The Uttar Pradesh government is completing seven years under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath later this month.

Shedding its previous ‘BIMARU’ label, the state has transformed into a symbol of swift progress nationwide. Playing a crucial role, Uttar Pradesh is at the forefront of realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a developed India.

The Yogi 2.0 government took the oath of office on March 25, 2022.

Over the past seven years, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed transformative changes not just in law enforcement, but also across various sectors including infrastructure, transportation, women’s empowerment, job creation, investment, and welfare schemes. With its steadfast momentum, Uttar Pradesh inches closer to claiming the top spot in the nation’s economy, while also making significant strides towards self-reliance.

With investment projects worth over Rs 10 lakh crore launched during the Ground Breaking Ceremony (GBC@4.0) recently, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a favourite destination for industrialists and entrepreneurs from across the country. When considering the collective investments from all four GBCs held in the state, this sum totals approximately Rs 16 lakh crore. This substantial influx of investment has not only fuelled Uttar Pradesh’s economic growth but has also generated extensive employment opportunities. GBC@4.0 alone is expected to create over 34 lakh job opportunities.
It is noteworthy that Uttar Pradesh has transitioned from being a ‘BIMARU’ state to coming close to becoming an ‘industrial state’. Uttar Pradesh, with seven cities with a population of more than 10 lakh and five cities with a population of more than 5 lakh, has 56 per cent of its population working. The state not only has a population of 250 million, but also has a huge consumer base, with around 425 million people residing in neighboring states. The massive consumer market offered by UP is a major attraction for investors.

The state, which was once known for roads full of potholes before 2017, has now become the state with the most operational expressways in the country. Currently, there are 6 operational expressways in the state, with 7 more in various stages of construction. Among them, the Ganga Expressway, which is approximately 600 kilometres long, is set to be completed by the end of this year.

Uttar Pradesh will soon become the first state in the country to have five operational international airports. Currently, the state boasts 15 fully functional domestic airports, including Agra, Trishul (Bareilly), Gorakhpur, Hindon (Ghaziabad), Prayagraj, Kanpur, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Moradabad, Shravasti, and Chitrakoot. Additionally, the international airports in Lucknow, Varanasi, Kushinagar, and Ayodhya are operational.

Moreover, Asia’s largest international airport in Jewar, Noida, is ready and preparations are underway to make it operational soon. Besides, the domestic airports in Saharanpur, Sonbhadra, Lalitpur, Meerut, and Palia are in different phases of construction.

Uttar Pradesh is rapidly advancing towards its goal of achieving a one trillion dollar economy by 2027. This progress is attributable to governance policies centred around faith, welfare, and economic growth, reflected in the consistent expansion of the state’s budget in tandem with developmental strides. Illustratively, the state’s budget, which stood at Rs 3.46 lakh crore in 2016-17, has now more than doubled to Rs 7.36 lakh crore for the fiscal year 2024-25.

In the words of the Chief Minister, the Budget 2024-25 represents the Prime Minister’s vision of making Uttar Pradesh the growth engine of the country and a 1 trillion dollar economy.

When it comes to Uttar Pradesh’s Gross Domestic State Product (GSDP), the state’s GSDP in 2016-17 was Rs 12.75 lakh crore which rose to Rs 25 lakh crore in 2024-25. With this, Uttar Pradesh has become the second-largest economy in the country. Despite the global pandemic COVID-19 in 2019-20, the state has continued to progress at a steady economic growth rate of 14 per cent. The government’s emphasis on development through capital expenditure in both social and economic sectors has played a significant role in this progress.

Over the past seven years, the Yogi government, following a zero-tolerance policy against mafias and criminals, has strengthened the law and order situation in the state. More than 194 criminals have died in encounters with the police in the last seven years. Moreover, through effective prosecution in courts, over 24,743 criminals have been convicted. Over 71,600 criminals have been sent to jail under the Gangster Act, and movable and immovable properties worth more than Rs 124 billion 4 crore 18 lakh and 52 thousand were confiscated.

Action has been taken against 68 mafia and their gang members and associates at the state level while property worth over Rs 3,758 crore has been confiscated. According to the NCRB report, Uttar Pradesh is the leading state in the country in punishing criminals involved in crimes against women.

The biggest emphasis of the state government is on shaping the future of the youth. In the last seven years, the state government has set a record by giving government jobs to more than seven lakh youth. Apart from this, more than one crore employment opportunities have also been created by connecting the youth with the private sector and self-employment.

The state government has also started the Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan in this year’s budget, under which a loan facility of up to Rs 5 lakh without interest will be provided to 10 lakh youth in the next 10 years to help them establish start-ups.

Integrated Command and Control Centre and Intelligent Traffic Management System are operational in 10 smart cities in the state at a cost of around Rs 2,000 crore. In the ranking of smart cities, Agra and Varanasi have continuously featured among the top 10 cities of the country.

On the lines of the Smart City Mission Plan of the Central government, Uttar Pradesh has taken an innovative initiative to develop other 7 municipal corporations of the state (Ayodhya, Firozabad, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad, Mathura-Vrindavan, Meerut and Shahjahanpur) as Smart Cities.

A better environment of social security has been created in Uttar Pradesh over the past seven years. While over 3.19 lakh daughters have been married off through various initiatives in these seven years, through the Mukhyamantri Abhyudaya Yojana, a first-ever initiative was taken to think about the ‘bright future’ of talented youths preparing for civil services. Since the inception of this scheme in 2020-21, more than 51,000 youths have benefited from it. Over the past seven years, the government’s focus has been on the development of every section of society through social security initiatives.

Under the Jan Aabhiyan-2023 tree plantation campaign, 36.16 crore saplings were planted within two days in Uttar Pradesh. The greenery in UP has expanded over the past seven years. Between 2003 and 2016-17, during the previous government’s tenure, an average of 4 to 6 crore plantations were carried out annually. However, there has been an increase in this since the Yogi government took office.

In 2017-18, 5.72 crore saplings were planted, which more than doubled to 11.77 crore in 2018-19, going further up to 22.60 crore in 2019-20, 25.87 crore in 2020-21, and 30.53 crore in 2021-22. In 2022-23, 35 crore and in 2023-24, 36.16 crore saplings were planted. This means a total of 167.65 crore saplings have been planted in seven years.

The education sector has undergone radical changes in the last seven years. Today, under Project Alankar, the establishment of smart classes has commenced in 1,060 government high schools in the state. Furthermore, the operation of Atal Residential Schools is being carried out by the Uttar Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.

Except for Bareilly and Moradabad, the operation of Atal Residential Schools commenced in all 16 divisions from September 11, 2023. Additionally, new government industrial training institutes are being established in 36 unserved assembly constituencies in the state. Moreover, new government industrial training institutes are also being established in 45 unserved constituencies of the state.

Once known as a BIMARU state, Uttar Pradesh is now witnessing several achievements in healthcare services due to the efforts of the Yogi government. Over the past seven years, the state has been recognised with several awards for better performance in healthcare services. Additionally, the Yogi government has taken several significant steps to establish Uttar Pradesh as a hub for medicine production. As a result, medical device parks, bulk drug parks, and meditech parks are being set up in the state.

Strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in the state over the past seven years, Uttar Pradesh now has 35 government medical colleges, 31 private medical colleges, 3,828 MBBS seats in the government sector, and 5,450 MBBS seats in the private sector. Currently, the state also operates two AIIMS, namely Rae Bareli (with 100 MBBS seats) and Gorakhpur (with 125 MBBS seats).

Uttar Pradesh is now recognised not as a land of mafias but as a land of festivals. With more than 50 events held in a year, not only is the tourism-based economy gaining momentum but also the perception of Uttar Pradesh is changing globally. To boost tourism activities in the state, the Tourism Department is promoting events organised domestically and internationally.

Notably, there is not a single geographical area in Uttar Pradesh where local identity and heritage are not valued, leading to the organisation of fairs, festivals, and events. This is why Uttar Pradesh has welcomed more than 44 crore tourists in the past year, setting a new record.