New Delhi, Jan 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations with 191 member countries, calls India the engine of global growth.
Inaugurating the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for Kutch and Saurashtra Region in Rajkot, Gujarat, PM Modi said today every global expert and institution was bullish on India.
“IMF calls India the engine of global growth, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) had upgraded India’s rating after 18 years, and Fitch Ratings had praised India’s macro stability and fiscal credibility,” he said.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the PM said that India was moving towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy, and the data clearly showed that global expectations from India were continuously rising.
He said that India was the fastest-growing large economy, inflation was under control, and agricultural production was achieving new records.
PM Modi said that India was number one in milk production, number one in generic medicine production, and the largest producer of vaccines in the world.
“India’s growth fact sheet is the success story of the mantra reform, perform and transform,” he said, pointing out that in the past 11 years, India had become the world’s largest consumer of mobile data, and UPI has emerged as the number one real-time digital transaction platform globally.
The PM recalled that earlier, nine out of 10 mobile phones were imported, but today India was the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer.
He said that India now had the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem, ranks among the top three countries in solar power generation, was the third-largest aviation market, and had one of the top three metro networks globally.
PM Modi said that this global trust in India exists because, amid great global uncertainty, India was witnessing an unprecedented era of certainty.
He said that India enjoys political stability, policy continuity, and an expanding neo-middle class with increasing purchasing power, making India a nation of limitless possibilities.
The PM said that after the beginning of 2026, this was his first visit to Gujarat and highlighted that earlier in the morning, he had the divine darshan of lord Somnath and was now participating in the grand programme at Rajkot.
He said that the mantra of ‘Vikas bhi, Virasat bhi’ was resonating everywhere.
PM Modi welcomed and extended greetings to all colleagues who had come from across the country and the world to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Summit.
Observing that whenever the stage of Vibrant Gujarat Summit was set, he did not see it as just a summit but as a journey of modern India in the 21st century, which had begun with a dream and had now reached unshakable trust.
The PM said that in two decades, the journey of Vibrant Gujarat had become a global benchmark, with 10 editions held so far, each strengthening the identity and role of the summit.
Underlining that he had been associated with the vision of Vibrant Gujarat Summit since the very first day, he recalled that in the initial phase, the aim was to make the world aware of Gujarat’s potential, to invite people to come, invest, and thereby benefit India as well as global investors.
PM Modi stressed that now the summit had moved beyond investment to become a platform for global growth, international cooperation, and partnership.
He said that over the years, the number of global partners had steadily increased, and the summit had become a major example of inclusion.
The PM said that corporate groups, cooperatives, MSMEs, start-ups, multilateral and bilateral organisations, and international financial institutions all come together here to engage in dialogue, discussion, and walk shoulder to shoulder with Gujarat’s development.
He said that over the past two decades, the Vibrant Gujarat Summit had consistently introduced something new and special, and the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Summit had become another example of this tradition.
PM Modi highlighted that the focus of this regional summit was to transform the untapped potential of different parts of Gujarat into performance.
He said that some regions had the strength of a coastal line, others possessed a long tribal belt, some had a large ecosystem of industrial clusters, while others carried a rich tradition of farming and animal husbandry.
The PM said that each region of Gujarat had its own strength, and the regional summit was advancing by focusing on these regional possibilities.
He said that a quarter of the 21st century had already passed, and in recent years India had made rapid progress, with Gujarat and all its people playing a major role.
Recalling his words from the Red Fort that “this is the time, the right time,” PM Modi said that for every investor in the country and the world, this was indeed the right time to take advantage of India’s possibilities.
He said that the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Summit was also conveying the same message to all investors that for investment in Saurashtra-Kutch, this was the time, the right time.
The PM said that Saurashtra and Kutch were regions of Gujarat that teach that no matter how big the challenge, if one perseveres with honesty and hard work, success is assured.
He said that this was the same Kutch which faced a devastating earthquake at the beginning of this century, and the same Saurashtra which suffered years of drought, where mothers and sisters had to walk several kilometres for drinking water, electricity was uncertain, and difficulties were everywhere.
PM Modi said that today’s youth of 20-25 years had only heard stories of that period, when people were reluctant to stay long in Kutch or Saurashtra, and it seemed those conditions would never change.
He said that history was witness that time changes, and indeed it did, and the people of Saurashtra and Kutch had changed their destiny through their hard work.
Highlighting that today Saurashtra and Kutch were not just regions of opportunity but had become anchor regions of India’s growth, the PM said that these regions were becoming major centers driving the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign and play a significant role in making India a global manufacturing hub, a role that was market-driven and thus inspired investor confidence.
He said that Rajkot alone had more than 2.5 lakh MSMEs, and in its diverse industrial clusters, everything from screwdrivers to auto parts, machine tools, luxury car liners, airplanes, fighter planes, and rocket components was manufactured.
PM Modi said that this region supports the entire value chain from low-cost manufacturing to high-precision, high-technology manufacturing, and its jewelry industry is world-renowned, exemplifying scale, skill, and global linkage.
He said that Alang hosts the world’s largest ship-breaking yard, where one-third of the world’s ships are recycled, a testimony to India’s leadership in the circular economy.
The PM said that India was among the largest producers of tiles, with Morbi district making a major contribution, where manufacturing is both cost-competitive and globally benchmarked.
He stressed that he had once said that he could foresee a time when Morbi, Jamnagar, and Rajkot would together form a triangle that would become a ‘Mini Japan.’
PM Modi said that at that time, many had mocked his statement, but today he was witnessing that vision turning into reality before his own eyes.
Expressing pride in the Dholera Special Investment Region, which was emerging as a major center of modern manufacturing, he said that India’s first semiconductor fabrication facility was being established in Dholera, giving the region an early-mover advantage in future technologies.
The PM said that the ground was fully prepared for investment in this region, with infrastructure ready, policy predictable, and vision long-term.
He said that Saurashtra and Kutch were emerging as major hubs of India’s green growth, green mobility, and energy security.
PM Modi said that a 30 gigawatt capacity renewable energy park was being developed in Kutch, which would be the world’s largest hybrid energy park, five times bigger than Paris city.
He said that clean energy in this region was not just a commitment but a commercial-scale reality.
The PM said that Kutch and Jamnagar were becoming major centres for green hydrogen production, and a massive Battery Energy Storage System was also being established in Kutch to ensure grid stability and reliability alongside renewable energy.
Underlining that another great strength of Saurashtra and Kutch lies in their world-class ports, through which a large share of India’s exports pass, he said that Pipavav and Mundra ports had become major hubs for automobile exports, with nearly 1.75 lakh vehicles exported from Gujarat’s ports last year.
PM Modi said that beyond logistics, there were endless investment opportunities in every aspect of port-led development.
He said that the Gujarat government was giving special priority to the fisheries sector, with large-scale infrastructure development and a strong ecosystem for seafood processing investors.
“Alongside infrastructure, an industry-ready workforce is the biggest requirement today,” the PM said. “Gujarat provides complete certainty to investors on this front.”
He said that Gujarat had an international ecosystem for education and skill development.
PM Modi said that the Kaushalya Skill University was preparing youth with future-ready skills in collaboration with universities from Australia and Singapore.
He said that the National Defence University was India’s first national-level defence university, while Gatishakti University was preparing skilled manpower for road, railway, airway, waterways, and logistics sectors.
The PM said that investment in Gujarat comes with an assured talent pipeline.
He said that many foreign universities were seeing opportunities in India, with Gujarat becoming their preferred destination, and two major Australian universities had already started campuses in the state, with more expected in the future.
PM Modi said that Gujarat offers nature, adventure, culture, and heritage, making it a complete tourism experience.
He said that Lothal, symbolising India’s 4500-year-old maritime heritage, was home to the world’s oldest man-made dockyard, where the National Maritime Heritage Complex was being developed.
The PM said that the Rann Utsav was currently being celebrated in Kutch, with the tent city offering a unique experience.
He said that wildlife enthusiasts could visit Gir forest for the unparalleled experience of seeing Asiatic lions, which attracts more than 9 lakh tourists annually.
PM Modi said that those who love the sea could enjoy Shivrajpur beach, which was Blue Flag certified, along with Mandvi, Somnath, and Dwarka, which offer immense possibilities for beach tourism.
He said that nearby Diu was becoming a prime destination for water sports and beach games.
Emphasising that Saurashtra and Kutch were regions full of strength and possibilities, the PM urged investors to take full advantage of them.
He said that every investment in Saurashtra-Kutch would accelerate the development of Gujarat and the progress of the nation.
PM Modi said that today’s India is working rapidly towards the goal of becoming a developed nation, with the ‘Reform Express’ playing a major role in this journey.
He said that the Reform Express signifies next-generation reforms across every sector, citing the recent implementation of next-generation GST reforms, which had positively impacted all sectors, especially benefiting MSMEs.
The PM said that India had undertaken a major reform in the insurance sector by allowing 100 percent FDI, which would accelerate the campaign to provide universal insurance coverage to citizens.
He said that after nearly six decades, the income tax law had been modernised, benefiting millions of taxpayers.
PM Modi said that India had also implemented historic labour reforms, giving wages, social security, and industry a unified framework, thereby benefiting both workers and industry. Highlighting that India was becoming a global hub for data-driven innovation, AI research, and semiconductor manufacturing, he said that with India’s rising power demand, assured energy was critical, and nuclear power was a major medium to achieve this.
The PM said that next-generation reforms had also been introduced in the nuclear power sector, with civil nuclear energy opened for private participation through the SHANTI Act, creating significant opportunities for investors.
He assured all investors present that India’s Reform Express would not stop, and the country’s reform journey had advanced towards institutional transformation.
PM Modi said that participants were not here merely with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), but to connect with the development and heritage of Saurashtra-Kutch.
He assured that every rupee invested here would yield excellent returns and extended his best wishes to all and thanked them.
During the event, the PM also announced the development of 14 greenfield smart Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation Limited (GIDC) estates and inaugurated the medical device park of GIDC at Rajkot.
Chairman and Managing Director of Jyoti CNC Automation, Parakramsinh G Jadeja, an eminent industrialist from Rajkot, shared his perspective at the event.
His speech highlighted PM Modi’s extraordinary vision and leadership in transforming Gujarat into India’s growth engine through the Vibrant Gujarat initiative.
It emphasised that under his guidance, India had redefined the global VUCA environment – volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and agility – into vision, understanding, clarity, and agility, ensuring stability even in turbulent global conditions.
Over the next five years, Jyoti CNC would invest more than Rs 10,000 crores in manufacturing and R&D and skills.
He credited PM Modi’s leadership with positioning India to lead in manufacturing, driven by innovation and skill development, adding that the PM’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047 was underscored as a shared responsibility of government, industry, institutions, and society.
The address reaffirmed that PM Modi’s policies and reforms had created an enabling environment for large-scale investments, technological advancement, and global competitiveness, inspiring confidence that India’s manufacturing ecosystem would strengthen and contribute significantly to national progress.
The address by MD, Adani Ports and SEZ, Karan Adani, underscored PM Modi’s transformative leadership, which had reshaped India’s scale and mindset.
He said that the PM taught the nation to think long term, build institutions, and view development as a civilisational mission where vision was matched by execution.
Adani said that under PM Modi, Gujarat had become one of India’s most industrially advanced and globally connected states, contributing significantly to GDP, industrial output, cargo handling, and renewable energy.
He said that as Chief Minister, Modi proved that good governance and speed of execution could transform a state, long before “ease of doing business” became a national concept.
Adani said that as PM, he had extended this philosophy across India, making states engines of growth through cooperative and competitive federalism, ensuring policy stability, and building infrastructure at scale.
He said that India, under PM Modi’s leadership, had emerged as a bright spot in a fragmented global economy, growing close to 8 percent, expanding its manufacturing base, and progressing confidently towards becoming a 5 trillion dollar economy and the world’s third largest.
Adani cited Kutch and Mundra as powerful examples, with projects like the 37 GW Khavda renewable energy park.
He announced Rs 1.5 lakh crore over the next five years in Kutch, aligning with national priorities of employment generation, industrial competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience, affirming Gujarat’s role in India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
Sharing his thoughts, Chairman of the Welspun Group, B K Goenka, emphasised PM Modi’s visionary leadership in transforming Gujarat, especially Kutch and Saurashtra.
He said that once known for scarcity and disasters, these regions today symbolise world-class refineries, ports, textiles, and renewable energy.
Goenka credited this transformation entirely to PM Modi’s foresight and determination, which gave Gujarat a new identity.
He recalled how in 2003, during the first Vibrant Gujarat Summit, PM Modi urged Welspun to set up its expansion plant in quake-hit Kutch, assuring that every rupee invested would yield manifold returns.
Goenka said that foresight turned Welspun’s Gujarat facility into the world’s leading home textile company, employing over 1 lakh people and commanding more than 25 percent market share in the US and UK, with products even reaching Wimbledon.
He highlighted Welspun’s pipeline business, investing Rs 5000 crores to become the world’s largest manufacturer.
Goenka praised PM Modi’s resolve, “as big as your dream, that big is my commitment”.
He echoed the PM’s call for new dreams, new resolutions, and continuous accomplishments, stressing that the challenge before all was not just to make India self-reliant but to transform it into a developed nation by 2047.
Chairman, Reliance Industries Limited, Mukesh Ambani, said that the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Summit celebrated PM Modi’s leadership and vision, crediting him with restoring India’s civilisational self-belief and ushering in an era of unprecedented confidence and vibrancy.
He said that history would remember the Modi era as the time when India moved from potential to performance, aspiration to action, and from being a follower to becoming a global force.
Ambani highlighted Gujarat’s special place for Reliance, describing it as the company’s body, heart, and soul, and announced five firm commitments aligned with PM Modi’s vision.
“First, Reliance would double its investments in Gujarat to Rs 7 lakh crore over the next five years, generating employment and prosperity. Second, at Jamnagar, the company is building the world’s largest integrated clean energy ecosystem, spanning solar, battery storage, green hydrogen, fertilisers, sustainable fuels, and advanced materials. Third, Reliance is developing India’s largest AI-ready data center to deliver affordable AI services for every citizen, starting from Gujarat. Fourth, the Reliance Foundation will support India’s Olympic ambitions, partnering with the Gujarat government to manage the Veer Savarkar multi-sports complex and train future champions. Fifth, Reliance will expand healthcare and education facilities, including a world-class hospital in Jamnagar,” he said.
Ambani said that despite global turbulence, India remains secure under PM Modi’s leadership, describing him as the nation’s “invincible protective wall.”
He declared this India’s defining decade, with PM Modi not just preparing the country for the future but actively shaping it, and reaffirmed Reliance’s commitment to Gujarat and to Viksit Bharat 2047.
Speaking on the occasion, High Commissioner of Rwanda to India, Jacqueline Mukangira, thanked the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel, for inviting Rwanda as a country partner at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Summit and for the opportunity to speak in the presence of PM Modi.
She congratulated the Gujarat government for successfully organising the conference and highlighted the strong bilateral relations between Rwanda and India.
Mukangira recalled PM Modi’s visit to Rwanda in 2018, during which six MOUs were signed, and 200 cows were donated to needy families, a gesture she praised as an example of his generosity and leadership.
She said that Rwanda President Paul Kagame had visited India five times, including attending the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2017, and said that both leaders had elevated Rwanda-India relations to a strategic level.
Mukangira described Rwanda as a fast-developing, stable nation with zero tolerance for corruption, ranking first in Africa for governance transparency and ease of doing business, and recording 11.8 percent economic growth in Q3 of 2025.
She highlighted India as Rwanda’s second-largest foreign investor and trading partner, and invited more Indian investments in sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure, ICT, agriculture, mining, tourism, health, and education, supported by strong incentives.
Mukangira invited the delegates to visit Rwanda, home to the famous mountain gorillas and the Big Five animals, reaffirming Rwanda’s commitment to stronger ties with India under PM Modi’s leadership.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, applauded PM Modi’s leadership, noting his journey from regional leader to national figure and now a global statesman, including his role in efforts to establish peace.
He said that Gujarat, under PM Modi’s vision, had become globally recognised for its development model, which had expanded across India and is guiding the nation toward becoming a global leader and achieving the target of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Polishchuk thanked the Gujarat government and CM for their cooperation, highlighting areas of collaboration like education, institutional partnerships, and skills development, which strengthen people-to-people and knowledge-based ties.
He recalled that Ukraine proudly served as a partner country at the 2023 Vibrant Gujarat Summit, viewing it as a strategic opportunity to deepen economic cooperation.
Polishchuk said Ukrainian industries were actively engaging with India in sectors like agriculture, engineering, IT, energy, and logistics, with bilateral trade already reaching 4 billion US dollars.
He invited Indian companies to participate in the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference in Poland and underscored prospects for expanded industrial and technological cooperation, including in defense under the Make in India framework.
Polishchuk said that PM Modi’s historic 2024 visit to Ukraine, undertaken during wartime, reaffirmed the intention to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He said that achieving sustainable peace in Ukraine would further deepen India-Ukraine relations, including with Gujarat, and wished the Vibrant Gujarat Summit success in fostering productive discussions and strong new partnerships.
Gujarat CM Bhupendrabhai Patel was present among other dignitaries at the event.
Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference is being held from 11-12 January 2026, catering to 12 districts across the Kutch and Saurashtra regions.
Dedicated exclusively to these regions, the conference aims to usher in fresh momentum for investment and industrial growth in western Gujarat.
The focus sectors of the conference include Ceramics, Engineering, Ports and Logistics, Fisheries, Petrochemicals, Agro and Food Processing, Minerals, Green Energy Ecosystem, Skill Development, Startups, MSMEs, Tourism and Culture, among others. Japan, South Korea, Rwanda and Ukraine would be the partner countries for the conference.
To expand the reach and impact of the successful model of Vibrant Gujarat, four Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conferences are being held across the state.
The first edition of the Regional Conference for the North Gujarat region was held at Mehsana on October 9-10, 2025.
The current edition is being held for the Kutch and Saurashtra region.
The Regional Conferences for South Gujarat, April 9-10, 2026, and Central Gujarat, June 10-11, 2026, regions would subsequently be organised in Surat and Vadodara.
Aligned with PM’s vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 and building upon the success and legacy of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, these regional conferences aim to promote region-specific industrial development, attract investments across diverse sectors, and enhance global engagement.
By taking the Vibrant Gujarat platform closer to the regions, the initiative also reflects the PM’s emphasis on decentralised development, ease of doing business, innovation-driven growth, and the creation of sustainable employment opportunities.
The regional conferences will not only serve as a platform for showcasing regional achievements and announcing new initiatives but also as instruments for co-creating Gujarat’s growth story by empowering regional economies, promoting innovation and facilitating strategic investments in every part of the state.
The achievements of regional conferences will be showcased during the next edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit to be held in January 2027.