Culture of red tape replaced with red carpet for investors in UP: PM Modi

Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the culture of "red tape" has been replaced with the "red carpet" for investors in the seven years of the "double-engine" government in Uttar Pradesh.

In his address at a ground-breaking ceremony for projects worth more than Rs 10 lakh crore here, he said an environment of trade, development and trust has emerged in the state.

"Seven-to-eight years ago, one could not even think that such an environment of investment and jobs would be made in UP. Crime and riots were common then and no one would have even believed if anyone said that UP would be developed," he said, targeting earlier governments.

"It has been seven years since the double-engine government was formed in UP. In these years, UP has removed the red tape culture and replaced it with red carpet culture," he said.

He also took a swipe at the Congress, saying the party people believed that the members of only one family had the right over the Bharat Ratna and that is why their governments did not confer it on B R Ambedkar for decades.

Ambedkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, posthumously in 1990.

Modi said he had the honour to confer the award on former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, an iconic farmer leader hailing from Uttar Pradesh.

The prime minister also highlighted his government's measures for farmers.

He said the government will not give up until all 'labharthi' get benefits of various schemes.

Modi said that the BJP's "double-engine" government in Uttar Pradesh has shown that no one can prevent development from taking place if the intention is there.

"The exports from UP have doubled in the past years. UP has done commendable work in electricity production and transmission. UP is the state with the most number of expressways in the country," he said.

He said micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the strength behind "Viksit Uttar Pradesh" and they benefitted from schemes such as "One District, One Product" and Vishwakarma Scheme.

"In the last seven years, crime has reduced in UP and business culture has expanded. An environment of trade, development and trust has developed in UP in the last seven years," he said.

Prime Minister Modi launched 14,000 projects across the state worth more than Rs 10 lakh crore at the fourth ground-breaking ceremony here on Monday for investment proposals received during the UP Global Investors Summit.

The projects relate to sectors such as manufacturing, renewable energy, food processing, housing and real estate, hospitality and entertainment, and education.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also attended the event.

Several industrialists, representatives of top global and Indian companies, and many foreign envoys also attended the programme.