Vibrant Gujarat 2019: 28,360 MoUs signed; to generate 21 lakh jobs

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Sunday said 28,360 Memorandums of Understanding were signed during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 and it was expected to generate over 21 lakh jobs.

Rupani, however, did not specify the amount of investment that would come into the state by way of these MOUs.

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Speaking at the concluding session of the ninth edition of the three-day Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019, Rupani said the event had seen the realisation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision as "several big-ticket investments (were) placed and committed, which will bring in jobs."

"Gujarat has become the gateway to the world and it has become an ideal platform for everyone. The summit has also become a platform for social upliftment rather than only for business and trade," he said.

"A total of 28,360 MoUs were signed which will bring in over 21 lakh employment to the state," Rupani said.

He said Gujarat has become a preferred investment destination after 2003 when Narendra Modi as the state CM decided to organise the Vibrant Gujarat Summit every two years.

"Not many business houses participated in the first summit in 2003. The PM's vision has been fully realised in this 9th summit. This event has also become an ideal platform for knowledge sharing and networking," Rupani said in his address.

He claimed the summit gave MSMEs a platform to be globally competitive.

Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel, addressing the media later, said out of total 28,360 MOUs signed, the maximum number of 21,889 were connected to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.

He informed that 408 MoUs were signed in agro and food processing, 548 in power and gas, 1,516 in urban development, 977 in mineral-based projects, 197 in engineering and auto and the remaining in other sectors.

Patel also said these MoUs would generate 21 lakh jobs in Gujarat but refused to reveal the quantum of investment they would attract.

"The figures for investment are not that important. We are still calculating it. But the important thing is these MoUs would lead to employment generation and boost economic activity," Patel told reporters.

At the event's inauguration function, held in the presence of PM Modi, several captains of industry had made announcements regarding projects they intended to start in Gujarat.

Terming the summit a success, Patel said over 42,000 national and international delegates participated in the three-day event.

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