Ahmedabad: On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated his goal of transforming India into a worldwide growth engine and predicted that the country will soon become an economic superpower.
Modi, speaking at an event commemorating the first two decades of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit's success, noted that the modest seeds of a "Vibrant Gujarat" planted two decades ago have grown into a mighty oak.
When the previous national administration (the UPA dispensation) was "indifferent" to the industrial prosperity of the state, Modi said that Vibrant Gujarat became successful.
We planned Vibrant Gujarat so that Gujarat would become one of India's economic pillars. The country has witnessed the realisation of this fantasy. Modi told a group of business leaders and industrialists, "When I was given the opportunity to serve the country in 2014, my goal was to make India a global growth engine."
In addition to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and State BJP President C R Paatil, Governor Acharya Devvrat of Gujarat was also present.
Modi stated, "We are standing at such a phase that India will soon emerge as a global economic powerhouse," and now, experts and agencies throughout the world are making similar predictions.
In a matter of years, India's economy will be among the top three in the world. The Prime Minister vowed that Modi will do this.
He urged the business community to consider areas where India has untapped potential or needs to improve, and how Vibrant Gujartat may help propel those efforts.
Modi emphasised how the Vibrant Gujarat events started out small but have since become an institution, inspiring other states to host their own investment summits.
Modi drew a parallel between the success of Vibrant Gujarat and the stages described by Swami Vivekananda: first, the effort is derided, then it confronts criticism, and lastly it is accepted, especially when the idea is ahead of its time.
He remarked that now everyone can see that Vibrant Gujarat has been successful.
However, the previous organisation of it shown apathy to Gujarat's progress on the part of the Central government. Those in power in the centre had also linked Gujarat's progress to politics, but Modi insisted that he had never done so when discussing India's progress through Gujarat's progress.
Former central government ministers allegedly avoided the gathering at all costs.
They assured me privately that they would join, but they ultimately reneged, presumably due to pressure from above. In fact, he claimed, "they were busy creating hurdles" and even overseas businessmen were warned off visiting Gujarat.
Despite the danger, foreign investors still came to Gujarat when there was little incentive to do so. They came here because they believed they would be able to experience what he called "good governance," which entails "fair governance," "policy-driven governance," "an equal system of growth," and "transparent government" in their daily lives.
Modi credited the people of Gujarat for the success of the first Vibrant Gujarat Summit back in 2003.
The earthquake in 2001, the drought that followed, the failure of cooperative banks, the Godhra tragedy in 2002, and the ensuing rioting across the state were all firsts for him, he added.
Even even then, biassed observers interpreted the events in their own ways. They predicted that young people, businesses, and industries would leave Gujarat, and that the state would be so badly damaged that it would become a financial burden on India, the Prime Minister remarked.
He claimed that there was an international plot to tarnish Gujarat's reputation and sow seeds of despair.
It's been argued that Gujarat can never recover on its own. In the midst of this catastrophe, I vowed that I will pull Gujarat through it, no matter what," Modi added, noting that Vibrant Gujarat would play a significant role in this endeavour.
"It became a medium to boost Gujarat's self-assurance and prepare the state to take on the world," he explained.
Modi used the conference as a platform to tout Gujarat's ability to make decisions and its world-centric outlook.
He went on to say that the event had become a platform for showcasing India's (particularly Gujarat's) industrial prowess abroad, as well as the country's cultural heritage and the boundless potential of its many different economic sectors.
He noted that when they first started planning for Vibrant Gujarat, there weren't any large hotels where foreign delegates could stay.
Modi recounted that in 2009, when the summit was planned, everyone, including his then-officers, advised that it be cancelled due to the global recession, but he went ahead with it nevertheless. He also noted that the 2009 summit marked a significant new milestone.
More than 40,000 delegates take part in the event now, up from just a few hundred in 2003. Only a small number of countries were involved back in 2003. As of right now, almost 135 nations are taking part. He stated that the number of exhibitors has increased from 30 in 2003 to over 2,000 today.
Modi cited idea, vision, and implementation as the driving forces behind Vibrant Gujarat's success.
Initially, the idea was foreign to the country, but as time passed, its significance became clear. He said that other governments eventually began holding their own investor and business summits.
We took a bold step by choosing to make a developed nation a partner nation. He remarked that it was difficult to imagine a small state becoming a partner of a developed country.
But Modi said it takes a very huge thing—good ideas and imagination—to mobilise the whole system and create a vision.
He stressed the need for extensive planning, funding for capacity building, an eye for every detail, and plenty of hard effort to pull off an event of this magnitude.
The Prime Minister stated that "Vibrant Gujarat has evolved from a one-time event to an institution whose system and process continue throughout the year."
He claimed that the repeatable success of Vibrant Gujarat was due to the systematisation of the programme.
Modi stated that the state government, which he had led at the time, made an effort for the benefit of all states through the summit. "Very few have understood my thinking," he continued.
Modi proclaimed that in the twenty first century, Gujarat has transformed into an agricultural superpower, a financial centre, and a unique industry and finance environment.
The prime minister said that the summit served as "an incubator of ideas, innovation, and industry," all of which contributed to the state's improved standing in international trade.
According to Modi, the state of Gujarat has flourished in many areas over the past two decades thanks to the Vibrant Gujarat initiative.
He noted that in today's highly interconnected world, financial institutions are increasingly working together, and that Gujarat is home to the rapidly growing GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City).
We need to put up more effort to make GIFT City a major player in the international financial marketplace. The high demand here at home can help us accomplish this goal. He argued that "vigorous Gujarat" should invest in the GIFT City in order to increase its international profile.
Modi has stated that the next 20 years are more crucial than the previous 20, therefore there is no time to rest on the laurels of the achievement of Vibrant Gujarat.
The time has arrived for India to chart its course to economic independence and modernization. I have no doubt that you will all consider this and take action towards it.
To celebrate 20 years of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the Prime Minister also opened an exhibition at the local Science City. At Science City, he saw an aquarium, a robotics gallery, and a nature park, among other things.—Inputs from Agencies