The two-day Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference, focusing on the Central Gujarat region, commenced today at GSFC University in Vadodara. The conference was inaugurated in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, and Power, Manohar Lal.
Addressing the inaugural session, Union Minister Manohar Lal highlighted the critical role of the power sector in driving industrial growth. The Minister noted that India successfully met a record peak power demand of 271 gigawatts this summer due to robust planning.
He stated that the country’s power generation capacity has expanded significantly, from 236 gigawatts in 2014 to 542 gigawatts today. He added that forward-looking preparations are already in place to handle future demands of up to 300 gigawatts, driven by the expansion of data centers, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence. He also commended Gujarat for leading the nation in renewable energy, with an installed capacity exceeding 50 gigawatts.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, on the occasion, urged industrialists and MSMEs to take maximum benefit of Gujarat’s new industrial policy to foster growth and innovation. In a major boost to regional infrastructure, eight new Smart industrial estates were announced during the event for five districts, including Ahmedabad and Kheda.
Our correspondent reports that earlier in the day, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister Manohar Lal, and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi flagged off 30 air-conditioned electric buses in Vadodara under the ‘PM e-Bus Sewa’ initiative and also inaugurated the Vibrant Gujarat Trade Exhibition, which features over 150 stalls showcasing regional MSMEs and advanced technology startups.
