SUMMITS GALORE

As India sets its eyes on a developed country tag by 2047, there is a scramble among states to host investor meets to attract to fuel the ambitious growth targets

- Tarannum Manjul investments

IN HIS ADDRESS at the UP Global Investors Summit on February 10 in Lucknow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also an MP from Varanasi, showcased the state of Uttar Pradesh like very few could have. The PM said that the state had a very strong network of MSMEs where industries are linked to tradition and modernity, as he talked about Bhadohi carpets and Banarasi silk. He cited a success story from contemporary India. “Today, more than 60 per cent of mobile manufacturing in India happens in Uttar Pradesh alone. Maximum manufacturing of mobile components is also done in UP,” he said.

Indeed, Uttar Pradesh has come a long way from being castigated as a BIMARU state. The recently-held UP Global Investors Summit, that attracted investments worth Rs 35 lakh crore - much more than the initial target of Rs 10 lakh crore – did the state a world of good in achieving an image overhaul.

That “UP means business” was evident at the meet as industry captains right from Mukesh Ambani, K. M. Birla to N. Chandrasekaran, among others, spoke in glowing terms about the “enormous potential that the state has”. Not surprisingly, the Yogi Adityanath government is taking success stories from the state like “One District, One Product”, popularly known as ODOP, far and wide.