Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country with a 200 million consumer base is contributing almost 8 percent to India’s GDP. Uttar Pradesh has been known as the most important state for deciding the political future of the Country. The State known for being a strong agrarian economy has progressed in Industrialization under the young and dynamic leadership of the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. He wants to chart a success story on the pillars of socio-economic development of the state with the right balance between Industrialization and human development.

In the last decade the State has evolved across sectors by providing growth-focused conducive economic environment. Hon’ble Chief Minister has geared up the Government machinery to make the State the “next Growth Frontier” by creating an investor friendly environment for sustainable economic growth. The State has prioritized sectors which are essential for its evolution to the next level. The Delhi Investors conclave organized by the Government of Uttar Pradesh where investments worth Rs 54,000 crore were committed by the Industry is a testimony of the trust in the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister.

Government spending on Infrastructure development in Uttar Pradesh on multiple flagship projects such as Metro rail in multiple cities, 6 Lane Lucknow-Agra Expressway Highway, Trans Ganga Project, Integrated townships, Leather parks, IT city, Agro Parks is evidence that the Government is aggressively focusing on progress as the foremost agenda of the State.

It is imperative to mention here that the 2 most important industrial corridors, the DMIC and ADKIC meet in Uttar Pradesh and provide connectivity of the landlocked state to vital ports of the country (Mumbai and Kolkata). The superior connectivity of the Industrial corridors will give high mileage in the industrial development of the State.

Hon’ble Chief Minister is focusing on developing the next generation Smart cities in Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi and Noida which would be transformational for the State.

As per a recent report by World Bank & CMIE, the state has been ranked as one of the top 5 states for Manufacturing in India with 8.3 percent of national manufacturing output in 2012-13. The state has huge availability of basic raw material used for handicraft manufacturing like wood, metal (silver, copper, brass and tin), paper, stone, cotton, silk and leather and has set-up 1,76,033 Industrial units (MSME and Heavy units) during the 11th Five Year Plan with a total investment of USD 9.07 billion.

Energy is another emerging sector of immense offerings both in renewable and non-renewable sectors. Uttar Pradesh intends to invest about USD 3.15 billion in transmission and USD 2.68 billion in the distribution sector. There is a strong focus of renewable energy in Uttar Pradesh in the 12th plan with an investment of 1.15 billion in power projects.

The state is now giving a big push to IT hardware and semiconductor manufacturing as one of the largest fab manufacturing facilities is coming up in the Noida/ Greater Noida region.

Apart from introducing a landmark Infrastructure and Industrial Investment Policy for multiple sectors, has also introduced key sector specific policies – providing a mix of attractive fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.

The state is moving forward with economic reforms that will make its growth sustainable and equitable. The motto of the leadership is Development and Care. Development means not only economic development, but also political, social, and above all, human development.

The Government is taking special care to distribute the fruits of development to all sections of society and is specifically implementing policies to help and assist the weaker sections, differently-abled sections and those side-lined so far.

The Diaspora’s contribution through philanthropy is well known. Today the face of philanthropy has changed and a new generation of social entrepreneurs has emerged driving innovations and transforming lives of others. Many of these change-makers are members of UP global diaspora, and the State Government has already taken some landmark initiatives to engage them for harnessing their knowledge, skills and global reach to dovetail the same in the developmental efforts of the State.

Government of Uttar Pradesh also envisions connecting with the UP diaspora. In its quest to connect with the UP Diaspora and engage them in the development journey of the State, Government recently transformed NRI cell to a full-fledged NRI department. State has also launched a dedicated UP NRI website (www.upnri.com) on November 30, 2014 to connect with the Indian diaspora.

The State is planning to celebrate the First NRI Divas in the historic city of AGRA between February 28 and March 1, 2015.