“Earlier, foreign investors were threatened…,” PM Modi recalls 20-year journey of Vibrant Gujarat Summit

Ahmedabad: While the world is now watching the success of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, when the event began 20 years ago the then Central government did not extend any cooperation and attempts were made to degrade the state’s image, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday.

"...Those who ran central government earlier used to link Gujarat's development with politics. Ministers of then Central government used to refuse to come to Vibrant Gujarat...they used to threaten foreign investors and tried to stop them (foreign investors) from coming to Gujarat...even after so much of threatening, foreign investors came to Gujarat, " PM Modi said.

Addressing a programme marking 20 years of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, in Science City, Ahmedabad, the Prime Minister termed the 20 years of the summit as a “key milestone” in advancing the state’s growth.
"When Vibrant Gujarat was started, there were no big hotels in Gujarat where foreign guests could stay. Even govt guesthouses used to get full and we used even University guesthouses..." PM Modi said.

"We not only redeveloped Gujarat but also thought about its future, we made 'Vibrant Gujarat' a key channel for this. 'Vibrant Gujarat' was made a channel to increase the self-confidence of Gujarat and a channel to speak to the world eye to eye,” the PM said.
Stating that the world is watching the success of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit he said "Vibrant Gujarat is not just a programme of branding but more than that it is a programme of bonding."

He pointed out that after the success of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, many states have started their own investment summits.
The event was attended by industry associations, prominent personalities from the sphere of trade and commerce, young entrepreneurs, and students of higher and technical education colleges, among others.