Gujarat govt to organise Vibrant Saurashtra

Japan, Germany, Kenya and Canada's Manitoba state to partner the event, which is seen generating Rs 5,000 cr investment for the region

The Gujarat government will take the Vibrant Gujarat Summit to regions within the state. After a summit in Kutch in 2014, the state government will now organise Vibrant Saurashtra in Rajkot in January in 2016.

To be organised jointly by the state government, iNDEXTb, Ahmedabad-based Global Network and Octagon Communications, the event will see participation from partner countries and states like Japan, Germany, Kenya and the state of Manitoba in Canada. With international delegates, investors, traders, manufacturers and academia from 25 countries, the event will focus on trade, technology transfer, education, tourism and culture.

The three-day event will be hosted by the Rajkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) with organisations like Rajkot Engineering Association, Morbi Ceramic Association, Gem and Jewellery Trade Council of India and Jamnagar Factory Owners Association.

“There are 16 clusters in Saurashtra region and VibrantSaurashtra will create trade and investment opportunities for variousindustries like auto components, agriculture, ceramic, ship breaking, brassparts and kitchenware,” said Jagat Shah, chairman of Global Network.

To promote the Vibrant Saurashtra event, road shows will be organized in USA, Canada, UK, Kenya, Indonesia, Dubai and Oman where a large number of people from Saurashtra have settled. Road shows are also being organised in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Surat, Delhi and otherparts of India. Shah said, “We are expecting that this event willgenerate at least Rs 5,000 crore worth of trade and investment opportunity forSaurashtra.”

A land bank project for Saurashtra and 16 investment reportswill be launched during the event. “Saurashtra region has a large numbers of small scale industries and Vibrant Saurashtra will surely open new avenues for business globally for them. It will also generate new employment,” said Samir Shah,president of RCCI.