The state of Uttar Pradesh will be showcasing its business attractiveness, sectoral developmental growth journey and investment opportunities across key sectors like Food processing, Tourism, Textiles, MSMEs, Healthcare, Education and Start-up at the India Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai, as the state week commences from 10th to 23rd December 2021.
Shri Manish Chauhan, Director Industries, Government of Uttar Pradesh, in his welcome address, set the objectives of Uttar Pradesh’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai to showcase its growth story and explore areas of collaboration with our investor partners and the diaspora in the UAE. The state has seen tremendous improvement in infrastructure and business environment, under the visionary guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji and our dynamic Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath Ji, he further added.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath ji, through a video message kickstarted the proceedings at the inauguration of Uttar Pradesh floor at the India pavilion. He stated that ‘Uttar Pradesh is one of the biggest industrial market. Under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, by following the principle of ‘Reform-Perform-Transform’, the state has taken numerous initiatives to transform its industrial landscape.’
The state launched Nivesh Mitra; one of the largest single window system and sectoral policies, complimented by ideal law & order environment, which helped the state to achieve the 2nd rank in the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in 2019-20, in comparison to 14th rank in 2015-16. He further highlighted the vision & achievements of the state and said:
- Approximately INR 3.5 lakh crore worth of private investment actualized on-ground, as part of investment outreach
- Highest number of MSMEs in the country
- Launch of the One District One Product (ODOP) Scheme in 2018 to promote the indigenous craft of each district
- 4 functional expressways i.e. Yamuna Expressway, Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway and Delhi Meerut Expressway. The foundation laying for the Ganga Expressway; one the longest expressway in India, to be done by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 18th December 2021
- 10 airports, of which 3 international airports connected with 74 destination nationally & internationally, and upcoming 11 new airports
- To facilitate fluid local transport, Metro is operational in 4 cities of Uttar Pradesh
- 1st Inland Waterways from Haldia to Varanasi has already been inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister
- Greater Noida being a confluence point in the Eastern & Western Dedicated Freight Corridors providing opportunities to become logistics hub
- The defence corridor in Uttar Pradesh has led to surge in defence manufacturing, with Brahmos missile to be manufactured in Lucknow. In addition, Bharat Dynamics Ltd is investing in Jhansi and INR 12,000 crore worth of investment is realized in Aligarh nod of the defence corridor in Uttar Pradesh
- With 2 IITs, 1 IIM, ~700 engineering colleges, 4 engineering universities, ~2000 polytechnic institutes, ~3500 it is, Uttar Pradesh has sufficient skilled manpower to contribute to the industrial growth of the state
Concluding his address, Hon’ble Chief Minister said, ‘Despite highest population in India, the state’s effective Covid-19 management and vaccination of 17 crore population is indicator of the preparedness of the administration. He also highlighted the cultural richness of the state, birthplace of Lord Rama and Krishna, land of Lord Shiva and River Ganga, which continue to guide the people.’
Shri. K Kalimuthu, Consul (Economic, Trade & Commerce), in his address spoke about Uttar Pradesh being the land of varied cultures, highest registered MSMEs in India, ideal agro-climatic conditions, inspiring youth eager to contribute to the economic growth and nation building. He added, UAE & India had a trade of USD 60 billion pre-Covid and the recent economic partnership will further bolster the bilateral trade.
Hon’ble Cabinet Minister – NRI, MSME & Textile, Shri Siddharth Nath Singh, in his keynote address stated UAE being the 3rd largest trading partner and 9th largest FDI contributor to India, in infrastructure, power, tourism, metallurgical and services sector. Also, the large Indian community based in the UAE is a key contributor in the economic development. He highlighted the achievements of the state and performances indices as the testimony of the highly effective policy driven governance and business environment. Achievements include:
- 2nd rank on Government of India’s Ease of Doing Business ranking (BRAP 2019)
- 6th rank in India on Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index
- India’s largest digital single window clearance portal – Nivesh Mitra, providing 340+ services online including land allotment
- Exports growth by 36% (from ~US$ 17 Bn in 2017-18 to ~US$12 Bn in 2020-21
- Tag of ‘State of Expressways’, with recently inaugurated 340 Kms long Poorvanchal Expressway from Lucknow to Ghazipur and 290 Kms long Bundelkhand Expressway from Agra to Chitrakoot to be inaugurated within a month. 91 Kms long Gorakhpur Link Expressway from Azamgarh to Gorakhpur under construction and 600 kms long Ganga Expressway from Delhi NCR to Prayagraj under planning
- With upcoming 2 new international airports at Greater Noida (Jewar) and Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh will be India’s only state to have 5 international airports
- Zero tolerance policy towards violation of law & order
He further added the remarkable growth of the MSME sector in Uttar Pradesh. With ~9 million MSMEs, Uttar Pradesh is the hub of MSMEs in the country, contributing ~14% to the total MSME population in the country. He spoke about the new MSME Act which facilitates operations of MSME units within 72 hours of application, banks loan disbursement worth ~US$ 33 billion to state’s MSMEs, in the last four years (2017-18 to 2020-21) and the aspiration ‘One District One Product (ODOP) Programme’ to develop the indigenous craft & artisans of the state by creating an effective value chain, market linkages and export opportunities. In addition, he highlighted global private sector investment of over ~US$ 59 billion through MoU implementation and dedicated helpdesk, across sectors.
Concluding his address, he stated that Uttar Pradesh is one of the major suppliers of manpower to most of the gulf countries, including UAE. The NRI Department has taken steps like a dedicated recruitment agency – UPFC Overseas Manpower Recruitment Agency (OMRA), to help sourcing employees for potential employers aboard; hosting a ‘Migrant Resource Centre (MRC)’ at OMRA, which is committed to ensure safe and legal migration of UP labour; and setting up ‘UP NRI Grievance Redressal System (GRS)’, a single window to resolve all the issues faced by the diaspora.
Hon’ble Cabinet Minister – Industry Development, Shri Satish Mahana, in his keynote address spoke about UAE being the 3rd largest trading partner of India with total trade between estimated to be worth USD 43,302.53 million in FY21 and USD 39,638.51 million in FY22 (April-Sept). He added, ‘Indian investments in the UAE are estimated at around USD 85 billion. There are 4365 Indian companies, 238 commercial agencies and 4862 trademarks registered in the UAE, and the inward Indian FDI stock into the UAE amounted to USD 6.2 billion (2017).’
He further highlighted the remarkable industrial growth story of Uttar Pradesh. From bagging the 2nd position in India on Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ranking, to 6th rank on Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS), India’s largest digital single window portals – ‘Nivesh Mitra’, establishing itself as a ‘State of Expressways’, soon to become the only state in India with 5 international airports, India’s first inland waterway is coming up, connecting Prayagraj to Haldia port, upcoming ‘Multi Modal Logistics/Transport Hubs’ at Greater Noida and Varanasi, upcoming defence industrial corridor, India’s 3rd largest fabric producer, largest exporters of consumer electronics, stronghold in electronics manufacturing and IT/ITes space, contributing nearly 45 % of India’s total mobile manufacturing and is home to nearly 55% of India’s mobile component manufacturers, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed unprecedented comprehensive and inclusive development and emerged as the ‘India’s New Growth Engine.’
Closing his remarks, he focussed on the policy-oriented governance approach, adoption of ‘pro-industry’ policies and that led to investment of over ~US$ 59 billion/ Rs 4.41 lakh Cr through MoU implementation and dedicated Helpdesk. This includes investments intentions of ~USD 1 billion from ~10 countries, including Japan, US, UK, Canada, Germany & South Korea, which clearly positions Uttar Pradesh as the most preferred investment destination.
Concluding the inaugural session, Dr. Muthukumarasamy B – Special Secretary, Infrastructure & Industrial Development Department, he thanks the dignitaries and reiterated Uttar Pradesh’s precise and a clear roadmap on policy-oriented governance approach, which the global business community has acknowledged and invested in. He further invited the global investors community, NRI diaspora and participating country representatives to visit the Uttar Pradesh floor at the India Pavilion, and engage with the vibrant culture of Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh high-level delegation will be meetings potential investors and global companies to explore trade and investment opportunities for the state. The delegates from Uttar Pradesh will participate in incubator Meet & Mock Pitching Sessions, panel sessions on ‘India’s Strength in Education: STEM, Medicine and Business’ & ‘Liberal Arts Education in the making of a Global Citizen: The India Advantage’, industry visit to Allanasons Factory in Sharjah & DP World Jabel Ali Port, business meetings with industry associations (Dubai, Sarjah & Abu Dhabi) and many more business and cultural engagements.
