New Delhi: Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighted Gujarat’s growing leadership in rail infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing and electronics ecosystem at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Mehsana on 9 October.
The inaugural session was attended by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and international delegates from Japan, Vietnam, South Korea and the Netherlands.
“Gujarat is the land of entrepreneurs. In the last 20 years, the way Gujarat has made the growth, it has become an example in the world and the world studies the ‘Gujarat Model’,” Vaishnaw said, emphasising the state’s progress across industries.
Speaking on the development of railway infrastructure, the Minister said, “Railway is a medium for the growth of green logistics. In the last 11 years, 2,764 km of railway tracks have been laid in Gujarat. Now, the investment in railways in Gujarat, Rs 1 lakh 46 thousand crore, is happening.” He added that 87 stations are under reconstruction, while 332 flyovers and underpasses are being built across the state.
Referring to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, Vaishnaw said that the Bullet Train’s progress in the state of Gujarat is well recognisable and Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism, H.E. Hiromasa Nakano, has recently come to the state and witnessed the progress.
“Now, the target is that by August 2027, the Bullet Train should start running”, he said, adding that the completion of the freight corridor has significantly reduced transit time – “instead of 30 hours, container trains now take 10-11 hours”.
Turning to the semiconductor sector, Vaishnaw called it a “foundational industry” and said Gujarat is “becoming the hub for semiconductors and Gujarat-made silicon will reach the world.” He said four key plants – Tata Electronics in Dholera, Micron, CG Power and Kaynes in Sanand – are driving the state’s semiconductor growth with Rs 1.25 lakh crore investment.
“About 30 Japanese companies are establishing their plants in Gujarat to support these semiconductor projects and the ecosystem,” he added.
Highlighting the growth of India’s electronics sector, Vaishnaw said, “In the last 11 years, electronics manufacturing has become an industry worth approximately Rs 12 lakh crore. Exports are growing rapidly. Electronics exports are now worth approximately Rs 4 lakh crore.”
He noted that backward integration for component manufacturing is underway and that “recently, PM Narendra Modi approved the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme. Under that scheme, proposal applications worth Rs 1 lakh 15 thousand crore were received.”
Urging the Gujarat government to play a proactive role, Vaishnaw said, “I urge the CM of Gujarat to become proactive and bring the ecosystem of electronics components. It is an important industry and from the perspective of exports, the electronics industry needs to be developed.” He also mentioned that training on the most modern and advanced tools of semiconductors is being imparted in 13 colleges and universities.
Vaishnaw concluded by underscoring Gujarat’s potential in clean technology and artificial intelligence. “Gujarat is also becoming a hub for Artificial Intelligence, and the reason behind it is clean energy. Today, everyone in the world wants to ask whether the energy being used for the industry is clean energy. That is a major strength of Gujarat, and we all should take advantage of that strength,” he said.
It should be noted that on the inaugural day of Vibrant Gujarat, more than 15 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and Letters of Exchange were signed between national and international organisations, including NTPC, AVADA, Western Railways, Gujarat Industries Power Company Ltd, World Bank, IIT Gandhinagar, Wadhwani Foundation, Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited, among others.
