The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2013 concluded here on Saturday with Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who refrained from announcing any new investments unlike in the past, saying that bonding of the State’s people with the global community is more important and stronger than developing the State into a brand.

He said from next year, the State Government would similarly organise global summits in agriculture and food processing sectors as well.

Thai Ambassador to India Pisan Manwapat said his country will begin a direct, weekly flight from Gujarat to Thailand from April 1 this year to facilitate increased tourist traffic. Canadian Minister Jason Kenney informed that food processor McCain will invest C$69 million in Gujarat.

Addressing the valedictory function in Hindi, Modi also invited the participants to return to Gujarat on January 15, 2015, for the seventh Vibrant Gujarat programme. The biennial Summit’s last day on Sunday will have only business-tobusiness and business-to-government meetings.

In 2011, the Global Investors’ Summit had concluded with commitments for investments of a whopping Rs 20 lakh crore. This year, however, industrial houses such as RIL and Essar announced to invest about Rs 1.25 lakh crore on Friday.

Global cooperation

Modi said the sixth edition of the event would establish the prestige of entire India, and particularly Gujarat, as an attractive investment destination. For this, the State has created conducive environment through global educational institutions’ collaborations for academics, skill development and research.

About 2,200 participants from 121 countries, Modi said, saw how India was like and they are now expected to become Gujarat’s ambassadors in their homelands. Vibrant Gujarat can now show the way forward to a recession-hit world. In an hour-long, election-mode speech, the Chief Minister, time and again, lamented that many people would not understand the import of this event immediately. He said Gujarat now reflected an emerging global cooperation.

Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry and Hitachi India Managing Director Moto Morimoto were among the speakers.

Earlier, Maheshwar Sahu, Principal Secretary (Industries), informed that a total of 127 events were organised in Vibrant Gujarat 2013 (compared with 67 in 2011) and 830 speakers participated (251). In all, 17,719 (8,380) memorandums of understanding were signed, including 12,886 (4,417) by small and medium enterprises. These would generate jobs for 3.73 lakh people.

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