Ahmedabad, Aug 20 (SocialNews.XYZ) Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Thursday urged restaurant owners and food delivery operators to switch from petrol vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs), saying the move could bring delivery costs down from around Rs 2.5 per kilometre to as little as 50 paise.
Speaking at the inauguration of the fifth Food Delivery Summit-2026, organised by the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) in Ahmedabad, Sanghavi said the food sector made a significant contribution to the country's economy and needed to be given greater importance.
On the occasion of Renewable Energy Day, he appealed to businesses in the food delivery sector to prioritise electric vehicles over petrol-powered vehicles. Apart from reducing costs, he said, the shift would also help protect the environment.
"The food and food-related businesses currently contributed approximately Rs 5.69 lakh crore to the country's overall economy, with the contribution expected to rise to Rs 7.5 lakh crore in the coming years. The sector currently employs more than 75 lakh people, and employment generated by it could exceed one crore in the coming years. Very few sectors employ such a large scale," Sanghavi said.
He also highlighted opportunities for the food sector in Gujarat's tourist destinations and called on businesses to look beyond major cities.
He urged food businesses to consider setting up ventures at places including the Statue of Unity, Shivrajpur Beach, Dharoi Dam, the White Rann of Kutch and Gir.
"The state government would provide the required infrastructure and facilities at such destinations and extend support to viable business ideas. Businesses would not have to take the risk of capital expenditure and can manage operational expenditure according to their requirements," he emphasised.
He said Gujarat offered good returns on investment and assured that the state government would support the development of the food delivery ecosystem from the Statue of Unity to Kutch and Gir.
Sanghavi also spoke about the opportunities presented by GIFT City in Gandhinagar.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for GIFT City in 2007 had initially been viewed as a 'daydream', but the project had since become a reality. The city is attracting anchor investments in the fintech sector from across the world and has also emerged as a major centre for bullion trading," he said.
According to Sanghavi, GIFT City also offered several opportunities for the food sector. He encouraged businesses to invest there and pursue their plans.
The Deputy Chief Minister further appealed to the NRAI and the food industry to organise annual events such as the Food Delivery Summit in Gujarat, assuring them of the government's support.
More than 5,000 people associated with over 1,500 brands from more than 30 cities participated in various sessions and workshops during the one-day summit.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz