AHMEDABAD: The Vibrant Gujarat Saurashtra Regional Conference on Saturday marks a decisive moment in Gujarat’s decentralised growth push, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiling a major industrial expansion roadmap for Saurashtra and Kutch.
Setting the tone for accelerated regional development, 13 new smart GIDC estates spread over 3,540 acres were announced across seven districts of the Saurashtra–Kutch belt, including Jamnagar, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Kutch, Morbi and Surendranagar.
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani called the decision to expand Vibrant Gujarat beyond Gandhinagar after 20 years 'a moment of pride'.
Ambani underlined Reliance’s emotional and economic bond with the state, saying, “Gujarat is our body, heart and soul. We are a Gujarati company.”
“My revered father, Dhirubhai Ambani, was a son of this soil and was born in Chorwad,” he said.
Ambani took the opportunity to announce that Reliance, already the largest investor in Gujarat with investments worth Rs 3.5 lakh crore, will double its investment to Rs 7 lakh crore within five years.
Anchoring Gujarat’s clean-tech ambitions, Ambani said Reliance is building the world’s largest clean energy ecosystem in Jamnagar.
“We are setting up a data centre in Jamnagar. Jio will launch the People First Intelligence Platform, ensuring that every citizen can access AI in their own language, on their own mobile,” he said, merging technology with inclusivity.
Extending Reliance’s footprint beyond industry, Ambani announced participation in India’s Olympic ambition, revealing plans to manage the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura in partnership with the Gujarat government as part of preparations for the 2036 Olympics, with a focus on training India’s future champions.
Healthcare also featured prominently in Reliance’s roadmap, with Ambani announcing plans to build a world-class hospital in Jamnagar, reaffirming that “the development of Gujarat is our resolve.”
Ambani said global challenges were intensifying but added confidently, “These challenges cannot touch us because Narendra Modi has built an invisible wall around India.”
Echoing this confidence, Karan Adani of the Adani Group said India’s forward momentum is firmly anchored in Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. Calling Kutch the country’s largest energy hub, Adani said Mundra is the group’s karmabhumi and India’s solar manufacturing nerve centre.
He announced that the Adani Group is building the world’s largest energy park in Mundra, a massive 37-gigawatt project, and committed an investment of Rs 1.5 lakh crore in Kutch–Mundra over the next five years.
“Adani Group stands shoulder to shoulder with the government in the journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047,” he said.
Adding a long-term industrial perspective, Welspun Group Chairman B K Goenka credited the Prime Minister for transforming Kutch from a region battling water scarcity into a global industrial hub.
“Kutch is our birthplace. Once known for water problems, Saurashtra Kutch is today home to the world’s largest refinery, ports and ceramic clusters and all this has happened in the last 20 years,” Goenka said.
Recalling a pivotal moment from the first Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2003, Goenka said he had initially planned to invest in Vapi but was persuaded by Modi then Gujarat Chief Minister to set up operations in Kutch.
“Modi Saheb told me, ‘If you invest one rupee in Kutch, you will get one dollar in return.’ I say this from the heart today Welspun provides employment to one lakh people,” he said, underscoring the long-term impact of that decision.
The Rajkot conference is part of the broader Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) 2026 series, designed to decentralise industrial growth while replicating the success of the global summit at the regional level. The initiative aims to connect local strengths with global investment opportunities in alignment with the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.
The Kutch–Saurashtra meet, held on January 11–12 at Marwadi University, focused on high-impact sectors such as ceramics, engineering, ports and logistics, fisheries, petrochemicals, green energy and agro-processing, with major announcements including new greenfield smart GIDC estates and a dedicated medical device park in Rajkot.
With upcoming VGRC editions scheduled for Surat (South Gujarat) on April 9 and 10, 2026, with a focus on textiles, gems and jewellery, chemicals, and petrochemicals.
This will be followed by the Central Gujarat Regional Conference in Vadodara on June 10 and 11, 2026, which will spotlight high-growth sectors such as semiconductors, IT and ITeS, aerospace and defence, and fintech.
