CM Yogi Adityanath Highlights Tech-Driven Growth Vision For Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: Participating in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address in the Legislative Council on Monday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that the government has taken decisive steps to position Uttar Pradesh as a leader in emerging technologies. As a result, the state now accounts for over 19 percent of all electric vehicles sold across the country.

He noted that the government has been working rapidly in sectors such as AI, digital technology, defence manufacturing, semiconductors, and data science, integrating them into the mainstream of development. Referring to the National Education Policy introduced in 2020 during the Covid period under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said the policy provided a new direction to the country’s education system. The state government has aligned its programmes with the same vision.

Chief Minister said that the current budget includes special provisions across all sectors related to emerging technologies. In today’s era, data has become the most powerful strategic resource. With this in view, the budget provides for the establishment of a State Data Authority.

Provisions have also been made for the development of data centre clusters, recognizing that robust data infrastructure is essential for progress in AI and digital sectors.

Yogi Adityanath further stated that AI has emerged as a key growth sector for the country. To promote AI and digital technologies, the state government has made special budgetary allocations at the vocational, technological, and secondary education levels to ensure that students gain exposure to modern technologies from an early stage. In this direction, partnerships with Tata Technologies and Samsung have been initiated to accelerate implementation.

With the objective of fostering self-reliance and entrepreneurship among youth, the Chief Minister Yuva Udyami Yojana aims to prepare 1.5 lakh young entrepreneurs annually. Under this scheme, beneficiaries are provided margin money support along with collateral-free and interest-free loans. Initiatives such as MSME promotion and ODOP (One District One Product) are further strengthening the state’s economic framework.

To build digitally empowered youth, the Swami Vivekananda Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana is being implemented at a rapid pace, including large-scale tablet distribution, enabling young people to become technologically proficient and leverage modern opportunities.

Chief Minister stated that over the past nine years, Uttar Pradesh has established a strong presence in strategic sectors such as tourism, hospitality, and defence manufacturing. The state is no longer confined to traditional industries but is rapidly advancing in technology-driven and future-oriented sectors.

By adopting automation and data-driven decision-making systems, Uttar Pradesh is simultaneously progressing in AI robotics, advanced computing, semiconductors, drones, cybersecurity, and electric vehicles. In the EV sector, the state has taken significant strides. Recently, the state’s first electric vehicle manufacturing unit was established in Lucknow. Several new investment proposals related to this sector are also being received consistently.

Yogi Adityanath emphasized that Uttar Pradesh now accounts for more than 19 percent of all electric vehicles purchased in the country, with over 40 percent participation in the three-wheeler segment. The state has been a leading beneficiary under the FAME-I and FAME-II schemes. Charging stations are being installed along express corridors, and more than 700 electric buses are currently operational in Uttar Pradesh.

Chief Minister said that youth power is a central pillar of the state’s changing identity. Through initiatives such as Skill India, Startup India, and Standup India, young people in Uttar Pradesh are rapidly establishing a new presence and identity. The state currently has over 20,000 active startups, along with seven Centres of Excellence and eight unicorns. The innovation and leadership capabilities of Uttar Pradesh’s youth are now being recognized not only within the state but across the country.

He concluded by stating that when youth move towards self-reliance and entrepreneurship, unemployment declines naturally. While the unemployment rate in the state stood at over 19 percent before 2017, it has now fallen to 2.24 percent, reflecting the structural transformation underway in Uttar Pradesh’s economy.

Chief Minister stated that sports infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh has witnessed rapid expansion. Playgrounds are being developed in every village, mini stadiums at every block level, and full-fledged stadiums in every district. The state’s first Sports University, named after Major Dhyan Chand, is ready in Meerut.

In the current budget, provision has been made to establish one Sports College at each divisional headquarters, which will be developed as a Centre of Excellence. He further stated that the state government has provided government employment to more than 500 athletes who have won medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. Preparations are also being accelerated to develop Centres of Excellence in view of the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and the 2036 Olympic Games.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that when the Samajwadi Party speaks about development or comments on the current government’s budget and development initiatives, it evokes disbelief. He remarked that those who, despite getting four opportunities in power, failed to advance any concrete development agenda are now attempting to lecture on governance.

According to him, the Samajwadi Party’s development model was rooted in dynastic politics, appeasement, and the patronage of rioters. He noted that Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, who led the movement against the Emergency, was born on the soil of Uttar Pradesh. The present government takes pride in fulfilling his last wishes by constructing a hospital at his birthplace and ensuring improved connectivity. He added that while those who invoked JP’s name for political purposes failed to act, the current government completed these works, and he personally had the opportunity to visit JP’s birthplace twice.

Referring to the JPNIC project, he stated that although the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared at ₹200 crore, over ₹800 crore was spent and yet the project remained incomplete - an example, he said, of the Samajwadi Party’s development model. Similarly, the Riverfront project, initially estimated at ₹300 crore, remained incomplete despite expenditures exceeding ₹1,400 crore.

He further alleged that during the Samajwadi government, the alignment for the Purvanchal Expressway was finalized and tenders were awarded without land acquisition. As per norms, at least 80 percent land acquisition must be completed before proceeding with the tender process, yet tenders were issued through “irregular means.”

The DPR at that time estimated the project cost at ₹15,200 crore, with a proposed width of 110 metres and a length of 390 kilometres. After assuming office in March 2017, he reviewed the project in May and was informed that progress was negligible due to incomplete land acquisition.

After coming to power in 2017, the government slightly modified the alignment and ensured land acquisition. The decision was taken to increase the width of the expressway from 110 metres to 120 metres to accommodate future expansion, including the possibility of a bullet train corridor between Delhi and Varanasi.

When the tender process was reinitiated in 2019, the bid again reflected the earlier estimate of ₹15,200 crore, raising concerns. Upon reviewing the process, it was found that technical and financial bids had been invited simultaneously. The process was cancelled and fresh bids were invited in separate stages. Subsequently, the same expressway, earlier proposed at ₹15,200 crore with a 110-metre width, was approved at ₹11,800 crore with an expanded width of 120 metres.

Chief Minister remarked that the Samajwadi Party had undermined the ideals of Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia. While both leaders advocated detachment from wealth and dynastic succession, he alleged that the party acted in contradiction to these principles.

He described the party’s PDA model as a “Parivar Development Authority,” implying that it functioned primarily for the benefit of a single family. Regardless of nomenclature, he said, the objective remained the same - leading the state toward disorder and lawlessness.

He added that during the Samajwadi regime, an atmosphere of instability and anarchy prevailed in Uttar Pradesh, creating a crisis of identity for the youth, jeopardizing women’s safety, pushing farmers toward distress, and compelling traders and entrepreneurs to leave the state.

Chief Minister cited the example of a major entrepreneur from the pharmaceutical sector who was moved to tears, stating that after every dusk comes a dawn, and that he now sees that dawn in Uttar Pradesh’s development trajectory.

He said the state is forging a new identity, with robust connectivity across land, water, and air. While earlier the state had only about one and a half expressways, today Uttar Pradesh accounts for 55 percent of the country’s total expressway network. The state also has the largest railway network in India.

On February 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of North India’s first semiconductor (FAME) unit in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, and on February 22, the country’s first Rapid Rail service will be inaugurated.

He recalled that before 2017, travel between Meerut and Delhi could take three to six hours due to frequent traffic congestion and security concerns. Today, a 12-lane highway connects Delhi and Meerut, reducing travel time to approximately 45 minutes. The Rapid Rail system will also cover this distance in about 45 minutes.

Chief Minister said that Uttar Pradesh now has a strong network of 22 expressways - seven operational, five under construction, and work underway on ten more. Metro services are operational in six cities, and operations in Meerut will commence on February 22.

The junction of the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors is located in Uttar Pradesh. The inland waterway between Varanasi and Haldia is operational, and the country’s first multimodal terminal has been established in Varanasi. Terminals and freight villages are being developed in Ramnagar, Chandauli, Mirzapur, and Ghazipur, positioning the state as an emerging logistics hub.

Earlier, only two airports were fully operational in the state, with two functioning partially. Today, 16 domestic and four international airports are fully operational. The fifth international airport at Jewar is ready and will soon be inaugurated. The country’s first MRO (Aircraft Maintenance and Repair) facility is also being established in Uttar Pradesh, ensuring that aircraft maintenance activities will now be carried out within the state itself.