Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday highlighted the state’s initiatives to create employment opportunities for young people, promote startups and strengthen industries while addressing the TOI Youth Icons Summit & Awards – UP Chapter in Lucknow.Thanking The Times of India for recognising young achievers, CM Yogi said, “I would like to thank The Times of India for honouring youth icons who have done something new in their respective fields.”Referring to the changes in Uttar Pradesh over the years, the chief minister said the state had previously faced several challenges, including security concerns, mafia activity and difficulties for girls in accessing education. He contrasted this with the state’s present focus on promoting products from individual districts.“Earlier, districts had mafias; now, we have the One District, One Product scheme,” he said, referring to the state’s initiative to promote distinctive products from each district.“Every district has a unique product that is gaining recognition both nationally and internationally, and lakhs of young people are getting employment opportunities,” he added.Highlighting the state’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, the CM Yogi said Uttar Pradesh had 96 lakh MSME units, with the state government providing each unit with insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh.“The MSME sector in Uttar Pradesh is providing direct employment to 3.25 crore people, creating a new story of self-reliance,” he said.Speaking about government jobs, the chief minister said appointment letters had been issued for 9.5 lakh government jobs over the past nine-and-a-half years. He said recruitment had been based on merit, without special references or discrimination.“In the next six months, I will provide another one lakh government jobs to the youth of Uttar Pradesh,” he said.CM Yogi also outlined the state’s plans for Agniveers after they complete four years of service under the scheme. He said the government had announced that they would have opportunities for direct recruitment in various state departments, including the police, fire services and forest department.The chief minister also highlighted employment opportunities for sportspersons, saying athletes who win medals for India would be eligible for government jobs in Uttar Pradesh.“Win a medal and get a post,” he said, referring to the policy while mentioning Prachi Chaudhary, Parul Chaudhary and Rajkumar Pal, who became deputy superintendents of police (DSPs).He added that nearly 1,400 athletes had received government job appointment letters in the state. The initiative, he said, was intended to provide athletes with a career pathway and allow them to focus on sports without worrying about their future employment.Highlighting the growth of the startup ecosystem, CM Yogi said Uttar Pradesh had moved from having 120 startups before 2017 to 25,000 currently, with lakhs of young people working in them.“The youth of Uttar Pradesh are no longer job seekers; they have become job creators,” he said, adding that the state government had established a Rs 1,000 crore fund to support startups.He also outlined plans to develop centres of excellence across the state, including a drone centre in Kanpur and a robotics centre in Noida. The government was also working towards developing centres of excellence for medical technology (MedTech) and deep technology (deep tech), he said.Under the CM Yuva Udyami Yojana, the state provides interest-free, collateral-free loans to one lakh young people every year, according to CM Yogi.“Among young people, the scheme is popularly known as CM YUVA. It is the government’s own Shark Tank,” he said.The chief minister also highlighted employment opportunities in defence manufacturing, recalling a proposal he received from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) during the 2020-21 Covid period to develop the BrahMos missile in Uttar Pradesh.He said the state offered free land in Lucknow and assured the organisation of the necessary facilities, while asking it to consider recruiting people from the state’s institutions.“Eventually, 500 young engineers were selected for defence manufacturing projects through campus recruitment conducted by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University,” he said.CM Yogi added that the state was developing hyperscale data centres and global capability centres, while work was also underway to develop Lucknow as an artificial intelligence (AI) city.Speaking about women’s participation in the workforce, the chief minister said the government had ensured that women could work safely during night shifts.He linked the expansion of employment opportunities for young people with the state’s economic growth and improvements in connectivity.The TOI Youth Icons Summit & Awards – UP Chapter brought together achievers, emerging leaders and influential voices to celebrate young Indians shaping the country’s future. The awards recognised outstanding achievers from Uttar Pradesh across categories including enterprise, sports, society, culture and social media.
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The summit also focused on Uttar Pradesh’s transformation over the years, including developments in employment opportunities, safety and connectivity, with an emphasis on young people whose ambition, ideas and achievements are shaping India’s future.
