Modi tugs on purse strings of Gujarati diaspora in Singapore

New Delhi, Oct 31 (UNI) Carrying his dream of transforming Gujarat into a ''global trade hub', Chief Minister Narendra Modi landed in Singapore with an appeal to its entrepreneurs, especially the Gujarati diaspora, to invest liberally in the state's booming enterprises, port-based Special Economic Zones (SEZs), tourism and healthcare.

''With our innovative and comprehensive approach towards governance and development, I believe in benchmarking Gujarat with the best of the economies of South-East Asia,'' said Mr Modi, flaunting the double-digit growth of his state's economy.

He was delivering a speech at the Global Indian Business Summit in Singapore yesterday.

Mr Modi said that during his past visits to South East Asia, he was highly impressed by the double digit growth rate of the region.

''This inspiration became a dream for me and I am happy to announce Gujarat has achieved a 10 per cent growth rate...Your inspiration is my dream.'' Lauding the Gujarati diaspora for its entrepreneurial skills, he said some 1000 Gujarat businessmen were playing an important role in the Singapore economy. ''It is my vision to work on our strengths, with an integrated approach, to make Gujarat a global destination for businessmen in the 21st century,'' he added.

Terming the 1600-km-long Gujarat's coastline as its major strength, Mr Modi said his was the first state in the country to have a Port Policy, which encouraged private sector participation.

Four greenfield port locations had been developed and Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) was one of the first beneficaries of this policy, he said, adding that he wanted to integrate this port development with manufacturing activity.

''Our concept is to have port-based SEZs with backward linkages of warehouses, cold storage chains and transportaion network. These port-based locations will evolve as 'islands of excellence' which are going to be globally competitive.'' He said the new mantra and strategy of the state government was 'P to P' -- Port to Production -- and he was keen to market it globally.

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