this event and transformed it into an economic expressway of India to inaugurate this ninth edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. We also welcome President, Republic of Uzbekistan, His Excellency, Mr. Shavkat Mirzyoyev, Honourable Prime Minister of Malta, His Excellency, Dr. Joseph Mascat, Honourable Prime Minister of Denmark, His Excellency, Mr. Lars Lok Rasmussen, Honourable Prime Minister of Czech Republic, His Excellency, Mr. Andrey Babis. The ninth Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019, the biennial event organized by Government of Gujarat to provide a unique forum for idea exchange, knowledge sharing, networking, exploring business opportunities, strategic partnerships, investment in flows and setting the policy agendas to meet the current global challenges. The biggest event of global business opportunities in India, this is an event which has established a benchmark for corporate and social investments, an example of visionary approach of the Government of Gujarat towards inclusive and sustainable development by ensuring policy coherence and effective investment, promotion, trade and export promotion. We also welcome on the days Honourable Governor of Gujarat, Sri O.P. Kohliji, Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Sri Vijay Rupani. We begin this inaugural session with a song, Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat, written by Veer Kavi Narmad, the famous patriotic poet of Gujarat. The song glorifying Gujarat will be rendered by world renowned light vocalist, Sri Praharvora, arranged by Chairman Gujarat, Sangeet Nathak Academy, Shri Pankaj Bhatt. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, dear artists. We now bring to you an audio visual presentation showcasing the saga of Gujarat's march in the direction of growth, progress and development. It is rightly said, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Following this philosophy, we started a journey with you all, far back in 2003, in the form of an investment summit, which today has turned to be a global platform for sharing ideas and doing business. The ninth, vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019, shaping a new India. Welcome to Gujarat, a pioneer of new India movement. Following the footprints of our great leaders, we have seen inclusive development taking place. We have seen distances being shortened with robust world-class infrastructure. We have seen small ideas turning into growth engines. We have seen technologies making cities more livable and life more lovable. We have seen the largest, the biggest and the tallest being built. And today, we are opening new horizons, redefining speed, energizing new India with futuristic vision, pursuing dreams until the realization and converting promises into concrete reality. Under the smart, strong and strategic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, because of which today we are amongst the leaders in ease of doing business, attracting the highest investments and the best performers in logistics and startups. With Surat at number one and Rajkot at number seven, our cities rank amongst the top ten fastest developing cities in the world. And now, we are at the doorsteps of future, where we are shaping India's first financial tech city. India's first dream city. India's first future smart city. And India's most ambitious infrastructure project, multiplying employment, opportunities, innovations and most importantly, happiness. All because of our shared vision and exchanged ideas. The torch shines brighter than ever in the ninth edition, where we will embrace innovation for a brighter future. Let us take a giant leap to new India from this land of undying spirit. Ninth Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019, shaping a new India. Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Sri Vijay Rupani, known for his hard work, perseverance and mass connect, is committed and dedicated for all inclusive growth and development of Gujarat in all sectors. His government founded on four pillars of good governance, of being transparent, sensitive, decisive and progressive, is all set to take Gujarat to lead from the front in India's growth. We now invite Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Sri Vijay Rupani for his address. Good morning to everybody and welcome to Gujarat. I am happy to see the great response to ninth Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit today. This use-gathering is a reflection of the trust that you all have in the state and people of Gujarat. Today, I take pride in welcoming the pioneer and architect of Vibrant Gujarat Summit, Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modiji. It was his vision to place Gujarat on the map of India as the preferred destination for doing business. Sir, your visionary initiatives such as Make in India, Skill India and Stand Up India have made India one of the fastest growing economic in the world. However, Gujarat is totally committed to your vision of building a strong India. You have given us the vision of New India, which is also the theme of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. On behalf of people of Gujarat, I welcome you home. Friends, join me in extending a warm welcome to President of Republic of Uzbekistan. India and Uzbekistan have a relation dating back to centuries and share a common history of the Silk Route. The purpose of this Vibrant Gujarat Summit is to build and enhance trade relationship. Partnership of Gujarat and Uzbekistan is critical in this regard. Uzbekistan is India's gateway to Central Asia. We have among us a Prime Minister of Denmark, well-common. You are an example of how an extended welfare state can be combined with a well-functioning economy. I am looking forward to more partnerships to strengthen our relations. I also welcome Prime Minister of Czech Republic on his first visit to Gujarat and look forward to our collaborations in the areas of engineering, science, and many other fields. Please join me in welcoming Prime Minister of Republic of Malta, both of us share a common colonial past. I look forward to joining hands in the area of tourism. Australia has been our long-standing partner, both at national and state levels. Happy to welcome Governor of New South Wales and Governor-designate of the Commonwealth of Australia. We are honoured by your gracious presence. I take this opportunity to welcome State Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industries of Japan. You are one of the most trusted partners of the people of Gujarat, mini-Japan, that Gujarat houses is an example of our strong bond, Eri Gato, my special thanks for the efforts made by JETRO. I welcome Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ravanda. Join me in extending a warm welcome to Minister of State for Climate Change and Environment, UAE. We have been trading partners for over 5,000 years and our UAE India Food Security Project is of critical importance. I extend a warm welcome to Minister of Industries, Trade, and SAME, NAMIA. I also welcome Secretary of State for Accession and Custom Netherlands. It is my privilege to welcome the CEO and President of Quotra. I efforts have been instrumental in strengthening the bilateral relationship between Gujarat and South Africa. I am happy to highlight that Quotra opened an office in Gujarat yesterday, which will start a new chapter in our relationship. I extend my gratitude to the Minister for Industries, Investment, and Trade for Kingdom of Morocco. We are bonded by our common vision for prosperity with peace, security, and sustainability. I welcome Deputy Minister of Commerce of Thailand. This is first time that Thailand is partner country to this summit. I welcome the Governor of Commonwealth of Kentucky, U.S. Halls, a special place for us, and a trusted partner of Gujarat, our ties in agro and food processing, healthcare, and technology have contributed significantly in employment, generation, and growth. Our relationship with our partner country Poland needs no introduction. I welcome you to the land of Jamsai, Digvijasinji of Jamnagar. I welcome the Canadian delegation. You have been one of the longest tending partners of Gujarat. I welcome our partner country France, where few people know that. France established their factory in Surat region. We bake in 17th century. My sincere thanks to Norway for being a partner country. Warm welcome to the entire delegation. Warm welcome to the delegates from our partner country South Africa. We are bound by the philosophies of Gandhi, Gandhiji, and Mandalaji. I welcome the President Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. I also welcome Educative Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific. Diplomats and delegates from more than 100 countries are gathered here today. I thank you for gracing the occasion. My sincere gratitude for the support extended by our partner organization along with global CEOs, leaders of Indian industries are also here. I am sure you will continue to invest in Gujarat. There are a lot of other industrialists, both on stage and in the front who have played a major role in the development of Gujarat. I welcome you all honorable ministers and sincere senior officers from Gujarat. Some government of India are also present. A warm welcome to you MSME have been our backbone and strength. Like every year they are present in big numbers. You are going to bring employment to youth of Gujarat media by your large presence. You have given a big recognition to this event. A sincere thanks and warm welcome to you all. Friends, this summit is not a platform of economic and business exchange alone but also cultural and people-to-people exchange. It is a fusion of business with culture. This is a very exciting time for India and Gujarat. Our visionary prime minister, Sri Narendra Bhai Modi, has charted out plants growth path for India 2022 and for industries 4.0. As a state, we are tirelessly working towards them. We not only believe in ease of doing business but give equal importance to feel of doing business. With much confidence, I welcome you all to global office Gujarat. We are not a government. We are your catalyst for success. Today, we host you not as our guest but as our long-term partners. I welcome you to the boardroom of strategic decisions. I welcome you all to Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2019. Once again, Swagatam and Su Swagatam, welcome all. Thank you. Thank you, Honorable Chief Minister Sir. Some of the industry captains and business icons are keen to express their solidarity with the summit. We invite Chairman Tata Sanz, Mr. N. Chandra Sekaran to express his views. Greetings and good morning to all of you. The Honorable Prime Minister and Honorable Chief Minister, other dignitaries on the dyes, friends and media. It is a great honor and privilege to be present in this wonderful platform, the ninth edition of Vibrant Gujarat. A platform that was conceptualized by the Honorable Prime Minister, the one that has set the trend in India on how to bring different stakeholders together towards progress, development and economic growth. This platform has enabled to showcase India's opportunity and Gujarat's opportunity of economic growth that can be realized by Indian businessmen, global investors, NGOs and people at large working together. And India, under our honorable Prime Minister, has been on a transformative journey over the last five years. A tremendous amount of progress has been made. The number of things that has been done in these five years are enormous and a platform that will propel India for significant growth for several years to come and decades to come has been laid. I want to thank the Prime Minister and congratulate him for what he has been able to achieve in a short span. Gujarat is a very important state and it holds a very special place for the House of Tata's because it was here that Jamshadji Tata was born in 1839 and the ancestral home of Tata family in Dostwood has been a home for nearly 30 generations of Parsis since they first moved to the town here in the 12th century A.D. The Tata group has significant presence in Gujarat. It is the third largest state for the group and we have about 25,000 employees, about 50 percent of them are in the high tech sector and the group's revenues for last year was about 18,000 crores and the group has been investing in the state for several years Many of our group companies like Tata Chemicals, Tata Motors have very significant presence here. We look forward to continuing our investment in the state. We are in discussion with the state government for significantly increasing our capacity in Tata Chemicals to reach 1 million tons of soda ash and we have an electric EV plant here and we want to make further investments not only in building electric vehicles but also in putting the lithium ion battery projects here and we will also be investing in renewable energy apart from conducting to grow our presence in the technology sector. Our hotels business, our airlines business are significantly integrated with the state of Gujarat and the tourism opportunity that it presents. So we see Gujarat as a big partner for the Tata group and it is a place where professionalism is shown at its best. We wish the state of Gujarat all the very best and look forward to working together with the state as well as with the citizens. On the community front, the Tata trusts have significant work going on, they are already engaged in at least 60 different programs between Tata trusts and the Tata group operating companies, they impact more than 1.2 lakh people in various CSR initiatives. We want to do more and we look forward to doing that in the years to come. Thank you so much. Thank you, sir. We now invite Mr. Didier Kasimiro global head of downstream Rosneft to share his views. Honourable Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Vijay Rupani, but also all respected dignitaries here on stage, ladies, gentlemen, friends here together at this colossal summit, a very good morning to all of you. Now it's my absolute pleasure to be addressing possibly the largest gathering of dynamic and enterprising leaders all here together to make hay while the sun shines in India. Interestingly, as a company, we never miss a chance to be under that sun. And I'm thrilled to witness this very highly diverse audience before me today and it's telling me that vibrant Gujarat has graduated from being an investment promotion summit to truly becoming a platform for forging long-standing partnerships with India through the state of Gujarat. In 2017, a key cornerstone of the Indian-Russian partnership has accomplished exactly in this state through the successful acquisition of India's second largest single-site refinery in Vardinar. Today, rebranded Nayara Energy, it is the largest singular foreign direct investment in India in the energy sector. Through this vehicle, Nayara Energy, Rosnia, leader of Russia's petroleum industry, but actually also the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas company by production and reserves and its partners, Trinfigura and UCP, are committed to provide for India's energy security in the long term. India is rightly projected to become one among three top economies in the world by 2030. And this will be followed by a staggering 165% growth in energy consumption by 2040. I would like to reassure everybody here and the Indian government that we are poised to supply India's rising demand while meeting the superior emissions control standards aimed for by India. Very influential and respected leader once said, Saaf Niyat, Sahi Vikas, clean conscience, proper progress. Now actually in the company, we happen to follow this leader quite a lot. In fact, through our refinery asset in Vardinar and our blooming retail outlets across India, we are contributing to his vision for employment generation, for thousands of Indians, entrepreneurship opportunities for hundreds of micro, small and medium enterprises, but as well as through the launch of key corporate social responsibility initiatives to our smart agriculture and malnutrition eradication in Varga and Vardinar. Let me conclude, Gujarat has been our preferred investment destination. There is of course its unique geographical and infrastructural advantage, but there is a very investor friendly policy outlook of the Gujarat government. Actually, we are glad to announce today that Nayara Energy will enter an MOU worth $850 million with the Gujarat government for the phase one of our expansion plan, which will see the establishment of new refinery units. Allow me to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Honourable Chief Minister, Mr Rupani, for his facilitation so far, but equally looking forward to discontinue support for the future endeavours in Vardinar. Also we are deeply grateful to Honourable Prime Minister, Mr Modi, for extending us the opportunity to partner with India and we truly look forward to further strengthening the Indian-Russian partnership. Thank you very much. Thank you sir. We now invite Mr Soren Skol, CEO, AP Moller Mursk, Denmark, to express his views. Honourable Prime Minister of India, Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen. The presence here today of so many imminent visitors from overseas is an eloquent testimony to the success story that is today Gujarat and indeed India. This success is widely recognised across the business world and here, Mursk is no exception. My company regards India today as a key market for our global business. This is both in terms of its importance as a fast-growing centre of demand for sophisticated logistics products that we offer, but also as a linchpin in supporting our global capabilities through our investments in Indian software capabilities and BPO organisation. As India's trade grows, Soren Mursk is equally committed to growing in scope and scale, providing competitive logistics services across all modes of transport. In India, by sea, by land, by air, and in India's fastest growing inland markets. We especially applaud the steps taken by the Government of India to reduce logistic costs and to enhance its ease of doing business-rating. Digitalisation is a key element in this ladder initiative, which we support wholeheartedly and which, for our part, is largely being driven by our Indian organisation. Mursk is proud to regard itself as an established partner of India, aligned in our joint objectives to improve economic wellbeing through the provision of increasingly efficient digital logistics. We are committed to train and develop our large Indian staff complement here and overseas and dedicated to jointly improving the standards across all fields of maritime endeavour. From carbon-free supply chain management to sustainable ship recycling, from terminal management to regulatory reform, and from new finance packages to digital solutions for export and import customers. The list of challenges is long. We are, though, absolutely confident that based upon our long and fruitful partnership here, we will jointly succeed in this extraordinary country. We are deeply honoured to be here today and be part of this celebration of conspicuous success. For this Honourable Prime Minister, I thank you most profoundly. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, sir. We now invite Chairman Aditya Birla Group, Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla, to express his sentiments. Prime Minister Sheena Rindra Modiji, Honourable Chief Minister Sheveja Rupaniji, senior officials of the Government of Gujarat, dignitaries on the dais, ladies and gentlemen. It gives me great pleasure to be back here for the ninth edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit. And I am amazed at how with every visit one sees such rapid signs of exponential positive change and explosive progress. Gujarat, after all, is the most vibrant picture of a fast-changing India, and perhaps nothing captures that better and more rapidly than the towering statue of unity located less than 250 kilometres away. With the statue of unity, I believe that Gujarat has given yet another reason for India and Indians to be proud. More than anything else, it is a 597-feet testimony to the state's ability to dream big and to execute big. It gives me great personal satisfaction that Ultra Tech Cement, the cement company of our group, has played its part in this mammoth nation-building project by helping to create the iconic statue of unity. As the Prime Minister has rightly said, Gujarat and development have become synonymous for the last two decades. To achieve record growth on a sustainable basis year after year is nothing short of remarkable. Gujarat today accounts for 17% of India's industrial output and continues to be a magnet for investment, both domestic and foreign. In the last five years alone, Gujarat has seen FDI inflows of more than $10 billion. Much of this has been possible because of the transparent, consistent and rule-based economic order here in the state. The credit for which must go to Prime Minister Narendra Modiji, who during his stint as Chief Minister, worked painstakingly to transform the economic landscape of the state. It is also very heartening to see that the current administration led by Honorable Chief Minister Shri Vijay Rupaniji has carried on the outstanding work. I was delighted to note that the share of manufacturing in Gujarat has jumped to over 35% of GVA, which is close to the levels seen in China. Who would have thought that an Indian state can match China's level on this very significant parameter of manufacturing progress? Gujarat has made it possible today and I am sure that under the leadership of our Honorable Prime Minister, India will become a manufacturing superpower in the not-so-distant future. Gujarat's solid growth cannot be seen in isolation. What is credible is that the state has seen exponential growth without compromising on macroeconomic stability. Crystal, in their annual assessment of states, evaluated them on the basis of three key parameters, growth's inflation and fiscal position and only two states ticked all of these three boxes, needless to say, Gujarat is one of them. It is on the back of this remarkably business-friendly environment that we, the Alitibrila Group, has rapidly increased investments in the state. Our long-standing relationship with the state goes back to over six decades. Our operations here commenced in 1950 with a single-plant Indian rayon manufacturing viscous filament yarn in Viraval viscous filament yarn is an integral ingredient in the textile value chain. Since then, we have indeed come a very long way. Today we have 15 manufacturing plants anchored by 26,000 people through both direct and ancillary employment. It might interest you to learn that in both small and big ways, we have touched the lives of the people of Gujarat. In several of its most significant projects, our engagement is tangible. For instance, the Mahatma Mandir at Gandhinagar, the Ahmedabad cricket stadium, the metro rail project from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar and the dedicated freight corridor have all been constructed with ultra-tech cement. Upcoming projects include the bullet train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai and the Ahmedabad to Dholera for Lane Expressway. Indalko's copper plant in The Hague has contributed immensely to the rapid electrification and infrastructure development of Gujarat supplying very high-quality copper products. The Vodafone idea is today the leading telecom operator in the state. Every second person in Gujarat today is connected on Vodafone idea mobile telephone services. VIL has 3.5 cross-subscribers in Gujarat alone. Aditya Birla Capital, our financial services conglomerate, is the wealth manager and protector for millions of people in Gujarat. Its AUM or assets under management in Gujarat alone is 20,000 crores and its lending book is over 3,500 crores, largely to the small and medium sector. Up until now our investments in Gujarat are of over 30,000 crores and counting. We have plans to invest about 15,000 crores more. This is towards the expansion of our capacities, setting up new plants and environment conservation in line with our principles of responsible stewardship. Amongst our major expansions feature grassums, viscostapal fiber and chemicals plant at Viliath and the Indian rayon viscose filament yarn plant in Viravel. These entail an investment of rupees 7,500 crores. We are also setting up a state-of-the-art plant for the manufacture of in-house developed new generation viscostapal fiber at Kharach. In grassums chemicals business, expansions include those in the caustic soda and epoxy plant at an investment of about 1,000 crores, likewise towards extending hindalco's operations in the copper and fertilizer businesses and augmenting the hedge, harbor and infrastructure base we have a capex of 5,000 crores on the anvil. Yet another 1,000 crores has been allocated for our mining and mineral sectors and solar power businesses. We will also be increasingly investing in green technologies at all of our plants as part of our environment conservation measures. All of these investments together run up to almost 15,000 crores over a three-year period. Transcending business, we reach out to about 4,000 people from the underprivileged communities covering 250 villages in Gujarat through meaningful welfare-driven projects in healthcare, education, sustainable livelihood, infrastructure and social reform. In sum, I would like to reiterate that we in the Aditya Birla group stand committed to Gujarat's progress as it marches forward to make a mark globally. We will participate actively and enthusiastically in the state's growth, fostered by the honorable prime minister and his far-sighted vision, admirably executed by the honorable chief minister and the government of Gujarat's dedicated teams of bureaucrats and senior officials. Thank you. Thank you, sir. We now invite founder and chairman of the Sengshan Industry China, Mr. Guangda Xiang, to share his thoughts. Thank you, Mr. Guangda Xiang. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, sir. We now invite chairman, USISPF, Mr. John Chambers. It's my honor to be back in a country that I truly love and in a state that has been the foundation for the future of India. I have been called the biggest optimist on India and the vision of Prime Minister Modi in terms of the future of India and how it's going to be extended to every person in this country. I'd like to share with you why I believe that so strongly and why I tend to constantly recommit to this country and to this state. I've had a rare opportunity to have a front-row seat like no one else in watching India emerge. As chairman of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, I get to see the views of the Indian CEOs and the US CEOs in terms of their confidence in India and the confidence in the vision and strategy of Prime Minister Modi. It is the strongest during my 40 years of involvement in India right today. I also get to see what is happening when the Prime Minister visits the US and his effect on Democrats and Republicans, on his effect on the administration and the confidence they have in this country and direction. I get to see, because I was the CEO of Cisco, for 20 years how India has grown and emerged and we made it our second world headquarters and focused on corporate social responsibility and giving back in network academies and the I Create Innovation Lab here in Gujarat. I am a startup VC, but really a mentor of startups around the world and I get to see every startups in every country as I circle the world, talking to literally hundreds a month and I see an India startup economy that is going to lead the world and I really mean that to unravel Silicon Valley. I had the honor also to be the French tech, high tech and global ambassador for Macron, President Macron and accompanied him on his visit here to India. I get to see what the European leaders believe in this country and the future of this country in a very unique way. I had seen the movie before because in 1995 I was one of the first high tech CEOs to bet on China and with President Jiang Zemin, Outline Division for Manufacturing of High Tech in China and 20 years of a win-win relationship and watching that country grow. That is exactly what I believe is now occurring in India. It was, I wasn't always as optimistic because when I was here for 20 years, I loved the people, the confidence, the brilliant engineers, but we were missing the leadership, the vision, and the risk taking to really achieve the goals in India. Often very good people in government were bureaucratic and not as predictable and how things have changed. You're now the fastest growing GDP in the world, your startup engine is on fire, you're the number one player in the world in terms of companies doing M&A in your country. But my real passion is around startups because that's where half of the 1.2 million jobs per month have to be created throughout India. The startup engine takes a while to go and I'll remind everyone, using Cisco as an example, when Cisco started, it was six years when I took over and we had 400 people. But we then over the next 10 years added 45,000.  And you're seeing that expand across the entire country. You're seeing 100% growth in venture capital investment of which I'm one of the VCs, one of the very small ones in the group. That was a joke. And you're also seeing 250% growth in venture capital investment in late stages, your number of unicorns, companies where the billion dollars have gone from 8 to 18. And when you talk to these young people and I do with the young Turks and Delhi with five I create companies yesterday with the incubation centers at the IITs and you look into their eyes and you see the future of this country. So I want to challenge us all. This is a chance for India and Gujarat to lead and be in the example where you have one out of six people in the terror world for social and economic reform that is so inclusive. And at the heart of that is the startup engine. I want to also challenge each of us today to say what would we like to be on stage or what would we like to announce press release last five years from now about the role that we played in this new India led by an unbelievably great leader in Prime Minister Modi. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. We now invite Chairman Torrent Group, Mr. Sudhir Mehta to share his views. Prime Minister Sridhar Narendra by Modi, Honorable Chief of the States, Honorable Chief Minister Sridhar Jaiwai Rupani, distinguished guests and delegates. It is indeed my honor and pleasure to be part of the ninth edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. I have been part of the summit since inception in 2003 when it was first conceptualized by then the Chief Minister of the State and the present Prime Minister of India, Sridhar Narendra by Modi. I have seen in growing from simple promotion of investment in the state to a global event focusing not just on showcasing all round progress of Gujarat but also as a platform for brainstorming of global socioeconomic and environmental issue. This summit has been multi-fold growth. The first edition was attended by 500 delegates and the ninth edition has approximately more than 30,000 delegates. For the year, the summit has been instrumental in taking the state ahead to becoming one of the biggest and most preferred investment destination in the country. As a consequence, Gujarat also ranked first in job creation. Gujarat all round development which is widely known as the Gujarat model is being emulated by many others state in the country. This summit can duly take credit for its share in creating the Gujarat model. Honorable Prime Minister has provided all round visionary leadership to the country in last four and a half years, be it in economic reform or social reform or environment leadership shown at COP21 in Paris or emergence of India as a powerful and influential country in the global arena. All this have been game changing initiative of the government under his visionary leadership. In Gujarat, the honorable Chief Minister, Vijay Behrupani has taken the baton further. The manner in which he is today leading the new Gujarat on all front is admirable. It is a matter of pride and good fortunate that Torrent Group has its root in this progressive state. Torrent Group has about invested more than 30,000 crores in existing investment in Gujarat spanning across power and pharmaceutical sectors. Today as a part of Viber and Gujarat 2019 summit, we are committing further investment of more than 10,000 crores across renewable energy, power distribution, and gas distribution business in Gujarat. Torrent has greatly benefited from its investment in Gujarat and drawing from our positive experience, I urge delegate visiting from other country to seize the opportunity and seriously consider investment in Gujarat. Thank you, Jay Hind. Thank you, sir. We now invite Lord Jonathan Marland, Chairman, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council. Prime Minister and Chief Minister, I am so grateful to you for giving me a distraction from Brexit, which has come to dominate our lives in the United Kingdom. So thank you very much. You don't know how much I am grateful for being here. And it is an honor to be involved in a delegation of some 75 people from 15 countries of the Commonwealth at this vibrant Gujarat 9th anniversary. And I congratulate you both on putting trade enterprise investment at the forefront of this state's activities, because that is the key to the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is 53 nations, a third of the world's population, 40% of which are under 30, and where it is 19% more competitive to do business than in any other trading arrangement. And of course, India is at the beating heart of it. And it is incumbent upon India to take the role of leadership for the future because of its incredible importance to the future of the Commonwealth and the size and creativity of this great country. There are three points that bind the Commonwealth largely. One is we all speak English. Secondly, we have a similar rule of law. And thirdly, of course, there are Indians in all 53 countries. Of course, there are other things as education, health, and the wonderful game of cricket. And if that isn't good enough, we can go on and on forever of the reasons why we share this subliminal affection for each other in these 53 countries. And I'm delighted that Gujarat are taking a lead with our Commonwealth organization in helping us to adopt the Commonwealth first for India, that is helping 100 Indian SMEs to export to this huge global market. And with that kind of leadership, and with you, First Minister and you, Prime Minister Modi, I feel the Commonwealth has a strong and vibrant future like Gujarat. Thank you, sir. We now invite Chairman Adani Group, Mr. Gautam Adani, for his address. Honorable Prime Minister, honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat, dignitaries on the dias, captains of the industries, and my dear friends, it is an honor to be speaking at the ninth Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. I say with great pride that I have been present at every one of the summits, and I'm proud that Gujarat, my home state, has inspired the growth narrative for New India. Honorable Prime Minister, while we all know you are the architect who conceptualized the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, nobody could have imagined how distant corner of the country would reflect on your dream and trigger a movement that would transform India's industrial landscape. This unique investor model has been a key trigger that has spurred national growth resulting in investment of several lakhs crores across our country. Vibrant Gujarat was the first indication of your tremendous foresight. This summit had all your defining stamps, towering vision on presidential scale, strict governance, and flawless executions. Honorable Prime Minister, you have fundamentally restored confidence across the world that India will be the key engine for global economic growth, your ability to stabilize the economic fundamentals with the low inflation rates, strict management of fiscal deficits, introduction of the larger tax reforms since independence, establishing the bankruptcy code, and strong relationship with key nations across the world. As cemented, India plays as one of the best nations to invest in. You have also proven that managing growth and managing the biggest challenge mankind faces, climate change, need not be a diverging goal. The 2018 United Nations Champion of Earth Award, you received recently is a fitting recognition of your success in not just pioneering the ambitious global solar alliance, but more importantly, putting India firmly on the track towards becoming the second largest renewable power nation in the world by 2020. The statistics say it all. Since the 2017 Vibrant Gujarat, India, under your watch, has yet again made an unprecedented 53-point jump in the ease of doing business index. India, under your watch, has become the largest beneficiary of FDI across Asia. India, under your watch, has become the world's fastest growing economy. And India, under your watch, will become one of the world's top five economies in 2019. Honorable Prime Minister, while your capability to drive economic reforms is unmatched, what even more uniquely defines is your ability to drive social reform agenda. The scale and speed of your social reforms is without precedence in a modern history. The Jandan Yojana that has already allowed 350 million of our fellow citizens to establish a bank account is the largest financial inclusion program in the history of mankind. The Dindal Gram Jyoti Yojana that has allowed electrification of our nation in 598,000 villages has been called one of the greatest achievements in the history of energy by the International Energy Agency. The Pradhan Mantri Yujualaya Yojana that has reached a staggering 90% of our nation's population in just four years and replaced polluting fuels with LPG is the world's largest poverty elevation program. The Ayushyaman Bharat Yojana that will provide health care facility and insurance to over 100 million families. It's the biggest government sponsored health care scheme in the world. Every one of this program bestows the much needed dignity to our fellow Indians. Every one of this program reduces the several levels of inequality that confronts us. Every one of these programs gives a chance to all fellow Indians. Honorable Prime Minister, you have fundamentally reshaped India, never anywhere in the recent history as such a massive segment of population been given the opportunity for upliftment in such a short period. You have truly shown that Saptasad Saptavikas means. Honorable Chief Minister, the increase in global confidence in Gujarat is a result of your continued focus on the investor friendly business environment. Our investment in Gujarat in the past five years exceed rupees 50,000 crores. And we are further accelerating our investments. Over the next five years, our investment will include the world's largest solar hybrid park in Kutch. The anticipated investment in this park is rupees 30,000 crores. We also plan to establish a 1 gigawatt data center park in Mundra, a 1 million tons of copper smelting and refining project, a cement and clinker manufacturing unit in Lakhpat, an integrated lithium battery manufacturing complex, and expand our photovoltaic manufacturing capabilities. Overall, we anticipate a total, rupees 55,000 crores of investment in all these projects. This will lead to the creation of our 50,000 new direct and indirect jobs in the state of Gujarat. Honorable Chief Minister, on behalf of the Adani group, thank you for your support. You have our commitment that we will continue to serve the people of Gujarat and India in line with our core philosophy of growth with goodness. Thank you and Jai Hind. Thank you, sir. We now invite Mr. David Farr, Chairman, Emerson Electrics. Thank you. I would like to thank the Chief Minister Rupande and the state government in Gujarat, providing me and my company Emerson to once again join this great day of discussions. It's an honor and a privilege to be here today. And I join others and welcome Prime Minister Modi, whose attendance here today shows the importance of Gujarat, the global competitive India economy. Emerson is a global technology engineering manufacturing company. Our products and services are helping to create a wide cross-section of India's economy. Energy, chemical, refining, power, food and beverage across many industries across India today. We've been operating in India since the early 1980s. Today we have a total of 50 facilities, sales offices, service centers, 11 manufacturing facilities, and five engineering centers. And we employ nearly 7,000 people here in India, a lot of engineering for their global environment. India is an important market for Emerson. Today, it's our seventh largest market in sales and continues to be a very important market for us for strategic investments. We've invested over a billion dollars in manufacturing sites, service centers, and we're involved right now in a new service center, operation engineering center worth about $200 million and chockin' in the Pune region. We invest in India because we believe in the future of this country for innovation, for growth, exporting products and services. We encourage by the progress being made by the national government, by the state governments for support of economic development and make it easier for businesses like Emerson to do business here. Emerson has established a regional Indian supply structure and today we manufacture nearly 70% of the products we sell in India right here in India. Our short-term strategy is to drive that to over 80% and our vision is to get there the next couple of years. We're using these facilities for Southeast Asia, for India, Middle East, and Africa. We truly want to design in India, innovate in India, and make in India, sell in India, and export out of India. This remains a very strategic investment location for Emerson in the world we serve. It's also important to understand that technology and automation are creating a tremendous change. This means opportunities, also means challenges for the business community and the governments. Emerson's working with our Indian customers and the governments and around the world to make this digital transformation happen smoothly. It's gonna change global competitiveness. It's gonna change safer environments. It's gonna be more sustainable and it's gonna impact all of our lives and if we don't make this transformation we will not succeed. More and more jobs in the manufacturing and energy industries are requiring an increasing technical knowledge and training. A recent study here in India said that 40% of the jobs in India will be impacted over the next five years and will take re-skilling, retraining. This is a huge challenge and one that we all must take on. I hear the same issue around the world and we must continue to train and invest in our people and technology. The digital India and skill India national initiatives are seeking to address these issues. They are critical to fund and to maintain if we wanna succeed here. I commend the government and the Prime Minister Modi for recognizing the impact of the digital transformation on the world of business and the changes needed both in the business world and the government world and we appreciate their support. Emerson's proud to be part of this exciting chapter in India's history and the economic development and we look forward to collaborating with the business world and the government to make it better and stronger. I wanna thank you for inviting me today and thank you for listening and I also wanna thank all of the 7,000 employees that work for Emerson here in India. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. We now invite CEO Suzuki Motors, Mr. Toshihiro Suzuki to express his views. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I would like to express my hearty congratulations for the successful launch of the 9th Bible and Gujarat Summit. Wraith by Prime Minister is Excellency, Mr. Narendra Modi. Automobile industry is now entering a phase of great changes. Above all, we fully recognize the challenge to reduce CO2 to prevent global warming. We are tackling this issue from various angles. As one of the solution for CO2 reduction, we decided to introduce EVs in India in 2020. We are load testing 50 EVs in India to develop such product that is convenient and really delightful for Indian customers. In order to reduce CO2 further, it's crucial to fully utilize existing technologies. In addition to EVs, in the Indian context, we firmly believe that hybrid and CND vehicles are the most effective solution with fastest results. Especially, it should be pointed out that hybrid technologies are involving as a rapid pace. Suzuki will introduce cutting edge hybrid vehicles aggressively with technical support from Toyota Motor Corporation. Ladies and gentlemen, Suzuki is making investment in good or a continuous basis. The first vehicle assembly plant of Suzuki Motor good was inaugurated in September 2017. The second plant will start shortly. We plan to commission the third assembly plant in 2020 after three plants in operations. Annual production capacity of Suzuki Motor good will be enhanced up to 750,000 units. Also, it's my pleasure to share with you that engine and transmission plant is starting production shortly, which enables us to wear a flute of integrated vehicle manufacturing in Gujarat. Gujarat is becoming more and more important as a production site for Suzuki Group. Manufacturing plant of automobile, they show ion battery is under construction in house and pool. In addition to lithium ion battery, we will localize other components required for vehicle electrification. Since the technologies for hybrid and EVs have similarity, we will first localize components of hybrid vehicle and followed by EV. In this approach, we will realize real make in India in the field of vehicle electrification as well, which surely helps the further expansion of Indian automobile industries together with an enabling policy support from the government of India. We can jointly think how to scale up our investment and depth of localization. I would like to end my speech by making a promise. We will continue to introduce cutting edge technology in India along with make in India concept and contribute to sustainable mobility solution for the society. Thank you. Thank you, sir. We now invite Chairman BSF, Dr. Martin Brudomula. Honorable Prime Minister of India, Sri Modi. Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Sri Rupani, dignitaries on the dais, esteemed invitees of the vibrant Gujarat Summit, 2019. At the outset, I would like to applaud Sri Modi on his flagship initiative, make in India. But what is even more admirable is his vision for an environmental conscious growth, which is evident in India's commitment to the Paris Agreement. Owing to the Paris Agreement by 2030, India plans to reduce its carbon emissions intensity expressed in reducing the emission per unit of GDP by 33 to 35% from what it was in 2005 and the aim to produce 40% of the total electricity from sources other than fossil fuels. Keeping this challenging environmental goals, India is also exploring the ambitious goal of being a one trillion US dollar manufacturing economy by 2025. To achieve this, chemical and the chemical industry will also in future be a key enabler and catalyst. Driven by the growth in the end industries, the demand for chemicals is growing rapidly in India and in Gujarat particularly. While the upstream refining and basic petrochemicals industry has grown rapidly in the last decade and the downstream specialty chemicals industry also continues to deliver robust growth, petrochemical intermediates are proving to be a vital missing link for sustainable growth of the Indian chemical industry with straight statistics showing an import dependency of close to 50%. With the growth in the end user industries this important dependency will become even more acute. We therefore believe it is imperative that India needs sound manufacturing infrastructure for petrochemical intermediates with our experience of more than 153 years globally and 125 years in India and with our technology and innovation power BISF as the largest chemical company in the world is well positioned to support both these goals making India and India's commitment to the Paris Agreement. On one key focus of our BISF corporate strategy is the ambition to be a thought leader and action leader in sustainability. Consequently we want to increase the relevance of sustainability in our business decisions and show how we add value to society along the value chain. Therefore we aim to grow CO2 neutral until 2030. This however requires totally new approaches advanced technology and the use of renewable energy. With this background BISF would like to further strengthen our commitment to India alongside with our partner Adani Group by establishing an acrylics acid value chain in India which will be powered 100% by renewable energy. This project will be based in Mundragutjarat with an investment of around 2 billion euros and an employment potential of about 2000 people subject to the receipt of necessary approvals and the outcome of the feasibility study. The scope of the project under evaluation includes the development, construction and operation of a petrochemical complex with production plants serving mainly the construction, automotive and coating industries. We have a very good experience of manufacturing in Gujarat. We have signed a similar MOU at Vibrant Gujarat in 2013 and within a record time in October 2014 we have inaugurated our multi-business site in Dahach in the presence of the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Madame Annabdi Bel Patel. Ladies and gentlemen for this first of its kind petrochemical project based on 100% renewable energy to become reality I appeal to the honourable Chief Minister Shri Rupani for support from the Gujarat government and I'm confident that this project will emerge to be a very important lighthouse project of the chemical industry in the world and it's going to happen not anywhere in the world but in Gujarat. PSF, Adani and Gujarat will show with this project what the chemical industry of tomorrow is about. All the best and make in Gujarat and thank you very much for making us part of Vibrant Gujarat. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. We now invite Chairman Reliance Industries, Mr. Mukesh Ambani to share his views. Most respected Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modiji. Honourable Chief Minister, Shri Vijay Rupaniji. Ladies and gentlemen. A very good morning to each one of you. I am privileged to have participated, like Gautam Bhai, in all the nine Vibrant Gujarat summits so far. And since the first one, it is very satisfying now that every other Indian state has since followed Gujarat's transformative template, the credit for this pioneering initiative and its subsequent replication must go to only one leader.  He is the visionary leader of India and he is Shri Narendra Modi, our beloved Prime Minister under whose leadership India is the fastest growing economy in the world. Friends, Gujarat is Reliance's Janmahumi as well as its Karma Bhumi. Gujarat has always been and will always remain our first choice. At Reliance, our motto is India first and within India, Gujarat first. We have so far invested nearly three lakh crores in the state of Gujarat and created and catalyzed over one million livelihood opportunities in Gujarat. In comparison to the past decades, Reliance will double this investment and employment numbers over the next 10 years. Reliance's new business model will move away from concentrated investments in a few locations to much larger investments in a distributed manner all across Gujarat. As a proud Gujarati myself, I wish to tell my six crore fellow Gujaratis that your dream is my dream. Can we together make Gujarat the most prosperous place in the world? Yes, we can and yes, we will. And how can we do this? By energizing the power of Gujaratis globally acclaimed enterprise and entrepreneurship, by empowering and creating an enabling ecosystem that will make our Gujarati youth to be the best in the world and by harnessing the revolutionary power of emerging digital technologies of the fourth industrial revolution. Gujarat will thus act as a model, not just for India, but for the entire world. As again, my friend John Chambers said. Friends, let me now talk about Reliance's five initiatives that align with Gujarat's future developmental model. Each of these initiatives will contribute significantly to our Prime Minister, Shreya Narendra Modi's inspiring vision of ease of living for every citizen. First, GEO is committed to create a fully digital Gujarat and make Gujarat the best digitally connected state in India. Today, Gujarat is the showcase for GEO's 4G wireless broadband network. This network already connects the entire state to the global information highway. This means connecting every home and office, every school and college, every hospital and doctor, every Monday and market. And GEO's network is fully 5G ready, which means Gujarat will continue to remain on the forefront of digital connectivity for years to come. And on the back of this world-class and most affordable digital connectivity, we can make our beloved Gujarat the number one in nurturing startups in financial technology, agriculture technology, health technology and other critical areas that enhance the well-being of every citizen. Number one in promoting new and renewable energy, new materials and new mobility that creates sustainable development. And also number one in building smart villages. Yes, not only smart cities, but also digitally empowered smart villages. This will mean a truly participative society where the power is in the hands of every individual, every family, every community and every business. A second mega mission for India, which we will first roll out in Gujarat, is GEO and Reliance Retail will launch a unique new commerce platform to empower and enrich our 12 lakh small retailers and shopkeepers in Gujarat, which are part of over three crore community in India. Third, today our scientists and engineers have created highly promising innovations in our new oil to chemical strategy at Reliance's Jamnagar refinery, which is the largest in the world. As the world moves towards electrical vehicles, Reliance will use hydrocarbons less for fuel and more for producing high value new materials with a wide range of uses in society. Our oil to chemical strategy will greatly boost the value of Indian exports and also create new employment opportunity. Fourth, Pandit Deen Dayal University of PDPU here in Gujarat has today over 5,000 students. In a short time PDPU has emerged to be amongst the top universities in Gujarat. The Reliance Foundation has committed an investment of rupees 150 crores to make PDPU even stronger and an institution of international repute. Fifth, I'm happy to mention that the Reliance Foundation, which is present in all districts of Gujarat and thousands of villages in other states in India has demonstrated how India can move away from rural distress to rural progress. By combining the power of digital technology, Reliance Foundation will increase these success stories many more times in the coming decade. Respected Prime Minister, the entire world has come to recognize you as a man of action. I therefore conclude with a suggestion for your kind consideration. We have all gathered here in this magnificent Mahatma Mandir. I pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation in the year of his 150th birth anniversary. Gandhi ji led India's movement against political colonization. Today, we have to collectively launch a new movement against data colonization. In this new world, data is the new oil and data is the new wealth. India's data must be controlled and owned by Indian people and not by corporates, especially global corporations. For India to succeed in this data-driven revolution, we will have to migrate the control and ownership of Indian data back to India. In other words, Indian wealth back to every Indian. Honorable Prime Minister, I am sure you will make this one of the principal goals of your digital India mission. Thank you. Thank you, sir. We now invite President Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Mr. Jin Likun for his address. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. The honorable Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Thank you. The Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani.  It's just the sixth month after we had this astounding success of India's hosting of the third annual meeting in Mumbai. Two days ago, January the 16th, AWIB celebrated its third anniversary. Three years into operation, our bank and your bank because India is number two shareholder of this institution. Your bank has much to recommend it. A new type multilateral development bank with a distinct 21st century feature is emerging in Asia with its powerful development impact about to extend beyond Asia to the rest of the world. The bank with its core values of being lean, clean and green is broadly recognized. From 57 founding members, India being one of them, we have grown to be a bank of 93 members and it's still growing. January the 16th, on our third birthday, the United Nations published the resolution granting AWIB observer status at the General Assembly. In this regard, India can claim its share of credit unquestionably. India is a key partner of AWIB as number two shareholder next only to China based on GDP and number one borrower. About $2 billion has already been committed to infrastructure projects over the last three years. The rural roads financed by the bank in Gujarat, in Andhra Pradesh, and in Badia Pradesh were cut distance between the rural people and the market thus improving the livelihood of the rural people and especially financially empower women and help them take their destiny in their own hands. We are also providing financing to many other sectors in this country. The metro in Bangladesh, Bangalore and Mumbai will improve the mobility of the urban people and the other projects such as clean water, reliable electricity and a better sanitation to rural community will all make a difference in the economic and social development of this country. We are mobilizing private capital both indigenous and external to promote your country's growth through investment in infrastructure and other productive sectors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a gracious and staunch supporter of this bank. His personal friendship with the Chinese leader President Xi has fostered the two countries friendship which is clearly manifested in this bank. India has been playing an important role in our bank. Indians directors in succession on the board give us guidance. The Indian professionals are working very hard for this bank and Vice President Chief Investment Officer, Dr. DJ Pandian, my close partner, will move on to his second term with my recommendation and the appointment by the board. India benefits and contributes to our bank, to your bank. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. We now invite leaders from our partner countries to give their special address. We invite Honorable State Minister of Economic Trade and Industry, Japan, Mr. Yoshihiko Ishizaki. His Excellency Prime Minister, Mr. Modi. His Excellency Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Lupani. Ladies and gentlemen, Namashika. I am honored to have the opportunity to represent Japan in the year 2019 in Gujarat. I am Yoshihiko Ishizaki of Japan Economic Trade and Industry, the Vice President of Japan. With the help of the 130 Japanese business missions, I have participated in this event and I have received a strong impression on the global heat of India and Gujarat. However, Japan is not such a heat to lose. More than anything, Japan is the biggest capital in the world at the same time. In particular, Gujarat is an infrastructure and the infrastructure of companies such as Zetoro. The investment of Japanese companies is growing rapidly in the second half of the world. Japan is not satisfied with the current situation, and it is more and more committed to the development of the investment environment for the betterment of the investment environment. Therefore, we have supported the development of India's Ease to Doing Business. In addition, we have also contributed to the development of the manufacturing industry in the second half of the world. We have also contributed to the development of the Sanaral School of Manufacturing in Japan. In the future, Japan will continue to develop its high technology and quality to make India and scale India a big contribution. The strengthening of the daily relationship will not be stopped by the investment of Japan. We will continue to strengthen the new cooperation we will introduce in the future. First, the daily business cooperation that took place in the Asia-Africa region in the last two days. The discussion that took place in the two-day business cooperation platform was welcomed from both sides. The cooperation of the two-day business in Africa will also lead to the implementation of the Win-Win that includes the third country, and will also lead to the development of India. In the future, the cooperation of the two-day business cooperation will be carried out with the cooperation of the matching event and the continuation of the platform. Next, the cooperation in the digital field. Japan and India have a relationship to maintain the strength of the soft and the hard. Last year, the two-day digital partnership was held. The cooperation of the two-day start-up hub and the cooperation of the two-day business cooperation in India and the cooperation of the two-day business cooperation will be carried out. Finally, Japan and India have a relationship to cooperate with the special strategic global partner and international issues. The cooperation of the two-day business cooperation will be carried out with the cooperation of the two-day business cooperation and the cooperation of the two-day business cooperation will be carried out. Thank you so much. Thank you, sir. We now invite Honorable Secretary of State to the Minister of Industry, Investment Trade Ms. Rakia Ederham. Honorable Prime Minister, Honorable Minister of State and Government, Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, Excellencies, Ministers and Ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, Salam alaikum, alaikum. First of all, and on behalf of the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, I would like to convey how privileged my country is to be a partner to this ninth global summit of the vibrant Gujarat with the strong delegation. My sincere thanks go to the Government of India, particularly the State of Gujarat, for their generous hospitality, for the excellent organization and for all the arrangement assistant and assistant provided. Morocco and India enjoy the cordial relation which dates centuries back and go beyond the traditional framework of relations through achievement of an effective cooperation of multilateral and global interests. His Majesty and Your Honorable Prime Minister have followed the same path as your predecessor, His Majesty and King Mohammed V and the great leader, Johar Al-Nihroo made a recent piece thanks to the balanced responsible foreign policy based on respect for international legitimacy and for the territorial integrity of states as well as on the defense of developing countries interests and just causes. The last royal visit to India on the occasion of the third summit of India Africa Forum held in October 2015 gave substantial impetus and clear orientation to our bilateral relations which are based on friendship and respect. I personally admire the way India has crafted its pioneering development model which has enabled this country to become an emerging global power. Honorable Prime Minister, Morocco is above all politically stable country where constant dynamic of opening and democratization has been established. Similarly consistent reforms undertaken in my country allowed considerable improvement at both economic and social levels as infrastructures world class infrastructures sound macroeconomic foundations and the bold sectoral strategy not only in the traditional sectors like mining, fishing, textile, agro-industry and tourism but also in advanced sector with high potential for development like ICT, automotive, renewable energy and aerospace. Furthermore thanks to its highly conductive investment and business environment Morocco has significantly performance in doing business moving from 128th position in 2009 to the 60th position this year Morocco has also an extensive FTAs and PTAs network which allow foreign investors to have a free market access to almost 2 billion consumers Morocco has a business bridge to the largest economies namely the European Union and the United States with which Morocco is the only African nation to have an FTA Morocco along with 49 countries signed the continental African trade agreement which will attract more investment to the whole continent therefore Morocco is keen to carry out tangible projects both at the bilateral level and within the framework of tripartite cooperation by placing the African continent at the center of its relation with India and by contributing to the economic development of Africa creating jobs and having direct impact on these citizens lives. All other Prime Minister Excellencies ladies and gentlemen given the growing needs of our people at the scale of the challenges phase this ninth global summit of Vibrant Ghoshrat represents an opportunity for us to play or sorry to lay the foundations for an efficient solidarity based and the multidimensional cooperation model through which we can make optimal use of resources and skills available in our countries it constitutes also as an important occasion to build bridges among emerging and developed countries that can force sustainable and inclusive growth Morocco looks forward to launching new joint initiatives with India within the framework of this summit in areas which are priorities for our nations and which our two countries have gained extensive expertise an example of fruitful partnership between our two countries is an ongoing cooperation in the field office phase and their derivatives mainly fertilizer which we seek to expand to include food security programs putting our know-how at the disposal of African countries I firmly believe that the promise in Morocco India Africa partnership can grow and prosper thanks to the complementary nature of our resources and skills and thus help us achieve our objectives and serve our people I should I would like in this respect to express my appreciation to India and particularly in its prime minister for making sure this summit is different from previous ones in terms of its objectives and general orientation orientation thank you for your attention thank you thank you ma'am we now invite Mr. Menousnel Honourable Minister of Finance of taxation and customs the Netherlands Honourable Prime Minister Modi Chief Minister Rupani Your Excellencies Honourable guests it is an honour to be here today at the 9th Fibrant Gujarat Global Summit and next to being on an official mission I have also to admit that I fulfilled a long standing dream experiencing the beauty of India with my own eyes and what a pleasure it has been to visit your beautiful colourful and vibrant country over the past week it has been and it is a fascinating busy and also productive visit yesterday I had the pleasure to visit Gandhi Ajram very close by in this beautiful state of Gujarat and this historic and serene place made me feel humbled I myself come from the Netherlands by some considered as a little wonder thousands of kilometres away from here so why do they call sometimes my country a little wonder but let me explain the Netherlands fits into the state of Gujarat and into India almost 79 times over and yet although geographically being small economically we can push well above our weight the Netherlands is for example the second largest exporter of agricultural products in the world and we are world's fourth most competitive economy and more specifically for this country I would like to point out that right now we are the fourth biggest investor in India so how has my country made such a big economic impact and I want to give you three relevant reasons for today first it's the openness our strategic location by the sea means we have always focused on international cooperation and thanks to the port of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and the excellent logistic connections by water and land we are the gateway to the European continent with almost 500 million consumers we are honoured to host now more than 200 Indian companies that have chosen the Netherlands as the location of their European activities tens of thousands of people are employed by Indian companies in the Netherlands second our ability to innovate last year the Netherlands was marked second as the world's most innovative country thirdly we are a very inclusive society cooperating with all relevant stakeholders is key in our policy making partnering with international relationship you could say is in our DNA in the Netherlands we prefer to solve our problems by mediation and cooperation instead of litigation and I'm really delighted to be here today in Gujarat the birthplace of Prime Minister Modi and all Dutch and the Gujarat people live a long way apart I believe that we have a lot in common we both have a keen enterprising spirit that we shared over centuries more than 400 years ago the Dutchman Peter van der Broeker established the first Dutch trading post here in India and in fact here right here in the state of Gujarat in the city of Surat and today we still have a very busy locally trade and investment office right here in Amdebat because state still connects us so it's important to make trade flows as smooth and possible and therefore the chairman of the central board of customs of India and I signed a letter of intent this week in New Delhi to further the customs treaty between the Netherlands and India crucial to further trade facilitation between India and the Netherlands so the flourishing trade relation we established already a long time ago developed now in a mutual investment our businesses are now so intertwined that many people in India see Unilever and Philips as Indian companies after all they have been here for decades and also the Dutch cemeteries in Surat and Amdebat are also a testament of our old age ties so our close ties also plain why more than 100 business people of 45 Dutch companies from sectors like AgriFood, Energy, Ports and Logistics were so keen to join me on this trade mission the ambitious economic reform program of India is bearing fruit just to name a few Startup India, Clean India, Digital India the Ganga Rejuvenation these plans are numerous and the results have been impressive and the Dutch companies want to be partner in this journey we believe we have a lot to offer to each other especially when it comes to finding smart solutions for the big issues of our century like the sustainable development goals like how to feed a growing global population with safe and nutritious food and thanks to the close cooperation between businesses and universities Dutch agriculture and horticulture is hyper innovative, productive and really efficient Prime Minister Modi we work together we progress together we think together we resolve together and together we take this country forward and I couldn't agree more and this is the key message on my behalf also of the summit today we need to work together we can't achieve everything on our own and this doesn't only apply to the people of India but it also apply between the cooperation of our countries together we can take the Netherlands and India forward and achieve our common sustainable goals together we can bolster existing relationship forge new connections and make plans for a sustainable future so let's build on these age old ties that were born here right in this state of Gujarat I wish you all a very inspiring, successful and vibrant summit Netherlands or thank you so much thank you sir we now invite Honorable Deputy Minister of Commerce Thailand Ms. Chutima Bunya Professor Honourable Prime Minister 3 Narendra Modi Honourable Chief Minister C. V. J. Rupani Excellency Ministers Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen On behalf of the Royal Thai Government I wish to express my sincere thanks to the Government of India and the Government of Gujarat for inviting Thailand as a partner country in the ninth Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit This is truly an important milestone in the economic relations between India and Thailand from the concept of establishing Gujarat as an investment destination to the efforts of connecting India to the world the addition of Vibrant Gujarat has presented us the successful model of socio-economic development In essence, Gujarat has been developed as a progressive, modern and vibrant state for all Indians and foreign investors including Thailand The state has also been a powerful engine in mobilizing India's economy and bridging India to the world The role she has been demonstrating for the past 5,000 years through Lothal, one of the world's oldest ports With the guidance and vision of the Honourable Prime Minister of India Sri Narendra Modi the Gujarat model has been applied to all India regions Several emerging Indian states have followed this model and they have experienced rapid social and economic development We admire that India has lived flock on the ease of doing business by climbing up 53 notches in the past two years and is now placed as the 77th position the highest in the South Asia and the third among the BRICS member countries Excellencies' distinguished guests India and Thailand relations have sown seamlessly for over centuries Both countries are linked in various dimensions namely politics, economy and people to people At present, the bilateral economic ties between Thailand and India have enormously grown more than 30% in 2018 amounting to over 11 billion US dollars Despite through cooperation between Thailand and India there are challenges that the two countries need to jointly overcome These challenges range from the disloyalty technologies of the fourth industrial revolution to the changing economic world order Taking into account all these challenges Thailand and India need to rethink on our strategy and approaches to maintain our growth and prosperity while leaving no one behind Confronting the technology revolution Thailand has introduced the Thailand 4.0 policy to drive forward the country to the era of innovative and technology-based manufacturers and services Thailand has designated the Eastern Economic Corridor the EEC Development Plan in the eastern part of the country aiming to revitalize and enhance the well-known Eastern Economic Seaboard project The EEC Development Plan will lead a significant development and transformation of Thailand's investment in physical and social infrastructure in the region The Thai Government plans to invest $43 billion in the next five years to build such an infrastructure With the potential strategic location and incentive the EEC will be the answer for companies who wish to expand their production base and logistics hub in connecting India to the world In particular, the sector of technology innovation and biochemical On behalf of the Lao Thai Government I am pleased to extend invitation to our Indian business partners to participate in the EEC project Excellencies and distinguished guests Regarding the changing economic world order the Indo-Pacific region has increasingly played a stronger part in driving the global economy As a result, ASEAN and India through their existing economic cooperation platforms namely the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or so-called ASEP will be able to forge the effective partnership as well as deepening and widening the economic integration in this region with key dialogue partners including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand As the Chairman of the ASEAN Thailand would like to urge policymakers, stakeholders and business communities of ASEAN and India to combine effort to push for an early conclusion of the ASEP by 2019 as instructed by the 60 leaders of ASEP In this regard, ASEP will become the world's biggest FTA and provide a comprehensive platform for trade investment and economic relations in response to the new global economic environment Excellencies and distinguished guests the cordial friendship between Thailand and India are also bolstered by strong people-to-people and cultural ties which can be demonstrated by our long historical connection in Buddhism, Ramayana and Hindu culture Buddhism and Ramayana are a symbol of Thai identity while Hindu culture is a fundament of Thai art and architecture Nowadays, Thailand is also home to more than 250,000 Indians who make significant contributions in fostering greater Thailand, India, social, cultural and economic relations Excellencies and distinguished guests the name of Kucharat is not unfamiliar to the Thai people King Rama VI took the name of Surat which is the city in Kucharat to designate the name of Thailand's southern province of Suratthani building the sisterhood between the Thai province and the Indian state On behalf of the Yolkai government I therefore would like to express a full determination and goodwill to continue and deepen our economic ties in every level from government to private sector On my final note, once again I would like to thank the government of India and the government of Kucharat for inviting Thailand to the 9th Vibran Kucharat Global Summit and I wish a great and successful fruitful to all Thank you very much Thank you, ma'am We now invite Honorable Deputy Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy, South Korea Mr. Kim Yong-ri Your Excellency, Honorable Prime Minister Modi Distinguished guests from around the world Let me begin by extending my deep gratitude for the kind invitation to this year's Vibran Kucharat Global Summit and the opportunity to represent my country the Republic of Korea The Vibran Kucharat Global Summit has developed into an important platform discussion not only on the Indian economy but also on the future direction of global economic development India, as many of you will agree has a great potential to become a major economic powerhouse of the global economy Very favorable enabling factor such as India's young, large population its highly skilled workforce and its cutting-edge science and technology all of which stand out from other countries Every year, certain billion workers enter into India's labor market and 700,000 top quality engineering students graduate in India In addition, India is one of the three countries in the world that can build a supercomputer and one of the six countries that can launch a satellite into space We all know much work needs to be done to transform such great potential to our reality Since taking office, its excellence, Prime Minister Modi is pursuing various reform and initiatives to make it happen India's making India initiative has been best improving the country's business environment In particular, the Indian government implemented a major tax reform integrating various states and central level indirect tax into uniform goods and service tax Such efforts are well reflected by the substantial improvement in India's easy-of-doing business Ranking, compiled by the World Bank will India jump 65 spots in just five years Honorable and distinguished delegation and ladies and gentlemen I'd like to take this opportunity to share a few words on the economic relationship between Korea and India The bilateral trade volume between the countries amounts to 20 billion US dollars and more than 300,000 people cross the border between the countries However, our bilateral economic cooperation still has a very large room for growth Considering that Korea as India are 11th and 6th largest economy in the world and India has boundless potential In Spain, I believe expansion of free trade based for bilateral trade strengthening our partnership in manufacturing and deepening the bilateral cooperation in advanced technology will help our bilateral economic cooperation for the strength July last year, its excellencies President Moon and the Prime Minister Modi urged the business community from both countries to work toward the goals of raising bilateral trade to 50 billion US dollars by 2030 in line with India's act-ease policy and Korea's use of them policy to achieve our little such shared vision expanding free trade based is indispensable In this context I look forward to seeing in your future the successful and early conclusion of the ongoing negotiations for improving the Korea-India sepa and the RCEP Our two leaders also agreed to establish the Korea-India Future Strategic Group to respond to the wide-ranging change brought by the First Industrial Revolution I also hope to see a tangible outcome in the future and would like our cooperation to have a broader scope The great Gandhi once said the future depends on what you do today Just yesterday I had the honor to witness the opening of a new quarter office in Ahmedabad which is the sixth Korea's official trade investment promotion office in India The new presence of Korea's culture shows the Korean government's strong interest in our bilateral economic partnership I'm sure the opening of a new cultural office yesterday will help our two countries strengthening the economic relations as will today's vibrant Gujarat Global Summit Close personal attention and support for our bilateral partnership will be greatly appreciated from all of you here today Thank you very much Thank you, sir We now invite Honorable Minister for Industrialization Trade and SME Development Namibia Mr. Jekiro Tveya Madam, the Director of the Proceedings Honorable Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of the Republic of India Honorable Vijay Rupani the Chief Minister of Gujarat State Honorable Ministers of the Republic of India and colleagues visiting Ministers and as an oversight let me also recognize the Honorable Prime Ministers that are in our midst as they have alluded to by the Director of Ceremonies Distinguished invited guests Generals of the industries members of the media ladies and gentlemen a very good morning to you all I bring you fraternal greetings from the President of the Republic of Namibia Dr. Hage Gengor who is currently in Addis Ababa on a very serious matter as you have learned of what is happening in the DRC as well as the greetings from the people and the government of the Republic of Namibia to you the great people of Gujarat and India in general to the vibrant Gujarat 2019 at the 9th Global Summit under this theme shaping a new India I would also like to thank the government of India for extending this cordial invitation to the government of Namibia to attend as well as to say something at this very auspicious occasion at the vibrant Gujarat 2019 let me also extend the word of appreciation for the warm hospitality that the Gujarat state has extended to my delegation and myself since our arrival Namibia and India enjoy warm and cordial relations back dating to the era Namibia was involved in the hard fought liberation struggle for our national independence which we finally attained on the 21st of March 1990 thank you very much India for being part of that hard struggle in this regard India played a pivotal role in assisting the Namibian people to be a free nation this is why I'm standing here today to join the free nations hence we as Namibians will always remain indebted to India and her people for that deliberate commitment in ensuring that Namibia is an independent country that is now founded on the principles of unity liberty and justice which is enshrined in our code of arms and our constitution our presence here today Honourable Prime Minister is a testimony that the diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries signifies the strategic importance Namibia attaches to India and in this regard India has uninterruptedly pursued capacity building initiatives through the ITAC which is the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programs as well as other bilateral agreements to benefit the people of Namibia during the last state visit of the former Indian President His Excellency Sri Pranat Mukherjee to Namibia in 2016 to Namibia the two governments signed two memorandum of understanding one to establish the center of excellence in information technology in Namibia that has been established two to build partnership between the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management NEPAM which is a public or government and state-owned enterprises institutions and the Indian Institute of Management with a state or city of Ahmedabad this was also done so they were not just for ceremonial so they were signed and executed in full therefore Namibia's bilateral trade recorded a steady increase over the past years Indian companies have invested in Namibia through various sectors such as mining we have got Vedanta in the copper industry infrastructure development agriculture and manufacturing as well as in education we have adopted a new policy now being referred to as the Special Economic Zone Policy which offers greater incentives for foreign and local investment and we therefore invite potential investors to continue coming to Namibia to explore further investment opportunities in Namibia also can guarantee you that there is peace and stability and tranquility we also attaches high regard to the rule of law we also have got enough land Namibia is the size of 824,000 square kilometers 824,000 square kilometers we have got enough land to offer to investors to invest in areas such as energy that include renewable energy we got a very strong sun which is already given natural or raw material for renewable energy for manufacturing health sector tourism agro processing blue economy and with blue economy our coastal line stretches the area of 1,500 kilometers long and Namibia is among the 10 countries that has got well managed production, industry or marine resources among many other sectors to invest in Namibia last year at the southern Africa development community or SADEC 38 SADEC summit in August 2018 in Wintook was elected as the chair Namibia currently is chairing the sub-regional economic bloc called SADEC this is where our president is in Addis today on the DRC meta we attaches therefore great importance to peace and security in the region through engagement, through dialogue through mediation as well as other peaceful means in order to attract investment to that region Namibia also has ratified the African continental free trade agreement last year in November we have completed that exercise and I want to put it on record that Namibia is nearly 2.4 million population but as a member of SADEC you come to Namibia not to invest in the 2.4 million but it extends to the bigger family of SADEC of over 300 million and in ratifying that agreement of the continental free trade area you are extending to then be part of the bigger African market that Africa is intending to open of 1.2 billion India has got 1.3 billion and Africa with 1.2 billion what a good combination in terms of marketing it is against this background Prime Minister ladies and gentlemen that we are talking of global integration and that India and Namibia's bilateral relations should intensify these strategic alliances so that it can yield strategic outcomes and to fast track industrialization and prosperity between the two countries and the two continents with those few remarks ladies and gentlemen let me thank you for your attention and wish you a successful summit thank you thank you sir we now invite Honorable Minister of Climate Change and Environment, UAE Dr. Thani Al-Ziaudi Your Excellency Rindra Modi Honorable Prime Minister of Republic of India Your Excellencies distinguished guests ladies and gentlemen good afternoon it's indeed a great honor to represent my country the United Arab Emirates at the opening of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 I am pleased to convey to you the greetings and warm regards of the UAE I present His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Hayyan and the government and the people of the UAE we wish India prosperity and continued success for years to come the UAE and India enjoy long standing on cordial relations across multiple fronts the historic visits of the founding father of the UAE late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Hayyan to India in 1975 laid the foundation for the strong bilateral relations between our two countries these bonds were reinforced in 1981 with the visit of the late Indian Prime Minister Andhra Gandhi to the UAE more recently we have been honored to welcome and host Prime Minister Modi in the UAE 2015 marked a watershed for the UAE-India relations with the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to the UAE in 34 years his second state's visit in 2018 infused new energy and directions to an already solid partnership as you would know the UAE leadership has always promoted tolerance and peaceful coexistence with 2019 being observed as the year of tolerance in the UAE the Indian community in the UAE experienced this tolerance first hand every day and during his visit Prime Minister Modi participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Hayyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces made the history as well when he visited India in 2016 and 2017 as the chief guest for India's Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi which boosted the relations to a strategic partnership distinguished guests backed by a political and people-to-people interactions bilateral trade continued to soar despite global headwinds valued at 180 million US dollars per annum in 1970 the balance of trade volume between India and the UAE is now worth 57 billion US dollars making India the first largest trading partner of the UAE while the UAE is India's third largest trading partner after China and the US 2018 saw a flurry of investments by UAE companies in India and the UAE-India relationships has entered a vibrant growth faced with bilateral trade on track to exceed 100 billion US dollars by 2020 the values of peace and tolerance so dear to the founders of India and the UAE Mahatma Gandhi and Sheikh Zayed respectively are deeply rooted in both countries as a tribute to the leaders of our nations we announced the launch of Gandhi Zayed Digital Museum at Abu Dhabi during the visit of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Muzaid our Minister of Foreign Affairs on International Cooperation to India in June 2018 the UAE hosted the largest Indian expatriate community in the world which close to 3.3 million people the Indian community in the UAE has also helped the Indian economy flourish through their hard-earned remittance the UAE is currently the largest source of remittances for India registering an outstanding of 13.82 billion US dollars in 2017 we highly value the contributions of the Indian community in the UAE and the integral role they have played and continue to play in various phases of our nations, developments and processes as we look back at our achievements they energised us and gave us the confidence that a lot more can be done together we aspire to see the trajectory of the UAE India ties continue to soar entering new areas of cooperation and dynamism we are confident that participation of UAE's delegation in this prestigious trade event will add a new dimension to the UAE-India trade relations I extend my thanks and sincere appreciation to the leaders, the governments of the Republic of India for their warm receptions and hospitality and wish the summit success and its mission Thank you for listening Thank you sir We next invite Governor Commonwealth of Kentucky USA Mr. Matthew Griswald Biven Thank you so much for the honour of being here with you today Thank you for gathering Prime Minister Modi Thank you Chief Minister Rapani, thank you To those of you who have come from more than 100 countries around the world Thank you for taking the time to be here to celebrate this incredible opportunity to do business with this incredible nation I want to say thank you to the men and women who put every flower on this stage and every chair in here, the lights, all of it the lights in the trees, the people who direct the traffic This is an extraordinary, extraordinary event and it is an honour to be here leading the U.S. delegation On behalf of our President Donald Trump and our Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross On behalf of the U.S. India Business Council and the men and women who make up the U.S. delegation Thank you for the honour of speaking with you When I was a boy I grew up in a very rural environment in a very humble way, raising crops and animals I grew up raising chickens and goats and when I was a boy selling vegetable seeds and flower seeds Why do I tell you this? It was a simple, rural environment Not at all unlike many of you in this room many in this country who have experienced similar things But in the United States we are blessed with something that we call the American Dream The American Dream is possible because I was fortunate to be born in a republic where freedom in the rule of law and a democratically elected government is possible The very same blessing has been given to 1.3 billion people in the Republic of India who also have been born in freedom with a democratically elected government and the vision to elect people like Prime Minister Modi who comes himself from very humble beginnings This is the greatness of India It's the greatness of America It's why it is so important that we work together There is a lot of conversation now about global trade policy You hear about it Those of you in the media cover this over and over again It is very topical in the United States as well Lots of conversation What is happening at the national level I want to encourage you all to understand that at the sub-national level good things are happening India is rising quickly The estimation of the American people our esteem for the people of India is very high We are grateful for the input for the business and the science and the innovation that the people of India have brought to our nation Last year more than 125 billion dollars worth of goods and services exchanged between our countries India is now one of our 10th largest trading partners and climbing quickly The opportunity is bright ahead of us This window is open for a time But for how long will this window of opportunity be open? We don't know Many things can happen geopolitically There are some in the United States who have said we are large the world will come to us Perhaps there are some in India who have said we are large and the world will come to us We will wait I would encourage you not to wait This is why we are here with this delegation One of the native sons of Kentucky perhaps our most famous native son was a man named Abraham Lincoln Perhaps you've heard his name He's famous for many things One thing that he said was good things may come to those who wait but only the things left behind by those who hustle So I would encourage you to hustle I would encourage India to hustle and America to hustle in our conversations with one another to work quickly with urgency with focus In order to do this we must be bold we must be visionaries because history looks back on visionaries as people of action people like your prime minister people who are willing to take controversy by taking stances that are not always popular And indeed if you are bold if you are a visionary if we are to accomplish what the U.S. and India are capable of accomplishing there will be controversy But the Greek philosopher Aristotle once noted that if you want to avoid controversy you should say nothing do nothing and be nothing I don't think that's a good alternative The people of India demand better than nothing They are demanding action and bold leadership You have that in your prime minister It is an honor for me to work with him even in some small way There's great opportunity before us The man who invented these lights, Thomas Edison once said that most people miss opportunity because it usually shows up in work clothes and looks like hard work And this is true There is great opportunity but there is great work ahead of us We can accomplish these things I know it How can we do it? We can do it by cutting red tape Honorable prime minister you have been asked from this stage about limiting the amount of competition and limiting the exchange of ideas and of information and of goods I would encourage you to think the opposite It is important to be protective It is important to put the people of India first but it is also important for their opportunity and for our opportunity as citizens of the world to trade with one another exchange ideas because iron sharpens iron and the greatest possibility comes from the exchange of these ideas If we can cut red tape I wear this simple button It's a pair of scissors cutting through red tape I had the opportunity to share this with you yesterday when we met If we can cut the regulations cut the bureaucracy cut the red tape the opportunity is incredible between our nations It truly incredible possibilities I will close with this Just a few months ago here in Gujarat there was the dedication of the tallest statue in the world that has been mentioned earlier today The statue of unity It honors Sartor Patel a man who was a brilliant statesman an innovator a visionary a man of action somebody who pushed people to accomplish great things and now he is honored with this statue of unity The flag of Kentucky has a motto The motto on our state flag says United we stand divided we fall United we stand divided we fall It is appropriate given the unity that has come from this state of Gujarat The opportunity before us between India and the United States is incredible but the responsibility falls on each one of us those of us in elected positions those of you who are in industry those of you who represent various constituencies we have much work to do but we can do this we must do this The future is bright indeed United we stand divided we fall Thank you Thank you sir for those warm words of praise for India and its enlightened leadership in your inspiring address We are honored to invite Governor General Designate Australia our partner country and current governor of New South Wales Mr David Hurley for his address Honourable Prime Minister Honourable Governor of Gujarat Chief Minister of Gujarat It's a delight for me to be here today leading the Australian delegation and particular representing the state of New South Wales We've heard about the closeness of many countries and their relationships with India today but the Indian-Australian the Gujarat-New South Wales relationship is very close so close that our gods frequently visit each other's country Today the former captain of the Australian cricket team Alan Border is here with us while the Indian captain Virat Kohli strides triumphant across Australia Kohli's building leadership of India's cricket team mirrors the role that Gujarat has played in leading and uplifting the Indian economy The New South Wales Government has recognised this and it was a driver for the implementation of a memorandum of understanding linking New South Wales and Gujarat in a state-to-state relationship and MOU agreed under the guidance of the Prime Minister when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat The Australian Government sees what the world sees an India growing an economic and strategic weight That is why the Australian Government commissioned and released a new India strategy last year entitled An Indian Economic Strategy to 2035 Navigating from potential to delivery and that strategy is being delivered The Australian Government eagerly anticipates an Indian Government response to the strategy a strategy that will, I believe, set in place a strong framework for bilateral trade and business but more than that a framework with a global outlook that capitalises on the strength of both countries and their economies In New South Wales we have a significant Indian community which has made a wonderful contribution to the life and the economic fabric of our country We also welcome many and indeed more Indian students, tourists and businesses to our shores every year As is in the Indian way these close bonds between people have grown and over time allowed for trusting business relationships to develop Indeed Gujarat is one of two Indian states and New South Wales can proudly point to a bilateral agreement that is helping to inform better relations and improve business outcomes Our partnership, in particular with Gujarat has been designed to encourage collaboration and problem solving in key areas where we both face challenges such as the educating of our youth sustainable urban development clean technologies skill development and agribusiness The agreement is indeed supporting and increased business engagement at the micro level and we are delighted to welcome more businesses from Gujarat to New South Wales each year The theme of this year's summit shaping a new India acknowledges the growth and transformational change currently underway here As India enters a period of sustained growth it offers enormous potential and growth opportunities for global partners We in Australia and in particular New South Wales from my perspective want to join you on this journey and we believe that we can be a valuable partner In New South Wales we are addressing our social and economic challenges through ingenuity, innovation, technology and global partnerships and we have found a like-minded partner in Gujarat and more broadly in India New South Wales is Australia's and I think the Asia Pacific centre of innovation and new thinking It's where high tech startups and innovative leaders have found a natural home and where they are supported by a strong financial ecosystem an economy that has had continuous growth for 27 years and an education sector that assists them to thrive I believe that we can share this common approach this common understanding with Gujarat That is why we are spending more time money and resources helping our local innovators visit India Today we provide more support to New South Wales entrepreneurs who want to access talent and partners in India than we do for those who want to go to Silicon Valley, New York or London This global summit is an acknowledgement that growth will be driven by collective and collaborative effort and I echo the words of our previous speaker collaborative and collective It will only stall and stutter if undertaken in isolation New South Wales and indeed Australia is an open, welcoming and globally oriented economy that is delivering growth through stronger partnerships and collaboration India is and will continue to be an essential element and essential ingredient in our success So I look forward over the next two days to meeting with businesses, members of the Indian government and participants who share the same optimism and the same drive Again, it is a pleasure to be invited to represent Australia and New South Wales here at this summit and I wish you all every success Thank you Thank you sir On this occasion we are honoured to receive a recorded video message from the Honourable President of Israel His Excellency Mr Benjamin Netanyahu greetings from Jerusalem to the vibrant Gujarat Global Summit The summit celebrates India's impressive economic growth and its enormous contribution to the global economy I congratulate my good friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi on initiating the summit I congratulate him on his vision to propel India into the future through the power of innovation I will never forget my visit to India in Gujarat last year I will never forget the warm welcome we received Gujarat will always symbolize the powerful connection between our two peoples 100 years ago some of the Indian soldiers who fell in the battle to liberate the port city of Haifa in Israel were Gujaratis We honour and cherish their memories After the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat Israel sent rescue workers to establish a field hospital and in this field hospital 18 babies were born called a girl Israeli Our people have a long history of working together and today our cooperation is stronger than ever We cooperate in almost every field water, agriculture, security, R&D, cyber even the movie industry Last year Prime Minister Modi and I launched the India-Israel innovation bridge to jointly address our most pressing global challenges using technology, using the power of the mind using the power of creativity Together we are building limitless possibilities for the future I want to wish you a successful summit You have a great program, you have a great leader and you have a great vision We are honoured to invite Honourable Prime Minister of Czech Republic His Excellency Mr. Andres Babis for his address Honourable Prime Minister of India Heads of states and governments Chief Minister of Gujarat Ministers Business representatives Ladies and gentlemen Namaste and good afternoon to you all I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani for inviting me to participate in the vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 It is indeed a great honour and privilege for me to be here and have the opportunity to address such a great number of policy leaders Captain of global industry and businessmen attending the inaugural session of this landmark event The Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen I have come to India with the objective to boosting bilateral relation between the Czech Republic and India and contributing personally to the cause of elevating them to the strategic partnership level Our relationship deserves such an elevation The Czech Republic and India enjoy multi-faceted ties and compassing trade, investment science, energy and people-to-people context We have the similar vision of globally shared prosperity built on democracy, human rights good governance and all inclusive growth We support each other in international forums and conduct fruitful dialogue on global issues The two countries are strong supporters of multilateralist and opposed protectionists in all forms The Czech Republic is following with interest in the tremendous transformation and modernization efforts I must acknowledge and show respect for all what India has done over the last couple of years to open its economy ease of doing business and make sustainable development and growth a reality for all The figures speak for themselves However, I would like also to recognize the initiative that your government, Mr. Prime Minister Modi has been pursuing to increase the new manufacturing capacities and create the environment tempting India companies to innovate, go internationally and be ready to face competition on the global market The Czech Republic is a highly industrialized country with one of the highest industries to GDP, ratio worldwide and as an export-oriented economy with one of the highest export-to-GDP ratios can perfectly understand the importance behind these initiatives And not only that, we believe that we are idly positioned to be a good partner for India on its industrial journey and more export-oriented growth in the future We are therefore committed to working with Indian counterparts to benefit fully from two-county strengths and complementarities of our economies The presence of a large group of Czech entrepreneurs and business people accompanying me on the visit to India gives a convincing indication of our intentions and the interest we have to increase our economic presence here with the particular focus on vibrant Gujarat to represent the best of Czech entrepreneur talent, creativity and innovation skills The Czech Republic has a long-standing manufacturing presence in India or I should rather say making India presence Some of Czech brands engage in automotive energy, engineering and defense have been working here for decades Czech companies are taking important strides to increase their provide services in India presence as well in sectors such as financial services tourism and engineering services There is a saying according to which people should make hay while the sun shines In India, the sun the economic sun shines brightly and entrepreneurs from all over the world including from Czech Republic are coming here to let the sun shine down on their businesses Tomorrow I will be in Pune to witness yet two new businesses examples of the Czech being in the right place in the right time as the two Czech Republic based companies Škoda Auto and Technicode will be officially opening new high-tech facilities there one in the automotive sector the other in the area in engineer functional coatings Before concluding let me say that in the Czech Republic we may not have as much sun as in India but I can assure you all present here that is one of the brightest economic spots in Europe Good news is that more and more Indian companies realize that and are keen to benefit from tremendous trade and investments offered by one of the fastest growing economies and the most stable economy in Europe, what is Czech Republic Prime Minister ladies and gentlemen to conclude I wish you nice, vibrant, Gujarat Global Summit a complete success Namaste and thank you to all. Thank you very much sir We are honoured to invite Honourable Prime Minister of Denmark Mr Lars Lok Rasmussen for his address Honourable Prime Minister Mordin Honourable Chief Minister Rupani Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen I am indeed honoured to be here today and I am grateful for the hospitality you have shown to me, to my wife and the Danish Business Delegation Thank you very much India is on the move rapid growth profound development new possibilities for millions and millions of people within a relatively few years India has managed to deal with challenges that go way back this is incredible and cause for respect yet with the solving of old challenges, new challenges occur climate change is one of them a challenge of such a magnitude that it threatens the future of millions of people and life on earth we cannot do anything to prevent it it is in fact out of our hands unless we work together act together come together to combat the challenges that our children are in risk of facing if we do that if we choose to work together we can move mountains and vibrant Gujarat is an example of just that Denmark has been a part of vibrant Gujarat for many years and this year 2019 marks the second time we are participating as a partner country there is a very good reason for this Gujarat and Denmark have much to offer each other you have shown what partnership, ambitions and skills can do Denmark is keen to embark on your journey Denmark is in the middle of a green transition over the last number of decades we have managed to double our economy while at the same time having reduced our emissions from greenhouse gases and along the way we have turned green solutions into good business Danish companies are world leading when it comes to wind energy clean water solutions energy efficiency and sustainable agriculture some of them are with us today I am pleased that Gujarat has welcomed a number of leading companies from Denmark such as APMULAMASK AVK Gronfos and LM Windpower just to name a few these companies have successfully established production here not least because the benefit from the many skills available here for instance engineers and IT specialists in this way, Denmark and India work together for the benefit of our people and for the benefit of the world I hope we will continue to do so in the years to come following a mutual path in search for a better future so once again thank you so much for your hospitality I wish you all a good and vibrant conference thank you very much thank you sir we are honoured to invite Honourable Prime Minister of Malta His Excellency Dr. Joseph Muska Prime Minister, Chief Minister Excellencies guests during my time as Commonwealth Chair in office I got to understand much better the dynamic leadership of India an up and coming key driver of the world economy and I know that this is the vision of your Prime Minister for a new India by 2022 a vision that he has endeavored to achieve since his time as Chief Minister here in Gujarat this is a state that punches above its weight in India it accounts my numbers are correct for 5% of the country's population but is responsible for more than a fifth of the country's export your openness commitment to reducing bureaucracy and strong investment in infrastructure key factors behind this impressive track record Malta is quite different from Gujarat in many ways but there are considerable similarities too we are the small states in the European Union but we also have an economy that has punched above its weight for the past year while most of Europe has struggled considerably after the financial crisis Malta's economy has continued to grow consistently after a period of lull I am proud to say that for every year since I have become Prime Minister my country has experienced the largest relative growth in jobs out of all European countries whereas in the first 10 years after joining the European Union our GDP per capita had settled at around 82% of the European average and in the last 10 years we have risen to almost a par of the European average at the same time the stock of FDI has increased by a third we have turned the fiscal deficit into a surplus while cutting taxes and we cut out our debt to GDP ratio the main reason for this turnaround is our commitment to enhance the competitiveness of our economy by reducing burdens to achieve this we have transformed for example our energy sector attracting private investment in our public utility similarly to what Gujarat did some years before us we even internationalized our energy company that has since started investing in clean energy projects all over Europe and also in diversification diversification in other sectors I am obliged to mention an Indian company streamcast data which is one of our partners in providing multinationals in Europe and North Africa with cutting edge global data centers we also worked hard to make our country more attractive to investors by cutting bureaucracy and supporting industry directly through our policies we made our economy one of the most stable in the world in fact the latest global competitiveness report issued by the World Economic Forum has asked as the top country worldwide in this regard investors have clearly benefited from this conducive environment take the example of Aurobindo an Indian pharmaceutical firm that has its European testing base in Malta and which has since invested in the largest pharmaceutical testing facilities in Europe while doubling its very skilled workforce actually our own medicine authority the Malta medicine authority is quite popular here in Gujarat due to its standards in overseeing inspections in local pharmaceutical companies as it does in India in the Gulf and elsewhere so that companies can get a certificate of good manufacturing practice to enter the European markets we are becoming a nimble and dynamic hub of choice which wants to partner up with other hubs such as Gujarat in India we are now consolidating ourselves as the blockchain island by becoming as we have become since November last year the first jurisdiction worldwide to enact legislation regulating the distributed ledger technologies better known as blockchain I believe that blockchain will revolutionize the way in which public and private businesses will operate and rather than resist it policymakers should harness its potential but blockchain is just one of a series of disruptive technologies we are making sure that our country's future prove by opening up even more to newer technologies what about the future of work what about artificial intelligence this is where we want to cooperate more with India and with its startups and with its established corporations that is why we believe that there is a tremendous opportunity for cooperation cooperation that we have seen over the years there is a very good in the Andeaspora in Malta that has been with us since the mid 18th century Indian families that have prospered with us taking advantage of benefits in the world's first era of industrialization and globalization as of recently we are witnessing a renewed wave of interest from Indian corporations in our country in particular those Indian families and businesses who for historical reasons have made London their European base for operations without entering into the merits of what's going on right now in the UK I can tell you that many Indian companies are finding Malta with our shared common world values an ideal alternative as a European base I look forward to welcoming more businesses to Malta more Indian businesses to Malta and to having a vibrant relationship thank you very much thank you sir we are honored to invite President Republic of Uzbekistan his Excellency Mr. Shavkat Mirzyoyev for his address Your Excellency Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Narena Modi Your Excellency Governor of the State of Gujarat Mr. Prakash Kohli Chief Minister of the State of Gujarat Mr. Vijay Rupani distinguished hands of delegations ladies and gentlemen I express my sincere gratitude to his Excellency Honorable Prime Minister and Government of Gujarat for the invitation to the vibrant Gujarat summit and profound consideration and hospitality shown to our delegation we are well aware of that the unique Gujarat is famous for its ancient history and rare culture not only in India but also throughout the world for centuries it has been a leading venue for trade and entrepreneurship and today it reflects the business spirit of modern India This land was a birthplace for such founders of the State of India the great men as Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel This land is also home to my friend Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Narendra Modi your efforts in the Gujarat are materializing innovation and the global financial resources of the world Your efforts and the example of Gujarat in the whole inter-global hub of modernization, innovation and sustainable progress are yielding their results. By coming to Gujarat, I have become convinced of this once again. Dear participants of the summit, strengthening the long-term strategic partnership with India stands as one of the priority directions of Uzbekistan's foreign policy. The productive meetings we have held last year with His Excellency Mr Modi render it enormous impetus to the development of our multifaceted relationships. I would like to particularly dwell on the following issues in terms of expanding our mutual cooperation. First, it is well known that the Great Indian Road connected the Indian land with Central Malaysia in 3rd, 2nd, Sanctuary, B.C. And today it is still ever urgent to establish the reliable trade and transport communications between Central and South Asian markets. We are discussing the project of the Trans-Afghan Railroad and the future. This route will enable access to South Asia and, in particular, through Chakhbahaar seaport to India. Second, we are interested in broadly attracting the cutting-edge technologies and innovations of advanced Indian companies. We propose to implement the joint projects on training the highly qualified specialists for the spheres of telecommunications, information technologies, software, agriculture, renewable energy and related areas. With such a goal, we have started practical work in terms of establishing a joint technological park in the city of Tashkent. Third, in order to draw investments from India to our country, we will create the most comfortable conditions and extended benefits for the Indian companies. We are above all interested in implementing prospective projects in the spheres of chemical industry, energy, pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather and footwear and tourism. Establishment of the first Uzbek-Indian free pharmaceutical zone in Andejan region serves as a vivid example of partnership in this direction. Fourth, I am confident that Gujarat can play an important role in strengthening the bilateral cooperation. Based on the enormous economic potential of Gujarat and its partnership links with Andejan region, we propose to hold this year the Uzbek-Indian business forum in Andejan, the birthplace to Babur Shah and home to ancestors of the great Akbar Shah. We will pay special attention to further developing relations in the spheres of culture, science and education medicine. We propose to conduct in 2020 the Uzbekistan culture year in India and the India culture year in Uzbekistan. Taking into account that the major part of population in both states is the youth, this year we are planning to organize the Uzbek-Indian youth festival in our country. There is no doubt this will serve as the biggest investment to our relationships in the future. Dear participants of the summit, my dear friend, your excellent semester Modi, I sincerely congratulate you and the great Indian nation on the occasion of forthcoming national holiday, the Republic Day. I value myself of this opportunity. I invite all of you to visit the Uzbekistan exhibition organized at the part of the summit. There you will have an opportunity to closely learn about industrial investment and tourist potential of our country as well as our rich history and culture. In conclusion, I wish a great success to all participants of the summit. Thank you for your attention. Thank you very much, Excellencies. Honorable Prime Minister of India, Srinarendra Modi is a visionary leader working in mission mode to realize his supreme dream of regenerating and transforming India. His governance model, a development plus model for shaping a new India is based on bold initiatives such as make in India, startup India, skill India, clean India, digital India. His vision and proactive governance has transformed this business summit from a small beginning in 2003 to this mega event today in 2019 being held in the serene ambience of Mahatma Mandir. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we are honored to invite Honorable Prime Minister of India, Srinarendra Modi for his inaugural address. Excellency, the President of Uzbekistan, Satvat Mirjoya, Excellency, the Prime Minister of Denmark, the last loke, Rasmussen, Excellency, the Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Mr. Andhe Bhavish, Excellency, the Prime Minister of Malta, Dr. Joseph Muscat, Honorable Ministers and Excellencies from various countries, representatives and delegates from partner countries, corporate leaders, invitees, participants and delegates, dignitaries on the dyes, young friends, ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to welcome you to the ninth chapter of the vibrant Gujarat Summit. As you can see, this has now become a truly global event, one that has space for everyone. It has dignity of the presence of senior political leadership. It has the energy of CEOs and corporate leaders. It has the gravitas of institutions and opinion makers and it has the vitality of young enterprise and startups. Vibrant Gujarat has contributed to the confidence building of our enterprise. It has also helped in capacity building and adoption of global-based practices by government agencies. I wish you all a productive, fruitful and enjoyable summit. In Gujarat, this is the season of the Kite Festival or Uttarayana. Amid the budget schedule of the summit, I hope you shall be able to take some time out to enjoy the sights and sounds of the festivities and the state. I particularly welcome and thank the 15 partner countries of this edition of Vibrant Gujarat. I also thank the 11 partner organizations and all those countries, organizations and institutions who are holding their seminars at this forum. It is also a matter of satisfaction that eight Indian states have come forward to make use of this forum to highlight their respective investment opportunities. I hope you all shall find time to visit the global trade show, which is remarkable in a scale and range of world-class products, processes and technologies. In fact, Gujarat represents the best of business spirit which exists in India. This event is further sharpened the age which Gujarat had seen several decades. The Vibrant Gujarat Summit has had a transformation journey of eight successful editions. In number of conventions and seminars have been organized on various topics. These issues are of importance to Indian society and economy as well as the entire global community. By way of example, let me mention the celebration of Africa Day tomorrow and the global conclave of international chambers on 20th January. Friends, assembled here today is truly August gathering. We are honored by the presence of many heads of state and government and several other distinguished delegates. This shows that international bilateral cooperation is no longer limited to national capitals but now extend to our state capitals as well. In India, as in most emerging economies, our challenge is to grow horizontally as well as vertically. Horizontally, we have to spread the benefits of development to regions and communities that have lagged behind. Vertically, we have to meet and enhance expectations in terms of quality of life, quality of services and quality of infrastructure. We are well aware that our achievements here in India will directly impact one-sixth of humanity. Friends, those who visit India regularly would have felt a change in the air. The change is both in terms of direction and intensity. Over the last four years, the focus of my government has been to reduce government and enhance governance. The mantra of my government has been reform, perform, transform and further perform. We have taken a number of drastic steps. We have also undertaken deeper structural reforms which have added strength to our economy and nation. As we have done so, we continue to remain one of the fastest growing major economies in the world. Major international financial institutions like the World Bank and the IMF as well as agencies like Moody's have expressed confidence in India's economy journey. We have focused on removing the barriers which were preventing us from achieving our full potential. We will continue the pace and process of reforms and deregulation. Friends, India is now ready for business as never before. We have made doing business easier in the last four years. We have jum