UP Global Investors’ Summit prove ‘game changer' for employment generation & economic progress of minorities.....by MP Satnam Singh Sandhu

Minorities gain from Uttar Pradesh’ s rapid transformation with record investments & employment opportunities

Chandigarh: The transformation of Uttar Pradesh, from a ‘Bimaru Pradesh’ to a formidable economic force in the country, marks a new chapter in India’s journey to become a developed nation by 2047.

Thanks to the double engine government, Uttar Pradesh’s total GDP has surged to approximately Rs 25 lakh crore today as compared to Rs 12 to 13 lakh crore in 2017, a remarkably feat in just seven years that previously took 70 years to accomplish.

With strong law and order system, the double engine government also achieved success in transforming Uttar Pradesh into a revenue-surplus state and substantially increased the per capita income of UP from Rs 52,670 in 2017 to Rs 83,570 in 2023.

With creation of new employment opportunities and a new environment for industrial investment due to massive improvements in in every field from electricity to connectivity, the state’s unemployment rate has come down from 19.2 % in 2017 to 2.4 %.

No surprise, minority communities - who form about 20 % of the state’s total population - are not untouched by the unforeseen development witnessed by Uttar Pradesh with the double engine governments in the State and Centre since 2017.

UP Global Investors’ Summits

Mobilising private investment is imperative for economic growth and development. And the UP Investors Summits have proved instrumental in propelling the state’s growth trajectory.

In indication of the Uttar Pradesh’s rapid transformation as an attractive investment avenue since 2017, while the UP Investors Summit 2018 led to generation of investment intents worth more than Rs. 4.28 lakh crores across sectors, 18,643 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) for investment proposals worth Rs 40 lakh crore were signed during the UP Global Investors Summit-2023.

As these massive investment proposals will provide employment to 1.10 crore youths by turning the state into a Startup and manufacturing hub, big number of youth belonging to minorities - who form 20 % of Uttar Pradesh’s total population - will undoubtedly have a brighter future free from the clutches of poverty and deprivation continuing for decades in state’s most backward regions.

The area-wise break up of investment proposals at UP Global Investors Summit-2023 shows Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) district got 27 per cent (Rs 7.85 lakh crore) of the total investment intents, Agra 8 per cent (Rs 2.1 lakh crore), Ghaziabad 3.66 per cent (Rs 1 lakh crore), and Aligarh 1.65 per cent (Rs 47,000 crore). Other districts that contributed to Purvanchal rising share were Sonbhadra, which got 2.57 per cent of the intents (Rs 74,000 crore), Mirzapur 2.21 per cent (Rs 64,000 crore), Prayagraj (Rs 53,000 crore), Ayodhya and Jaunpur about Rs 45,000 crore investment intents each.

As these districts have lakhs of minority community members, they can look forward to unprecedented rise in employment and business opportunities in Renewable Energy, Industrial Parks, Higher Education, Manufacturing, Logistics & Warehousing, Real Estate, IT-enabled services and tourism.

Boost to Textile Sector 

As per rough estimates, Muslims comprise 80 % of the Uttar Pradesh’s hardworking weavers and skilled workforce which has made the state third highest fabric-producer in the country with 13.24% of the national production. Export of textile and apparel from Uttar Pradesh was valued at around Rs 20,500 Crore in 2021-22 (including carpets and other textile floor coverings).

In view of this, the government has also created a big platform to employ the state’s youths (read mostly belonging to the minority community) in the textile sector with 1,092 proposals were received through Global Investors Summit-2023 for an investment of ₹54,710 crore in textile sector which will lead to the creation of five lakh new job opportunities in spinning, weaving, clothing industry, and packaging means improved economic prospects for Muslims, who form over 19 % of the state’s total population, in the textile sector. 

Religious tourism UP’s new driver for employment and growth

With beautification major religious destinations, UP has effectively got a new driver for investment, employment, growth and income. Tourism is regarded as multi-segmented industry, therefore provides different types of jobs like hotel managers, receptionists, guides, tour operators, travel agents, photographers and many other jobs which are required to strengthen the tourism.

And Uttar Pradesh’s rise as a top tourism destination means a ‘win win situation’ for all communities as employment elasticity of growth is high in the sector as it uses more people for every unit of investment.

 Out of about 25 crore tourists who visited the state in 2022, 24.83 crore were domestic tourists which indicates how tourism, religious tourism in particular, could ramp up revenue generation and job creation for youth of all communities.

Empowerment of minority communities

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream to ensure holy “Quran’ in one hand and computer in the other hand of Muslim children, concrete steps have been taken to achieve this goal and bring the backward among Muslims, who are the largest religious minority in UP, to the mainstream.

PM Modi has worked on every area to take care of it. In order to raise the status of minorities in UP, the Central Government has issued scholarships to more than 36 lakh minority children for good education during the last 6 years.

Companies are continuously investing in UP and they will need children with more skills. For this, an effort has also been made to provide jobs to minority youth with good skills in the state. 

Around 1.05 crore people in UP have benefited from the PM Modi government’s flagship Mudra scheme since 2020 means youth of all communities are becoming entrepreneurs.

The allocation of Rs 1 lakh each for madrassas to set up computer labs and provision of Rs 681 lakh for the construction of hostels and school buildings in the financial year 2023-2024 for the minority institutions show government’s efforts to empower youth of minority communities in Uttar Pradesh with technical skills to make use of the opportunities. 

The increased revenue from the recent growth in various sectors is helping the government is focussing on minority-dominated areas for infrastructure development by taking up projects for schools, hostels, health facilities and construction of additional classrooms at industrial institutes.

Education for shaping future

In the UP Global Investors Summit-2023, higher Education got proposals worth Rs 2.57 lakh crore as the government has identified education as a medium to shape the future for all specially minorities. 

The government has already made rapid strides in the field by making medical colleges operational in 45 districts as compared to just 12 in 2017.

Even more, 16 more medical colleges are under construction and 16 more medical colleges are being established on PPP mode. This apart, besides 22 state and three central universities, 36 private universities, two AIIMS, two IITs and IIMs are operational now. Over 2000 polytechnic and vocational institutes are also operating.

Despite this, there are still many districts where no universities are functional and the government is on way to make the state an education hub by setting up world class universities in unserved districts with active participation of the private sector.

 Socially backward minority communities are going to benefit the most of this massive expansion in the education sector.As part of the State Skill Development Fund, government has created a Top-up fund to meet additional fund requirements (top-up) training of educated youth in order to improve their employability. 

Minority community youth are being given 20 % seats in the programme for skill development which aims for 60 % placement.

While young entrepreneurs of minority community are also benefitting from the scheme for interest-free loans which are being provided to unlock the huge potential for start-ups. 

As 56% population of the state is of working age group, the Rs 1000 Crore Uttar Pradesh StartUps fund is also going a long way in encouraging the youth of all communities to turn job creators. Job fairs in minority dominated areas have also opened door of big companies to minority community youths.

The government has made 25 sectoral policies for the Ease of Doing Business which is attracting entrepreneurs to invest in Uttar Pradesh. This will create lakhs of jobs for the youngsters of the minority community. 

‘One District, One Product’: A Game-Changer

Even more, the UP government’s highly appreciated ‘One District, One Product’ (ODOP) programme has proved a game changer for promotion of indigenous and specialized products and crafts, largely associated with the minorities, like the ancient and nutritious 'Kala namak' rice, the rare and intriguing wheat-stalk craft, world-famous chikankari and zari-zardozi work on clothes, and the intricate and stunning horn and bone work that uses the remains of dead animals, a nature-friendly replacement for ivory.

With young entrepreneurs getting a boost, the significant growth in exports of ODOP, products from Rs 86 thousand crores in 2017 to Rs 2 lakh crore now, has resulted increase in employment opportunities for all communities specially Muslims who have traditionally dominated in artisan and manufacturing roles.

As a result, traditional craftsmen, artisans, and young entrepreneurs from the minority communities, who were once disappointed due to lack of encouragement and suitable platform, now have enthusiasm on their faces as ODOP scheme has given a much needed push.No surprise, the state is currently home to 96 lakh thriving MSME units, contributing not only to substantial employment opportunities but also establishing Uttar Pradesh as a vibrant export hub.

Platform for inclusive development 

Following PM Modi’s mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,”, the government has worked sincerely for every section’s development without any discrimination. 

The fact that 5.5 crore individuals in the state have been uplifted out of poverty since 2017, no one can deny that a big chunk of these poor are minorities who otherwise remained just ‘vote bank’ and largely remained untouched by development initiatives in the past.

The transformation of the state has already laid a platform for the minorities to benefit from the rapid development of Uttar Pradesh with significant work in various sectors including infrastructure development, industrialization, poverty alleviation and planned urbanisation. All this augurs well for all in Uttar Pradesh and minorities in the state await a brighter future sooner than later. 

February 20, 2024