Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday highlighted the transformation of the region into a major economic hub and said passenger flight operations from the Noida International Airport at Jewar would begin from June 15.

Addressing the '9 Years of Transforming Uttar Pradesh' conclave, Adityanath said the Jewar region, once infamous for crime, is now emerging as a global investment destination.

"India's biggest airport has come up there (Jewar), and from June 15 we are going to start flight services from there," he said.

Recently, IndiGo and Akasa Air unveiled their scheduled passenger flights operations from and to the Noida International Airport.

Calling Jewar the "jewel of India", the chief minister said major global companies were now investing in the region and that the country's first Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility and a major logistics hub are also being developed there.

Recalling Uttar Pradesh's condition before 2017, Adityanath said the state was reduced to a "BIMARU" state marked by riots, lawlessness, migration of traders, farmer suicides and collapse of traditional industries.

"There was no transparency, no policy and no intent. Mafia elements operated parallel to the government," he said.

The chief minister said after the BJP formed the government in Uttar Pradesh in 2017 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the administration focused on detailed planning and governance reforms.

He said for nearly a month after assuming office, he held meetings with ministers every evening to review departmental presentations and prepare action plans.

"At that time, we had no money. Even banks were unwilling to lend to us, and the treasury was nearly empty," he said, adding that the state's annual budget then was around Rs 2.5 lakh crore despite a population of around 20 crore.

Adityanath said his government decided to encourage industries through policy-driven incentives without discrimination or favouritism.

"We resolved not to allow nepotism, dynastic politics or regionalism to flourish in Uttar Pradesh," he said.

Highlighting infrastructure growth, the chief minister said Uttar Pradesh now accounted for nearly 60 per cent of the country's expressway network and had emerged as a leader in road, metro and railway infrastructure.

He cited projects such as the Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway and Ganga Expressway, calling them examples of the state's rapid transformation.

The chief minister said metro rail services are operational in seven cities of Uttar Pradesh and that India's first rapid rail corridor between Delhi and Meerut was also passing through the state.

He also referred to the inland waterway connectivity between Varanasi and Haldia and improved interstate connectivity with neighbouring states and Nepal.

On agriculture, Adityanath said the state had achieved an agricultural growth rate of 18 per cent through better seeds, irrigation facilities and access to technology.

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He said the government was providing free irrigation water across nearly 50 lakh hectares and assured procurement of produce at the minimum support price if farmers failed to get remunerative rates in the market.

The chief minister also spoke about India's historical economic strength. "When we stopped believing in our own resources and innovations and research activities weakened, we started declining," he said.