Monk who means business

In the political chronicles of Uttar Pradesh, few moments will resonate with as much symbolism and substance as the recent 24-hour marathon session of the Legislative Assembly. For the first time in the state’s history, elected representatives debated overnight, not on partisan lines but on a shared vision: Viksit Uttar Pradesh by 2047.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath didn’t merely table a vision document; he put forth a social contract backed by data, direction, and determination. His message was clear: this was not about politics, this was about purpose. From the prestigious role of Mahantor Chief Priest of Gorakhnath Math, Yogi Adityanath has emerged over the last eight years as a CEO-style administrator, armed with data, economic targets, and the ability to execute. This shift isn’t cosmetic; it represents the transformation of UP itself. Yogi’s address to the Vidhan Sabha was laced not just with vision but implementation, not just outlays but outcomes aimed at securing real Samajik Nyay, Sushasan and Sewa. Uttar Pradesh has made significant strides in p over tyre duction, contributing to India’s decade-long effort that lifted 171 million people out of extreme poverty (2011–2023).

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The state’s poverty rate has dropped, with rural extreme poverty falling from 18.4 per cent to 2.8 per cent and urban poverty from 10.7 to 1.1 per cent by 2022–23. The multidimensional poverty index (MPI) declined from 53.8 per cent (2005-06) to 15.5 per cent (2022–23). Initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, delivering over 56.80 lakh permanent homes since 2017 and 235 crore man-days of employment under MGNREGA have empowered marginalized communities. Over 10 million rural families have been integrated into self-help groups for livelihood s upport , and schemes li k e Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana and Ujjwala Yojana have provided financial aid and free LPG connections, narrowing the rural-urban poverty gap.

Health outcomes in Uttar Pradesh have improved significantly since 2017. Infant mortality rate dropped dramatically while life expectancy at birth has risen. During the Covid-19 pandemic, UP led India in vaccinations and upgraded healthcare infrastructure with new hospitals and oxygen plants. The state’s focus on public health, reflected in a 6 per cent budget allocation for health in 2025–26, has enhanced access to healthcare services. Uttar Pradesh today is India’s top producer of wheat, second-largest producer of rice, and a leader in sugarcane, mango and vegetable production.

Since 2017, the state has implemented transformative initiatives like the UP PRAGATI Accelerator, launched in 2022, which supports one million smallholder farmers through AI-driven precision agriculture tools like AI4Sugar and AI4Rice. These tools, integrating satellite imagery and weather forecasts, have helped 290,000 farmers adopt precision irrigation, saving 18-35 per cent water while boosting yields. Direct-seeded rice (DSR) adoption has surged 400 per cent from 2023 to 2024, covering 80,000 hectares and benefiting 200,000 farmers. Farmer welfare has been prioritized through Rs 36,000 crore in loan waivers and direct benefit transfers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, supporting over 2 crore farmers.

Electricity supply to farmers has improved from 6-8 hours (2012–2017) to over 22 hours with an 88 per cent subsidy, and 46 lakh farmers have benefited from 2.22 crore metric tonnes of crops purchased at MSP (2017-2025), compared to 94.4 lakh metric tonnes for 1.66 lakh farmers under the previous regime. From s e ve operational expressways and five more under construction to ten more in the pipeline, UP is building India’s largest expressway network , spanning over 3,200 km. Under Yogi’s leadership, capital expenditure has more than doubled from Rs 69,789 crore in 2017 to Rs 1,47,719 crore budgeted for 2025. Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a remarkable transformation in its aviation infrastructure since 2017, aligning with its economic and tourism ambitions. The state’s airport network has expanded significantly. Key developments include the operationalization of new airports in Ayodhya, Kushinagar and the near-completion of the Jewar International Airport, poised to be India’s largest and a major cargo and logistics hub for northern India . Kanpur and Prayagraj airports have seen modernized civil terminals, with Kanpur’s inauguration in 2023 marking a 150 per cent growth in UP’s aviation sector since 2017. Upcoming airports and heliports further enhance connectivity, boosting tourism, trade and economic growth in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

The GSDP growth rate tells its own story – from 5.5 per cent in 2017 to 8.9 per cent today. In fact, UP today boasts the second-largest state economy in India, contributing 9.2 per cent to national GDP. No transformation is possible without public safety. UP, once labelled as India’s ‘badlands’, has undergone a law – and – order revolution.

• According to N C R B data , incidents of dacoity have dropped by 77 per cent, murder by 20 per cent, and rape by 30 per cent between 2016 and 2023.

• T h e c r i me rate per lakh population has declined from 165.8 in 2016 to 103.6 in 2023.

• Conviction rates in heinous crimes have reached 76 per cent, one of the highest among major states.

• Over 68,000 criminals have been arrested under the Gangster Act, and assets worth over Rs 2,500 crore have been seized from mafia elements. So effective has been the government’s “zero -tolerance towards criminals” policy that even opposition voices have acknowledged it . During the 24-hour Assembly session, SP MLA Pooja Pal (subsequently sacked by Akhilesh Yadav) openly commended the law-and-order performance, a rare moment of bipartisan recognition in a state known for bitter political rivalries. Over the past seven years, UP has consistently broken records in terms of investment proposals and project implementation.

The UP Global Investors Summit witnessed over Rs 38 lakh crore worth of investment intents. While development is at the heart of the Yogi model, it hasn’t come at the cost of cultural roots. On the contrary, Sanatan Dharma and its civilizational values have been promoted with dignity and scale, turning heritage into a source of soft power and tourism-led growth. The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, completed under CM Yogi’s watch, has already placed the city on the global religious tourism map. Over 2 crore tourists visited Ayodhya in just the first few months after the temple’s consecration. Varanasi’s transformation under the Kashi V i s hwa n a t h Corridor and Mahakumbh has been nothing short of breathtaking. Yogi’s vision isn’t rooted just in tradition – it is tech-forward and future-proof.

• With ISRO, UP will soon launch its own satellite to support disaster management, agriculture, and weather tracking.

• The state is investing in AI parks, quantum computing clusters, blockchain pilot projects, and drone innovation hubs in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur and other tech partners.

• Over 2.3 lakh youth have been trained in future-skills through the CM Abhyudaya Yojana and Skill India Mission.

• Plans are in place for Renewable Energy Parks in Bundelkhand and Purvanchal, targeting 22 GW of clean energy by 2030. India’s 2047 goal to become a developed country cannot be achieved without UP achieving its own transformation. With a population of 25 crore, UP isn’t just India’s largest state; it’s a test case for India’s development model. The $1 trillion economy target is not just about scale, it’s about ambition. It’s about rewriting UP’s historical identity from a state of missed potential to one of delivered promises. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken the long road – from monk to moderniser. His roadmap is detailed, his deadlines are public and his energy is boundless. No wonder PM Modi once said “UP + Yogi hai bahut hai Upyogi”.

(The writer is national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party.)