India has called off the three-day Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit — a jamboree that Narendra Modi had founded as the state's chief in 2003 — after the country witnessed a single-day spike of 90,928 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of above 6.5 percent.
The global trade event was to be opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of leaders from Russia, Mozambique, and several other countries.
"Chief Minister (State Chief) Bhupendra Patel has taken a decision to postpone the summit after a comprehensive review of the emerging situation", a Gujarat state government statement read.
As per the Gujarat government, as many as 26 countries had agreed to partner with the event in which more than 17,000 individuals and 7,000 companies were scheduled to participate.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Minister for Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic Alexei Chekunkov, and the governors of the Russian Far East had also confirmed their participation for the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.
Walter J. Lindner, the German ambassador to New Delhi, confirmed the development, saying the Gujarat government just announced the postponement of the summit due to rising COVID-19 cases in the state.
12 February 2021, 08:27 GMT
"With over 100 German companies in Gujarat, Germany had its own exhibition stand at the pavilion. Looking forward to the same event in safer times", Lindner said.
The Vibrant Gujarat summit, held every two years, has yielded billions of dollars in investment promises. However, the implementation of these promises has remained a significant issue.
In the past few days, several politicians and bureaucrats from Gujarat have tested positive for the virus, making it impossible for authorities to host the event.
On Wednesday, Gujarat recorded 3,350 COVID-19 cases, a three-fold jump in less than a week.
India, on Thursday, reported a single-day spike of 90,928 fresh COVID-19 cases and 325 deaths. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 6.43 percent.