Gorakhpur: Stating that eastern UP’s youth had never lacked talent or hard work and what was missing was the right platform and opportunities, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said investments in Gorakhpur over the past nine years has generated employment for around 50,000 youths.He said the region’s growing role in healthcare, industry, tourism and infrastructure would be crucial to the state’s economic ambitions. The govt, he added, was creating avenues in education, employment, entrepreneurship and skill development.Addressing a conclave on “Changing Eastern Uttar Pradesh” in Gorakhpur, Yogi said around 56-60% of Uttar Pradesh’s population is young, making it home to India’s largest youth population. The govt, he said, was focusing on quality education, competitive exam preparation, technology-based skills, jobs and self-employment.He cited the migration of workers from eastern UP to countries such as Mauritius and Fiji, saying their descendants had gone on to hold leadership positions in several countries. “Eastern UP never lacked talent; it lacked opportunities to utilise it,” he said.“If someone from here could become the Head of State in Mauritius or Fiji, could they not have solved the problems of disease, unemployment, and floods in this region? They could have. But they did not get the platform, they never received encouragement. One could understand the situation before 1947, when the country was under colonial rule. But who stopped after 1947?,” Yogi said.He said eastern Uttar Pradesh has shed its old image of “mafia and mosquitoes” and is emerging as an economic and medical hub, powered by its young population, improved infrastructure and rising investment.Yogi said the state’s economy and per capita income has increased nearly threefold over the past nine years. He expressed confidence that Uttar Pradesh would move towards becoming a $1-trillion economy within the next three years.The CM said that the past govs of the Congress and Samajwadi Party had failed to take measures against the diseases despite ruling the state for years. “Disease had become the destiny of this region — be it malaria, encephalitis, or dengue. These diseases would strike the innocent children of the area across different areas. Seven to eight years ago, the period from July to November brought nothing but fear and terror to every family in eastern Uttar Pradesh,” he said.“I remember the battle against encephalitis. It is a matter of regret that the Congress governed the state for a long time, and the Samajwadi Party also had the opportunity to rule the state on four occasions during that period. Yet, they never spoke up against encephalitis. They never put in place any measures for its prevention or treatment. As a Member of Parliament, I fought this battle both on the streets and in Parliament,” he added.Highlighting the region’s transformation, Yogi said “One District One Mafia” had given way to “One District One Product”. Gorakhpur, he said, had also emerged as a major healthcare centre, with expanded super-speciality facilities at BRD Medical College and AIIMS. New medical colleges across eastern UP have further strengthened healthcare access.He also credited improved road, rail and air connectivity with attracting investment and creating jobs. The Gorakhpur-Lucknow journey now takes around three hours, while Gorakhpur-Varanasi takes about two-and-a-half hours.
