By Seema Hakhu Kachru
Houston:The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 is receiving tremendous response in the US, members of a high level state delegation said after meeting senior government officials and CEOs of top tech companies here.

In a bid to promote the business summit that will take place in January next year, the delegation led by Bharat Lal, Resident Commissioner, Government of Gujarat, organised roadshows and met with business leaders.

The delegation also met with Indo-American Chamber of Greater Houston (IACCGH) earlier this week and received huge positive response from the business community.

“Vibrant Gujarat is connecting India to the world,” Lal said.

“Our objective is to interact with government officials and the business community during this roadshow in Canada and USA, to attract investors, scientist, and entrepreneurs from all over the world to come to Gujarat and participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017,” he told PTI at the reception organised by Consul General of India, Dr Anupam Ray.

“Vibrant Gujarat is the biggest platform for enabling business in India. In the post GST (Goods and Services Tax Bill) scenario, when India becomes ‘One Nation – One Market’, Gujarat holds a unique distinction with favourable geographical location, state-of-the-art infrastructure and sound policies,” he said.

“We have had various meeting with leading companies across USA and had an amazing response. People are very excited about GST… Business industry is bullish, they think this is the right time to invest.

Underlining the rapid economic development that is taking place under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lal referred to Gujarat as being the driving engine of Indian growth.

“The state accounts for 19 per cent of industrial output, 41 per cent of cargo exports and 10 per cent of India’s manufacturing industries,” he said, adding that Gujarat ranked number one in “ease of doing business”.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett who was special invitee at the roadshow said Houston is looking forward to Prime Minister Modi’s visit in the near future.

His visit will further strengthen the ties between Houston businesses and India, he added.

India’s Counsel General Ray said India is the world’s largest fastest growing economy and India and the US are natural partners.

The delegation was accompanied by government officials, CEO Invest India and senior executives from GIFT City, iCREATE, Cadilla Pharmaceuticals, Gujarat Agro, Suzlon Group, Reliance, and GSPC among others.

They met around 100 top officials of Houston based companies during the roadshow and series of one-to-one meetings.

PTI