From Policing to Policy: How Yogi Adityanath Made UP India’s Safest Bet for Business

Uttar Pradesh has firmly established itself as India’s safest investment destination, thanks to its strategic policy reforms and significant improvements in security measures, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the FICCI National Executive Council Meeting held in the state capital.

"The safest investment destination today can only be Uttar Pradesh," CM Adityanath emphasized, addressing industry leaders from across the nation and shedding light on the remarkable transformation of the most populous state in India.

The state's rapid development has been driven by what CM Adityanath described as a "double engine" approach, a coordinated effort between the state and central governments. This partnership has played a pivotal role in Uttar Pradesh's rise to become India's second-largest economy, with its GDP doubling over the past eight years, and per capita income reflecting similar growth.

Harsh Vardhan Agarwal, President of FICCI, praised Uttar Pradesh's "unprecedented" progress, citing major milestones such as the successful Mahakumbh and the transformation of Ayodhya. "From a robust law and order system to world-class infrastructure, expressways, and airports, the scale and speed of progress are unmatched," Agarwal remarked. He further added that the state’s ambition to reach a trillion-dollar economy in the next five to six years was both "bold and timely."

"Uttar Pradesh has emerged as India's growth engine in realizing the vision of a developed India," CM Adityanath stated, underscoring the state’s position as the nation’s fastest-growing region.

Infrastructure development has been a cornerstone of Uttar Pradesh's revival, now boasting 55 percent of India's expressways and the largest rail network in the country. The state is also developing a 30,000-acre land bank along these expressways, with 4,000 acres already earmarked for industrial growth.

Security concerns, once a significant obstacle for investors, have been thoroughly addressed. The state government has recruited and trained 60,200 police personnel—an unprecedented achievement, according to the Chief Minister—focusing on transparent recruitment processes and building capacity.

"When a businessman invests, they need assurance not only of their personal security but also the security of their capital. The government guarantees both," CM Adityanath stressed.

These reforms have yielded substantial results, with Uttar Pradesh attracting ₹1.5 trillion in investments over the past eight years. This fiscal year alone, the government has disbursed ₹40 billion in industrial incentives, more than the total incentives provided between 2017 and 2023.

The state's improved business environment is further evident in the establishment of 960,000 new MSME units. The government has streamlined regulatory processes with the implementation of a single-window platform, Nivesh Mitra, which provides access to over 500 services.

Investor sentiment has seen a remarkable shift. "The perception issues that once plagued Uttar Pradesh have been systematically addressed," CM Adityanath observed, drawing a parallel between the transformation witnessed during major religious events like the Mahakumbh and the overall improvement in governance.

Manoj Gupta, Chairman of FICCI Uttar Pradesh State Council, put forth two critical suggestions to further boost the state's industrial climate—activating waterways for cost-effective transportation and converting industrial land to freehold status. "Uttar Pradesh is a landlocked state, and entrepreneurs incur significant freight costs," Gupta noted, while applauding the launch of the Varanasi-Haldia waterway, a milestone that could reduce transportation costs by up to 90 percent.

Gupta also proposed converting industrial land from the current 99-year lease model to freehold status, which he believes could significantly increase the state's investment attractiveness. "If industrial land becomes freehold, the attraction for investment in Uttar Pradesh will multiply manifold," he said, stressing the importance of this move in helping the state capitalize on the shifting global manufacturing landscape as businesses look for alternatives to China.

CM Yogi Adityanath urged business leaders to capitalize on the ecosystem developed in Uttar Pradesh, asserting that investments in the state would play a crucial role in realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a self-reliant and developed India.

"Uttar Pradesh today has the highest growth rate, the largest MSME base, excellent land banks, and investor-friendly policies across 35 sectors," he concluded, inviting industry leaders to become part of "India's growth engine."

Anant Goenka, Senior Vice President of FICCI, also praised the state’s transformation under CM Adityanath’s leadership, calling Uttar Pradesh "the most desirable state to invest in" since 2017. He highlighted platforms like Nivesh Mitra and Nivesh Sarthi, which reflect a strong commitment to ease of doing business, transparency, and efficiency.

The session was moderated by Jyoti

Vij, Director General of FICCI.