Washington DC [US], August 20 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday met Walmart Executive Vice President and Global Public Policy and Government Affairs Dan Bryant in Washington as part of his weeklong US-Canada visit and discussed a clear roadmap to expand global opportunities for the state's MSMEs and small artisans ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2027.
The meeting was held on the fourth day of Patel's week-long US-Canada visit, during which he is leading a high-level Gujarat delegation to engage with businesses, investors and the Gujarati diaspora and invite greater participation in the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat summit.
During his meeting today, Patel and Bryant discussed ways to leverage Gujarat's large MSME base, improve product quality and increase export opportunities for small and medium enterprises in the state.
According to a release, Bryant apprised the Chief Minister that Walmart's Vriddhi programme has trained more than 1.15 lakh MSMEs since its launch in 2019.
The company has set a target of training 1.70 lakh MSMEs by 2028, according to a release issued by the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office.
Patel also discussed the possibility of jointly organising workshops with Walmart and relevant departments of the Gujarat government to identify sector-specific potential among the state's MSMEs and help them access global markets.
The discussions also focused on collaboration between the state government and Walmart over the next three to four months to explore potential global opportunities for Gujarat's MSMEs and small artisans.
Patel, Bryant and the Gujarat delegation also discussed announcing a clear roadmap for these initiatives at the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2027.
The meeting formed part of Patel's engagements in Washington after he arrived in the US capital on Wednesday following the San Francisco leg of his visit.
Earlier today, Patel addressed members of the Gujarati diaspora at an event organised by the Vishv Umiya Foundation in Washington, where he presented Gujarat's role as a growth engine for India in the context of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2027.
According to a release from the Chief Minister's Office, Patel held detailed discussions with members of the diaspora on Gujarat's holistic development, financial discipline, new investment opportunities and the growth potential of emerging sectors, including GIFT City, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, data centres and biotechnology.
Explaining the objective of the delegation's visit, Patel said business meetings were being held to attract more investment to Gujarat, establish new industries and promote emerging sectors. He also highlighted the successful meetings held during the delegation's Silicon Valley engagements.
Patel began his week-long US-Canada visit on Monday with engagements in San Francisco, where he met members of the Gujarati diaspora and highlighted Gujarat's development plans while seeking greater participation from the overseas community in the state's emerging technology and investment sectors.
The Chief Minister is leading a high-level delegation during the visit to invite industries and investors from the US and Canada to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2027 and explore opportunities to invest and establish businesses in Gujarat.
Chief Secretary MK Das, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, T Natarajan, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Department, Mamta Verma, and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sanjeev Kumar, were also present during the meeting with the Walmart executive. (ANI)
Gujarat CM Patel meets Walmart Executive VP in Washington, discusses roadmap to boost global opportunities for MSMEs, artisans
