A house and a job for everyone by 2022, says Modi at Vibrant Gujarat inaugural

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, said his government is striving to provide a roof to every head and job to every hand by 2022 as India has marched on to an “unprecedented” growth curve in the last two-and-a-half years of his Government.

Kick-starting the eighth edition of biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 here this evening, he reeled off statistics, projects already announced, and Indian and global rating reports, saying India has received foreign direct investment worth USD 130 billion during the NDA Government since May 2014, which is 60% higher than the two preceding years.

Delivering a 30-minute speech at the end of a three-and-a-half-hour-long inaugural session, he carefully refrained from making any fresh announcements, perhaps in view of the Parliament’s Budget Session commencing on January 31, and said his government is “strongly committed” to continue the pace of economic reforms and would take a number of measures in this regard. “We are setting our economy right.”

Modi said his government, since it took over in May 2014, had proved that even a democracy could deliver good results. “We are at the threshold of creating the world’s most digitized economy.”

Earlier, Reliance Industries CMD Mukesh Ambani said his group had, till date, made a cumulative investment of over Rs.2.37 lakh crore in Gujarat, the biggest by any Indian company in a single state. In the past four years alone, Reliance invested Rs.1.25 lakh crore in the state in sectors like refining, petrochemicals, retail and Jio. Besides, it invested an additional Rs.10,000 crore, more than its commitment. Also, Reliance Foundation has committed Rs 150 crore to the Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU).

He said Reliance is in the process of connecting all the 25,000 schools, colleges and hospitals in Gujarat with high-speed internet this year. “More than 90% of Gujarat will be covered by Jio by Diwali this year, as against 35% of the people connected in 2014-15.”

Speaking on the occasion, Adani Group chief Gautam Adani said the group plans to invest over Rs.49,000 crore in the state over the next five years in various sectors, and create 25,000 new jobs. The investments include Rs. 16,700 crore to expand facilities at Mundra, Dahej, Hazira and Tuna and Rs.23,000 crore for development and generation of solar and wind energy by 2021. Adani Wilmar will invest Rs.1200 crore for doubling edible oil refining capacity at Mundra from the existing 3,000 tons per day.

He said the company also plans new investment of Rs. 2,000 crore in desalination of water and for setting up a Rs.5,500 crore cement plant at Mundra with a capacity of 10 million tons per annum.

Toshihiro Suzuki, CEO, Suzuki Motor Corporation, said the Hansalpur plant in Gujarat is set to start car production next month. Its production capacity would be ramped up to 7.50 lakh per annum in the future. “We want to set up an automobile cluster in Gujarat and have more component supplies and train superior manpower in the state.”

The heads of governments from over 20 countries including the Presidents of Kenya and Rwanda, Prime Ministers from Portugal and Serbia and Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia and Poland along with senior foreign ministers from other countries were present at what is dubbed as the grandest of the Vibrant Gujarat Summits. Tata Sons chief Ratan Tata also spoke on the occasion.

Conceptualized by Prime Minister Modi, when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister in 2003, the Vibrant Gujarat Summits have seen MoUs being signed proposing total cumulative investment announcements worth over Rs 80 lakh crore being made by investors from India and abroad. During the past seven summits since, a total of 51,738 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed out of which 30,065 MoUs or 58 per cent were commissioned and about 4,014 MoUs are still under implementation, the official sources claimed.

Representatives from global majors such as Boeing, Cisco, RasGas, Suzuki Motors Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Huntsman, DP World, SAAB AB, Toyo, Hitachi, Dell and Fedex and Indian industry captains, including Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Shashi Ruia, Anand Mahindra, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Gautam Adani, SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya and Flipkart Co-founder Sachin were among those present.

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