Godhra to host Gujarat's 65th Foundation Day event on May 1

Ahmedabad, Apr 30 (PTI) The Gujarat government will hold its official programme to celebrate the 65th state Foundation Day at Godhra in Panchmahal district on Thursday in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Governor Acharya Devvrat, officials said.

The local administration has put in place elaborate arrangements for the "Gujarat Gaurav Diwas" celebration at Godhra by undertaking renovation, cleanliness work and ensuring smooth movement of traffic, officials said.

Programmes such as the police parade, police band and weapons display are also to be held on the foundation day.

On the occasion, the CM will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for various development projects and participate in parade and cultural programmes throughout the day.

As the state celebrates its 65th foundation day on Thursday, it continues to remain a "role model" state contributing significantly to India's development, an official release said.

While Gujarat has always been a land of culture, tradition, prosperity, and development, contributing 8.2 per cent to the country's GDP, a new chapter of its development began two decades back when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over as the chief minister in 2001, it said.

"It has since positioned itself as an industry-friendly, tech-savvy, startup-friendly and innovation-friendly state, having attracted international tech companies like Tesla, Micron and Foxconn, encouraging youth towards entrepreneurship, and taking steps for planned development of the tourism sector, among others," it said.

For the last two decades, Gujarat has been continuously proving to be a role model through a new chapter of development in the country, the release added.

"On the 65th Foundation Day of Gujarat, which all Gujaratis can be proud of, on May 1st, we have to be determined to further advance this uninterrupted development journey. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is also taking the state's development journey forward on this path," it said.

As a result, Gujarat has five percent of India's population and six percent of the land, yet it makes a significant contribution to the country's economic development, stated the release.

To achieve the Prime Minister's goal of 'Developed India', Gujarat is contributing 8.2 percent to the country's GDP, and ranks among top five states in terms of economy, it said.

GIFT City, Science City, Dholera Smart City, Metro Train, Bullet Train Project, and Ports are taking Gujarat towards national leadership.

Gujarat holds a leading position in the field of exports, accounting for more than 30 percent of the total exports in India. This mainly includes petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, ceramics, gems and jewelry, chemicals and pharma products, it said.

From April to December 2024, Gujarat's share in the country was 27.40 per cent with a total export of 88.16 billion USD, it said.

"Gujarat has proven to be a model state across the country for its policies. In the last 20 years, the state government has announced various policies like Gujarat Sports Policy, Tourism Policy, Semiconductor Policy to promote various sectors. It also holds a prominent position in digital governance, and initiatives like Gujarat Startup Mission, i-Hub, Agricultural Programme give a platform to the youth, stated the release.

Gujarat is the first state in the country to launch a tourist footfall dashboard for the planned development of the tourism sector, first to come up with a semiconductor policy, and has now become a "tech-savvy, startup-friendly and innovation-friendly state," it said.

"Gujarat has been number one in the startup sector for the last three years. Today, Gujarat GIFT City is associated with the pride of being India's first International Financial Services Center - IFSC. Services from Blockchain to AI, Fintech startups are available here," it said.

While the 'Statue of Unity' has become India's largest centre in the field of tourism with lakhs of tourists boosting the local economy, Dholera is getting developed rapidly as the first smart industrial city, bringing in massive investment in e-vehicles, renewable energy and data centres, it said. PTI KA PD NP

Source: PTI