Vibrant Gujarat Delegation holds road shows in Washington to packed audiences

Washington DC, 11 September 2014

Following is the note released by Government of Gujarat on Vibrant Gujarat delegation’s Washington DC visit in America:

Vibrant Gujarat delegation’s two-day visit to the US capital Washington DC led to huge excitement among business and industry as well as in the Government. The high-powered delegation which included Government officials and business & industry leaders from Gujarat attended a series of events and showcased the development and potential of Gujarat. With new government at the centre led by Shri Narendra Modi in place, people in business, economy, industry, government as well as NRIs abroad are excited about India. There is a huge expectation with very focused and good governance provided in the country, and people feel that India is a place to explore the opportunities. Gujarat is seen as dream destination and live and work. The NRIs in USA are very excited and are keen to contribute in the making of a new Gujarat.

The delegation had a meeting at Embassy of India, which was chaired by Dr. S. Jaishankar, the Ambassador of India wherein he shared the expectations of people abroad especially in USA and challenges to make India a truly business–friendly country. He shared his thoughts and provided best wishes to the delegation.

During the day, a round table was organized by the US–India Business Council (USIBC), which was addressed by Ambassador Dr. Jaishankar and Resident Commissioner Shri Bharat Lal to a packed audience comprising of more than 150 top business and industry leaders, government officials and diplomats. In the audience, officials from the federal government were also present. Shri Bharat Lal made a presentation highlighting Gujarat and a film on Vibrant Gujarat was also shown. Shri Lal extended a warm invitation to participants to attend the Vibrant Gujarat as well as the Education Summit being held in January, 2015. He also highlighted the IndiaPlast meet to be held in Gujarat in the last week of January, 2015.

Shri S. Jaishanker, the Indian Ambassador to the US, highlighted the new government’s efforts at bringing centrality to business, human developments initiatives, focus on manufacturing, skill development, enabling modern infrastructure, building a viable rural economy and utilizing urbanization as a huge opportunity.

Mr. Bharat Lal stressed that the time has come for India to realize its full potential and the whole country is unified and moving in that direction. With Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s firm belief in ‘minimum government and maximum governance’, India is bound to rise and become much more efficient. With stress on infrastructure and improved services, tremendous opportunities are becoming available for everyone. The focus is now on implementation and execution, increasing ease of doing business, removing impediments to growth and overcoming developmental challenges. The new Government of Gujarat headed by Smt. Anandiben Patel is taking the state to the next level with her strong focus on efficient and service delivery oriented Government.

Major US companies, Ford and Abbott laboratories provided insights into their rich and fruitful experience in Gujarat, highlighting the welcoming initiatives of the state government, ease of doing business in the state, developed infrastructure and rich talent pool. Ford also announced setting up of their biggest manufacturing plant in Gujarat that would become their base to export in the region. On the occasion, while welcoming the delegation, USIBC Chairperson Ms. Diane Farrell recalled the long association of USIBC and Gujarat. She said that USIBC is preparing a high-powered delegation to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat summit. She requested that there should a US country seminar during the summit as a very large number of US companies are going to participate in the summit.

In this context, Gujarat has set a precedence and developed a model of inclusive growth and development that is being studied and emulated around the world. It has emerged as a hub for manufacturing, knowledge sharing, auto components, pharmaceuticals, financial services, power and now aims to be the defense manufacturing hub of India. At the end of the meet, Mr. Bharat Lal invited the participating US industry members to attend Vibrant Gujarat 2015 and be part of the India’s transformational growth story, with Gujarat leading the way.

The delegation visited the Centre for Innovation and Technology (CIT). At CIT, the delegation got an overview of the activities and discussed ecosystem of innovation and incubation systems in place and explored opportunities to exchange ideas and support incubation companies of each other.

The delegation attended a function hosted by Non Resident Gujaratis and was addressed by the members of the delegation. NRGs got the opportunity to discuss vibrant state of Gujarat and it was exciting to see the enthusiasm among NRGs. Lots of NRGs are keen to attend Pravasi Bhartiya Divas and the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January 2015.

The delegation was invited for a delegation level meeting at the US Department of Commerce. The US delegation was led by Shri Arun Kumar, Assistant Secretary and he assured the delegation that a high level Delegation from the Department of Commerce will attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January. The delegation had a wide-ranging discussion with US officials. Dept. of Commerce put forward their ideas and proposals for technology supply and their expertise in setting up the ecosystem in various sectors including Special Investment Regions, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor, etc.

The Delegation attended National Governors’ Association and met various US State representatives and invited partnership in various sectors, like, innovation, information technology, pharma, agro, oil and gas, etc. Mr. Bharat Lal made a presentation, which was connected to various States of the USA.

To invite business and industry, a series of one-on-one meetings with industries like ATK Defense Group, Textron Systems, Lockheed Martin, Guardian Industries, etc. were held to give further push for manufacturing, technology transfer, forging partnerships, etc. In the meeting, they showed their willingness to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 in Defense Centric seminars, US specific seminars and also to showcase their products in the exhibition area.