Uttar Pradesh Builds ₹36,000 Crore Ganga Expressway Without Loans, CM Highlights Fiscal Strength

Lucknow: Today, Uttar Pradesh has the capacity to complete even large infrastructure projects using its own financial resources. The nearly 600 km long Ganga Expressway, one of the longest in the country, has been constructed without taking loans from banks. More than ₹36,000 crore has been spent on it. Nine industrial and logistics hubs are being developed along the expressway, for which around 7,000 acres of additional land has been acquired.

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Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said this on Monday at a programme held at Lok Bhawan during the distribution of appointment letters.

He further said, “Including industrial clusters and logistics hubs, more than ₹42,000 crore has been spent on the entire project. Before 2017, this was not the situation. The state was considered ‘BIMARU’, and no bank or financial institution was willing to give loans. But now Uttar Pradesh is a revenue surplus state.”

Before addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister distributed appointment letters to 371 newly selected auditors for the Cooperative Societies and Panchayat Audit Department and 129 auditors for the Local Fund Audit Department.

Chief Minister stated, "When the government was formed in 2017, the treasury was empty. We had to fulfil our election promises, but no bank chairman or CMD was ready to take my calls. It meant no one wanted to lend to Uttar Pradesh. Such an image had been created. In that difficult phase, we decided to increase our own resources instead of depending on banks or financial institutions, strengthen financial discipline, and ensure better financial management. We proved it."

He added, if financial discipline had not been maintained and unnecessary loans taken, people of the state would have been burdened with heavy debt. The Finance Department, along with local and panchayat audit teams, worked as an internal unit to build a strong financial structure. As a result, the state not only became revenue surplus but also succeeded in tripling its economy, per capita income and budget.

He informed, "Later many banks and financial institutions showed interest in funding the Ganga Expressway, but the government made it clear that Uttar Pradesh is now capable of completing major projects on its own. The state has also reduced loans taken by previous governments."

Chief Minister said that Uttar Pradesh is now among the top three state economies in the country, whereas earlier it was among the bottom three.

He pointed out that the Jay Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) project in Lucknow, started before 2017, had an initial cost of ₹200 crore, which increased to ₹860 crore, yet the project remains incomplete. This is a serious example of financial indiscipline and mismanagement. It is misuse of public money and an insult to the name of a great personality.

He added that before 2017, "The state earned about ₹12,000 crore from excise, which has now increased to around ₹62,000-63,000 crore due to plugging leakages. These leakages were not technical but caused by misuse within the system."

Chief Minister also stated, financial discipline and effective management are the first conditions for becoming self-reliant. Village panchayats, municipal bodies, and district-level institutions form the foundation of development. To achieve a 'Viksit Uttar Pradesh', a strong financial system must be built at both rural and urban levels.

He stressed the importance of financial discipline in local bodies and said internal audit plays a key role. He also highlighted that none of the selected candidates were appointed through recommendations, reflecting transparency in recruitment.

He said that before 2017, paper leaks were common in medical, engineering and recruitment exams, and nepotism was widespread. More candidates were selected than available posts, leading to disputes and court cases, ultimately harming the youth.

He added that the current system ensures equal opportunity for all, regardless of religion, caste or region, and selection is based purely on merit. The government follows a policy of zero tolerance towards crime and corruption.

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Chief Minister stated, "Women’s participation in the state is increasing. Out of 371 selected candidates in cooperative and panchayat audit, 78 are women, and out of 129 selected in local fund audit, 25 are women."

He added that over 9 lakh government jobs have been provided so far, and appointment letters are being distributed regularly. This was the fourth or fifth such event in the past month.

He said government policies have generated employment for around 3 crore people in the MSME sector. Various schemes like Drone Didi, Lakhpati Didi, BC Sakhi, dairy initiatives, PM Startup, PM Stand-Up, and the Chief Minister’s Youth Entrepreneur Scheme are helping youth and women move forwar

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