Chief Minister at GCC Innovation Summit 2026 says target is to establish more than 500 Global Capability Centres by 2030-31
Before 2017, Uttar Pradesh was identified with unrest, anarchy and mafias; investors used to refuse to come to Lucknow
Investment proposals worth over ₹50 lakh crore received so far, projects worth ₹15 lakh crore have undergone ground-breaking, and projects worth ₹7.5 lakh crore are ready for the same
Government jobs provided to 10 lakh youth in nine and a half years, 36 sectoral policies, a 75,000-acre land bank and five international airports established: CM
Today, 25,000 startups and 96 lakh MSME units are operational in Uttar Pradesh: Chief Minister
People would laugh at some of the MoUs signed by the previous government; it did not even know the difference between the English ‘OR’ and the Hindi ‘aur’
Lucknow, October 2026 : Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “Those who used to ask what Uttar Pradesh stood for are now receiving an answer through the state’s progress and the pace of its development. Uttar Pradesh is a state of ‘unlimited potential’, with boundless possibilities, and is advancing rapidly in investment, infrastructure, technology, industry, employment and innovation. There was a time when investors refused to come to Lucknow, but the new Uttar Pradesh has received investment proposals worth over ₹50 lakh crore, of which projects worth ₹15 lakh crore have undergone ground-breaking, while proposals worth more than ₹7.5 lakh crore are ready for the same. The state has 36 sectoral policies, and the government’s objective is to make Uttar Pradesh a leading centre for GCCs, modern technology and high-skilled employment.”
The Chief Minister was addressing the GCC Innovation Summit 2026 in the state capital on Monday. He said, “Even the idea of holding a GCC summit in Lucknow would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. An investors’ summit was scheduled to be held in Uttar Pradesh in 2015-16, but not a single industry leader was willing to come to Lucknow. Investors refused to visit the city, citing its dangerous image. As a result, the summit to attract investment to Uttar Pradesh had to be organised at a five-star hotel in Delhi. At that time, the state was identified with unrest, anarchy, the dominance of mafias and policy paralysis. When individuals were not safe, how could capital be safe? This very state of inaction and disorder had turned Uttar Pradesh into a BIMARU state. There were no jobs for young people, traders had no security, women could not step out of their homes after sunset, and daughters could not go to school.”
Commenting on some MoUs signed by the government of that time, the Chief Minister said that people would laugh when they saw them. The government at the time could not even distinguish between the English word ‘OR’ and the Hindi word ‘aur’.
The Chief Minister stated that after the government was formed in 2017, the Minister for Industrial Development and the Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner met him to discuss preparations for the investors’ summit. When the officials proposed the name Global Investors Summit and an investment target of ₹20,000 crore, he asked why it was being called global when the target was so low.
He told the officials either to name it the Lucknow Investors Summit or set a target commensurate with global standards. The officials then asked who would invest in Uttar Pradesh.
The Chief Minister asked them to prepare first, formulate policies and build a land bank. He directed them to set the lower limit of the target at ₹2 lakh crore and begin preparations for roadshows. The first investors’ summit received investment proposals worth ₹4.65 lakh crore. Today, the state has received proposals worth over ₹50 lakh crore, ground-breaking has been completed for projects worth ₹15 lakh crore, and projects worth more than ₹7.5 lakh crore are ready.
The Chief Minister said, “Earlier, as soon as an advertisement for government jobs was issued, a stay order would be obtained from the court. However, over the past nine and a half years, 10 lakh young people have been provided with government jobs. Uttar Pradesh is now among the leading states in implementing schemes of the Government of India. Over the past 9 years, the state has succeeded in tripling its GSDP, per capita income, budget and women’s participation in the workforce. Uttar Pradesh is no longer a BIMARU state but a revenue-surplus state. Uttar Pradesh has the largest state budget in the country, with capital expenditure of more than ₹2 lakh crore being incurred on infrastructure.”
The Chief Minister added that before 2017, the state lacked roads, electricity, an industrial culture and essential infrastructure. Citing the example of his ashram, he said that earlier, ₹5 lakh had to be spent every month on diesel to ensure electricity supply. Now, electricity is available 24 hours a day, and the bill is approximately ₹2 lakh, resulting in savings of ₹3 lakh. He described this as an example of the transformation that has taken place across all 75 districts of the state.
He said, “60 percent of the country’s expressway network is in Uttar Pradesh. The state has the country’s largest railway network, metro operations in the highest number of cities, and a land bank of 75,000 acres. In 2017, only two international airports, in Lucknow and Varanasi, were fully operational, whereas today, 5 international and 17 domestic airports are operational. The state also has inland waterways, the country’s first rapid rail service and more than 8,000 higher education institutions. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has risen from the ‘Fragile Five’ to become one of the world’s top 5 economies, and Uttar Pradesh, too, has moved from being among the country’s three most backward states to being among its top three states.”
The Chief Minister said, “A system has been developed in Uttar Pradesh to fulfil the commitments made to investors. Industrialists are now called and informed that their incentives are ready and the amount has been transferred to their accounts. Earlier, investors had to make repeated visits to government offices, but single-window clearance is now available. The pace at which Digital India, Skill India, Make in India, the Semiconductor Mission and the AI Mission have been advanced under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi would have been unimaginable before 2014. India has established itself as the GCC capital of the world, and, according to his assessment, every second GCC company is operating in India.”
The Chief Minister stated, “Engineering, technical and industrial education has expanded in Uttar Pradesh. The state is producing two lakh STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) graduates annually, and young people are being connected with skills, innovation and technology to create an industry-ready and future-technology-ready workforce. Centres of Excellence are being established for research and development in AI, machine learning, cloud computing, 3D printing, robotics, data analytics, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things, drone technology and green hydrogen. Software Technology Parks are also being expanded.”
CM Yogi said that before 2017, there were only 120 startups in the state, a number that has now increased to 25,000. Referring to the development of Noida and Greater Noida, he criticised the previous government, saying that the then Chief Minister did not visit these areas because of superstition. He had less faith in God and greater faith in the chair. Today, Noida and Greater Noida have become hubs for IT, electronics, mobile manufacturing and the services sector.
The Chief Minister added, “A land bank of 25,000 hectares is available in the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) area. The region, which was known for shootings and crime in 2014-15, is now witnessing industrial development.”
He further added that Noida International Airport has been named ‘Narendra Modi International Airport, Noida, Jewar’, as it was based on Prime Minister Modi’s vision. Before 2017, people in this area could venture outside only between sunrise and sunset, and development was the only way to bring people out of such disorder. Today, Film City, Toy Park, Apparel Park, Medical Device Park, MSME Park, Data Centre Park, Handicraft Park and a logistics hub are being developed in the YEIDA area. Work has also commenced on North India’s first semiconductor chip manufacturing unit. Uttar Pradesh has become an achiever state in Ease of Doing Business and has secured first place in the country in the Deregulation 1.0 ranking.
The Chief Minister said, “Defence manufacturing corridors are being developed in Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Aligarh and Chitrakoot. The Prime Minister had announced this during the first investors’ summit. Before 2017, the state was in a situation of ‘one district, one mafia’, and its production capacity was limited to manufacturing country-made pistols and bombs. Today, the same Uttar Pradesh is becoming a major centre for defence production.”
Referring to Operation Sindoor, the Chief Minister informed, “Three days after a BrahMos missile was launched in Lucknow, the same missile was fired inside Pakistan. During the COVID period, when the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) proposed the BrahMos project, Uttar Pradesh decided to provide land free of cost, placing the country’s security above all else.” He also stipulated to DRDO that campus recruitment be conducted at institutions in the state. This condition was accepted, and selections were made through AKTU.
The Chief Minister said, “At the time of the inauguration, he saw 500 young engineers who had studied at ITIs, polytechnics and engineering institutions and were now associated with BrahMos missile manufacturing in Lucknow. The state has received investment proposals worth ₹35,000 crore in the defence manufacturing sector. In addition, 27 Integrated Manufacturing and Logistics Clusters are being developed.”
He said that before 2017, the MSME sector in Uttar Pradesh had become almost defunct. Through the ‘One District, One Product’ (ODOP) initiative, the government gave local products a brand identity and sought to connect artisans and small business owners with markets. Today, 96 lakh MSME units are operational in the state, employing more than 3 crore 25 lakh people.
Referring to workers and artisans returning during the COVID period, the Chief Minister stated that when he was asked why these people were being brought back and what would be done for them, he replied that they were the people of UP, that returning to their state was their right, and that bringing them back was his responsibility. The people of Uttar Pradesh should receive respect and opportunities in their own state.
The Chief Minister stated, “This land has been blessed by nature and the Almighty since ancient times. On the land of Uttar Pradesh, blessed by Mother Ganga and Mother Yamuna, Lord Shri Ram was born and brought the concept of Ram Rajya to life, and the sacred birthplace of Shri Krishna is also located here. At Naimisharanya, approximately 70 kilometres from Lucknow, 88,000 scholars and sages documented the heritage of Vedic knowledge nearly 3,000 years ago, which exists today in the form of the Puranas. Around 5,000 years ago, the Shrimad Bhagavata Mahapurana was also recited on this very land to understand the soul, the purpose of life and the mysteries of birth and death.”
He further informed, “The Kumbh held in Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik-Trimbakeshwar and Ujjain has not merely been a religious gathering but has also served as a centre for knowledge and science, innovation, research and development, and the exchange of ideas. Prayagraj has been renowned worldwide as the land of the Maha Kumbh, while Kashi has been celebrated as a repository of knowledge. Efforts are now being made to carry this tradition forward in the modern form of GCCs.”
Referring to the principle of the Indian knowledge tradition, “Aano Bhadraah Kratavo Yantu Vishwatah” (Let noble thoughts come to us from all directions), the CM said that pathways to knowledge should remain open from every direction. India has never claimed that it alone possesses the truth and that everything else is false. Centres such as Takshashila, Nalanda, Kashi, Navadwip, Avantika, that is, Ujjain, and Kanchipuram accorded respect to the tradition of knowledge. In ancient India, scholars and kings from North India received recognition from Kashi, those from eastern India from Navadwip, those from central India from Ujjain, and scholars from South India from Kanchipuram.
Welcoming the industry representatives attending the GCC Summit, the Chief Minister said, “Uttar Pradesh must once again become a leading centre of this modern knowledge system.”
On the occasion, Minister for Industrial Development Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, Minister of State Jaswant Singh Saini, Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner Deepak Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary for Infrastructure and Industrial Development Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary for IT/Electronics Alok Kumar, Director of IIT Kanpur Prof. Manindra Agrawal, and other industry leaders were present.
