Shaping a new India, says the tagline, inviting individuals as well as organisations, to the 9th Global Summit in Gujarat to be held from 18th to 20th of January 2019. Vibrant Gujarat Summit was conceptualised in 2003 by Honourable Prime Minister of India and the then Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Narendra Modi, to re-establish Gujarat as a preferred investment destination within India. Today, the Summit has evolved into a platform for brainstorming on agendas of global socio-economic development, in addition to being a facilitator for knowledge sharing and forging effective partnerships. The 8th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit was held in January 2017 and witnessed participation from 25,000+ delegates from 100+ countries, including 4 Heads of States, Nobel Laureates, Captains of global industry and Thought Leaders.The 9th Summit promises to be even more vibrant with more participants and more opportunities. (https://vibrantgujarat.com/)
The Honourable High Commissioner of India to Singapore, Javed Ashraf delivered the opening note in his inimitable style. Our High Commisioner who is an alumni of IIM Ahmedabad (IIM (A)) gave an extempore speech that included numbers and statistics and even drew compliments from Dr. Jajoo, IIT(Kanpur), IIM (A) who was part of the Gujarat delegation. Admist all the bleak reports coming out of Brexit and other economies, India is a bright star Mr. Ashraf noted. Economic reforms, streamlined laws, sharper business process life cycles and less burdensome processes to both enter and exit from a business are making it more attractive he said. Mindset change, spearheaded by our Prime Minister, will however take longer he said.
Singapore is attracting a lot of States from India. Earlier we had delegations from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and now Gujarat. This is because socio-economic development responsibility lies with the states. It is no wonder then that Indian state governments are building strategic partnerships with Singapore, as it is not the centre but the state that carves its own path to prosperity. Gujarat with a spirit of enterprise and a culture of business has been at the forefront and positions itself as a ‘Gateway to India’
A delegation led by Mr. Raj Kumar Benival, IAS, Managing Director of the Industrial Extension Bureau; included Professor B. H. Jajoo, Adjunct Faculty Former Professor and Dean, IIM Ahmedabad and several other notable delegates. Mr. Benival showed statistics that speak for themselves. (See Image from NCAER). The delegation shared that the Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC) will be the arbitration centre to resolve any /all disputes. Dr. Jajoo also spoke about iCreate an International Centre for Entrepreunership and Technology (https://icreate.org.in).
In conclusion it was noted that Gujarat is perhaps the only state in India, not developed by monarchs or politicians but by a business community. The Government acts as a facilitator for this entrepreunerial eco system. The citizens are exposed to the trials, tribulations as well as the success of business from the cradle itself. One could therefore say that it is the cradle of business enterprise in India. All the more reason to head to the Global Summit of Vibrant Gujarat when 2019 dawns.
