Vadodara: Investments exceeding Rs 27,000 crore were announced on the opening day of the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) in Vadodara on Monday, with MoUs worth over Rs 12,000 crore exchanged in the presence of Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel, Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar and deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi.The investment commitments span sectors including petrochemicals, engineering, energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, and are expected to generate thousands of jobs in ten districts of Central Gujarat.Addressing a gathering at GSFC University, where the regional conference began on Monday, Patel said the three earlier regional conferences at Mehsana, Surat and Rajkot drew 9,499 MoUs with investment commitments of Rs 13.30 lakh crore.“So far, investments worth Rs 13.30 lakh crore have flowed into various sectors across Gujarat through the last three VGRCs. Modi-ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) used to recall a time when Central Gujarat failed to attract even bicycle manufacturing investments. Today, it has emerged as a vital hub in the nation’s manufacturing supply chain,” he said.Among the major investments, GSFC signed agreements worth Rs 4,475 crore, Polycab India announced projects worth Rs 2,002 crore, while Rubamin committed Rs 615 crore towards expanding its critical mineral recycling operations.Strategic partnerships involving IIT Gandhinagar, IBM India and the Indian AI Research Organisation are expected to strengthen MSMEs, Industry 4.0 adoption and industrial AI ecosystems in the region. Vadodara-based Deepak Nitrite separately announced a Rs 15,000-crore project.Patel said Central Gujarat contributes significantly to manufacturing, engineering, pharmaceuticals, food processing and MSMEs. Referring to the new Industrial Policy 2026, he said it offers industry-friendly incentives, including a first-of-its-kind ‘Choose Your Incentive’ feature for MSMEs, women entrepreneurs and startups.The CM also announced eight new smart GIDC estates spread across 3,611 acres in Kheda, Ahmedabad, Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur and Bhavnagar districts.Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the regional conferences will act as a catalyst for the forthcoming Vibrant Gujarat summit which will be held in Jan 2027 at Ahmedabad.Deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi said Central Gujarat has emerged as the state’s economic powerhouse, contributing over $20.5 billion in exports in 2025-26.“This region produces 92% of Gujarat’s automobiles and auto components, 70% of beverage processing and 63% of pharmaceutical and electrical equipment manufacturing,” he said, adding that more than 65 industrial estates have been established in Central Gujarat, with over 24,000 industrial plots fully operational.
