Vibrant Gujarat shows the way for India

THE Vibrant Gujarat series of biennial summits was the brainchild of Narendra Modi, the former chief minister of Gujarat. Started in 2003, it was conceived as an event to bring investments to Gujarat and make the state the premier investment destination in India by showcasing its business-friendly environment.

Mr Modi's record of running a clean state government and its economic performance and infrastructural development propelled him to the prime minister's position in 2014 with a very large majority, a situation not seen in India for decades. His management record speaks for itself. Gujarat accounts for about 6 per cent of the Indian land mass and around 5 per cent of its population. However, its economic performance under Mr Modi was stellar. The state now accounts for 7.6 per cent of the country's GDP, about 10 per cent of national employment and a whopping 22 per cent of Indian exports. Under his leadership between 2001 and 2012, the state averaged annual GDP growth of 10 per cent, and almost consistently well above India's GDP growth rates. When he took over in 1991, Gujarat was an electricity deficient state but it is now a power surplus state, with all its 18,000 villages electrified.

Gujarat has very arid climate which caused serious water scarcity during non-monsoon months. Thanks to major development projects like the Sardar Sarovar and completion of a statewide water grid, water scarcity has now become a thing of the past. Not surprisingly, the Indian voters wanted the Modi magic to work over the entire country.