Vibrant footfalls in Gujarat

Narendra Modi and his bureaucrats may be extremely happy that the Vibrant Gujarat Summit of 2013 beat the earlier edition in terms of footfalls. Over 1.6 million people visited the summit at Mahatma Mandir and the trade shows at Helipad Ground in Gandhinagar this year compared to 700,000 people who visited the 2011 event. But foreign delegates seemed to be at a loss. Henk Schouten, general manager of Schouten Europe, which makes “chicken-look-alike” vegetarian snacks, was in town looking for an Indian partner. He barely managed to meet anybody relevant. “There are so many people here. Families with kids all over the place. I am at a loss. I couldn’t meet many relevant people for my business,” Schouten said, adding “they should charge an entry fee for the summit”. The suggestion, however, is unlikely to go down well with Modi who is likely to want to beat this year’s footfall at the next event.