Ban Ki-moon to attend Vibrant Gujarat Summit-2015

GANDHINAGAR: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will take part in the 'Vibrant Gujarat Summit-2015' during his two-day visit to Prime Minister NarendraModi's home state on January 10 and 11 next year.

" Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, is going to take part in our Vibrant Gujarat Summit-2015. He will come to Gujarat on January 10 and he will be present at the inauguration function on January 11," Finance minister and Gujarat Government Spokesperson Saurabh Patel said today.

The Secretary General is also likely to visit Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad and a few other places in the state on January 11, Patel added.

Patel said that this would be the first ever visit of the UN Secretary General to a business summit. He had earlier visited India in 2012.

According to a state government official, the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit will witness the highest number of foreign dignitaries, including Ban Ki-moon and heads of several other countries.

The state government is going to organise the Vibrant Gujarat International Investors Summit-2015 from January 11 to 13 next year with an aim to attract more investment in the state.

Modi ideated upon organising biennial investors' summit in 2003 during his chief ministerial regime in Gujarat.

Since 2003, Modi had held six such investors' summit, which resulted in signing of thousands of crores rupees' Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) promising investment in Gujarat.

Modi will be present to inaugurate the summit.