Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday that as many as 7.5 lakh youths would get employment in the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector through the PM-CM Internship Programme being implemented in the state.

Presiding over a loan distribution programme held by public sector undertaking banks to mark International MSME Day-2023, the chief minister said MSME clusters were proposed to be developed along Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Ganga expressways.

The chief minister disbursed loans amounting to Rs 20,000 crore to 3.41 lakh MSME entrepreneurs spread across the state. The MSME Day was celebrated in each district of the state and beneficiaries were given loans.

The chief minister also inaugurated gobar biogas plant in Prayagraj district through virtual mode. The chief minister also announced that for the benefit of the MSME entrepreneurs, a packaging institute would be set up in Lucknow.

Emphasising the significance of the MSME units in the economy of Uttar Pradesh, the chief minister said the MSME units were the source of livelihood for crores of people in the state.

He said the MSME sector had huge potential for employment. He said that jobs would be provided to seven and a half lakh youths through the PM and CM Internship Programmes that were running in the state.

The chief minister said that the MSME department should develop MSME clusters by marking land along Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Ganga expressways. He also directed the authorities concerned to take forward the setting up of Unity Malls in Lucknow, Varanasi and Agra and providing facilities to the entrepreneurs of the MSME sector as per their requirements.

The chief minister said, “Under the loan distribution programme, loans are being simultaneously distributed to 3.41 lakh MSME entrepreneurs in the state. This sector is going to provide maximum employment after agriculture. The entrepreneurs of the MSME sector have given a new identity to Uttar Pradesh by infusing new life in this sector.”

The chief minister called for opening Unity Mall in Avadh Shilpgram of Lucknow within three months in the first phase of the project.

Chief Minister Yogi said that there was a time when the MSME sector in Uttar Pradesh was gasping for breath. “Due to lack of due attention from the government, the entrepreneurs of this sector had become frustrated and disappointed. However, in the past six years, with the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government has been running nearly 96 lakh MSME units, which serve as the source of livelihoods for crores of people.”

He added, “Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to implement the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme to keep the MSME sector alive, which has now become a brand within the country. Whenever MSME and ODOP are mentioned in the country today, the name of Uttar Pradesh comes first on people’s lips,” Chief Minister Yogi asserted.

Praising the ODOP scheme in the state, the chief minister mentioned that Uttar Pradesh was one of the leading states in the country to receive a GI (Geographical Indication) tag for 52 of its products. “Varanasi alone has obtained GI tags for 23 products. We have 75 districts, and in the coming time, many other products of Uttar Pradesh will get a GI tag. The day is not far when the traditional products of Uttar Pradesh will be known both within the country and across the world,” he added.

Chief Minister Yogi also inaugurated a biogas plant in a village in Prayagraj district and a woolen yarn production centre in Gram Ganja. The chief minister distributed funds to 14 MSME entrepreneurs under various schemes of the state government. Additionally, a memorandum of understanding was exchanged between the Uttar Pradesh government and the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP). The IIP will help the MSME entrepreneurs in addressing the problems faced by the entrepreneurs in packaging of the finished products.

Chief Minister Yogi also distributed certificates to 11 ODOP entrepreneurs whose products have got GI tags. They include dholak from Amroha, tala (lock) from Aligarh, home furnishing from Baghpat, shajar stone from Banda, handloom from Barabanki, Nagina good craft from Bijnor, Kalpi handmade paper from Jalaun, gora stone from Mahoba, Tarakashi from Mainpuri, horn craft from Sambhal, and Bakhira metal product from Sant Kabir Nagar.