The Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference opened at Marwadi University, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlining the need for an industry-ready workforce and highlighting Gujarat’s education and skill development ecosystem as critical to sustaining investment-led growth.
Modi inaugurated 13 new smart industrial estates and a medical devices park at the event, assuring investors that Gujarat has the institutional capacity, skilled talent base and policy environment required to support large-scale industrial expansion and employment generation.
Bhupendra Patel, chief minister of Gujarat, said regional empowerment remains central to India’s broader development vision, stressing the role of districts and regions in driving inclusive economic growth.
Major investment commitments announced on the first day strengthened Gujarat’s growth narrative. The Adani Group said it would invest ₹1.5 lakh crore in Kutch over the next five years. Reliance Industries Limited announced plans to invest ₹7 lakh crore during the same period, with a focus on large-scale job creation.
Addressing the conference, Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, outlined plans to develop an integrated clean energy ecosystem at Jamnagar, which he said is expected to be the world’s largest. He also shared a vision to establish Jamnagar as India’s largest AI-ready centre, aimed at enabling affordable artificial intelligence access for citizens.
Ketan Marwadi, president of Marwadi University, said hosting the conference reflected the role of educational institutions in strengthening regional ecosystems by aligning skills, innovation and research with industry and investment needs.
Jitu Bhai Chandarana, vice chairman and co-founder of Marwadi University, said the conference provided a platform for driving investment-led growth in the Kutch and Saurashtra region, adding that Gujarat’s governance and long-term planning have created a favourable environment for sustainable employment.
Held under the “Vocal for Local” framework, the conference brought together policymakers, industry leaders and investors to explore opportunities across sectors including sustainability, ports and logistics, agro and food processing, textiles, fisheries, minerals and energy. The discussions were aligned with the Viksit Bharat@2047 and Viksit Gujarat@2047 visions.
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