Vibrant meet to focus on knowledge economy

It’s not just the usual trade and industry Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) that the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit will focus on.

The state government, realising the importance of knowledge enhancement, has decided also to focus on knowledge MoUs during the event.

“The previous Vibrant Gujarat Summits were focused on attracting industrial investment in the state. That will continue this time too, but we are also focusing on the knowledge sector,” an official in the state industries department said.

Good governance, emerging geographies, green energy & environmental technology, inclusive growth, balanced urbanisation, industry responsive manpower creation and skill development are some of the areas which will be focused on during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

“With fast industrial development, we need to act, and act fast, in these areas. These issues will be discussed at length during the Summit with the participants, and we will see how we can take them forward,” said state industries commissioner BB Swain.

Officials said that availability of manpower for industries is not a problem in the state, but finding skilled and trained workforce is tough.

Similarly, the state has taken several steps for environmental conservation and balanced growth, but a lot more needs to be done. According to officials, a number of discussion forums, seminars panel discussions, dedicated to these key sectors, have been organised by the state government as part of the event.