BJP to focus on ‘Make in Gujarat’ during mega Vibrant Gujarat Summit with one eye on polls.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, which is scheduled to be held in January 2017, is going to highlight 'Make in Gujarat' and lure investors, ditching any possibility to political stir. As the state goes to polls next year, the biennial investors' summit will present the state as an ‘engine of India's incredible growth story under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’.

Preparations have already begun for the summit, which will be held January 10-13. Bureaucrats from Gujarat are already going around the world, meeting investors in 23 countries to attract investment in aerospace, defense, petrochemicals and food processing under a more liberal FDI policy announced this year. The summit is also likely to have an interactive session of investors with Modi.

"The business policy announced in May, offering several incentives such as capital subsidy, interest subsidy, VAT reimbursement, freight subsidy and power tariff incentive, is expected to attract potential investors," a senior official, who did not wish to be identified, told ET.

The summit will cover seminars regarding ease of doing business, public-private partnership in infrastructure and urban development, international development finance, innovation, startups and entrepreneurship, and smart villages.

It will also have a Nobel laureates' me in which more than 10 Nobel Prize winners from science are expected to participate. A fashion show on khadi and handlooms will be part of the event too.

As per the officials, the delegates touring the world will be bringing the recent policy interventions of the NDA government and state government in Gujarat into the light.

"Our roadshows in both India and Canada have evoked a lot of interest among investors. They are keen to come to India. This will create opportunities for our youth," said Bharat Lal, Gujarat government's Delhi-based resident commissioner. "The focus this time is not just on attracting the best investment but also bringing good technology to India," Vijay Rupani told ET.

According to officials, bureaucrats that are on the tour to find sponsors, have met head of several fortune 500 companies till now. New areas like waste management, pension funds and energy are attracting the investors.

"The 'Make in India' initiative has seen a large number of small industrial units come up, and under this Gujarat has received close to Rs 85,132 crore of investment under 'Make in India'. Gujarat is next only to Maharashtra in the number of IEMs (industrial entrepreneurial memorandums) and next only to Karnataka in the amount of investment," an official told ET.

Another official said that 100% FDI is permissible in the chemicals sector in India and manufacturing of most chemical products is de-licensed in Gujarat. "This is helping us attract a lot of companies in the chemicals and petrochemicals sector," he said.

"Gujarat has received 22 licences out of 121 for defence equipment manufacturing in the past 18 months - the highest in India. Also, the country's first aviation park is to come up in Gujarat to serve as a one-stop destination for aerospace," he further added.

(image: indiainsider)