Surat (Gujarat) [India], July 1 : As part of India's G20 presidency, the B20 meeting began in Surat on Saturday in the presence of the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbanand Sonowal.
Attending the CII B20 Meet, the Union minister spoke and interacted with the leading members of the business community.
Sonowal highlighted key achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government in the past 9 years in different aspects of the society, economy and cultural aspects of India.
The Shipping Minister also called upon the business leaders to invest in the rich inland waterways sector of India in the both B2B as well as B2C businesses.
Sonowal called upon the business houses to opt inland waterways, which is an economical, environmentally safer option, for movement of their cargo. Following the mammoth success of Ganga Vilas, the longest river cruise in the world, He also called upon for investment in the rich river cruise tourism sector through novel river cruise experiences which can be 'Narmada Vilas', 'Godavari Vilas', 'Mahanadi Vilas', 'Cauvery Vilas' and others.
"Surat's remarkable growth and resilience in the face of challenges is a shining example of India's economic potential, and the strength of our political leadership and vision provided by the PM Modi. India's G20 presidency is the globalisation and internationalisation of the vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. Today, India has become the fifth largest economy in the world and has grown significantly not just as a consumer market with greater purchasing power, but also as a preferred investment destination," he said.
The Union minister added that under the visionary leadership of the the Prime Minister, propelled by transformative initiatives like National Logistics Policy, Gati Shakti National Masterplan for Multimodal Connectivity, and other such reforms, the Indian infrastructure sector has grown manifold.
"The Government is also committed towards supporting transition towards green growth in India's maritime sectors, and have set forth time-bound commitments and investments towards the achievement of the same," he said.
Speaking about the scope and opportunity to utilise Inland Waterways sector for transformational changes The Union minister said, "I take this opportunity to call all business leaders to come forward & jointly develop new river cruising experiences in India. We must have 'Narmada Vilas', 'Godavari Vilas', 'Mahanadi Vilas', 'Cauvery Vilas' & many more river cruises all across our river-rich nation."
The CII meet was also attended by Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of State, Government of Gujarat; Tom Moses, Executive Vice President, Gemological Institute of America; Darshan Shah, Chairman, CII Gujarat; Kulin Lalbhai, Vice-Chairman, Gujarat among other dignitaries and business leaders of the region.
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