Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], October 9 (ANI): On the first day of the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference at Ganpat University in Mehsana, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel held a one-on-one meeting with the New Zealand High Commissioner Patrick John Rata.

The High Commissioner praised Gujarat's VGRC initiative, noting its innovative approach to regional industrial development, according to a release issued by the State government.

During the discussion, Patrick John Rata highlighted progress in areas of cooperation in agriculture, dairy, and cooperative sectors, as discussed during his previous visit to Gujarat. He also explored ways to strengthen collaboration with NDDB, Amul, and the State Agricultural University.

The Chief Minister proposed leveraging New Zealand's expertise to increase agricultural productivity per acre through aquaculture and technology sharing. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister M K Das, Additional Chief Secretary of Agriculture Anju Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary of Energy S J Haider, Principal Secretary of Industry Mamta Verma, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Avantika Sindh, and Secretary Vikrant Pandey.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that Gujarat is becoming a foundation pillar of India's development journey in the fields of semiconductors, modern logistics and electronics manufacturing.

Gujarat is a hub of semiconductors, electronics and logistics, which will make India a leader in the direction of making it a developed nation by 2047, he said, according to a release by the Ministry of Railways.

Stating that a total investment of Rs 1,25,000 crore has been made in this sector, the Union Minister also discussed major projects such as Tata Electronics plant in Dholera, Micron manufacturing center in Sanand and plants of CG Power and KEC.

He added that due to this ecosystem, around 30 Japanese companies are setting up units in Gujarat to supply chemicals, gases and substrates that are needed. The 'ultra-pure' materials used in the industry are measured in 'parts per billion', which will raise the quality standards for other industries like pharma and chemicals as well. (ANI)