Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with some of the top global CEOs on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, as he sought to attract investments across sectors to boost the economy and create jobs. Later, on the eve of the main summit, PM Modi inaugurated the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show 2024. The show is an exhibition spread across 2 lakh square metres in multiple halls at the Helipad Ground Exhibition Centre, Gandhi Nagar.
A day before the inauguration of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit on January 10, the Prime Minister met with executives from Suzuki Motor Corp, Micron Technology, and AP Moller, discussing industry issues and investment opportunities. Modi and Toshihiro Suzuki, representative director & president of Suzuki Motor Corp, discussed Maruti Suzuki’s plans to make India a strong player in the global automotive market by exporting Made in India vehicles. “They also explored deploying global best practices related to vehicle scrapping and vehicle recycling in India,” stated the Prime Minister’s Office in a post on X.
Maruti Suzuki is planning to establish its second car manufacturing plant in Gujarat. This would mark the firm’s fifth plant in the country. According to a post on X, Sanjay Mehrotra, the president and CEO of Micron Technology, held a meeting with PM @narendramodi in Gandhinagar, discussing Micron’s efforts to enhance the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India.
The US chip-making giant, Micron, has initiated the construction of a `2.75 billion semiconductor factory in Sanand, located about 40 km from Ahmedabad. The plant is set to focus on transforming wafers into ball-grid arrays integrated circuit packages, memory modules, and solid-state drives, with an expected completion date by December of this year.
The Prime Minister also met Ahmed bin Sulayem, the Group Chairman & CEO of DP World. They discussed DP World’s plans to further bolster investment in India, particularly in the creation of sustainable, green, and energy-efficient ports, as well as the development of world-class sustainable logistic infrastructure, according to another post by the PMO. Last year, DP World signed a concession agreement with the Deendayal Port Authority to develop, operate, and maintain a new mega-container terminal with a capacity of 2.19 million TEU per annum at Kandla in Gujarat.
The Dubai-based logistics company currently operates five container terminals in India — two in Mumbai, and one each in Mundra, Cochin, and Chennai — with a combined capacity of approximately 6 million TEUs. Modi also met Keith Svendsen, CEO of AP Moller.
“The PM welcomed their expansion plans in the GIFT City. Their discussions encompassed crucial topics such as green hydrogen and the development of logistics infrastructure,” said by the PMO. Additionally, he had a meeting with Professor Iain Martin, Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University.
“They had a productive discussion on enhancing collaboration between the government and academic institutions in the field of cybersecurity. The PM also welcomed Deakin University to collaborate with Indian universities to promote research and innovation,” says the PMO post on X.
On Tuesday morning, he arrived at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre to conduct bilateral meetings with world leaders and industry representatives, one day before the inauguration of the 10th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.
During the bilateral meeting with Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta, Modi congratulated him on his country’s upcoming membership in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and invited him to join the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. The discussions also covered bilateral cooperation in various fields, including development partnerships in health, traditional medicine, energy, IT, fintech, and capacity building, among others, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on X.
Furthering the Delhi-Dili connect! PM @narendramodi held a productive meeting with President @JoseRamosHorta1 of Timor-Leste in Gandhinagar,” he said. PM Modi congratulated President Horta for Timor-Leste’s upcoming membership in the ASEAN, he said.
“The PM invited Timor-Leste to join the International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. Discussions covered bilateral cooperation in various fields, including development partnership in health, traditional medicine, energy, IT, fintech, and capacity building, among others,” the MEA spokesperson said. Modi also held a bilateral meeting with President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique.
“Both leaders held fruitful discussions on ways to further bilateral ties, including in the areas of defence, counter-terrorism, energy, health, trade & investment, capacity building, maritime cooperation, and people-to-people ties,” the official said. They also exchanged perspectives on regional and international issues, including cooperation in multilateral fora, he said.
PM Modi also met Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, and they discussed DP World’s plans to further bolster investment in India, especially in creating sustainable, green, and energy-efficient ports, and world-class sustainable logistic infrastructure, the PMO said.
The President and CEO of Micron discussed with Modi the company’s efforts to enhance the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India, as stated in another post on X.
Professor Iain Martin, the vice-chancellor of Deakin University, which has set up a campus at the Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City, also called on PM Modi, and they discussed enhancing collaboration between the government and academic institutions in the field of cybersecurity.
Modi also welcomed Deakin University to collaborate with Indian universities for promoting research and innovation, the PMO said.
“Keith Svendsen, CEO of A.P. Moller- @Maersk, met PM @narendramodi in Gandhinagar. The PM welcomed their expansion plans in the GIFT City. Their discussions encompassed crucial topics such as green hydrogen and the development of logistics infrastructure,” it further said.
PM Modi also met Toshihiro Suzuki of Suzuki Motor Corp, and they discussed “Maruti Suzuki’s plans to make India a strong player in the global automotive market by exporting Made in India vehicles, along with deploying global best practices related to vehicle scrapping and vehicle recycling into India,” the PMO added.
The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, hailed as the biggest-ever gathering, will be held from January 10-12 and is expected to attract around 100,000 visitors, including chief executives, business leaders, ministers, and diplomats from 133 countries.
Billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, Tata group chairman, executives from Microsoft, Alphabet’s Google, and Toyota are expected to attend the event, aiming to attract investments in sectors ranging from chipmaking to green energy and electric vehicle manufacturing.
A total of 20 countries are participating in the show, inaugurated ahead of the tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. Modi, on a three-day visit to his home state, arrived at the venue at 3 pm and undertook a tour of stalls with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other dignitaries. Students from local colleges were present in large numbers to greet the PM and other officials at the inauguration. Australia, Tanzania, Morocco, Mozambique, South Korea, Thailand, Estonia, Bangladesh, Singapore, UAE (United Arab Emirates), UK, Germany, Norway, Finland, Netherlands, Russia, Rwanda, Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam will present information about their industries at the exhibition.
It has 1,000 exhibitors specifically from the research sector. The show also consists of 13 halls dedicated to an equal number of themes, including ‘Make in Gujarat’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. Women empowerment, MSME development, new technology, green and smart infrastructure, sustainable energy are the special focus areas for the show.
