Manufacturing, tourism circuits to IT: Govt’s roadmap for $1-trillion economy goal by 2027

The state government, which is contemplating to hold a special Assembly session to hold discussion with the Opposition parties on the ambitious target, is likely to lay emphasis on four focus and five enabling sectors to double the state’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. The Opposition, particularly Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, has often cornered the Adityanath-led dispensation on the issue.
The four focus sectors are manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, information technology (IT), and IT-enabled services (ITeS).

The five enabling sectors have been identified as education, skill and labour, energy, urban development, infrastructure and health. The plan involves the development of new townships and promoting investments in green energy through the development of solar parks. It also includes interventions to boost investment in IT, artificial intelligence (AI), and aerospace.

Also, there will be an increased focus on the development of green energy transmission corridors and education townships to capitalise on existing educational institutions across the state.

Focus will also be on providing incentives like land banks or ‘raw material banks’ to leverage the state’s capability to become the “food basket” of India, especially in the dairy sector by promoting dairy FPOs (farmer producer organisations).

Besides, developing special tourism investment regions to capitalise on potential tourism destinations across the state is a key component of the roadmap.

Since the state has the largest number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country, the plan also includes providing market-based, technological and infrastructural interventions in the sector with a focus on dedicated ‘one-district, one-product’ stores and promoting the goods through e-commerce platforms besides promoting exports.

Another area of focus will be the development of cities like Gautambuddha Nagar, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Prayagraj into specialised IT, ITeS, and AI zones.

The construction and development of the Ram Temple, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, and other places of religious tourism will also be under focus.

To attract investments in the tourism sector, the government plans to develop Ramayana, Mahabharata, Sufi and Buddhism circuits with a focus on the “wellness tourism” sector.

In the agriculture and allied sectors, the plan is to support farming technologies, establish dairy FPOs, and develop sustainable models for cow shelters and poultry clusters.

The government also aims at promoting self-sufficiency in crops, especially pulses, oilseeds, and millets.
An education township to attract students from other states is likely to be proposed for Gorakhpur as well, officials said.

In the energy sector, the plan is to enhance a green energy transmission corridor. Providing land banks for solar cities, especially in land-surplus regions like Bundelkhand, is also in the pipeline. Identification of land for the purpose has already begun in Bundelkhandd, it is learnt.

In the urban infrastructure sector, there is a plan to develop new townships, waste management systems, and waste compost facilities in major cities.

Based on the existing infrastructure and economic environment, the government has identified nine economic clusters across the state.

While four of these clusters are in western UP comprising Gautambuddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, Agra, Aligarh, Mathura, Moradabad and Bareilly, the remaining five are in Lucknow, Kanpur, Unnao, Hardoi, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Jhansi, Chitrakoot and Prayagraj.