India, May 2 -- Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the third Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Surat on Friday, projecting that the Surat Economic Region will grow twentyfold by 2047 and contribute over 35 per cent to Gujarat's gross State domestic product, as the State announced eight new Smart GIDC industrial eStates across South Gujarat covering a total area of 5,380 acres.

The conference, held on Gujarat State Formation Day with the theme "Regional Aspirations, Global Ambitions," is the third in a series of regional summits being conducted across four zones ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Investors Summit in 2027. The earlier two were held in North Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch.

Patel said the VGRC approach was insp...