LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described Uttar Pradesh as the “engine driving the growth of New India."
He was playing host and welcoming investors, industry captains, dignitaries, and foreign delegates as a UP MP at Global Investors Summit-2023.
While inaugurating the three-day mega business event in UP, Modi highlighted how the state, which was formerly known to be a BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) states where scams used to be the order of governance and a feeling of “hopelessness” was prevalent among the people, was now leading the growth of the country which, he claimed, was moving fast on the path of reforms.
“If India is the bright spot in the world, then UP is leading her growth as now the country is reforming out of conviction and not compulsion,” Modi claimed.
He attributed the role of UP as the growth engine of the country to the radical change and dynamism in the ‘sonch’ (thought process) and “approach” of the ruling dispensation during the last 5-6 years.
“Earlier, the investment used to be considered as ‘waste’ but now it is deemed to be ‘the best.’ This change in ‘Sonch’ and ‘approach’ has led the state to create a suitable atmosphere for ‘ease of doing business,” he averred.
The PM claimed that UP had changed to such an extent during the last 5-6 years that now it had acquired the new identity “rightfully” of being a state known for “its good governance, improved law and order, peaceful atmosphere and political stability.”
“The massive infrastructural development, in the recent past, is driving the growth of New India. From electricity to connectivity, there has been a holistic development in UP and the state is set to become the only state in the country with five international airports,” he said.
Modi further deliberated upon how India’s growth story was changing. “Health, education, green growth, and social infrastructure are great opportunities for investors in India.”
Calling upon the investors to come to Uttar Pradesh, the PM said that like whole of India, a huge aspirational society was waiting for them in Uttar Pradesh.
“The development in the field of social, physical, and digital infrastructure in the country has benefitted UP to a great extent. This has led society to integrate and be connected with social and financial developments. UP’s textile, manufacturing, farming, logistics, and digital clusters along with sectors like dairy, food processing and fisheries provide enormous opportunities to the investors to become a part of UP’s growth story,” said the PM.
Earlier, while welcoming the guests at the summit, UP CM Yogi Adityanath also acknowledged the “excellent” law and order situation in the state led to the perceptible change in the approach of investors towards UP. “It is well reflected in the fact that even ahead of the summit, we have received investment intents worth over Rs 32 lakh crore and signed over 18000 MoUs,” said CM Yogi.
He added that for the convenience of investors in the state, the single window portal ‘Nivesh Mitra’ was providing 406 services of 33 departments, policies had been introduced for 25 different sectors and the state’s exports doubled during the last five years.
Similarly, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, too acknowledged the economic ventures introduced by the present government, saying that it had put forward a new vision for the business community. “Today, the business community is not only looked upon with respect and trust but also considered as significant contributors towards the development of society as wealth creators,” said the Raksha Mantri.
Speaking at the summit, Singh also launched a verbal attack on “pseudo-secularism,” which not only prevented industrialists from moving forward but also hampered the established industries…”
“Old, ineffective, and redundant rules, which had become a ‘red tape’ for the industry in the past, have transformed into a ‘red carpet’ in the present times,” said Rajnath Singh.