Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Monday (June 29, 2026) inaugurated the fourth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) for Central Gujarat in Vadodara, urging industry leaders and investors to convert discussions into investments and projects that would drive economic growth.
The conference was attended by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, State Ministers, senior bureaucrats, ambassadors and representatives from industry.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Patel said Gujarat was taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of balanced regional development by showcasing the industrial strengths of every district through the VGRC platform. He said the conference was more than an investment summit, describing it as a bridge connecting local industries with global opportunities.
Calling upon industrialists and entrepreneurs to transform “discussions into decisions, ideas into projects and projects into prosperity”, the Chief Minister said the fourth regional conference, covering 10 districts of Central Gujarat, would create new opportunities and partnerships for industrial growth.
Mr. Patel said the three previous VGRC editions held in Mehsana, Rajkot and Surat had attracted investment commitments worth about ₹13.30 lakh crore through 9,499 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
Describing Central Gujarat as the heart of the State’s industrial growth, he said districts including Vadodara, Anand, Kheda, Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur and Dahod had emerged as major contributors to manufacturing, engineering, pharmaceuticals, agri-food products and the MSME sector. He said Vadodara was emerging as a hub for petrochemicals, speciality chemicals, electric vehicle equipment and aerospace manufacturing, while Anand continued to strengthen its global identity through the dairy cooperative sector.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the State’s new Industrial Policy 2026, saying it introduces industry-specific incentives for MSMEs, startups and women entrepreneurs, besides a “Choose Your Incentives” mechanism allowing investors to select benefits suited to their requirements.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Khattar said Gujarat had become one of India’s most trusted investment destinations because of stable policies, reliable power supply, world-class infrastructure and industry-friendly governance. He credited the Vibrant Gujarat initiative for creating confidence among global investors and said the State had laid the foundation for policy stability and industrial growth under Mr. Modi’s leadership as Gujarat Chief Minister.
Highlighting India’s energy sector, Mr. Khattar said the country had successfully met a record peak power demand of 271 GW this year and was preparing to meet demand of up to 300 GW as consumption rises due to data centres, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence. He added that Gujarat remained a power-surplus State with more than 50 GW of renewable energy capacity.
Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sanghavi said Vibrant Gujarat had evolved from an investment summit into a global platform for partnerships and innovation. He said Central Gujarat contributed nearly 28% of the State’s manufacturing output and exported goods worth over $20.5 billion during 2025-26.
He said the region has over 65 GIDC estates with more than 24,000 active industrial plots and accounts for 92% of Gujarat’s automobile and auto-component manufacturing, 70% of beverage processing, and 63% of pharmaceutical and electrical equipment production.
Announcing future plans, Mr. Sanghavi said the State’s Central Gujarat Economic Master Plan envisages developing Chhota Udepur as a sports equipment manufacturing hub and Vadodara as India’s largest bioeconomy hub. He added that the Viksit Gujarat Industrial Policy 2026 aims to attract ₹10 lakh crore in fresh investments over the next five years.
He also announced enhanced incentives for women entrepreneurs, including an additional 1% interest subsidy, refresher skill programmes for women re-entering the workforce and rental assistance for up to five years. The policy also provides EPF reimbursement for companies employing persons with disabilities and seeks to attract mega projects worth ₹10,000 crore while generating around 3,000 jobs.
Mr. Sanghavi said the State had increased industrial incentive disbursements by 55% over the past two years to ₹7,888 crore, reduced documentation requirements by 41%, cut pending files by 95%, and was clearing nearly 392 applications every day, making Gujarat an increasingly attractive destination for investment.
Published – June 29, 2026 10:12 pm IST
