Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], January 12 (ANI): Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Monday said that Saurashtra's economy is poised for transformational growth, with its GDP projected to rise 11-12 times to nearly USD 600 billion by 2047, as Gujarat continues to play a pivotal role in achieving the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat'.

Addressing the 'Saurashtra Economic Region (SaER) - Economic Master Plan' seminar in Rajkot, organised under the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference, Goyal credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary leadership for decentralising development through region-specific planning. He said taking Vibrant Gujarat conferences from the state level to regional platforms would give local industries global exposure and accelerate grassroots economic growth.

Highlighting the 30-year Economic Master Plan for Saurashtra, the Union Minister emphasised the importance of cluster-based development. He said focused sectoral growth has been planned, including engineering and medical device parks in Rajkot and petrochemical hubs in Jamnagar. Goyal expressed confidence that India will soon emerge as the world's third-largest economy, with Gujarat and Saurashtra acting as major growth engines.

Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, Ajay Bhadoo, called upon entrepreneurs in the region to move up the value chain and evolve from being mere suppliers to becoming system and solution providers. He underlined the need to integrate Rajkot's engineering, Morbi's ceramic, and Jamnagar's energy clusters with global value chains, adding that the Centre is committed to developing plug-and-play industrial clusters for sectors such as green hydrogen, defence, aerospace, and precision manufacturing.

During the seminar, Gujarat State Institution for Transformation (z-GRIT) CEO S. Aparna presented the framework of the SaER master plan, while Ports and Transport Department Secretary Rajendra Kumar outlined investment opportunities in ports and logistics across the Saurashtra-Kutch region. Rajkot Chamber of Commerce President V. P. Vaishnav urged investors to partner in developing Saurashtra into a global industrial hub.

Experts from India and abroad participated in technical sessions focusing on defence, aerospace, exports, and logistics. Industry leaders, including Vikram Goyal of Mahindra Lifespaces, Yusuf Tambawala of JAFZA, and Mohammad Athar of PwC India, shared insights on global best practices and export potential. The concluding session highlighted emerging opportunities in defence, aerospace, engineering, and ceramics, supported by robust logistics infrastructure.

The programme was formally inaugurated with a welcome address by Secretary (Planning), General Administration Department, Adra Agrawal. Several prominent industrialists and investors, including Jyoti CNC's Parakramsinh Jadeja, attended the event. (ANI)