Surat: The ‘Economic Master Plan for developing the Surat city region as a Growth Hub by 2047’ was launched today at an event held in the city. During the event, the NITI Aayog CEO stated that the GDP per capita income of individuals in the Surat Economic Region (SER) is double the national average.

While elaborating on the master plan, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said that NITI Aayog initially selected four cities to develop economic plans for growth hubs: Mumbai, Surat, Visakhapatnam, and Varanasi. “I am happy that the plan for Surat is ready and was launched today. When we talk about Surat, it is not only about this city but the entire region, including Bharuch, Navsari, Tapi, Dang, and Valsad.”

“If you see, this Surat Economic Region (SER) is home to 1/5th of Gujarat’s population, which is around 1.5 crore people. However, if you look at SER’s economy, it accounts for nearly 25 percent of Gujarat’s gross domestic product, with a GDP of $72 billion. When comparing Surat’s GDP per capita nationally, it is twice the national average. Seeing all this, we recognize the potential of the city.”

“The whole world knows that Surat is the city of diamonds, but the city itself is a diamond. We should give this city a tagline, as Mumbai is called the ‘dream city.’ We should give a tagline to Surat, like ‘Diamond City’ or ‘City of the Future.’ In the GDP of the whole region, the highest GDP is in Surat district. Out of $72 billion, $45 billion comes from Surat district.”

“Gujarat today has an economy of $2.5 trillion, and by 2047, we want to take it to $4 trillion, aiming for Gujarat’s GDP in 2047 to be more than the current GDP of India. If we look at the Surat Region, which we can call Gujarat’s engine of growth, we aim to uplift the SER’s GDP from the present $72 billion to $1.3 trillion by 2047,” Subrahmanyam stated.

Seven endowments were identified that would impact the growth of SER, which include a rapidly growing city region, a diamond hub, a chemical hub, a textile hub, untapped tourism potential, agro-processing potential, and strategic regional connectivity. “The SER is already a diamond, textiles, and chemical hub, but its tourism and agro-processing potential are still untapped,” the NITI Aayog CEO stated.

The master plan suggests nine growth drivers, which include sustaining manufacturing and promoting the sunrise sectors of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, promoting the service economy by creating world-class trading hubs for ready-made apparel and jewelry, and developing new growth avenues in tourism, real estate, and agriculture.

To enhance the tourism sector, the master plan proposes developing beach hotels for high-spending tourists, a theme park similar to Disneyland, and promoting cruise, wildlife, and adventure tourism in the neighboring districts of Valsad, Tapi, and Dang.

Other significant proposals include establishing an ‘Edu-City’ campus to host private universities, two schools with international board affiliations, and three multispecialty hospitals along with additional healthcare facilities throughout the region.

The master plan also recommends the creation of luxury malls similar to those in Dubai, the development of the Ukai reservoir for tourism, a Parsi Irani Zoroastrian Experience Centre, offshore wind power plants, a solar power park, and an air freight station for the pharmaceutical industry.

This master plan was launched by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, who is also the Lok Sabha MP for Navsari. DeshGujarat