May 23 : Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday handed over land allotment letters to 17 investors under the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) area. Welcoming the investors, the Chief Minister said, "UP has now established itself as a world-class destination for tourism, trade and investment. As brand ambassadors of Uttar Pradesh, you have presented the new image of the state before the country and the world. Investors investing in UP are partners with the government in the development of the state."
CM Yogi said, the Jewar area, where India’s largest Noida International Airport has been built and where allotment letters have been distributed today, used to be considered one of the most frightening regions in India 9 years ago. Serious criminal incidents used to take place there. Movement would stop after 5 or 5:30 pm. Life was limited from sunrise to sunset. There was no infrastructure either. But the transformation visible today in Jewar and the YEIDA region reflects the picture of a new Uttar Pradesh in a new India, and the same situation can now be seen in every district of UP.
CM said “Before 2017, there used to be a parallel rule of mafias alongside the government. Every district lived under fear and terror. Families worried about the safety of women if they went out for shopping or work and hoped they would return before sunset. Traders were forced to close shops before 6 pm. Roads were full of potholes. Connectivity and electricity conditions were poor. People considered themselves fortunate if they got 4-5 hours of electricity. Different mafias had control over different districts. Mafia and criminal gangs operated districts and police stations. The government had neither policy, intention, security nor land bank.”
Calling security the first condition for development, the Chief Minister said, “A suitable environment has to be created for it. Nothing can happen in an unsafe environment. Today in UP, industries and businesses are benefiting from investor-friendly policies without obstacles or illegal dealings. UP now has one of the best road infrastructures in the country. If there is competition among states, UP will be among the top states. UP has 60 percent of the country’s expressways and four lakh km of road infrastructure. Every district headquarters is connected with four-lane roads, while tehsil and block headquarters are connected with four-lane or two-lane roads."
He continues by saying, UP now has the best air connectivity. Before 2017, only one-and-a-half expressways and two airports were operational in UP. Today, 16 airports are operational, out of which five are international. Work is underway on six more airports, and they will also start operations soon once aircraft are available.
Addressing investors, CM Yogi said that UP has a 16,000-km rail corridor. The junction of the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors is also in UP. The area where investments are being made has road connectivity, freight corridor access and world-class air connectivity. The region is set to become a logistics hub. UP also has the country’s first rapid rail and first inland waterway operating between Varanasi and Haldia. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the double-engine government has enabled major growth in UP. Metro services are operational in seven cities.
CM Yogi informed, “UP is now free from mafia, hooliganism, curfew, anarchy and riots. Every individual and investor is guaranteed security here. We do not consider investors merely as investors, but as partners in the development of UP along with the state government. Investors in UP are partners with the government in the development of the state. They provide employment to the youth of UP and help make them skilled. The government welcomes every investor to UP.”
CM Yogi added, “UP has 34 sectoral policies. There is a dedicated FDI policy and a Fortune 500 policy. YEIDA is developing a large land bank of 25,000 hectares. BIDA is being developed as a new industrial city, where 56,000 acres of land will be available between Kanpur and Jhansi.”
CM said, 156 crore tourists visited UP last year. UP was never a backward state; it was made so due to the mindset of political leadership. UP always had unlimited potential. Political leadership that bowed before mafias and tolerated criminal elements made UP backward. But when a double-engine government with a healthy mindset came, UP became the breakthrough of the country’s economy. Today, large-scale investments are taking place in different sectors in UP.
CM Yogi said, “The Prime Minister inaugurated the Noida International Airport in February. The airport will also have cargo and MRO facilities. Domestic flights will begin from June 15, after which international services will start.”
CM thanked the CEO of Yamuna Authority and his team for their positive contribution in completing the airport project within the timeline.
CM told investors, the land being allotted to them is as valuable as gold. It is among the most fertile lands for investment not only in UP and India but also in the world. Only those who visit the area can understand its possibilities. Nine years ago, when investors were invited to Gorakhpur, they would laugh it off, but investments made over the last five years have generated employment for 50,000 youth there. Similar changes are happening across every region of UP. A paper mill is operating in Deoria as well.
CM stated, “Investors are working in a fear-free environment. There is no goonda tax. Even outside NCR, investors will get skilled manpower at the local level. Local employment will also help solve township-related issues. There will be opportunities to employ a large number of women. The time is gone when people used to say daughters should return home before 6 pm. Women themselves came and told me that now they can work in night shifts too. In a state where women’s workforce participation was once 10-12 percent, today it has reached 36-37 percent.”
CM Yogi said, “These investments will generate 15,000 jobs directly and indirectly. Investments in sectors such as renewable energy, battery manufacturing, electronics and electrical device manufacturing, IT and data processing, apparel and MSME advanced industrial components will give new momentum to development. When the government provides facilities and a platform, speed becomes the basis of progress. UP is ready to provide that speed. SEAL Solar is setting up a solar manufacturing unit with an investment of Rs 8,000 crore, while Escorts Kubota is establishing a tractor and construction equipment manufacturing plant with an investment of Rs 4,500 crore, creating 4,000 jobs.”
CM said, a visionary planning and fast-track implementation campaign has been launched for YEIDA. Recently, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of North India’s largest semiconductor chip manufacturing unit in YEIDA. Work on the electronic manufacturing cluster is also being accelerated. Apparel Park, Medical Device Park, MSME Park, Handicraft Park, Data Center Park and Toy Park are also being developed rapidly in the area.
CM added, “The government wants to accelerate Uttar Pradesh’s development together with investors. Investors should complete investments on time, take advantage of government incentives and also explore areas outside NCR. Districts such as Ballia, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Shravasti, Balrampur, Chandauli, Sonbhadra, Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba and Lalitpur will also offer positive experiences. Once investors visit these places, they will feel they should have come there 8-9 years earlier.”
Cabinet Minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, Minister of State Jaswant Singh Saini, along with investor entrepreneurs, were also present at the programme.
