Gujarat, Russia explore expanded industrial cooperation at VGRC bilateral meet in Vadodara
Vadodara, June 29
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Monday held a bilateral meeting with Russian trade representatives, including Zlata Antusheva, Head of Government Relations and Financial Sector at the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in India, as part of the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for Central Gujarat.
The meeting was held during a series of one-to-one engagements on the opening day of the two-day conference in Vadodara, which has brought together international delegations, investors and policymakers to explore new avenues of economic cooperation.
According to officials, the discussions focused on strengthening Gujarat-Russia economic and industrial collaboration across a wide range of sectors, including transport, smart city development, financial systems and industrial partnerships.
The two sides also discussed opportunities for cooperation involving Indian MSMEs and the expansion of INR-based financial transactions to facilitate smoother trade and investment flows.
Sector-specific collaboration with Russian companies such as Archem in specialty chemicals and Eurochem in fertilisers was also part of the deliberations, highlighting potential areas for deeper industrial engagement between the two regions.
The Chief Minister underscored Gujarat's continued focus on expanding global partnerships through the Vibrant Gujarat platform and reiterated the state's readiness to work with international partners in emerging and strategic sectors.
Senior state government officials were also present at the meeting, including Chief Secretary Manoj Das, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) Mamta Verma, Principal Secretary (Energy) Ashwini Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sanjeev Kumar, and Additional Principal Secretary Dr Vikrant Pandey.
The bilateral engagement forms part of Gujarat's broader outreach to international stakeholders during VGRC-Central Gujarat, which aims to promote investment, industrial development and technology partnerships across key sectors such as manufacturing, renewable energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fintech, infrastructure and smart urban development.
Officials said the conference continues to serve as a platform for structured dialogue between global investors and the state government, highlighting Gujarat's position as a preferred destination for industrial cooperation and long-term economic partnerships.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some concrete steps beyond just photo-ops! The fertilizer and chemical sector collaboration could really help stabilize prices for farmers. But I hope the state also ensures these partnerships include technology transfer and local job creation, not just raw material deals. 🤔
Vibrant Gujarat is back with a bang! Smart city and fintech collaboration with Russia? That's interesting - they have some solid cybersecurity and digital payment systems. Hope this leads to more student exchanges and tech training programs too. 👌
Good to see diplomacy working for ground-level economic benefits. But we need to ensure that these bilateral agreements translate into action on the ground quickly - too many MoUs end up gathering dust. Also, transparency in how these partnerships benefit local communities would be appreciated.
As a foreigner living in Gujarat, I can see the state's potential for global partnerships. The infrastructure here has improved dramatically. The Russian delegation choosing Vadodara over Delhi shows how serious they are about working directly with states. Exciting times! ✨
Appreciate the effort, but I hope the CM is also having these talks with other nations, not just Russia. Ukraine conflict has made some investments risky. That said, Russian expertise in chemicals and fertilizers is undeniable - our agriculture sector could benefit if the terms are right. 🇮🇳
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