Gandhinagar, Nov 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently championed India’s indigenous and heritage products, placing local strength at the heart of national growth. His call for Vocal for Local and Aatmanirbhar Bharat has given visibility to artisans and farmers across the country.

In line with this vision, the Prime Minister has also actively promoted Geographical Indication (GI) products, highlighting them in his radio address Mann Ki Baat and personally felicitating artisans who preserve traditional crafts.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has set an ambitious goal of reaching 10,000 GI-tagged products across India by 2030 under the vision of “Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi.”

Gujarat has emerged as a strong contributor to this national mission by promoting its rich artisanal heritage, from Kutch’s celebrated crafts to Saurashtra’s premium agricultural produce on global platforms.

GI tagging reinforces the state’s commitment to “Viksit Gujarat to Viksit Bharat,” transforming local skills into global competitiveness. Kutch and Saurashtra together have secured GI recognition for over ten iconic products, including Ajrakh block printing, Bandhani tie-dye, Rogan art, Kutch shawls, the famed Kachchhi Kharek, and the globally loved Gir Kesar mango.

The upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) in Rajkot will spotlight the region’s craft excellence and export capacity, offering artisans a robust platform to scale their businesses.

Renowned for its blend of tradition and artistry, Kutch boasts GI-tagged crafts such as embroidery, Ajrakh printing, Bandhani, Rogan painting and the Kutch shawl. In the agricultural category, Kachchhi Kharek — a celebrated variety of date known for its rich flavour and nutritional value has also earned GI status.

Saurashtra’s signature products include Gir Kesar mango, often hailed as the “Queen of Mangoes,” the famed Jamnagari Bandhani, and the exquisite Rajkot Patola silk weaving tradition, cherished by Bollywood celebrities.

Surendranagar’s Tangaliya shawl, with its intricate weaving technique, has also built a loyal international following. The upcoming VGRC for Saurashtra and Kutch aims to accelerate the region’s artisan economy.

The two-day conference will bring together entrepreneurs, artisans, interior designers and product designers, creating avenues of collaboration with the Government e-Marketplace, private enterprises, investors and leading e-commerce platforms. The event promises to enhance innovation, expand market access and drive sustainable growth for traditional craft clusters.

New Delhi, Nov 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lauded India’s Generation Z for their confidence and capacity building.

Speaking via video conferencing at the inauguration of the Infinity Campus of Indian space startup Skyroot and unveiling its first orbital rocket, Vikram-I, PM Modi praised the country’s Gen Z for their positive mindset and creativity.

“Our youth, our Gen Z, are developing solutions to challenges in every sector. Young innovators around the world can find inspiration from the confidence of India’s Gen Z,” PM Modi said.

“The capacity building, positive mindset, and creativity of India’s Gen Z can set a global benchmark for Gen Z across the world,” he said.

Emphasising that India’s youth always place national interest above all and make the best use of every opportunity, PM Modi remarked that when the government opened the space sector, the country’s youth, especially the Gen-Z generation, came forward to take full advantage of it.

He highlighted that today more than 300 space startups are giving new hope to India’s space future, and noted that most of these startups began with small teams — sometimes two people, sometimes five, sometimes in a small rented room — with limited resources but with determination to reach new heights.

“This spirit has given birth to the private space revolution in India,” said the Prime Minister. He noted that Gen-Z engineers, designers, coders, and scientists are creating new technologies, whether in propulsion systems, composite materials, rocket stages, or satellite platforms.

PM Modi stressed that India’s youth are working in areas that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

He remarked that India’s private space talent is establishing a distinct identity across the world and added that today, for global investors, India’s space sector is becoming an attractive destination.

The Prime Minister remarked that the changes being witnessed in the space sector are part of the broader startup revolution taking place in India.

“Over the past decade, a new wave of startups has emerged across diverse sectors such as fintech, agri tech, health tech, climate tech, edu tech, and defense tech, with India’s youth, particularly the Gen-Z generation, providing innovative solutions in every field,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi emphasised that “India has now become the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem”.

There was a time when startups were confined to a few big cities, but today they are emerging from small towns and villages as well, the Prime Minister said, underlining that the country now has more than 1.5 lakh registered startups, with many of them having achieved unicorn status.

“India is no longer confined to apps and services but is now advancing rapidly towards deep-tech, manufacturing, and hardware innovation,” said the Prime Minister, thanking Gen-Z.

Mumbai, Nov 27: Indian stock markets continued their strong momentum on Thursday, with both the Sensex and Nifty hitting new record highs.

Investors remained optimistic as hopes of interest rate cuts in the US and India grew stronger, while steady buying by foreign investors further boosted sentiment across sectors.

The Nifty climbed to a fresh all-time high of 26,306.95, surpassing its previous record of 26,277.35 touched on September 27, 2024.

The Sensex also crossed a major milestone, moving past the 86,000 mark for the first time to reach 86,026.18.

Among the top performers in the Nifty50 pack were Bajaj Finance, Shriram Finance, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finserv and Larsen & Toubro, all gaining up to 2 percent.

These stocks helped support the market’s upward move. Foreign portfolio investors maintained their buying momentum, turning net buyers for the second consecutive session on Wednesday.

They invested Rs 4,778.03 crore in Indian equities, following an inflow of Rs 785.32 crore on Tuesday. This consistent buying helped keep domestic markets strong.

Market sentiment also stayed positive due to growing expectations that the US Federal Reserve may cut interest rates in December.

The Nifty had already recorded its best trading session in five months on Wednesday, closing at a 14-month high, supported by gains in rate-sensitive sectors ahead of the Reserve Bank of India’s policy meeting next week.

Asian markets were also trading higher, reflecting global optimism. Investors increased their bets that the US Fed will cut rates next month, with the CME FedWatch tool showing the probability rising sharply to around 85 per cent from just 30 percent a week earlier.

Major Asian indices, including South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225, Shanghai’s SSE Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, were all in the green.

US markets had also closed higher on Wednesday, adding to the positive global sentiment.