Improved Law And Order Has Made UP A Preferred Destination For Investors: Suresh Khanna
Lucknow, December 19 (TNA) A day after Uttar Pradesh emerged as the second largest economy of the country, the Minister for Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Departments, Suresh Khanna, said that improved law and order, speedy redressal and conducive policies have made Uttar Pradesh the most preferred investment destination in India.
Interacting with industry leaders during a panel discussion on enhancing industrial investment & policy effectiveness at Hotel Taj Mahal, on Monday, the minister said that due to the proactiveness of the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state has been able to clench the second position from Tamil Nadu and its contribution to the national GDP stands at 9.2%, second only to Maharashtra, which contributes 15.7% to the national GDP.
Calling upon entrepreneurs to invest in Uttar Pradesh, the Finance Minister said that the state government is developing the Bundelkhand Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) on the lines of Noida, which will spur industrialisation in the area and emphasised on the fact that the state is already a leading producer of many products, including foodgrains, sugarcane and milk.
Commenting on the increasing electricity demand in the state, the Finance Minister said that while the demand was around 13000-14000 MW in 2017, it has increased to above 30,000 MW today, which is an indicator of massive industrialisation. Calling upon industrialists to invest in the renewable energy sector, the minister said that while the price of solar energy has reduced over time, which is good news for the industries, there was need to further bring it down.
Speaking at the event, Minister for Industrial Development, Export & Investment Promotion and NRI, Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had changed the face as well as the fate of UP and the state is now known for its mega events such as the Global Investors Summit and MotoGP, which have pitchforked the state on the international map.
“This state has abundant natural resources, manpower and world class infrastructure for any industry to prosper and it is now addressed as the Express Pradesh, as it is home to almost 40% of the total expressways in India”, he added.
Stating that the state has one of the best industrial policy, apart from 25 sectoral policies, the Minister said that it is due to these futuristic policies that the state has attracted more than Rs 37.50 lakh crores investment during GIS, which has now become Rs 40 lakh crores.