Bringing good governance in UP

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is a state with a rich cultural heritage spanning centuries. From the confluence of major holy rivers to being the birthplace of Hindu Gods Lord Rama and Lord Krishna, UP is a hub of traditions and knowledge. A large number of revolutions and freedom fighters blew the trumpet against the backdrop of the Indian Freedom Struggle. Despite such a huge potential in the land and its potential, the state could not get out of the quagmire of caste, brotherhood, and nepotism after independence.

Records show a time when criminal incidents in UP made national news. Unfavorable conditions of industrial shutdowns, unemployment, and missed opportunities took over the state. In the data released by the NCRB in 2016, the state topped five criminal categories for the first time in UP's history. It is hard to forget the Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013 which killed 43 people. In 2013 alone, UP suffered 823 riots. 133 innocent people lost their lives in the riots while 2269 people were injured. A report tabled in the Assembly in 2016 by the Samajwadi Party government shows how helpless the police were due to a lack of fear among the criminals. The report, which is based on law and order, said that between 2012 and 2016, there were 1,044 cases of attacks on UP police. Even during Mayawati's five-year tenure, the police were not safe. There were 547 cases of attacks on police. 572 policemen were injured and 2 policemen were killed.

Amid these adverse circumstances, Yogi Adityanath took over as the Chief Minister of UP in 2017. The first major task in the hands of the Yogi government was to improve law and order situation and create a favorable business environment, reviving the economic prospects of the state. There was a time when goons attacked the police. And today, they use social media channels pleading for help from police encounters. The state of affairs has taken a turn under Yogi's good governance. As a result, only one riot case was registered in UP in which Yogi Adityanath showed determination to take action against the mafia. Assets worth 44 billion 59 crores of mafia and other criminals were demolished. 18 cases of identified mafias were lobbied and 11 mafias and 28 of their associates were sentenced to life imprisonment. Bahubali Mukhtar Ansari and Vijay Mishra, including 90 percent of the mafia, are currently in jail. What never happened in 44 years happened in 3 days in UP under Yogi Raj. Mukhtar Ansari, the notorious mafia boss, was convicted in two cases.

The Yogi government implemented police reforms in UP as their top priority. The police force was modernised with technological upgrades. All police stations have been equipped with cyber assistance desks today. This led to a reduction in the response time of UP helpline number 112 to about nine minutes. Before 2017, it took the police 38 minutes to get to the scene. The budget for state police was raised to Rs. 30,203 billion. There are now 133 postings and 244 police stations. 1,53,869 people have been hired during the past five and a half years at different positions in the UP Police. There is a 79.78 percent decrease in robbery, a 60.40 percent decrease in loot, a 32.88 percent decrease in murder, a 40 percent decrease in kidnapping for ransom, and a 22.64 percent decrease in rape in 2022.

On the economic front, UP was in a dire situation. UP's growth rate was 5.2 percent during the 10th Five-Year Plan. It was 5.9 percent in 2012-13 and fell to 5.1 percent in 2013-14. Investors were reluctant to invest in UP. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also acknowledged it. In his addresses, the CM mentioned several times that before 2017, traders were stopped, and goons extorted money from them. After the BJP government came to power in 2017, the situation changed.

There was a conducive environment for investment in UP. The UP government took several positive steps to win the trust of investors. Radical changes were made throughout the investment process. The state underwent a positive transformation in its power sector. Single window clearances were introduced for investors and it showed positive results in no time. Now UP is becoming a preferred choice for investors. This would also be confirmed by a recent report by ICICI. Investment in the country till September in the current fiscal year stood at Rs 2.1 lakh crore, the report said.

The government's share stood at Rs 12.3 lakh crore. Of this, Rs 7 lakh crore is from the Center and Rs 5.2 lakh crore is from the state governments. UP tops the list of states. In 2009, the investment in UP was Rs 24,535 crore, which has increased to Rs 70,197 crore at present. Investors preferred to invest in UP as compared to Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, and other states.

This investor confidence in UP did not grow suddenly. Yogi Adityanath had started making dedicated efforts in this direction from his first term itself. It can be understood through the Ease of Doing Business Ranking. In 2016, UP was ranked 14th in the Ease of Doing Business rankings. In 2019, it reached the second rank. UP topped the category of Women Entrepreneurs Startups. UP ranked first among the achievers' states in the Ease of Doing Business ranking released last year. UP is also the second largest contributor to India's GDP. UP's contribution to the country's GDP in 2020-2021 was Rs 19.48 lakh crore.