Anarchy, Mafia rule no longer UP's identity, says Yogi Adityanath, hails Bhadohi's carpet exports

Bhadohi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that before he came to power in 2017, the state was notorious for anarchy and mafia rule, and its artisans were handicapped by policy paralysis.

Addressing the golden jubilee edition of the International Carpet Fair at the Carpet Expo Mart here, Adityanath said the state was by then reduced to a "BIMARU" economy because of governments with a "BIMARU mentality", bereft of security, infrastructure, technology, and markets.

"Before 2017, there was anarchy, mafia rule, hooliganism, curfew and riots. There was policy paralysis, no market facilities, no technology and no government support. Artisans did not even get electricity and roads, and security was inadequate," he said.


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The chief minister said the situation forced weavers and handicraft workers to migrate in search of livelihood, while those who stayed back suffered in the absence of a secure environment.

"When there is no security, an artisan cannot get work, no business can flourish, and neither domestic nor foreign buyers will come," he said.

Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh today has no riots or curfews.

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"No mafia can now openly threaten people by waving a pistol...Today you have technology, designs, markets, connectivity and security," he said.

The chief minister said the state has received investment proposals worth Rs 50 lakh crore, of which projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore had already undergone groundbreaking ceremonies, while another Rs 7.5 lakh crore was expected to be launched soon.

He said UP now accounted for 60 per cent of the country's expressway network and has the most airports.

Adityanath credited the government's One District One Product (ODOP) initiative with helping revive Bhadohi's traditional carpet industry.

Carpet manufacturing was identified as Bhadohi's ODOP, he said, helping artisans gain access to markets, designs and government support.

The BJP leader said that the Sant Ravidas Nagar-Mirzapur-Varanasi silk and carpet cluster has generated business worth around Rs 6,100 crore, and the state's economy has grown more than threefold since 2017.

He said that UP has the country's largest MSME base, with around 96 lakh units, and the government provides each unit with a Rs 5 lakh insurance cover.

He said more than 60 per cent of India's carpet exports came from the Sant Ravidas Nagar-Mirzapur-Varanasi cluster.

Bhadohi alone has around 2,500 MSME units with an annual turnover of Rs 10,000 crore and provides direct employment to more than five lakh people, he said.

Adityanath said that the 50th edition of the carpet fair brought together more than 227 exhibitors and over 450 foreign buyers from 65 countries.

He said the Carpet Expo Mart was the result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of providing artisans with technology, designs and markets.

The chief minister also highlighted improved connectivity, saying the upcoming expansion of the Ganga Expressway and the Vindhya Expressway will give faster access from Bhadohi to Noida International Airport, and thus to global markets.

"Uttar Pradesh is no longer BIMARU. Our artisans are not migrating; they have got a platform in their own soil to showcase their skills," Adityanath said.

Earlier, in a post on X, Adityanath said UP is now the country's fifth-largest exporting state, with Bhadohi's carpets making a major contribution.

The state's exports have increased by nearly 2.27 times in the last 10 years and have crossed Rs 2 lakh crore, he said.

Adityanath said that today, under the "double-engine government," Bhadohi's craftsmanship is being connected with development and the global market.