24-hour debate begins in state assembly, govt asserts Uttar Pradesh will propel Viksit Bharat goal
Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna opened the discussion that will continue till Thursday noon.
GSDP has crossed ₹29.78 lakh crore: Khanna
'Till 2017, the GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) was only ₹12.71 lakh crore, the per capita income of the state was much below the national income. The state's share in investment was minimal, it was at 14th place in the ease of doing business. The turning point came in 2014 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Yogi Adityanath in 2017 in UP. Transparency, an investment-friendly environment changed the picture in just eight years,' Khanna said.
'In 2025-26, the state's GSDP has crossed the figure of ₹29.78 lakh crore and now the target is to take it to more than ₹40 lakh crore.At present, per capita income has more than doubled after 50 years as compared to 2016-17,' he added.
Long-term vision need of the hour: Mahana
State assembly speaker Satish Mahana said that there was a need to think and plan keeping in view the future.
'There are short-term schemes that give immediate relief but not in the long term. So it is important to plan long term. The prime minister gave a vision for India after 100 years of independence and expected all states to plan. The UP CM and the state government also decided to conduct a debate in the House on it.'
'After debate in the House, it will be taken to the people and then a final vision document will be tabled in the legislative assembly. What we can achieve for the development of the state, youth, farmers shall be discussed,' Mahana said.
Khanna said in consonance with the Central government's vision for 2047, it is necessary for the state government to prepare a vision for the same year.
In 1960-61, Uttar Pradesh's contribution to the country's economy was 14.4%, which was the highest in the country. In 2024-25, this contribution decreased to 9%. To make UP the most developed economy of the country again, the contribution of the state to the country's economy will have to be increased to more than 14%. The per capita income of the state in the financial year 2023-24 was 50.8% of the national average, which is targeted to be increased to 13% above the national average by 2047, the minister said.
'Zero poverty campaign has been started in the state to make the entire state completely poverty free by 2047. A network of expressways and airports has been laid in the state and simultaneously defence corridor and industrial corridor are being developed,' Khanna said.
'At present, the state's own tax revenue is about 40% of the revenue receipts, which will have to be increased to more than 60%,' he said.
The state government has mapped all the SDG (sustainable development) goals related to Uttar Pradesh in the state budget. The economy is estimated to grow from Rs. 12.71 lakh crore in 2017 to ₹35 lakh crore in 2025, showing a growth of 175% in eight years. The state's own tax revenue was ₹85,966 crore in the financial year 2016-17, while, as per the provisional data for the financial year 2024-25, it has increased to Rs. 2,12,615 crore. Thus, the tax revenue of the state has increased by 147%.
The budget size of the state was ₹3,46,935 crore in the financial year 2016-17, which increased to ₹8,08,736 crore in 2025-26, a growth of 133% .
Capital outlay was ₹69,789 crore in 2016-17. According to the provisional data for 2024-25, it has increased by 63% to ₹1,14,000 crore, according to the state government.
The revenue receipts of the state were ₹2,56,875 crore in 2016-17. As per the provisional figures for the financial year 2024-25, it has grown by 96% to ₹5,03,562 crore.
From disarray to development: Pathak
Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak said that before 2017, UP's infrastructure and law and order were in disarray, with serious crimes enjoying political protection. Today, the state boasts of the most expressways in the country, four-lane road links to all 75 districts, and improved power supply across all regions compared to earlier.
'Uttar Pradesh is number one in the country in terms of wheat, milk, and sugar production,' Pathak stated.
No longer BIMARU: Swatantra Dev Singh
Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh said that before 2017, UP was seen as a BIMARU state, but today it has won the 'Rashtriya Jal Puraskar'. He noted that irrigation now covers 1.04 crore hectares via 76,527 km of canals, the Ken-Betwa link project has begun for Bundelkhand, and flood protection spans 523 embankments. With eight major and 58 minor rivers stretching 15,225 km, plans include dam modernisation, flood forecasting, pollution-free rivers, and large-scale canal-side tree plantations.
State now meets peak demand of
32,000 mw: Energy minister
Urban development and energy minister A.K. Sharma said UP is swiftly working to realize the PM's vision of a developed India. Citing the poor pre-2017 power situation, he noted that many villages lacked poles and wires and billing was marred by scams, whereas the state now meets a peak demand of 32,000 megawatt (mw), up from 13,000 mw in 2012–17.
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