Going by the result of Lok Sabha polls and subsequently in state assemblies, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has realized that he could take on BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi only on the basis of development agenda. He knows that it will be difficult to beat the BJP on any other agenda since BJP is making development6 as the major plank of its election campaign. Since the caste issue may not click like before, the chief minister is making all efforts to speed up the development programmes in Uttar Pradesh.

Akhilesh Yadav government is holding dialogues with top business families of the country and abroad to invite investment in the state. There have been series of meetings with representatives of corporate sectors in Lucknow, Agra, New Delhi and Mumbai.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav received business delegations from several countries including USA and invited them to make investment in the state and assured proper climate and bureaucratic assistance.

Recently chief secretary Alok Ranjan announced that state government had received proposals worth Rs 8700 crores since Akhilesh Yadav was installed as chief minister. the state government is also working to provide incentives to nine megaprojects with Rs. 250 crore to Rs. 500 crore each

The chief secretary also informed that besides these investments, Rs 1492 crore has already been invested in 96041 micro, small and medium industrial units creating over 7 lakhs direct and 1.49 lakhs indirect jobs.

The chief secretary also informed that state government had signed MOUs worth Rs 4200 crores with 20 investors who would set up as many as 22 industrial projects. Significantly, the companies who signed MOUs include Reliance, ITC, GAIL, G. P. Goenka Amity, JPL agro and others.

Amul milk plants is also setting up its plants in Lucknow and Kanpur while two leather parks with the investment of Rs 2000 crores each were coming up in Sandila (Hardoi) and Rasaipur in (Kanpur). Allahabad is also being developed as smart city. The state government has also announced expressway between Lucknow and Agra which will be the longest highway in the country.

In order to capitalize on the success of the Lucknow-Agra Express highway, Samajwadi party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav asked the government to ensure that project was completed much before 2017 Lok Sabha polls.

At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting so many countries and meeting NRIs to make investment in the country, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has also set up separate department to look into the issues of NRIs and attract NRI investment in the state.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also announced that the state government would hold NRI Diwas at Agra on January 17, 2015.

In order to establish direct links with NRI, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that all people of UP origin living abroad would be given NRI card.

NRI card would be generated when any NRI hit the website inaugurated by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. UP NRI card will take care of problems being faced by NRIs in the state.

Advisor NRI department and externally aided projects, Mr Madhukar Jaitley informed that within 24 hour of launch of the website, 20,000 hits from people from UP living abroad were reported.

Madhukar Jaitley who recently visited US and other countries to interact with NRIs informed that NRI enquirers were from US, Japan, France, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, England, Qatar, Oman, Australia, Norway, Bahrain, Canada, South Korea, Angola, Netherland, Dubai and Nigeria. (IPA)