UP: From a Bimaru to a Booming State

Living up to the aspirations of 24 crore people, the government led by Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath has transformed Uttar Pradesh (UP) into a safe, prosperous, advanced and self-reliant state. The state has witnessed a complete transformation from the past with welfare schemes now reaching the deserving and the needy.

The government adopted Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas-Sabka Vishwas’ in letter and spirit and implemented its policies accordingly. With the consistent efforts of Shri Yogi Adityanath who took oath as the Chief Minister on March 19, 2017, the state has risen to the number-two position in the Ease of Doing Business rankings nationally. In terms of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), the state has surpassed Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to become the second largest economy in the country through innovative, development-friendly policies and their ground-level implementation by the Yogi government. Further, as a result of the government’s commitment, Uttar Pradesh is moving from ‘Ease of Doing Business’ to ‘Ease of Living’.

MITIGATING PANDEMIC PAINS

The UP government has received all-round praise in handling the COVID-19 pandemic efficiently. Its initiative to ensure maximum inoculation has made the vaccination drive a stupendous success in the country’s most populous state. The state’s ‘Teeka Jeet Ka (vaccine of victory)’ campaign carried information about the steps to defeat COVID-19 along with the precautions that people need to take to avoid contracting the Coronavirus. The Yogi government’s multi-pronged strategy succeeded in breaking the chain of corona infection on one hand and on the other, minimised sufferings of people by accelerating economic development and employment opportunities.

The state’s strategy to deal with Corona has been widely praised from WHO and NITI Aayog to the global media. The government managed to contain the virus with maximum testing and maximum vaccination in the state. UP’s positivity rate, fatality rate and active Covid cases were lowest in the country, whereas the state tops the country in conducting sample tests and administering Covid vaccine doses.

STRENGTHENING THE RULE OF LAW

Good governance has been the guiding mantra of the state government. It has struck at the root of the mafia and paved the way for a safer and secure state. It has put the criminals in jail, and confiscated their properties. It has been dealing with criminals and mafias with strictness under the framework of law irrespective of their caste, place and religion. Besides demolishing illegal encroachments by criminals, the state government also seized illegal properties in the mafia possession worth more than Rs 1800 crore. Not a single communal riot took place in Uttar Pradesh in the past four and a half years unlike in the past when there used to be communal clashes every 3-4 days. For a state which was in the grip of communal riots every day, a major achievement in four and a half years has been to realise the dream of a riot-free Uttar Pradesh.

The government has given high priority to the security of women and set up Anti-Romeo squads, pink booths for women and launched the third phase of Mission Shakti to empower women on all fronts.

EMPOWERING THE WEAKER SECTIONS

During the last four-and-a-half years, the state government has laid emphasis on inclusive growth making it a point that the growth benefits reach all, especially the lowest strata of the society. The common people have got the direct benefit of having BJP government at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh. After the formation of Yogi Adityanath government in 2017, there has been a great bonding of the state government with the central government. Now whether it is PM Kisan Yojana or Swachh Bharat Mission, Ujjwala and Ujala Yojana or food grains distribution, Uttar Pradesh is at the top position in all. Under the ‘Saubhagya’ scheme, houses of 2 crore 94 lakh people have been illuminated by giving electricity connections. Under ‘Ujjwala’, 1.67 crore women were saved from smoke-borne diseases by getting free gas connections.

The Yogi government’s multi-pronged strategy achieved the desired results and the state’s pandemic control model has been highly successful. It succeeded in breaking the chain of coronavirus infection on one hand and on the other, minimised sufferings of people by accelerating economic development and employment opportunities.

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During the recent past, many policy initiatives taken by the government have directly addressed the problems of socio-economic backwardness and focused on the development of the masses at the bottom of the pyramid. It is working for all classes and communities without any discrimination.

FURTHERING THE CAUSE OF FARMERS

Farmers and agriculture have been given utmost priority. Arrangements have been made to ensure that the farmers get seeds and fertilizers on time, at low cost and receive suitable price for their produce. In the year 2020-21, the total food grain production of the state was a record 618.49 lakh metric tonnes. Along with this, record purchases were made on MSP by the government. In the payment of sugarcane price, the Uttar Pradesh government also did a great job in the interest of the farmers. During this period, not only new sugar mills were opened in the state, but the capacity of old ones was also increased. So far, 1.44 lakh crore has been paid to sugarcane farmers.

The state government has focused on farmers so that Uttar Pradesh can be recognized as an export-oriented agro-economy while going beyond self-sufficiency in food production. A system has been developed by the government to resolve the problems related to payments to the farmers that were lingering since 2010- 11. UP stood second in sugar production in the country for the second time in a row. New units have been added, leading to the expansion of capacity of the Munderwa, Pipraich and Ramala sugar mills.

INCENTIVISING INDUSTRIAL GROWTH

The geography and nature of Uttar Pradesh endow it with multi-dimensional possibilities of prosperity and development. Despite this, it continued to be counted as a Bimaru State. Leaving behind the identity of a backward or BIMARU state, a new and capable The Yogi Adityanath government has devoted itself to the security, prosperity and welfare of all sections including farmers, workers, youth and women, while on the other hand it has prioritised infrastructure and industrial development.

To make the villages and districts self-reliant, the government has adopted the ‘One District One Product (ODOP)’ programme, and provided several incentives and financial facilities to pave the growth of MSME units. As infrastructure is the growth engine for any economy, without which economic growth cannot be rapid, sustainable and competitive, the UP government has taken a decisive step by developing a network of expressways, waterways and airways. The state has come visibly ahead in terms of infrastructure and human capital development. There has been a considerable rise in the number of industrial clusters/hubs and Public Private-Partnership (PPP) projects.Uttar Pradesh has emerged on the national stage in these four and a half years.

The government is establishing a defence corridor in the state. Jewar airport at Greater Noida and Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi are being developed. Prime Minister has recently inauguarated a state-of-the-art airport at Kushinagar, where Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana. Investment of Rs 50,000 crore in Defence Corridor will not only develop the infrastructure in the state but will take UP towards defence manufacturing economy. This will not only bring huge opportunities for migrants and workers but will also create better opportunities for start-ups.

INCEPTION OF GRAND RAM TEMPLE

With the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of the grand-divine temple of Lord Shri Ram, the aspirations of crores of Indians have been fulfilled. The work of the revival of Shri Krishna’s Leelasthali Braj and Maa Vindhyavasini Dham is also progressing rapidly. The much-awaited revival of Kashi Vishwanath Dham is also moving towards its conclusion. The state government has developed places of religious interest into tourist destinations.

ACCELERATING EMPLOYMENT GENERATION

The unemployment rate in Uttar Pradesh till 2017 was up to 17 per cent whereas today it has come down to 4 per cent. The state government has opened various doors of employment opportunity despite the pandemic that has delayed many projects. It has given jobs to 4.5 lakh youths and set up a transparent system for this.

By the end of this financial year, 50 lakh youth will be enabled for employment and self-employment. With the investment of about Rs 3 lakh crore through first and second ground-breaking ceremonies and other events, over 33 lakh people have been provided with direct and indirect employment. The state has ensured employment of more than 57 lakh unskilled workers who are now engaged in various projects under MGNREGA. With over 40 lakh migrants and their families having returned to the state during lockdown, the government is looking forward to generating sufficient employment to retain the workforce in the state. With 57.2 lakh people involved in one or the other project, it was decided to make every village and every district self-sufficient. Reviving traditional industries through the ODOP scheme, with the “Swadeshi to Swavalamban” and “Vocal for Local” mantra, millions of units of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were provided with loans on easy terms. This gave an impetus to the economy and paved the way for job creation.

CONCLUSION

The state has been successful in implementing various policies in line with the PM Narendra Modi’s path of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”. During the recent more than four-year period, there has not been a single scheme that was based on caste or religion. Farmers, youth, women, and the poor all have been at the centre of the policies made by the present government. The state hosted the Kumbh Mela, Deepotsav in Ayodhya, Rangotsav in Mathura, Investors’ Summit and the Chauri Chaura Utsav and won accolades for the impeccable arrangements.

The government is pursuing its goals with good intent and conviction and there is no doubt that its success in achieving the state’s continuous development will be giving rise to a self-reliant or Aatmanirbhar UP. All this is going to give a new identity to Uttar Pradesh on the world map.

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