Countries increasingly looking to India as a trusted partner: Gujarat CM Patel
Vadodara, June 29
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Monday said that countries across the world are increasingly looking to India as a "trusted partner", crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forward-looking leadership for strengthening the country's global standing.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) for Central Gujarat in Vadodara, Patel said the country's economic transformation had been driven by governance that anticipates future challenges rather than merely responding to them.
Union Housing and Urban Development Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, state ministers, diplomats, industry leaders and investors were present.
CM Patel said India had benefited from leadership that focused on tomorrow's requirements while implementing solutions today.
"We have been blessed with leadership that thinks today about tomorrow's needs and begins implementing solutions from today itself. Whether it is anticipating higher electricity demand in the future and planning for it today, we have received such leadership in the form of PM Modi," he said.
He said this approach had extended across critical sectors, including water, electricity and environmental management, allowing India to strengthen its long-term development.
"That is why countries across the world are increasingly coming to India as a trusted friend, and many more nations are eager to strengthen their partnership with India," Patel said.
The Chief Minister noted that Prime Minister Modi had recently completed 12 years of governance at the national level, during which India's economy had witnessed significant progress.
"Under his leadership, the Indian economy has achieved unprecedented progress. The industrial community present here has also made a significant contribution to this achievement," he said.
Patel said one of the Prime Minister's major contributions had been transforming India's business environment by replacing bureaucratic hurdles with investor-friendly governance.
"PM Modi transformed industries from red tape to the red carpet and undertook the monumental task of improving 'Ease of Doing Business' over these 12 years," he said.
He added that Gujarat had benefited from PM Modi's visionary leadership for the past 25 years. "The Prime Minister has given Gujarat a distinct identity as a policy-driven state. Under his leadership and guidance, Gujarat has become a frontrunner in policy framework, good governance, robust infrastructure and fast decision-making," Patel said.
Highlighting the state's industrial strategy, Patel said Gujarat was focusing equally on strengthening traditional manufacturing and promoting emerging sectors. "We are moving ahead with the objective of promoting both traditional MSMEs and industries in emerging sectors," he said.
He described GIFT City in Gandhinagar as the country's leading destination for financial technology and said it offered significant opportunities in artificial intelligence data centres, financing and aircraft leasing.
Patel also highlighted the rapid industrial transformation taking place in Ahmedabad district, where Dholera and Sanand are emerging as semiconductor manufacturing hubs and important links in the global supply chain.
"Dholera is taking shape as the country's first smart industrial city, and its Greenfield Airport will become operational soon," he said.
The Chief Minister added that the Prime Minister had recently approved India's first semi-high-speed rail corridor to provide faster connectivity to Dholera, further strengthening its position as an emerging industrial centre.
Emphasising the importance of supportive government policies, Patel said: "Gujarat had built on the concept of 'Ease of Doing Business' by introducing a single-window clearance mechanism for industries."
He said the state had recently unveiled the new 'Viksit Gujarat Industrial Policy-2026' to strengthen Gujarat's participation in global supply chains.
"With the goal of Viksit Gujarat contributing to Viksit Bharat 2047, this policy includes breakthrough initiatives and industry-friendly incentives for MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, start-ups and others," Patel said.
He said the policy introduced an innovative "Choose Your Incentives" framework under which industries could decide the type of incentives best suited to their investment requirements.
"For the first time, a policy has been introduced under the 'Choose Your Incentives' framework, allowing industries themselves to decide the type of incentives they require. We hope all of you will take full advantage of this policy," he said.
Patel said Gujarat was also supporting the creation of a new economy through flagship national initiatives including Make in India, Made for the World, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Digital India and Green Growth.
"To realise PM Modi's mantra that Gujarat's development contributes to India's development through industry, trade, investment and innovation, the Regional Conference has become a strong platform for Vocal for Local and Local to Global," he said.
Recalling a statement made by Prime Minister Modi in Vadodara, Patel said, "The Prime Minister had said in this very city that every possibility can be transformed into prosperity with the right plan and the right partners."
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone from the US who follows Indian politics, it's impressive to see how Gujarat has positioned itself as a manufacturing hub. The emphasis on semiconductors and GIFT City shows forward-thinking strategy. But I wonder if this growth is trickling down to common people in rural areas? 🤔
Great speech ji! But I wish we heard more about job creation for youth and farmers' welfare too. Industrial growth is necessary but sabka saath, sabka vikas ka plan bana rahna chahiye. Fingers crossed that the 'Viksit Gujarat' policy actually helps small entrepreneurs like my father's MSME. 😊
True that! From red tape to red carpet—that's the transformation I've seen in Gujarat over the years. My startup got approvals in weeks instead of months. But need to ensure this ease of doing business spreads beyond big cities to tier-2 and tier-3 towns. Dholera becoming a smart city gives me hope! 🚀
Interesting read. India is definitely becoming a key player in global supply chains, especially with China+1 strategies. Gujarat's single-window clearance and industrial policies are pragmatic. However, for sustained international trust, I think infrastructure quality and contract enforcement need consistent improvement across states.
PM Modi's vision is indeed taking India forward. But as a woman entrepreneur, I'd like to see more specific incentives for women-led businesses in these policies. The 'Choose Your Incentives' is good, but awareness about such schemes among smaller businesses in Gujarat's villages is still low. Hope the implementation is as good as the promises!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.