India’s Free-Market Oasis Aims to Take On Singapore and Dubai

At first, Gujarat seems an unlikely location. On India’s west coast, it’s the ninth-most populous state—and, as a mark of respect for Mahatma Gandhi, who was born in Gujarat, it bans the sale of alcohol, that lubricant for many a financial deal. Narendra Modi started planning GIFT City in 2008, when he was still the state’s chief minister, and his ascension to prime minister in 2014 allowed him to give the project more policy help and a higher profile. In a July speech to bankers, regulators and executives from India and overseas, he proclaimed that “the vision of India’s future is associated with GIFT City.”