'Gujarat shows how development and heritage go together': PM Modi at VGRC in Rajkot – Top 10 quotes

Rajkot: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that Gujarat has shown the world how development and heritage can go together. PM Modi inaugurated the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) for the Saurashtra-Kutch region of Gujarat in Rajkot after praying at Somnath temple – 200 kms away

“This is my first visit to Gujarat since the beginning of 2026. It is all the more pleasant because my 2026 journey began with paying my respects at the feet of Somnath Dada," Prime Minister Modi said after inaugurating the VGRC.

The conference is aimed at bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, startups, global partners and government, among others. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi were also present at the inauguration.

“I am participating in this magnificent event in Rajkot, in the heart of Gujarat. This means both development and heritage. This mantra is resonating everywhere,” PM Modi said.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi attended the Somnath Swabhiman Parv held here to mark 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion of the Somnath temple in the year 1026.

The VGRC summit features over 1,800 B2B meetings with 1,500 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)expected to be signed with over 110 international buyers participating in the event, officials said.

Reliance commuts ₹7 trillion investment

Earlier speaking on the occasion. Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited, Mukesh Ambani promised that the group will invest ₹7 lakh crores over the next five years in the state. Karan Adani, MD of Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd committed to invest 1.5 lakh crores on behalf of the Adani group over the next five years in the region of Kutch.

The summit features over 1,800 B2B meetings with 1,500 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) expected to be signed with over 110 international buyers participating in the event, officials said.

13 New Smart Industrial Estates

Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated 13 New Smart Industrial Estates in 7 Districts (Amreli, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Kutch, Morbi, Rajkot and Surendranagar) spanning an area of over 3540 Acres by Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation before his address on Sunday.

The two-day regional high-profile conference caters to 12 districts across the Kutch and Saurashtra regions. The conference aims to usher in fresh momentum for investment and industrial growth in western Gujarat.

Spread across the 55-acre Marwadi University campus on the Rajkot–Morbi highway, the venue includes six exhibition domes and a main inauguration hall.

Here are top quotes from PM Modi's speech at the conference:

1- This is my first visit to Gujarat since the beginning of 2026. It is all the more pleasant because my 2026 journey began with paying my respects at the feet of Somnath Dada. I am participating in this magnificent event in Rajkot, in the heart of Gujarat. This means both development and heritage. This mantra is resonating everywhere.

2- Whenever the Vibrant Gujarat Summit platform is set up, I don't just see a Summit, I see the journey of modern India in the 21st century, a journey that began with a dream and has now reached a point of unwavering confidence.

3- The objective of VGRC is to convert the ‘untapped potential into performance ' of different parts of the state

4-The dream of making the Rajkot–Jamnagar–Morbi triangle a ‘Mini Japan’ has today become a reality

5- The hybrid renewable energy park being developed in Kutch is five times larger than the city of Paris, reflecting India’s commitment to green growth

6- Investors have not come here merely to sign MoUs, but have connected themselves with the development and heritage of Saurashtra

7- India is today emerging as a global hub for data-driven innovation, AI research, and semiconductor manufacturing

8-India is the world’s fastest-growing large economy and inflation is under control. India is progressing fast to become world's third-largest economy.

9-I have been saying this for a long time, if you delay it, don't blame me. In Saurashtra-Kutch, your every investment will contribute to the development of Gujarat and the country.

10- Just now, the High Commissioner of Rwanda was telling that when she went to Rwanda, she had gifted 200 cows there. These 200 cows were our Gir cows. When we give 200 cows for the rural economy there, there is a rule that the first calf will have to be returned to us. We give them to other families. That is, it started with 200 cows. These cows have reached thousands of families. It is giving a lot of strength to Rwanda's rural economy.