Vadodara to host Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in June

admin — Sat, 23 May 2026 00:03:00 +0000

The next edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC), focusing on Central Gujarat, will be held in Vadodara in the last week of June 2026, bringing together stakeholders from industry, government, and academia to highlight the region’s industrial strength, investment opportunities and tourism potential.

Covering 10 districts — Ahmedabad, Anand, Chhotaudepur, Dahod, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Mahisagar, Narmada, Panchmahal and Vadodara — Central Gujarat accounts for 28% of the state’s total manufacturing output, according to official data.

District-level data from the Annual Survey of Industries 2022-23 shows that the region contributes 93% of Gujarat’s total output in other transport equipment manufacturing, including railway locomotives, rolling stock, aircraft, spacecraft and two- and three-wheeled vehicles. It also contributes 92 per cent of the state’s auto and auto components output, 70% of beverages manufacturing, and 63 per cent each in pharmaceuticals and electrical equipment.

Around 62% of Gujarat’s total area falls under the influence zone of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), with two major projects in Central Gujarat, the 5,560-acre Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) and the 2,849-acre Mandal-Becharaji Special Investment Region (MBSIR), playing a key role in the corridor’s development.

Officials said each district in the region has developed specialised industrial strengths. Vadodara is led by chemicals and petrochemicals, accounting for 61 per cent of its manufacturing output, while Ahmedabad has strong presence in auto and auto components, textiles, basic metals and pharmaceuticals. Gandhinagar’s manufacturing is driven by food processing, basic metals and chemicals, while also emerging as a centre for electronics and financial technology through the presence of GIFT City.

Anand’s industrial base is centred on agro and dairy processing, while Panchmahal has a strong footprint in auto components, rubber and plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Kheda’s output is driven by rubber and plastics products and food processing, while Narmada, Chhotaudepur and Dahod are largely supported by agro and food processing industries.

In FY 2024-25, Central Gujarat recorded exports worth $20.54 billion, reaching more than 219 countries. Pharmaceuticals led the export basket at $3.67 billion, followed by nuclear reactors, boilers and machinery at $2.79 billion, electrical machinery and equipment at $1.79 billion, road vehicles and parts at $1.47 billion, and organic chemicals at $1.45 billion. The United States was the largest export destination, accounting for 23.8 per cent of total exports, followed by the UAE, Thailand, the UK and Saudi Arabia.

The upcoming conference will focus on sectors including semiconductors and electronics, IT and ITeS, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, aerospace and defence, fintech, auto and auto components, dairy and food processing, education, chemicals and petrochemicals, textiles and apparel, green energy, skill development, startups, MSMEs, and tourism and culture.

Tourism and culture will be a major theme of the conference, with emphasis on promoting heritage and eco-tourism destinations across the region. Key attractions include Sabarmati Ashram, Laxmi Vilas Palace, Swaminarayan Akshardham, Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, and Statue of Unity. Other tourism sites such as Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary and the Pavagadh Hill corridor are also expected to feature prominently.

The conference builds on the outcomes of the three previous VGRC editions. The inaugural North Gujarat edition in Mehsana in October 2025 saw the signing of 1,264 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth ₹3.25 lakh crore and attracted more than 29,000 registrations and over 440 international delegates from 80 countries.

The Kutch and Saurashtra edition held in Rajkot in January 2026 recorded 5,492 MoUs with proposed investments of ₹5.78 lakh crore and participation from around 400 international delegates representing 57 countries.

The most recent South Gujarat edition in Surat in May 2026 resulted in 2,792 MoUs worth ₹3.53 lakh crore and drew more than 20,000 registrations along with over 150 international delegates from 27 countries.

Published – May 23, 2026 05:33 am IST

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HOCKEY | Senior women’s coach Marijne prepared for tough year ahead

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:34:00 +0000

India women hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: BISWARANJAN ROUT

While there has been a lot of talk on the Indian men’s hockey team’s composition for the upcoming World Cup and the Asian Games, not many have spoken about the same for the women. In fact, their schedule is much tighter, with the Nations Cup also scheduled in June before the two big events.

The Nations Cup is equally important for the Indian women to try and earn back its spot in the FIH Pro league. Add to it the fact that coach Sjoerd Marijne, returning after five years to take charge in very different conditions and the challenge becomes manifold. Marijne, however, is unperturbed by it all.

“It was the same in 2018, and we also had the Commonwealth Games back then, so we had four tournaments. And we worked from tournament to tournament with the Asian Games for us being most important but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to do well at the others,” Marijne said during an interaction with select media on Friday.

“We’re using them to be at our best but I believe we can perform in every tournament and it doesn’t matter for the next one. We played the quarterfinals at the 2018 World Cup but then we also did really good at the Asian Games, winning silver. So that’s the way we’re going to do.”

The recent four-match outing against Argentina was important for the Dutchman to assess the players in competition and Marijne, while admitting there were quite a few areas to work on, was optimistic about the improvements in the side.

“I think we are moving in the right direction. I’m not talking only about winning or losing, because I didn’t play any penalty corner variations. We were training different kind of systems and I think the progress in that has been really positive.

“For us, the important thing was the benchmark set by Argentina. And you know now what is required to be able to play against the World No. 2 and be successful. The good thing was that we improved every match. And they struggled sometimes with our speed, that is something I’m quite happy with,” he explained.

Tim White.

While Marijne has a problem of too many tournaments, the newly-appointed junior women’s coach Tim White has little to no international assignment through the year, giving him enough time to understand and work on the team.

With Indian women’s hockey players often straddling both the senior and junior teams, White and Marijne have taken to working together during national camps to build a synergy between the sides.

“I accepted the job because I always saw India as having a lot of potential to be a really world-class team and the challenge of helping the team get to that point and also supporting the seniors is exciting,” White said in his first media interaction since taking charge.

“For any team to have sustainable success, you have to have a good collaboration between the senior and junior programmes. I’m already working with Sjoerd, we’re in the same environment, we share a lot.”

White, however, did admit that the group’s fitness was below-par. “I’ve observed that the group is lower physically than where I was in Belgium or even in Australia.

“We are going to have to work hard to be able to compete with the best junior teams and also have a flow of athletes going into the senior programme. I need to make sure I help the group understand what level of intensity they need to train at. But it’s a challenge in India for sure.”

Published – April 24, 2026 06:04 pm IST

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June – Artifex.News

Vadodara to host Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in June

HOCKEY | Senior women’s coach Marijne prepared for tough year ahead