up on more than 4 lakh square metres of land on the riverbank in Dumas area just 3 km from Surat airport. It would be located 10 km from the city centre and 4 km from the sea. Despite being one of the fastest developing cities of the world, Surat lacks world-class business and tourism facility. It has just one convention centre and one five star hotel to cater to a population of 46.82 lakh and their business requirement.

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Global ports players to share technical, mgmt expertise

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 2:18:24 PM

Business Standard

Israel Ports Company, Port of Antwerp and Port of Rotterdam among other global players likely to visit VGGIS 2013 International port authorities and port operators including major players like Israel Ports Company and Port of Antwerp will share technical and management expertise with private port operators in Gujarat. The upcoming investment summit, Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit, 2013 will see more of knowledge sharing on sustainability of ports and shipping sector in the state over fresh investment promises, informed government officials. "In this Vibrant Summit, the focus will be more on knowledge sharing on technical and management aspects. Port operators and authorities from Antwerp, Israel, Russia and other places will remain present at the summit. Fresh investments in the ports sector will be a derivative of this summit," said a senior official in the state industries department. The port operators and authorities from overseas are likely to share their expertise to handle large-sized and complex vessels at the ports. Also, they will interact with entrepreneurs and state officials to bring improvement in the management and operations of ports and port traffic.

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Kerala growth model is Gujarat model in disguise

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 2:19:41 PM

Firstpost

In recent months, ever since Narendra Modi seemed interested in a larger national role, a lot of attention has been focused on debunking his growth story in Gujarat. His detractors have posited the Bihar growth story as superior, and the numbers do suggest that smaller states with low starting bases have been growing faster (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, etc) than Gujarat.

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Use of advanced technology brings more vibrancy to Vibrant Gujarat

vibrantgujarat — 1/4/2013 12:00:00 AM

Effective use of web enabled technology to enhance user experience of delegates
More than 2700 people downloaded Vibrant Gujarat Mobile apps on BlackBerry, Android and iOS platforms

Gandhinagar, January 4, 2013: Effective web management has provided fillip to the efforts of Industries department to mobilise delegates’ registration for the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit. Using the website www.vibrantgujarat.com and robust backend IT infrastructure created to support it; the department has done entire program management, entire content management and summit registration, delegate registration and B2G and B2B meetings facilitation process. Due to such facilities, the online registration for the 2013 summit has increased manifold and looking into the overwhelming response, the government closed the online registration as on 1st January, 2013. As on date, more than 350 B2G meetings and around 4200 B2B meetings have been facilitated using this platform for the upcoming summit.

The government has also managed the entire process of exhibition registration and inquiry management system using the web. The investment intentions and strategic partner management, providing relevant information to international investors through country desks using web platform are some of the important tasks managed using the web based technology.

Briefing the media about the use of technology during the summit, Mr Maheshwar Sahu, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries and Mines Department, Government of Gujarat said, “In this day and age, technology is a great enabler and we have to take advantage of it. We have taken strong measures to provide best user experience to the participations with the help of technology to enable them to take complete control of their time before and during the summit. Today, Gujarat has gained recognition as a global business hub and such initiatives help us strengthen that position.”

Mahatma Mandir is going to be completely Wi-Fi enabled venue allowing users to access high-speed internet on their notebooks, tablets and smartphones.

This year’s Vibrant Gujarat Summit would provide a digitally enhanced user experience to all the participating delegates and others attending the summit. Use of modern technology would allow delegates more interactivity and provide flexibility to plan their meetings at the summit with other delegates as well as government officials. Mobile Apps available on various smartphone platforms would allow them to have complete information about happenings at the summit such as seminars, discussion forums, exhibition and venue & parking maps etc. on their fingertips. This app would have GPS and Wi-Fi enabled map feature that would allow users to know their current location and how to go to the next location they want to go.

Once registered on the Vibrant Gujarat site, users can:

Browse and find information for every event through tickers, newsflashes periodic newsletters and through ‘Country desks’
Receive personalized information as per his/her area of interest including ‘Exhibition registration’
Gain access to information and schedule of various events beforehand and decide which one to attend by just a click of the mouse
Request for meeting of management and other delegates (including Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Government (B2G) meeting requests), through a simple show of interest. User instantly receive the acknowledgement by the system and then by the respective department. Subsequently, user shall receive the appointment details via e-mail

The Vibrant Gujarat website also allows users to download smartphone based mobile applications allowing users to have a complete control on their fingertips. While attending the summit, a user can instantly fix up a meeting or want to know more about a particular subject, he or she just needs to go to their profile in the app, check the event they want to attend or department they want to contact and ‘press’ submit. Rest will be taken care by the technology.

Apart from this, there is another major initiative to help investors. In the year 2011, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat launched the ‘Investor Facilitation Portal’ aimed at providing a single window facilitation mechanism for investors. Managed by the Industries Commissioner, the portal is an effective medium of information for investors on government policies, incentive schemes and the availability of infrastructure. The portal over the last two years has provided a thrust to the investment facilitation in the State.

Women entrepreneurship to be given a boost in Gujarat

vibrantgujarat — 1/5/2013 12:00:00 AM

Photo details:

From left to right: Mrs. Sajani Dua, Chairperson, FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), Ahmedabad Chapter, Mrs. Anju Sharma, IAS, Secretary, WCD Department, Govt. of Gujarat, Smt. Vasuben Trivedi, Minister of State for Education, Women & Child Development, Govt. of Gujarat, Dr. Manju Kalra Prakash, Asst. Secretary General, FLO.

Ahmedabad, January 5, 2013: Under the aegis of the Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit, the Government of Gujarat, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s Ladies Organisation (FLO), organized a seminar today on ‘Unleashing Women Power in Business.’ The focus of the seminar was to brief Gujarati women on the proactive policies, regulations and incentives of the government for encouraging greater participation of women in business.

Smt Vasuben Trivedi, Hon’ble Minister of State for Education, Women and Child Development, Government of Gujarat, while addressing the audience said, “I believe that women power is nation’s power. Policies and initiatives like Mission Managalam and Sakhi Mandal initiated by the government of Gujarat have been successful. Traditionally, it has been seen that women entrepreneurs can make a strong contribution to the socio-economic wellbeing of the families and communities they work in. They can positively impact in poverty reduction and women empowerment. Gujarat has many great examples of women entrepreneurship leading to empowerment of the society, state and the country. Success of SEWA, various dairy cooperatives and other such initiatives in the private sector are global case studies of enterprising spirit of women from Gujarat. I encourage the women of Gujarat to have their own start-ups and the government will be extremely happy to support such initiatives”

Addressing a large gathering of women at the seminar, Mrs. Anju Sharma, IAS, Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, Govt. of Gujarat said that, “We don’t see many women in organized sector of our economy. Our objective today is to give a boost to the women to rise and become entrepreneurs in their own capacity. Economic empowerment of women is the key to social and economic development of the economy. Gujarat was one of the first states to come up with gender equality policy. We have achieved a lot of success due to this policy”

Key speakers of the seminar included Mrs. Anju Sharma, IAS, Secretary, WCD Department, Government of Gujarat, Ms. Tejal Amin, Chairperson, Navrachana Education Society, Vadodara, Mrs. Varsha Mondkar, DGM, SME, State Bank of India, Mrs. Leelaben Ankolia, Chairperson, Gujarat State Commission For Women, Mr. Sukanti Ghosh, Managing Director, APCO. Ms. Soma Maitra, Zonal Head for Sales Development (North-West), Tupperware India, Dr. Dinesh Kapadia, Director, Gender Resource Centre, WCD, Govt. of Gujarat Ms. Avi Sabavala, President, Vadodara Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Ms. Wricha Johari, Co-Founder, World Around You, Mrs. Manju Kalra Prakash, Asst. Secretary General, FICCI Ladies Organisation,Ms. Gagandeep Gambhir, IPS, SP, Ahmedabad Rural,Ms. Kanan Dhru, Founder & MD, Research Foundation for Governance in India,and Mrs. Sapna Vyas Patel, Fitness Professional & Video Blogger.

Key topics discussed at the forum included:

Business and Policy environment for Women in Gujarat
Social ecosystem for women in Gujarat
Women’s role in BFSI Sector of Gujarat
PR networking and Challenge in women networking
Building Gender Sensitization at Work Place
Case studies on the success of women entrepreneurship and new age women

With government of Gujarat’s boost in the knowledge-based economy, a large number of never before opportunities for women particularly in service sector have been created. The seminar was well attended by existing as well as aspiring women entrepreneurs from across the State.

Giving Impetus to Strategic Partnerships and Knowledge Sharing, Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit hosts more than 122 Events

vibrantgujarat — 1/6/2013 12:00:00 AM

More than 18 Country and State seminars
Series of knowledge-sharing and thematic events lined up
Strategic Partnerships and global collaborations across various sectors

Gandhinagar, January 5, 2013: This year’s Vibrant Gujarat Summit has become larger than any other such event across the nation. With more than 122 events under the umbrella of Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the event is dedicated to discussion on themes of innovation, sustainability, youth and skill development, knowledge sharing and networking.

Briefing the media representatives on the salient features of these series of events, Mr Maheshwar Sahu, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries and Mines Dept, Government of Gujarat said that, “The year’s summit focuses on forging knowledge-based strategic partnerships and global collaborations. You would see from the list of events that our efforts have been directed towards organising multiple events concentrating on focus areas of the summit and to provide maximum opportunity to participants to exchange ideas and reap real business benefits. The events address current needs of the nation and the global business and socio-economic environment. We have completed many sectoral seminars as on today and have seen overwhelming response from the participants. Now, the knowledge events will occupy the centre-stage during the event.”

The core areas of innovation and technology, sustainability, youth and skill development, knowledge and networking will cover the following events inter-alia:

Innovation and technology
- Innovation convention
- Technology convention
- Discussion forum on innovation
Sustainability
- Panel discussion on Rurbanisation
- Discussion forum on CSR
- Panel discussion on Good Governance
- Green ratings of the companies
- Discussion forum on sustainability
- Seminar on Green Innovation: solar energy and smart GRID
Youth and skill development
- Young Entrepreneurs Meet
- Panel Discussion on Youth Development
- Youth Convention - Empowering Youth
Knowledge sharing and networking
- International Conference for Academic Institutions 2013
- Over 20 events - Country Seminars, Tax & Regulatory Seminar, State Seminars, Partner Countries seminars
Thematic seminars and other events on 11th and 12th January: 13 Thematic Seminars in areas of – Green Innovation, Transportation, Green and Efficient Water management , Ports development, Smart Cities, Environment, Construction Chemicals, Employability, Waste Management, Land Use Efficiency. Other important events like SME Convention, higher education and employability, enablers for affordable housing: technology & institution are planned.
Lecture series: Eminent management guru Mr Jagdish Sheth’s lecture on ‘Gujarat – A global business destination’

Most of these events begin from 5th January 2013 continue with a series of knowledge-sharing events till 13th January 2013. With Gujarat rising as the economic power-house of India, the business outfits from many developed economies have announced their partnership with the Government of Gujarat.

Considering the focus on knowledge-based partnerships, one of the most important events is the International Conference on Academic Institutions (ICAI) where-in Gujarat-based and other universities from the country will be setting up collaborations with foreign universities. Few of the respectful universities /institutions like University of Toronto, Times Higher Education, Institute of International Education, Seneca College, Canada, University of Wollongong, Australia, University of Houston, and many more will be present for collaboration with their Indian counterparts.

Inclusive Model of Growth and Strong Leadership made Gujarat a Global Business Hub : Dr. Jagdish Sheth

vibrantgujarat — 1/6/2013 12:00:00 AM

- Gujarat is unique in terms of location, human capital and natural resources

Gandhinagar, January 5, 2013: A renowned management and marketing guru, Prof Dr Jagdish N Sheth today addressed a large gathering of industry captains, entrepreneurs, senior IAS officers led by Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Organised under the aegis of Vibrant Gujarat 2013, the topic of discourse was about Gujarat becoming the global business hub.

Gujarat is a natural destination for business investment for number of reasons. Human capital and the entrepreneurial spirit in Gujarat benefit both multinationals and SMEs operating in India. Geography is a huge differentiator because the vast coastline offers opportunities for exports through the ports. Both the United States and China will be looking for export partners in the coming years and Gujarat’s location offers tremendous opportunity. Dr. Sheth praised the leadership of Gujarat in his address, stating that long-term vision and strong leadership as well as a commitment to inclusive growth has transformed Gujarat into a global investment hub.

Thanking Dr. Sheth for his guidance and enlightening discourse, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi said, “We can draw parallels to what Dr. Sheth shared and the growth model adopted by us for Gujarat. This gives Team Gujarat immense confidence in its model of development. Gujarat’s locational advantage is the most important aspect for growth. So far all economic development was around the ‘highways’ but the next generation of economic development would happen around ‘information highways.’ I have a vision that Gujarat needs to carve a niche for itself on the world map by having the ‘Made in Gujarat’ brand. If brands like ‘Made in China’ and ‘Made in Japan’ can be successful so can ‘Made in Gujarat.’ Gujarat has and will find many innovative and cultural ways like organising mega festivals will find a strong and influencing place on the world’s map.”

Dr. Sheth pointed on the fact that “Chindia” (China and India) is quickly becoming destination for global growth, while mature markets like Japan, Germany and the U.S. begin to experience a decline in population. Other factors contributing to this shift includes the rise of a brand conscious middle class, rapid advances in technology, and broad economic reforms in places like China, Poland Russia, and Central America.

Dr. Sheth closed his remarks by saying “It is all about mind-set and leadership. You must have the mind-set to do something and the leadership to execute. Gujarat has both the advantages; hence Gujarat is showing growth that is faster than other states in India.”

India’s largest Global Trade Show at Vibrant Gujarat 2013

vibrantgujarat — 1/7/2013 12:00:00 AM

More than 1,00,000 square meters of area
Exhibitors from more than 14 countries
1.5 million footfalls expected
Longest façade ever seen in any exhibition
India’s first diamond, gold and gem studded car to be on display

Gandhinagar, January 6, 2013: This year’s Vibrant Gujarat is will set a new benchmark with a landmark achievement of organizing the largest global trade show in the country. Spread across an area of more than 1,00,000 square meters at Exhibition Ground, Near Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show will be inaugurated by hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on January 8, 2013. The six-day Global Trade Show from 8th to 13th January will see participation from more than 1000 companies from more than 14 countries and various governments. More than 1.5 million people are expected to visit the Global Trade Show, double than the 2011 exhibition. With 13 domes, 14 exclusive pavilions, over 1000 stalls and more than 25,000 products on display, this Global Trade Show will be one of the largest of its kind in the country.

The exhibitors will be showcasing their products and service innovations from key sectors such as Engineering and Automobiles, Oil & Gas, Energy & Power, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Financial Services, IT & ITeS, Mining & Minerals, Automobiles, Plastics, Textiles and Tourism. Many players from emerging sectors such as Environmental Technology, Green & Renewable Energy and SME sectors are also showcasing their strength at the Global Trade Show.

A first of its kind in the country, a concept car designed and studded with thousands of Swarovski Gems, Gold and Silver is on display at the venue. Many other innovations are on display including a unique Solar Aircraft model from Solvay Group.

Being true to the motto of Gujarat being the catalyst for businesses across the world, the exhibition would see exhibits from various states and countries.

Briefing the media on salient features of the exhibition Shri Maheshwar Sahu, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries and Mines, Government of Gujarat said, “The Global Trade Show is an integral part of Vibrant Gujarat Summit. This platform offers a unique opportunity to corporate houses, institutions and industrial giants not only to showcase their innovations, products and services to a large gathering of Indian and global summit delegates but also allows to have meaningful business-to-business interactions resulting in serious business and trade opportunities. This exhibition would also allow students and future generation of Gujarat to get exposed to the truly global Gujarat, technology & best practices.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show is being organized by Industrial Extension Bureau and K&D Communications. The Supporting Associations are, Federation of Industries and Associations (FIA), Gujarat State Plastic Manufacturers Association (GSPMA), Electronics and Weighing Scale Associations, Gujarat Electronics and Software Industries Association (GESIA), GCCI Business Women Wing, India ITME Society and Indian Technical Textile Association.

More than 50000 delegates from 22 Indian states, More than 1800 foreign delegates from 105 countries at Vibrant Gujarat 2013

vibrantgujarat — 1/8/2013 10:22:21 AM

Gandhinagar, January 7, 2013: With large number of participants registering from more than 105 countries, the Vibrant Gujarat will set a new benchmark with a landmark achievement of having diplomats, industrialists, academia and thinkers from so many countries converge around subjects of sustainability, innovation, youth & skill development, knowledge sharing and networking.

More than 1800 foreign delegates are expected to attend the Summit this year, higher than last year’s participation of 1400 delegates from 101 countries. From India, 22 states are participating in various capacities and around 50,000 delegates from India will be attending the summit. Large delegations consisting of senior business leaders and diplomats from Canada, Japan, USA, United Kingdom and the UAE are marking their presence at Vibrant Gujarat.

Some of the countries with a higher rate of participation include Sweden, Finland, Italy, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Israel, Poland, Russia, Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria, Somalia, Australia, Thailand and Yunan.

Briefing the media on salient features of the global and Indian participation, Shri Maheshwar Sahu, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries and Mines, Government of Gujarat said, “Looking at the enthusiastic participation by so many Indian and international delegates, we are confident of providing a platform for them to engage in a meaningful dialogue around focus areas of the summit, share their knowledge with each other and form strategic partnerships, not only for their own development but also for development of the state, the country and the world.”

To provide a thrust to knowledge-based partnerships which the government is focused on, there are various events where partnerships have been formed with countries that excel in that sector. For example: the International Conference of Academic Institutions (ICAI) has partnered with International Institute of Education, British Council and World Bank; the seminar on green and efficient water management has partnered with Royal Danish Embassy; seminar on technology solutions for environmental sustainability has partnered with the government of Victoria, Australia; seminar on green innovation has partnerships with Planning Commission of India, Asian Development Bank, International Finance Corporation; seminar on ports and port-led development has partnered with Netherland, seminar on developing integrated, smart and sustainable cities has partnered with Japan; seminar on global financial hub with the UKIBC; Youth Convention has partnered with Australia India Business Council; and so on and so forth.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show will have participation from 14 different countries and over 1000 companies.

Narendra Modi inaugurates the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show

vibrantgujarat — 1/8/2013 12:00:00 AM

More than 1,00,000 square meters of area
Exhibitors from more than 16 countries
1.5 million footfalls expected
Longest ever façade of 3000 sq. mtrs.

Gandhinagar, January 8, 2013: As part of 6th Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, today inaugurated the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show at Helipad Ground, Gandhinagar. The six-day Global Trade Show, spread across an area of more than 1, 00,000 square meters has participation from more than 1000 companies from 16 countries and various Governments. More than 1.5 million people are expected to visit the Global Trade Show, double than the 2011 exhibition. With 13 domes, 14 exclusive pavilions, over 1000 stalls and more than 25,000 products on display, this Global Trade Show will be one of the largest of its kind in the country.

Speaking while inaugurating the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said, “The Global Trade Show is an integral component of Vibrant Gujarat Summit. This platform offers a unique opportunity to corporate houses, institutions and industrial giants not only to showcase their innovations, products and services to a large gathering of Indian and global summit delegates but also allows to have meaningful business-to-business interactions resulting in serious business and trade opportunities. It is an excellent platform for Youth & Student to acquire knowledge.”

The exhibitors will be showcasing their products and service innovations from key sectors such as Engineering and Automobiles, Oil & Gas, Energy & Power, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Financial Services, IT & ITeS, Mining & Minerals, Automobiles, Plastics, Textiles and Tourism. Many players from emerging sectors such as Environmental Technology, Green & Renewable Energy and SME sectors are also showcasing their strength at the Global Trade Show.

Unique and interesting displays from various companies are a must see at the Global Trade Show: a unique Solar Aircraft model from Solvay Group, Craft Village by Industrial Extension Cottage, Solar Village by Gujarat Energy Development Agency and Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd.

Apart from Partner Countries Japan and Canada, various other countries like USA, UK, Australia, Netherlands, Rwanda, Israel and Mozambique etc., have marked their presence at the event.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show is being organized by Industrial Extension Bureau and K&D Communications. The sponsors include Sai Info systems, Alpari, GEPIL, Green Gene, Mamta Machinery, State Bank of India, Cairn India & Peugeot Motors.

The Supporting Associations are, Federation of Industries and Associations (FIA), Gujarat State Plastic Manufacturers Association (GSPMA), Electronics and Weighing Scale Associations, Gujarat Electronics and Software Industries Association (GESIA), GCCI Business Women Wing, India ITME Society and Indian Technical Textile Association.

Special bus services to the exhibition every hour from 20 locations across Ahmedabad from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm is available from 8-13 January 2013.

For more information, please visit www.vggts.com

Gujarat will look to foster young entrepreneurs in Gujarat: Narendra Modi

vibrantgujarat — 1/8/2013 12:00:00 AM

The Young Entrepreneurs’ (YE) Meet draws young leaders from all over the country

Ahmedabad, January 8, 2013: Bringing together a host of entrepreneurs, start-up companies and institutions, the Government of Gujarat organized the Young Entrepreneurs’ (Ye) Meet in Ahmedabad today as part of the run-up to the Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit. Addressed by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi and attended by over 450 entrepreneurs who have start-ups in Gujarat as well as other Indian states, the event with the theme ‘Igniting Young Minds in Making Difference for Entrepreneurial Success’, was organized by the Government of Gujarat and the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Young Indians (Yi) with the support of the Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb).

Chief Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the gathering said, “Youngsters have become cynical about the state of the country because of issues like corruption and red-tapism. Gujarat’s greatest achievement over the past decade has been that despite sharing the same bureaucratic machinery that the rest of India has, we have given young entrepreneurs and businesses a reason for optimism.”

The event was also addressed by some of the eminent panelists like Anupama Arya, National Chairman – Young Indians & Managing Director, Hatch Fund & Co-Founder, Angel Investors Consortium; Suhas Gopinath, Chief Executive Officer & President, Global Inc., who is also the world’s youngest entrepreneur; Sameer Chaturvedi, Chief Executive Officer, Jaipur Rugs Foundation, Anmol Singh Jaggi, Director, Gensol Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Dr Rahul Mirchandani, Founder President, Commonwealth-Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (CAAYE) and Dr. Dinesh Awasthi, Director, Entrepreneurship Development of India amongst others.

An ardent follower and believer of Swami Vivekananda, Narendra Modi also believes in “Youth is that wonderful time in life when energy is limitless, human creativity is at its best and the ’never say die’ spirit is at its peak”. Gujarat has seen an unprecedented upsurge in economic growth and with investor friendly policy initiatives, the state is moving in the right direction to promote entrepreneurship. Gujarat provides hassle-free environment for investment grounding right from effective handholding till the setting up of projects. Gujarat, one of India's most industrialized states, is home to some of India's finest and successful entrepreneurs and wealth-creators.

The Chief Minister gave a strong message to the youngsters by saying that, “My dream is that you fulfill your dreams. I urge that you follow the motto of ‘Shram-ev Jayate’” The Chief Minister spoke about the industrial development in the state and while laying out the case for the future, said, “Delhi is the political capital and Mumbai is the economic hub. With 40% of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor passing through Gujarat, we have the capacity to capture 60% of India’s commerce potential.” Mr. Modi said that the Ye Meet was “an attempt to encourage and bring together young dynamic leaders from Gujarat and other parts of India under one platform.”

“I am confident that going forward these leaders will play an important role in creating a vision for Gujarat as well as India to be in the same league with emerged economies by 2020,”he added.

The meet witnessed young leaders who came forward to share their experience and vision on the contribution of young entrepreneurs to the state and country's growth perspectives.

Gujarat formulates Rurban model to push urbanization initiatives and infrastructure development in rural areas

vibrantgujarat — 1/8/2013 6:32:46 PM

8 partnerships formed in healthcare, education and rural housing sector
Rurbanization aimed towards distributive growth, curbing migration pressure in large cities

Ahmedabad, January 8, 2013: Under the aegis of the Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit, the Government of Gujarat, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), today organized a high level Panel Discussion on ‘Rurbanization’. Modeled on the concept of creating ‘Big Villages’ with rural soul but with an urban feel and all amenities that a city has, Rurbanisation is meant to further spur balanced development. Creation of infrastructure - connectivity, civic and social infrastructure along with provision of alternative employment opportunities are the key pillars that the concept hinges on. Key topics of discussion included the current and future role of government, private and social sector in implementing Rurban initiatives. Key initiatives talked about were good internal and external connectivity, quality educational and health infrastructure development, mass transportation measures, power and gas availability, sanitation – sewerage and drainage, electricity, electronic and tele-connectivity.

Rurbanization is being seen as a tool to alleviate the need for working rural populace to migrate to urban centres. Migration, a major cause of increasing strain on infrastructure and services in large cities if gradually reversed through improvement in quality of life and attraction of alternative employment opportunities in smaller centers can ease urbanization pressures in emerging countries. Besides these, problems plaguing rural areas like haphazard growth of villages due to absence of land use plans and development control regulations, lack of financial independence of panchyati Raj institutions are some of the issues that Rurbanization model will try to attend to. The panel too shared the Government of Gujarat’s view that the process of rurbanization is a regenerative and revitalizing one that has the capability to positively influence people and environment both in rural and urban centers.

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi, said, “Gujarat takes pride in taking a leadership position in providing urban amenities to rural areas. Today, every village in Gujarat has 24x7 electricity, good quality road and other civic facilities comparable to any urban center in the country. We have a long way to go but, we would work tirelessly to achieve this task in order to provide improved quality of life to the citizens of Gujarat. Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA) is a vision of former President Shri APJ Abdul Kalam and Gujarat will be the first state to achieve his vision.”

An important speaker at the event was renowned academician Prof. P V Indiresan who served for forty long years at IIT and has been awarded the highest prize of Inventions Promotion Board, Government of India.

The speakers in the panel discussion included Shri Bhupendrasingh Chudasama, Hon’ble Minister for Panchayat, Govt of Gujarat, Shri Jayantibhai Kavadia, MOS, Panchayat, Govt of Gujarat, Shri Varesh Sinha, IAS, ACS, Finance Dept, Govt of Gujarat, Shri Sharda Prasad, IAS, Director, DET, Govt of India, Shri P K Taneja, IAS, Principal Secretary (PH & FW) and Commissioner of Health, Shri Tapan Ray, IAS, MD, GSPC, Shri Sharda Prasad, IAS, Director, DET, Govt of India, Shri AK Rakesh, IAS, Development Commissioner, Govt of India. Government of Gujarat introduced the concept of Rurbanisation and action strategy of the state government to achieve the set objectives. 255 Rurban centres have been shortlisted to begin work and a dedicated Rurban cell has also been formed to implement and monitor progress. Kaushalya Vardhan Kendras for skill development, Jyotigram yojana for 24*7 three-phase rural electrification, eGram for electronic connectivity, Kiosk banking faclities, improvement in sewerage and drainage network are some of the areas that the State has already started work in.

After business, it’s time now for Gujarat to emerge as a global education hub

vibrantgujarat — 1/9/2013 6:44:19 PM

Reputed global universities tie-up with Gujarat-based universities for knowledge sharing and collaborations
Eight collaborations forged today
213 participants from 145 internationally reputed universities of 57 countries

Gandhinagar, January 9, 2013: As a part of the Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit, the Government of Gujarat today organized the second ‘International Conference for Academic Institutions’ (ICAI) at Gandhinagar. The ICAI efficiently connected several international academic institutes with most of Gujarat’s universities and their senior decision-makers. More than 145 foreign universities and 52 Gujarat-based universities converged at the conference today to explore internationlisation of education in Gujarat and keep pace with the time and promote skill development and R&D. Participants from more than 145 reputed international universities and 57 countries were present for the conference.

The ICAI acted as a catalyst for the universities in Gujarat to build international relationship with the reputed global institutions for promoting long-term sustainable strategic partnership in order to promote internationalisation of education, innovation and R&D culture and skill development.

Some of the key tie-ups made were between: Gujarat Forensic Science University with Galilee International Management Institute, Israel; Indian Institute of Teacher Education with University of Helsinki, Finland; Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) with Cairn India ltd; Knowledge Commission of Gujarat with British Council, UK; Dept of Technical Education, Govt of Gujarat with Seneca College, Canada; Gujarat Technical University with University of Lancashire; Dholera SIR & PDPU with Cadila Pharma ltd; IIT Gandhinagar with University of Saskatchewan.

Speaking at the conference, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr Narendra Modi said, “I have a dream of a society that gets knowledge from information, I have a dream for individual empowerment through the benefits of knowledge, and a dream for young learners to have an opportunity to learn. I have a dream for universal access to education through technology. If there is one thing I can assure you about Gujarat, we don’t do half measures, but follow through to completion. Opportunity is only fully realized when everyone has access to knowledge.”

The ICAI provided a platform for participants to derive lessons from global learning of institution building. The Gujarat-based participants understood global institutional mechanisms required for sustainability of the University System and analyzed various models of academic collaborations and research collaborations with foreign institutions. Both, the foreign and Gujarat-based participants identified systems and developed approach for institutionalizing the Industry-Institution interface. The participants also explored possibilities of foreign campuses in Gujarat and associated challenges.

Few of the respectful universities /institutions like University of Toronto, Times Higher Education, Institute of International Education, Seneca College, Canada, University of Wollongong, Australia, University of Houston, Stanford University and many more were present for collaboration with their Indian counterparts.

The ICAI had esteemed presence of deans, directors and senior faculty heads from about 145 international universities. From Gujarat, the heads of all the major universities and academic institutes were present.

The collaborations and tie-ups forged at the ICAI were mainly categorized in four areas: Collaboration between Gujarat and foreign based universities, tie-ups between university and industry, tie-ups between university and research institute, and between industry and research institute.

Youth Discussion Highlights Industry Responsive Skills Development to Ensure Globally Competitive Workforce in Gujarat

vibrantgujarat — 1/10/2013 12:00:00 AM

245 partnerships formed in various sectors for skill development

Gandhinagar, January 9, 2013: As a part of the Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit, the Government of Gujarat’s Skill Development Mission (GSDM) and CII today organised a Panel Discussion on Youth development: Industry responsive skill development. There were a total of 245 partnerships formed between companies from various sectors and the Government of Gujarat.

Skilled workers are in high demand as the global economy continues to grow. In India 60% of its 1.2 billion people are in the working age group. However, only 5% of India's labour force in the age group19-24 years is estimated to have acquired formal training. There is a dire need to offer continuous and industry responsive skill development training programs to the young Indian population.

Addressing the panelists and audience, Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat said that the main concern that we as a society face today is that of dignity, which needs to be given to any worker. A paradigm shift in mindset is needed so that equality and respect can be given to all the people of working class. Skill development is all about keeping it simple, flexible, market oriented and personalized solutions which can lead to successful model. In Gujarat, we take skill development as a mission and we aim to empower our youth with vocational training so that they can take over the world.

In the context of increasing pace of globalization and technological changes, skill and knowledge are unarguably the key driving forces of economic growth and social development of any country. Developed countries have realized the importance of skill development as a corner stone to assure sustainable industrial growth and foster overall economic development.

In accordance with these key points, the Labour & Employment department and Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb) organized this discussion. The panellists expressed the following points:

Hand on touch training in the industry is the best practice, besides classroom approach. German model is one that can be suitably modified to fit India. Gujarat can take a lead, as it always looks for innovation.
Networking between training and placement is missing, that needs to be addressed not only by NGOs but mainly by government policies
Apprenticeship should be encouraged with higher stipends, and that increases employability
Customise the training curriculum to suit the technological changes
Continuous review of curriculum and design to suit the industry need
Vocational courses should be treated equivalent to other traditional academic courses that increases the self-esteem of the vocational course students.

Corporate Social Responsibility - Discussion Forum – comes out with pointers for Moving from Dialogue to Action

vibrantgujarat — 1/10/2013 12:27:17 PM

Gandhinagar, January 9, 2013: As a part of the Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit, the Government of Gujarat today organised a Discussion Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility: “Moving from Dialogue to Action.” The business case for CSR is gaining momentum as companies around the world are realizing that what is good for the employees, their community and environment is also good for the business.

The panel discussion was focused on importance of aligning CSR initiatives with business objectives and corporate values and hence, integrating corporate responsibility across the business functions and enhancing business reputation; Necessity of proper auditing mechanism though which CSR initiative could be measured and the Role of government in providing necessary legislative support for promoting CSR further; Making CSR an integral part of companies' way of doing business.

Speaking at the discussion forum, Mr. S Jagadeesan, IAS, MD, Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd. said, “Government can play an important role to aid the process of making resources available to the people in need. The government is trying to make the corporate sector as a partner in making the change.”

Highlighting the three main aspects, Mr. S Jagadeesan stressed the need to benchmark CSR activities, transparent reporting system, and third party auditing on the nature of CSR expenditure to ensure the use of CSR resources for intended purposes.

He recalled the fact that Gujarat has always been a pioneer in the CSR Activities even without any obligation from the government due to historical and cultural heritage.

Other prominent speakers at the Discussion Forum were :

Shardul S Shroff, Managing Partner, Amarchand Mangaldas
Atanu Chakraborty, IAS, Managing Director, Gujarat State Fertilizers Chemicals Ltd.
Gauri Arora, Lead-Corporate Citizenship at Microsoft Corporation India

Some key issues and highlights by the participants at the Discussion Forum include:

Most participants were of the opinion that accountability is a major factor for ensuring the quality of CSR activities
On making CSR mandatory, some participants were of the opinion that it will defeat the very purpose of doing good for the society, while others felt that it will bring in some regulation and accountability
A need to bring in quality and set benchmarks if the society is to be benefited
Finally, CSR is not and shouldn’t be considered as philanthropy

Innovation Discussion Looks at Long Term Solutions to Global Challenges

vibrantgujarat — 1/10/2013 12:00:00 AM

Shri Narendra Modi, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Gujarat with the innovators

Three partnerships formed for research on industrial application and water management

Gandhinagar, January 9, 2013: Over the last few years, the global economy has been struggling with economic slowdown and recessionary trends. This has changed the world not just because of the change in economic conditions, but also because there is a growing realization for the need to innovate to create new solutions for a new world economy. To understand this global phenomena and innovation impact, the Government of Gujarat along with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) today organised the Discussion Forum on Innovation - What does it take to create an ecosystem for innovation? The event saw three strong partnerships forming between: CII and Govt of Gujarat wherein CII members will sponsor 50 PhD students every year for industrial application research; between CII and Triveni Engineering for research on waste water management and water supply; and between Isis Innovation, Oxford University and Govt of Gujarat.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi addressed a large gathering of innovators and said that, “When we do research, there is a positive change in the world’s economy. I believe that part of a company’s CSR initiatives should go towards research and innovation.”

Two strong recommendations those have emanated from the Innovation Symposium have been briefed by CII to the Chief Minister.:

Gujarat Government should be the first state in the country to roll out Strategic action plan for providing convergent technology solutions to the challenges the state is facing, in partnership with industry.
Gujarat should establish angel fund for supporting innovators in the state.

Mr Venkatesh Valluri, Chairman and President Ingersoll Rand India, and Chairman, CII National Committee on Technology shared that the industry is keen to participate in developing and deploying technology & innovation driven solutions in the priority areas like, Water, Sanitation, Healthcare, energy efficiency, Food security and Homeland security, by bringing in convergent technologies specific to state’s needs.

The global economy has now become more inter-connected and it is no longer possible to craft a solution for one country or region in isolation. Sustainability has also come to the fore. What works as a short term fix might no longer be the best way to mitigate global challenges like food security, energy security, climate change, and health pandemics which require long-term, thoughtful and innovative solutions.

Eminent speakers at the symposium included the following: Mr. Anjas Das, Executive Director, CII, Dr T Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, Mr. Lars Kristofer Eklund, Scandinavian Competitiveness Group & Member of Executive Board, VINNOVA, Sweden, Dr. Raja Krishnamurthy, R&D, Head at 3M India, Mr Sunil Shah, Chairman, Gujarat Innovation Society, Prof Anil K Gupta, Executive Vice chairperson, National Innovation Foundation-India, Professor, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Prof Paul Charlmers, Director, Newton college of business and Technology, New Zealand, Mr Ketan Patel, Chairman & Managing Director, Troikaa Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Dr H C Pattnaik, Gujarat Venture Finance Limited, Anjan Mukherjee, MD, HyCa Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Radhakrishnan Kodakkal, Director Healthcare R&D, Philips Healthcare, Mr H K Mittal, Secretary, TDB and Advisor, NSTEDB, Prof. Sanjay Inamdar, BHAU Institute for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Leadership, College of Engineering, Pune, Mr Sushanto Mitra, Chief Executive Officer, Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay, Ms Deepanwita Chattopadhyay, President, Indian STEPs and Business Incubators Association & MD & CEO, ICICI Knowledge Park
Gujarat has already made many great strides using policy to promote innovation in the State, including:

Industrial Policy – 2009 supporting Innovation and Research

Gujarat is one of the leading industrialized states in India. Having ensured industrial development, the government decided in 2009 to focus on developing knowledge and human capital for a sustainable growth journey. The idea was to create an environment conducive to the next stage of development, by focussing on research and development activity through promoting R&D institutions as well as encouraging contract research from private sector industries, institutions and industrial associations.

Hence, provisions were made under the Industrial Policy 2009 to support innovation, research and development of such institutions. Since then efforts have been made to set up Centre of Excellences (COEs) in different areas. 17 applications have been received by the government to provide support for creation of COE of which 9 have been approved with financial assistance of approximately INR 900 million. The COE in Textiles has been operationalised by ATIRA and other such approved COE are in process of being operationalised.

Gujarat Educational Innovations Commission (GEIC)

GEIC was established in February 2009 by Government of Gujarat to promote conception, experimentation and implementation of educational innovations in the state. It intends to enrich the present system of education so as to make it more and more responsive to the ideas of Indian nationalism and internationalism. It will conceive, experiment upon and implement innovative educational proposals to transform the education system.

The Commission has four Councils, which will advise the Commission in the following four important domains of education:

Humanities, Fine Arts, Crafts, Cultural Courses and Value oriented Education
Pedagogy, Curriculum Development and Evaluation System;
Physical Education, physical and psychological exercises of Yoga, NCC, NSS and Scouts and Guides.

Delegates from 120 countries attend Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit

vibrantgujarat — 1/11/2013 12:00:00 AM

“Vibrant Gujarat Summit emerges as an incubator of innovators and entrepreneurship and not just a global convergence of investors’ destination”

“Convergence of Scale-Skill-Speed as 3 pillars of development”

“Gujarat maintains its high growth rate despite global recession”

– Narendra Modi, Chief Minister, Gujarat

Gandhinagar, January 11, 2013: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said that the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit (VGGIS) should send a strong and positive message of converting global challenges of the 21st Century into opportunities for change and forging partnership between knowledge and technology.

Inaugurating the mega event to a grand spectacle at the majestic Mahatma Mandir premises here, he said the biennial event has over years emerged as an incubator of innovators and entrepreneurship, and not just a convergence of investors’ destination. It served as a model of development and human welfare for the policy makers. The event demonstrated Gujarat’s capacity to convert dreams for global development into reality.

The sixth version of Gujarat Government’s flagship mega event is being attended by top functionaries of governments, captains of industries and investors, management experts, dignitaries and delegates from 120 countries.

Extending a warm welcome to all, Mr. Modi said that Gujarat’s initiative in staging this global event should bring the world closer, encouraging collective wisdom and cross-cultural partnership for a brighter future of the mankind.

“There was a time when Gujarati people used to go abroad and make the foreign land their home. Now, in 21st century, it is Gujarat’s endeavor to create such an atmosphere that entire world come here to make this land their home”, the Chief Minister said.

He said that the ideology of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The world is a family) is coming true in Gujarat as the participants from all over the world have converged in the summit and that too when the state is celebrating Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary.

In a short span of merely a decade the Global Summit of Gujarat has taken a shape of a global event. Japan and Canada have become country partners and the many developed countries have given a new height and repute to this summit by participating in it. India’s biggest global trade show, spreading over in one lakh square meter of area, has been the major attraction that is showcasing the products from around the world, he said.

“Today when all parts of the world are reeling under adverse effects of global slowdown, Gujarat has animated to spread a positive image to the world economy through the medium of global summit. The inherent entrepreneurial spirit of Gujarat coupled with the state government’s proactive good-governance policies have a proven record of giving results”, said the Chief Minister.

Mr. Modi said that his government is committed to making available the world-class infrastructural facilities in the state. The state has undertaken constructing of world-class investment region and smart cities. Gujarat has come up with big-scale projects in all the sectors such as ports, roads, broadband connectivity, rail, logistics, communication network, transport, health, education and tourism.

Terming the ‘Scale, Skill and Speed’ as the three pillars which are required for the development of modern world Mr. Modi said, “We should collectively strive to build a beautiful world for the future generations using these three pillars.”

“History teaches that the economies based on exploitation of a group of people never succeed. Instead we need to aim for a growth which is a result of participation from the deprived classes and the result of intelligent use of natural resources. This summit will show a way of creating exploitation-less economy”, he said.

Along with a natural advantage of its geographical location, Gujarat has been successful in marking its name on the world map through its proactive policies, world-class infrastructural policies and usage of latest technology. Gujarat has raised itself beyond the limits of development, he said.

Mr.Modi said that in the coming years, Gujarat desires to widen greatly the scale of small industries and manufacturing sector. “We are also equipping the youths with skills essential in 21st century. Gujarat will prove to be a fertile land for all those who want to settle here in the want of fulfilling their development dreams”, said the Chief Minister.

Earlier in the morning, the Chief Minister inaugurated an exhibition on the life and times of Man of the Millennium Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, titled ‘Gandhi to Mahatma’ ‘My Life is My Message’ at the venue of the global meet.

Gujarat registers 85% growth in SME sector

vibrantgujarat — 1/12/2013 5:38:25 PM

Gandhinagar, January 12, 2013: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today called for framing strategic policy with renewed focus on need-based skill development, technological up-gradation and research in Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector to successfully compete in the global market.

Mr. Modi said that SME sector in India has been able to fulfill a great national task of providing jobs to millions. The need is to raise them to the next level of quality and credibility, in ancillary industry or as clusters.

Mr. Modi said, “We aim to reach out to the smallest of the industries across the state. We want to give opportunities and show them a way to move ahead in their business. It is extremely important to embrace the ever changing global environment and upgrade ourselves. I urge all MSMEs to adopt and upgrade to the latest of technologies to compete in the global market place. The government will act as a catalyst agent between the elder and younger generations in family business to bring about this change”.

He said that Gujarat has adopted a very progressive policy during the last ten years to encourage small scale industries. Gujarat is the state with least unemployment rate and maximum 72 per cent of country’s total new jobs in a period. It is also the state with minimum man-days loss, which was possible due to exemplary industrial relation between the employers and employees prevailing in the state.

In view of the challenge thrown by China’s aggressive policy to encourage SME sector, Mr. Modi said there is need to develop this sector in Gujarat as well in India, create ‘Made in Gujarat-India’ Brand, with zero defect quality product.

The Chief Minister mentioned that the Government was following an integrated approach wherein, depending on the type of industry cluster e.g. auto, textiles, training institutes and other facilities suitable to that particular cluster will be set up. An environment for this has already been created.

Mr. Modi awarded several SME companies across various sectors of Gujarat for their excellence in in their respective fields.

Brand Gujarat establishes bonding with people from around the Globe

vibrantgujarat — 1/13/2013 12:00:00 AM

Most partnerships formed for knowledge sharing and innovative, globalized approach to Gujarat’s future
Total Investment Intentions for 17,719 projects, including 12,886 in SME sector, promising jobs to 0.37 million.
10.6 million visit Global Trade Show.
58,000 delegates participate in 127 seminars.
2,100 delegates from 121 countries, forge 2,670 strategic partnership intentions.

Gandhinagar, January 12, 2013: At the valedictory ceremony of the Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit, the Chief Minister exuded confidence that the 6th Vibrant Gujarat Summit succeeded in enhancing the brand value of Gujarat, having established emotional bonding with the people of 121 countries.

The focus of the Summit this year was on knowledge sharing, innovation, skill development and youth empowerment. The government announced that it has put substantial efforts throughout 2012 in these areas and with overwhelming response from the industry during the summit; it expects to further strengthen these areas.

A total of 2,100 representatives from 121 countries attending 127 seminars on different topics, forging 2,670 strategic partnership intentions is a rare achievement. These delegates from 121 countries are the new ambassadors of India.

The Chief Minister said that the Vibrant Gujarat Summit cannot be evaluated merely by the investments it attracts. The real outcome of this event is the ‘global branding’ of Gujarat. And more than that it is the ‘global bonding’ of Gujarat with the other parts of the world. This bonding is stronger than the branding. “Gujarat has become a global phenomenon. One need to look at it with a new approach in order to actually see it happening”, he said exuding faith that the younger generation would realize the value and importance of such transformation.

Modi said that the organization of Vibrant Gujarat has given a positive signal even to the developed countries of the world, in the midst of pessimistic scenario of global slowdown. The Chief Minister thanked all the countries who give their support and participation in the global summit and making it a proud event for Gujarat.

On day two of the summit, the Chief Minister met delegation members from Singapore Chamber of Commerce; Mrs. Bappoo GOSK, Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions of the Republic of Mauritius; Dr. Geoff Lee, MP Parliament New South Wales, Government of Australia; delegates from the Poland-India Business Council, representatives of the Taeipe government, representatives from JETRO led by President Mr Hidehiro Yokoo; delegates from Canada and Netherlands; Mr John Luke Jr, Chairman, MeadwestVaco; delegates from Australia India Business Council; delegates from UK-India Business Council,

Day two of the Summit boasted thematic seminars including: A State Seminar on Zero Waste – A Vision for 21 Century Cities; Higher Education & Employability; Enablers for Affordable Housing: Technology and Institution; Gujarat as a Global Financial Hub: An Imperative for Economic Growth; Land use efficiency – Urban Development; Youth Convention – Empowering Youth; Gujarat – An Emerging Transportation Hub; SME Convention – Growth through Competitiveness; and the Green Company Ranking