Edited By: Pathikrit Sen Gupta
Last Updated: February 16, 2023, 18:39 IST
PM Narendra Modi launches Invest UP 2.0 during the inauguration of Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023, in Lucknow on February 10, 2023, as CM Yogi Adityanath looks on. (PTI Photo)
Uttar Pradesh received investment proposals worth a record Rs 33.5 lakh crore during the global investor summit last week, far more than expected, and over 19,000 MoUs were signed. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said this could create 93 lakh jobs in the state, and pointed to the wide geographical spread of the proposed projects to say investment in UP was not restricted to just NCR
WHILE it was the national capital region in Uttar Pradesh that remained the star attraction for investors at the UP Global Investors Summit, given its proximity to Delhi and the upcoming Noida International Airport, the silver lining for the state emerged in the form of record investments proposals coming for the less-privileged Bundelkhand and Purvanchal regions.
Uttar Pradesh received investment proposals worth a record Rs 33.5 lakh crore during the summit last week, far more than expected, and over 19,000 MoUs were signed. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said this could create 93 lakh jobs in the state, and pointed to the wide geographical spread of the proposed projects to say investment in UP was not restricted to just NCR. From investment dominating western UP, the shift is now towards the east.
The Meerut division has received maximum investment proposals of Rs 9.85 lakh crore amongst all the divisions in the state. This division comprises the districts of Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida-Greater Noida), Ghaziabad, Meerut, Bagpat, Bulandshahr, and Hapur. Over the years, the NCR districts of Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, and Meerut have attracted investors. The Delhi-Meerut expressway has come up here too.
Big story in eastern UP, Bundelkhand
The CM has said that another key figure is that investment proposals worth Rs 9.54 lakh crore were received for Purvanchal (eastern UP) and Rs 4.28 lakh crore for Bundelkhand — considered disadvantaged regions. In Purvanchal, investment proposals worth Rs 1.96 lakh crore were received for the Varanasi division, Rs 1.78 lakh crore of proposals for the Gorakhpur division, Rs 1.39 lakh crore for the Mirzapur division, and proposals worth Rs 67,563 crore came for the Prayagraj division.
Investments in the Mirzapur division are significant as the Sonbhadra, Chandauli, and Mirzapur districts here were once the stronghold of Naxals but have now been seen as safe by investors under the Yogi government.
Similarly in Bundelkhand, the Jhansi division received investment proposals worth Rs 2.18 lakh crore while the Chitrakoot division in Bundelkhand received investment proposals worth Rs 98,367 crore. In these regions, until a few years ago, water scarcity was a serious problem. “Bundelkhand and Purvanchal, once considered the most backward areas of UP, have outshined other regions in terms of receiving investment under the Yogi Adityanath government,” an official said.
The law and order factor
The CM has said that the presence of a strong law and order system, traffic connectivity, and the new policies of the Yogi government in 25 sectors have motivated entrepreneurs to invest in the state and, as a result, investments have been received in all 18 divisions.
In eastern UP, Varanasi and Gorakhpur are the strongholds of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath, respectively, increasing investor confidence in coming to these parts, officials say.
In terms of investment, Meerut, Lucknow, Agra, Jhansi, and Varanasi are among the top five divisions of Uttar Pradesh respectively during the global summit.
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