Lucknow, Feb. 12 -- Brimming with confidence on being firmly in the driving seat, chief minister Yogi Adityanath pitched for Viksit Uttar Pradesh in the state budget 2026-27 tabled in the assembly here on Wednesday. Built step-by-step in his nine years at the helm, the confidence stemmed from fiscal prudence and a concerted investment push reflected in big-ticket events starting with the first Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit held in 2018, just a year after Adityanath assumed office. "The 2026-27 budget will pave the way for the achievement of Viksit Uttar Pradesh by 2047 and the achievement of a trillion economy by 2029-30," he said after the budget was presented, making it clear that his plank will be the development of UP. Addressing a press conference, he said he was the first chief minister in Uttar Pradesh to table a 10th budget. "Uttar Pradesh has been able to change its perception. Recovering from policy paralysis, UP has emerged as the state of unlimited potential. In nine years, the allocation under the budget has increased three times to Rs 9,12,696.35 crore," he said.,He highlighted that his government that worked for the reconstruction of the state, freed UP from the BIMARU tag, pulled the state out of debt trap and established rule of law that paved the way for investment. "The theme of the budget is safe women, capable youth, prosperous farmer, job to each hand. UP is moving toward prosperity with investment in technology. The budget is a reflection of nine years of reconstruction of Uttar Pradesh. The budget presents a new story of the development of Uttar Pradesh," he said. "The highlight of the budget is allocation of Rs 43,565.33 crore for new projects and Rs 2 lakh crore for capital expenditure. It will play an important role in the development of infrastructure and give a boost to the state economy. It will generate employment as well," he said. "In nine years, no new tax has been imposed by the state government. The state government has been able to check tax theft and revenue leakages," he said. "In 2017, the state was in the grip of above 30% indebtedness but we have been able to bring it down to 27%. We have planned to bring it further down to 23%. The Reserve Bank has fixed a parameter that the loan should not be above 30% of the total GSDP of a state. UP has been able to maintain financial discipline firmly," he said. He also said UP was touching new heights of development and strengthening its economy. "Today, UP is among the top three economies of the country. The unemployment rate has been brought down to 2.24 %. Before 2017, the unemployment rate was 17% to 19%. The focus of the budget is on the job-led growth in the MSME, Startups, ODOP and development of local entrepreneurs. The state government has worked to make UP an investment destination and employment generator," he said "The budget clearly indicates that UP is working on emerging technology. The state government has decided to set up a State Data Authority to give real time data and its real time monitoring. It will play an important role in the planning of schemes and projects," he said "A data centre cluster will be established to work in emerging technology including AI. We have also announced the launch of an AI mission. To increase employment opportunities, we are working on skill development of the youths. To increase the income of the women entrepreneurs, we have decided to set up SHGs and MARTs," he added. "We have decided to set up city economic zones, including Kashi-Mirzapur, Prayagraj-Chitrakoot, Kanpur-Jhansi to develop clusters. In 2017, Uttar Pradesh ranked 1314th in the ease of doing business index. Today, it is at number two. Uttar Pradesh has been able to establish itself as a Chief Achiever State." "The budget also includes provisions for advancing the Digital Entrepreneurship Scheme in the state. The rule of law has played a major role in achieving all these successes- this is real growth. Every person wants a guarantee of security and Uttar Pradesh is providing that guarantee today. Earlier, no one could have imagined that investment proposals worth over Rs.50 lakh crore would come to Uttar Pradesh," he said. The MSME sector, which was previously moribund, has now employed over 30 million youth, he said, adding that new efforts are being made to transform farmers into entrepreneurs. The farmers will also become active partner in the development of the state, he said. "Under the International Year of Women Farmers 2026, NABARD has established a revolving fund for farmers and FPOs. Arrangements have also been made in the budget to provide additional assistance to the farmers. Along with sugarcane, provisions have been made in the budget to give boost to oilseeds and pulses production," he said "To export agricultural products, the process of developing Noida International Airport as an agri-export hub has started. The UP Agri Platform is being developed with the assistance of the World Bank. The budget sets a target of developing an additional 2 lakh metric tons of food grain storage capacity. Special subsidies have been provided for the construction of warehousing facilities and larger warehouses," he said For protection of livestock, the chief minister's risk management and livestock insurance scheme has been launched. The state government will pay 85% of the premium. To ensure that fishermen get better prices, funds have been allocated for establishment of state-of-the-art wholesale fish markets and fish processing centres," he said. Funds have been allocated for connectivity from the Agra-Lucknow to the Hardoi-Farrukhabad Ganga Expressway. Extensions of the Ganga Expressway to Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Chandauli, Sonbhadra, and Shaktinagar in the East and extension to Meerut-Haridwar in West. The Purvanchal Expressway will be linked to Ghazipur, he said....