By Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state has undergone a major transformation over the past several years, moving from being described as a “BIMARU” state to becoming, in his words, a revenue-surplus state and one of the country’s growth engines. He made the remarks while addressing the concluding session of the two-day Prerna Vimarsh-2026 in Greater Noida.
Adityanath used the occasion to contrast his government’s record with previous administrations, alleging that corruption, nepotism and irregularities in recruitment had held Uttar Pradesh back in the past. He said his government’s focus on employment, investment, women’s participation and entrepreneurship was aimed at turning the state’s large young population into an economic strength.
A significant part of the chief minister’s address focused on women’s economic participation. He said 54,000 Banking Correspondent Sakhis are currently providing banking services in villages across Uttar Pradesh, helping extend formal financial services to rural communities.
Adityanath also cited the example of the Balinee Milk Producer Company in Jhansi. According to him, the organisation began in 2019 with just five women and now has around 62,000 women associated with it. He said the company has a turnover of ₹115 crore, with participating women earning between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000 a month.
The chief minister said similar milk producer groups are operating in Agra, Kashi, Gorakhpur and Lucknow, with around four lakh women associated with these organisations.
He also highlighted the increase in women’s representation in the Uttar Pradesh Police. Adityanath said the number of women personnel has risen from around 10,000 in 2017 to 44,000 currently and is expected to cross 50,000 within the next three to four months.
According to the chief minister, women’s participation in the state’s workforce has also risen from about 12% to 36-37%. He said the government’s new Digital Entrepreneurship scheme would focus on connecting and training women entrepreneurs across 4,000 of Uttar Pradesh’s 8,000 Nyaya Panchayats.
Turning to employment and investment, Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has one of India’s largest youth populations, with around 56% of its population comprising young people. He claimed that more than 9.5 lakh young people had received government jobs during the government’s nine-and-a-half-year tenure.
He further said around 3.25 crore young people are employed across 96 lakh MSME units in the state. Adityanath attributed the rise in investment proposals partly to improved security conditions, saying Uttar Pradesh has received proposals worth ₹50 lakh crore. Of that amount, he claimed, investments exceeding ₹15 lakh crore have already been realised on the ground, generating employment for more than 65 lakh people.
The chief minister also pointed to the expansion of Uttar Pradesh’s startup ecosystem. He said the state had fewer than 120 startups before 2017, while the number has now crossed 24,000. According to his claim, women operate around half of these startups.
Towards the end of his address, Adityanath urged young people to draw inspiration from India’s freedom fighters and national figures, naming Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Veer Savarkar.
His remarks at the Greater Noida event placed youth employment, women’s participation and entrepreneurship at the centre of the state government’s narrative about Uttar Pradesh’s economic transformation.
