Rs 10 trn projects in UP: Urgent need to make farmers market-ready, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched over 14,000 private investment projects, valued at Rs 10 trillion, in Lucknow. He also emphasised the necessity of connecting agriculture with markets to bolster the rural economy.

Modi underscored the urgency of making farmers — particularly small-scale ones — “market-ready” and promoting farmer producer organisations (FPOs) for value addition to agriculture.

His remarks are particularly significant given the ongoing protests by Punjab farmers, who are demanding a law guaranteeing the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism. 

 “I suggest market players partner with farmers for mutual benefits,” said the PM, while addressing industrialists and investors on the occasion of the ground-breaking ceremony 4.0 (GBC 4.0).

Modi said investors should come forward to ensure that "Made in India" food packets reach the dining table in every country. "This is the right time for investment to help farmers in the packaging of their farm output and value addition, so that the produce reaches the international market," the prime minister said.

He emphasised the focus on natural farming and millets. “This is the right time for investment in superfoods like millets,” he said.

Modi also touched upon the conferring of the Bharat Ratna on the late Chaudhary Charan Singh, a venerated farmers' leader and former prime minister, and the ensuing uproar from Opposition parties, particularly the Congress. “Honouring Chaudhary Saheb, the son of the soil of Uttar Pradesh, is an honour for crores of farmers and labourers of the country. But unfortunately, the Congress and its allies do not understand this,” he said.

Meanwhile, the launch of the projects is expected to generate nearly 3.4 million jobs in Uttar Pradesh across different sectors. The majority of the projects — about 52 per cent — are located in Western UP, followed by 29 per cent in Purvanchal (Eastern UP), 14 per cent in Madhyanchal (Central UP), and 5 per cent in Bundelkhand.

“UP is determined to become a $1 trillion economy and I would urge other states to learn from UP and follow the same development template,” Modi added.

He recalled that 7-8 years ago, UP was notorious for its crime rate and riots, and the prospect of investment and industrial growth seemed bleak. “In the past 7 years, with the help of the ‘double engine’ government, UP has witnessed robust growth of its trade and industry,” he said.

Referring to his recent visit to the UAE and Qatar, Modi claimed that India has generated an unprecedented level of positivity among foreign nations. “The world community is sanguine about the India growth story,” he said, adding that today ‘Modi's guarantee’ is the buzzword all around owing to its assured delivery of people's welfare scheme.

 He defined real secularism as providing equal opportunities to all without discrimination and ensuring that government schemes benefit the poor and deprived sections of society.

The PM listed electric vehicles (EV) and solar power as the future growth potential sectors in India, especially UP.

 In his address, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the state was treading the path of fast socioeconomic development and a number of industry-related policies had been framed and amended.

 The GBC 4.0 kitty included projects related to housing, renewable energy, manufacturing, IT and IT-enabled services, logistics and warehousing, food processing, electronics manufacturing, education, etc.

 The GBC 4.0 is the follow-up to the UP Global Investors Summit (GIS) held in February 2023, where the state garnered more than 25,000 investment intents to the tune of Rs 40 trillion.

Later, addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of the Shri Kalki Dham temple Sambhal, Modi said, “the wheel of time” has turned for the country as it records many firsts and sets an example for the world and said that God has given him the duty to rebuild the “rashtra rupi mandir (the temple that is India)”.  

"When Lord Shri Ram ruled, his influence lasted for thousands of years. Similarly, with the enthronement of Ram Lalla, a new journey began for India for the next thousand years," he said.

With inputs from PTI