India’s top bankers, who met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday in Mumbai, were impressed with his government’s policies and initiatives.

Lauding the state government for improving infrastructure and law and order in the state as well as bringing policy reforms, they described Uttar Pradesh as a state fast evolving into the ‘best state for investment.’

Kotak Mahindra Bank CEO Uday Kotak said: “We are very excited by the arrival of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Mumbai. Under his leadership, the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh is improving, people’s trust and confidence are growing, and we as bankers and members of the financial system are very happy.”

He added: “The way this state, with a population of 25 crore, has transformed itself is commendable. Progressive policies for economic development, more than 19 lakh MSMEs, infrastructure, sector development, and startup eco-culture have further strengthened our belief.”

SBI CMD Dinesh Kumar Khara said that the improvement in law and order in Uttar Pradesh has increased the confidence of the business community and industrial houses in the state and that’s why they are keen to invest here.

“In recent years, Uttar Pradesh has seen significant investment in its infrastructure. It is quite praiseworthy that important infrastructure components like electricity and roads have improved. These are very important elements to set up any industry,” he said.

The SBI CMD added that the state government is making every possible effort to increase its GSDP, including expanding agriculture, providing an environment for the growth of industries and encouraging startups.

SIDBI Chairman and MD Shiv Subramaniam Raman stated: “Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told us that MSMEs are playing a significant role in the industrialization of the state. SIDBI is working closely with the Government of Uttar Pradesh.”

“The headquarters of SIDBI is also in Lucknow. We have been working together for the last several years, but the initiatives taken by the government in the last few months to take forward the MSME programmes are really wonderful,” he said.

According to him, facilities ranging from credit guarantee schemes to loans for micro and small industries have been provided by the Yogi Government. “We are associated with the state government through various programmes. We have joined hands with IIT Kanpur for the Incubation Centre. We are also going to join hands with IIT-BHU,” he said.

EXIM Bank MD Harsha Bangari said: “The primary focus of today’s conference was the banking industry’s collaboration in transforming Uttar Pradesh into a $1 trillion economy. The Chief Minister has expected more cooperation from us in a big state like Uttar Pradesh under India Vision.”

“There has been a lot of development in the infrastructure of Uttar Pradesh. Be it critical resources, which are very important for all kinds of industrial development or agri sector development. Apart from this, we discussed many other issues, in which the development of spiritual tourism in the state was also a very important point,” she added.