CM Yogi Adityanath has said that as a result of the work done by the Prime Minister in the last 10 years, India has established itself as the fifth largest economy in the world. Uttar Pradesh is moving ahead as the leading economy of the country today. The state is playing its role as the growth engine of the country. Today, big entrepreneurs of the country and the world are getting attracted towards investment in the state. To create this environment, the state government had to make many reforms.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was addressing the Business Standard Samriddhi Uttar Pradesh programme in Lucknow today. “When we talk about economic prosperity, business is also a part of it. In Srimad Bhagavad-gi ̄ ta ̄, business is explained in detail. “Agriculture is a natural thing.This implies that agriculture, cow-protection, and trade are the virtues of work for the Vaishyas. Agriculture, animal husbandry and economic activities etc. come under business. Later agriculture and cow-protection were separated from business. In independent India, commercial activities include only those economic transactions in which a large dimension of capital is involved.But going into the larger picture, it is clear that agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy sector cannot be separated from it.
“Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in the country. The population is about 25 thousand people. What was the reason that was preventing Uttar Pradesh from becoming the leading economy of the country? Today there is the cheapest and skilled manpower in the state. Kashi and Prayagraj had played a big role as major educational centres of the country. It was once a centre of learning. The world’s oldest Gurukul, Maharishi Bharadwaj’s Gurukul was located in Prayagraj. We didn’t understand the timing. We did not recognize the pace of time, as a result, despite having centres of learning, skilled manpower, the most fertile land and the best water resources in the world, we lagged behind.
Seven and a half years ago, there was a crisis of identity before the youth, traders and farmers of the state. Every big entrepreneur of the country was afraid of investing in Uttar Pradesh. Security is a pre-requisite for doing business and leading a normal life. All activities must be carried out in accordance with the law. In a state where riots take place every second or third day, in which the security of the person is not guaranteed, how will the security of his capital be guaranteed? The situation was similar at the time. Earlier, there was a lack of plans, policies and land bank for development here. Discrimination was done through ‘pick and choose’.
The Chief Minister said that the state government had brainstormed in 2017 to take the state forward afresh and attract investment in the state. Roadshows were held in different parts of the country. Seeing the positive changes taking place in the state, entrepreneurs were ready to invest here. He himself went to Mumbai to talk to investors where investment proposals worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore were received. Finally, investment proposals worth Rs 4 lakh 59 thousand crore were received in the first investors’ summit of the state. This was followed by the UP Global Investors Summit in February 2023. More than Rs 40 lakh crore worth of investment proposals have been received in this Investors Summit. This will provide employment to more than 50 crore youth.
It is possible to connect one to one and a half crore people with employment through investment in business. The state government has already taken steps towards this. Jobs in the government sector are limited. However, 1,54,000 police personnel were recruited in different phases in the state. But it is not possible to recruit one lakh police personnel every year. The Chief Minister said that employment was also included in the first policy of industrial development in the state. We have to bring investment so that along with increasing the industrial development of the state, the youth of the state can be connected with employment. As many as 27 sectoral policies have been formulated by the state government. There are many such policies which have been implemented only in Uttar Pradesh. Policies related to defence and aerospace, semiconductors, logistics, compressed biogas etc. have also been formulated in the state. Now the state is working to attract the investment of the country and the world with the FDI and Fortune 500 policy.
The Chief Minister said that earlier neither the daughter nor the businessman was safe in the state. There was an atmosphere of chaos. At that time, Uttar Pradesh was a state with a population of 20-22 crore, but the annual budget was only Rs 2 lakh crore. The idiom of cumin in the mouth of the camel was proving to be literally true. Today, the budget of the state has increased to about Rs 7.5 lakh crore. This shows the prosperity and economic progress of the state. At that time the GDP of the state was about 12 lakh crore rupees. Today, it has increased to about Rs 26 lakh crore in 2023-24. The GDP of the State is estimated to reach Rs. 0.32 lakh crore by March 2025. These figures show that the state government took initiatives, invited entrepreneurs, encouraged traditional enterprise, built land banks.
The Chief Minister said that the environment of security and the policy of zero tolerance is of utmost importance. The action taken against the mafia under the strong law and order system of the state is an example of this. The government had to face many challenges. Today the country is safe. No one can create ruckus here. To create this atmosphere, the state government also had to work to boost the morale of the police. The police recruitment process was carried out with utmost sincerity. The police were equipped with the technology. The training capacity of the police has been increased three times. Under this, centers of paramilitary and military were also taken. Earlier, 6,000 police personnel could be trained at a time in the state. At that time, efforts were made to reduce the training time to 6 months. The present government made arrangements to provide training to police personnel for 9 months.
Today, when the Uttar Pradesh Police moves, goons and mafias are seen shivering. He knows the consequences of messing with the law. Along with providing an atmosphere of security in the state, an anti-land mafia task force was also formed. Earlier, land mafia used to grab the lands of the poor. A campaign was launched against it. 64,000 acres of land was freed from the clutches of the mafia. Earlier, investors could not get land in the state. There is no shortage of land today. The Chief Minister said that the State Government has created a business friendly environment in the State. Nivesh Mitra Portal was created as a single window. Today it is the largest single window portal in the country. Through this, more than 400 and a half NOCs are made available to investors. The Nivesh Sarathi Portal has been developed for monitoring MoUs with minimal human intervention. Incentives are being distributed online to investors and online monitoring is also being done so that investors do not have to visit offices for incentives. A few days ago, incentives worth about Rs 1,300 crore were distributed to investors by calling them together. The confidence of investors in the government has increased by getting incentives. There is also a belief in the minds of the youth that investment will guarantee employment. The objective of the event was to increase the confidence of the investors in the policies of the state government and to make the people aware of the investment.
The Chief Minister said that ease of doing business has been simplified in the state. Prior to 2017, the state was ranked 14th in the Ease of Doing Business. Today we are among the top achievers. We came in second place in 2019. The state is ranked first and second in the country. Earlier, the economy of the state was at number six or seven in the country. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were the worst-hit states. Today the economy of the state has become the second largest economy in the country and is competing for the number one position.
The state is the fastest growing economy in the country. For this, the state government has taken all possible steps. These include agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry. There are maximum units of compressed biogas in the state. The State Government has also taken several steps in the infrastructure sector. Earlier, the condition of roads in the state was very bad. Today, state highways, expressways and other roads are among the best in the country. Today we have the maximum number of expressways. Even during the Corona period, we did not let the work of the expressway stop. As a result, the Purvanchal and Bundelkhand expressways were built. Work on the Ganga Expressway is going on at a rapid pace. Efforts are being made to start the carriageway of this expressway in the early months of 2025. Gorakhpur Link Expressway is almost ready. Work is underway on the Ballia Link Expressway. The country’s first 12-lane expressway between Delhi and Meerut has started. The country’s first high-speed rail corridor is being built between Delhi and Meerut. 6 cities of the state are connected by metro. The state has the largest highway, expressway and railway network in the country. The country’s first waterway has also become operational between Varanasi and Haldia. A lot of work has also been done in the field of logistics in the state. Construction of Logistics Multi Modal Terminal at Varanasi, Logistics and Transport Hub at Gautam Budh Nagar and Dedicated Freight Corridor are progressing at a rapid pace. The foundation of all these works is possible in a better environment of law and order and security. The state government was making continuous efforts in this direction.
The Chief Minister said that one district one product scheme is one of the new initiatives launched by the State Government. Through this scheme, the branding of the state was done in the country and the world. Through this, every district of the state succeeded in giving a unique product. There are 75 GI tags in the state related to these products. The maximum GI tags are in Varanasi. Through this, the export of the state has increased. Now the mangoes of the state are exported to America and Moscow. When the state minister and the chief secretary visited Russia along with the farmers here, the price of mangoes here was Rs 1,000 per kg in Moscow. After deducting the expenses of export etc. through the export of mangoes, the farmers can get a benefit of Rs. 700-800 per kg. However, the state government also provides an incentive of Rs 90 to the farmers. The Chief Minister said that earlier the carpet industry of Bhadohi had died. Today, Bhadohi is exporting carpets worth Rs 8,000 crore. Earlier, the glass industry in Firozabad was on the verge of closure. As a result of the state government connecting the artisans with technology and facilities, the glass industry has once again shone. Firozabad is exporting 2.5-3 thousand crore rupees. Meerut is making the best sports items in the world. Similarly, many products of different districts of the state are presenting their distinct identity to the world.
When the branding of Uttar Pradesh is associated with it, it is seen as realizing the Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The concept of Vocal for Local lends credence to this hypothesis. Through this, Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swaraj also appears to be coming true. The state government has also created a conducive environment for the village artisans. Schemes like Vishwakarma Shram Samman and PM Vishwakarma are proving to be milestones for the traditionally working people.
The Chief Minister said that till the 16th century, India used to contribute 25 per cent to the world economy. What was the reason that foreign invaders destroyed our handicrafts and artisans? where we stand today. How much is the GDP of India as compared to the world economy is a question worth pondering over. There was a time when India used to provide leadership to the world economy. The skills of traditional artisans and craftsmen were a major contributor to this. MSMEs and skilled manpower form the base for large investments.
The Chief Minister said that this is the first time in the state that two projects have been provided to SGPGI under CSR policy. One of them is a project of the Saloni Foundation of America. The Saloni Foundation was formed in memory of a newborn girl from America suffering from heart disease. These people have nothing to do with Uttar Pradesh. Due to the safe environment of investment, this foundation was ready to invest in the state. The first phase of this foundation has been completed in SGPGI. 36 beds have been operated for free treatment of children suffering from heart disease since birth. In the second phase, the programme is being launched for 200 new beds. This is the biggest fund under CSR from America in the state. This can be done only by taking initiatives. The memories of Saloni will always be alive with a prestigious medical institution like SGPGI.
The Chief Minister said that Business Standard has organised this event for 15 consecutive years. Conclaves related to MSME, agriculture, horticulture, dairy etc. sectors should be organized by visiting different areas every month. Along with business, agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy sector should also be linked. Traditional enterprises should also be associated with it. If we work by including PM Vishwakarma, the innovative scheme launched by the Prime Minister, many people will get employment. Those who have been working traditionally will get its benefit and encouragement. Along with the benefits of government schemes, it will also be branded. The Chief Minister said that the organization of Samriddhi Conclave by Business Standard in the state capital Lucknow just before the Diwali festival is a positive initiative. He was apprised that Business Standard has been organizing this Conclave continuously since 2009. Business Standard should organise such conclaves by linking specific schemes at mandal and district levels. The Minister for Industrial Development, Export Promotion, NRIs and Investment Promotion, Shri Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi also addressed the event.
Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Information Sanjay Prasad, Director Information Shishir, Editor of Business Standard Kailash Nautiyal, Editorial Director Ashok Kumar Bhattacharyya, office bearers of Business Standard, editors, entrepreneurs and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
source: https://information.up.gov.in/hi