Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday the vibrant western Indian state has become India's special economic zone, attracting both foreign and domestic investors.
"Now Gujarat has emerged as the SEZ of India," Modi told reporters after opening the Gujarat pavilion at the Inaugural Annual Meeting of the New Champions organised by the World Economic Forum in Dalian, northeast China.
The opening of the Gujarat pavilion was attended by WEF Managing Director, Regional Agenda Teams & Global Growth Companies, Peter Torreele and some foreign guests.
Gujarat government was allotted 15,000 hectares of land for setting up SEZs, the highest in the country, Modi said.
Modi, who visited China in November 2006 to study the concept of SEZ, said the trip immensely benefited his state.
"Since China is the pioneer in the development of SEZ, I wanted to get first-hand knowledge," said Modi, a special WEF invitee.
When Gujarat government held the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January this year, Modi said he used his knowledge about Chinese SEZs to convince the attendees about the benefits of having SEZs in the state. "My study tour of China benefited me a lot as I was able to effectively convey the message and the benefits of SEZs to the businesses and the people."
Gujarat, he said, has earned the distinction of becoming the most investor-friendly state.
He said during his interactions with foreign businessmen, they talked about the 21st century led by India. "Some say, Asia will lead, few say China and India will lead and some others say India will lead," Modi said, stressing that the basic strength of India are democracy and the judicial system.
India's great rush for SEZs
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