Reforms out of conviction, not out of compulsion: PM
Lucknow, Feb 10 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that if India is considered a bright spot in the world Uttar Pradesh is playing a leadership role in driving India’s growth.
Addressing the eminent entrepreneurs-investors of the country and the world at the inaugural session of Global Investors Summit 2023 (UPGIS) at Valmiki Main Hall, Vrindavan Yojna, the PM described the state as the hope of the country and said, “UP has created a new identity for itself in the last five-six years. There has been improvement in every field from electricity to connectivity.”
He said, “UP, despite its rich culture and history, became a Bimaru (sick) state in the past. The law and order situation seemed irreparable and development impossible in the state while scams of thousands of crores of rupees had become a routine affair and people had given up on hope for the state.”
He said that today UP is known for good governance, better law and order, peace and stability. “The state boasts of modern infrastructure and very soon it will be known as the first state to have five international airports in the country. It is soon going to get connected to the sea and to the ports of Gujarat and Maharashtra through a dedicated freight corridor. New opportunities are being created for wealth creators in the state everyday,” he said
The PM said that India has exhibited great resilience in the post Covid times and has become the fastest growing economy of the world with experts around the world being convinced of the fact that the country’s economy will continue to grow at such a fast pace. He attributed it to the growing aspirations and confidence of the people which was pushing the governments to perform.
He said, “Today every citizen of India wants to see more and more development, wants to see India develop. The state in which you are sitting today has a population of 25 crores, which is higher than the population of many countries. Today, work is being done on social, physical and digital infrastructure in India and UP has got maximum benefit from it.”
He said that the society has become inclusive socially and financially because of these works. He said that with government procedures getting easier, India is on the path of speed and scale, fulfilling the basic needs of a very large section.
The PM said, “India does not reform out of compulsion but out of conviction. This is the reason why India has abolished more than 40,000 compliances and has abolished dozens of old laws.”
Inviting investors to invest in UP, the PM said that the UP government and the bureaucracy have embarked on the path of progress with determination. “To make your (investors and entrepreneurs) dreams come true, it is standing with you at every step,” he said.
Stressing that the prosperity of the world lies in the prosperity of India and that the bright future of India is the guarantee of the bright future of the world, Modi said that India has come out of the shocks of war and pandemic and has become the fastest growing economy and every credible voice in the world believes that it will continue to grow at the same pace.
He said that commendable work has also been done in UP on education and skill development. “Many institutions like Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath Ayush University, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Health University, Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh University, Major Dhyan Chand Sports University will prepare youths for different skills,” he said.
Modi said that more than 16 lakh youth of UP have been trained in different skills under the Skill Development Mission so far. “UP government has also started courses related to artificial intelligence in PGI Lucknow IIT Kanpur. It is a matter of great pride for UP that this time four universities of the state have made India proud in the NAAC evaluation,” he said.
He said that the role of UP in the startup revaluation of the country is continuously increasing with the state government having set a target of setting up 100 incubators and 33 state-of-the-art centers in the coming years. “That is, the investors coming here are also going to get a huge pool of skilled and qualified youth,” he said.
The PM told the investors about the opportunities available in the infrastructure sector with record allocation for it in the budget, which continues to increase every year, as well as in health and education sectors.
He said that India has embarked on green growth and has made budgetary provision of Rs 35,000 crore for energy transition in this year’s budget, which along with Mission Green Hydrogen shows the intention of India. He said that several steps have been taken in this budget to develop the entire ecosystem related to green growth.
The PM also talked about the strong network of MSMEs consisting of a large number of industries linked to tradition and modernity, mentioning in this context Bhadohi carpets and Banarasi silk. He said that with the presence of Bhadohi Carpet Cluster and Varanasi Silk Cluster UP is the textile hub of India.
He said that today more than 60 percent of the total mobile manufacturing in India as well as making of maximum of its components takes place in UP alone.
Modi said that work is going on at a fast pace on the two defence corridors of the country, one of which is located in UP. “Today the demand for Made in India Defense Equipment is increasing continuously. We are also committed to providing maximum Made in India defence systems and platforms to the Indian Army. This great work is being led by our Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from the land of Lucknow. At a time when India is developing a vibrant defense industry, you must take the first mover advantage,” he said.
He urged the investors to also explore opportunities in Dairy, Fisheries, Agriculture and Food Processing sectors in UP as the state had immense possibilities in these sectors. He said that UP has a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, but the participation of the private sector is still very limited in this sector in the state.
He said that the Production Link Incentive Scheme has been brought for food processing for investors to take advantage. “Smaller investors can use Agri Infra Fund. Similarly, provision has been made in the budget to develop huge storage capacity across the country. This is also a great opportunity for small investors,” he said.
The PM said that the government’s focus is also on crop diversification. “We are trying to reduce the cost of farmers while enhancing their income. That’s why we are fast moving towards natural farming. Here in UP, natural farming has started in an area of five kilometers on both sides of the Ganges. In this year’s budget, it has been announced to build 10,000 Bioinfo Resort Centers to help the farmers. This will further encourage natural farming. There is a great opportunity for private investors in this field as well,” he said.