UP and the building blocks model of Modi-Yogi

If UP can now accelerate its reform process and focus on education/health, it can speed ahead of other states.

- DHIRAJ NAYYAR

One in six persons in the world is an Indian. For that reason alone, India matters and will always matter for the entire world. One in six Indians lives in Uttar Pradesh. That is why what happens in that state will always hold significance for India. That it sends the maximum Members of Parliament to Delhi is important but not the entire story. The re-election of Yogi Adityanath-the first UP CM to be elected to two consecutive terms of five years-reveals a basic template on which India's economic future, particularly of its laggard regions, must be built.

Perhaps it is odd to mention Uttar Pradesh as any kind of model for economic governance. For long, the state was a symbol of all that is wrong with India, and not an example of how things can be done right. Because of its long history of backwardness, the state cannot yet claim to be winning any of the economic sweepstakes. But it is an example of why one should remain optimistic about the India story. Even the most damaged foundation can be repaired fairly quickly.