LUCKNOW, Nov. 6 -- Projecting Uttar Pradesh's transformation under his government as a key governance achievement, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the state had moved from being counted among the country's bottom five states to emerging among the top three in economic development, with improvements in law and order and transparent recruitment changing its national image. Addressing a programme to distribute appointment letters to 28 scientific officers selected through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC), Adityanath said the state was no longer discussed in the context of crime, lawlessness and administrative failures but was increasingly cited as a model when issues of law and order, transparent recruitment and development came up. "Earlier, Uttar Pradesh was counted among the bottom five states. Today, it has established itself among the country's top three economically developed states. When law and order is discussed, Uttar Pradesh is now mentioned as a model state. The state is also being discussed for its transparent recruitment process and development achievements," he said. With the 2027 assembly elections approaching, the chief minister's remarks amounted to a projection of the BJP government's nine-and-a-half-year record on three key fronts - economic growth, law and order and employment generation. Highlighting the recruitment record, Yogi said the state government had provided jobs to more than 9.5 lakh youths in the past nine-and-a-half years, including over 2.30 lakh appointments in the UP Police. He said the recruitment processes had been conducted transparently, without recommendations, discrimination or financial transactions. Referring to Thursday's appointments, he said the selection of the 28 scientific officers was based entirely on merit and qualifications. The candidates told him that their interviews were conducted and results declared on the same day, he added. The chief minister said the improvement in law and order was the result of sustained administrative and police reforms. Recalling a time when unrest, curfews and criminal activities were common, he said criminals earlier believed they could escape the law. The situation had changed, and Uttar Pradesh was now being discussed nationally for its policing and governance, he claimed. Yogi also linked the state's law-and-order narrative to the expansion of scientific investigation, saying forensic evidence was essential both to secure convictions and protect innocent people. He said the three new criminal laws, implemented in July 2024, made forensic evidence collection mandatory in offences punishable with seven years or more of imprisonment. Against a requirement of 500 trained police personnel for forensic evidence collection, the state had trained more than 600 officers. The government had provided two mobile forensic vans to every district and was expanding forensic science laboratories, he said. Asking the newly appointed scientific officers to maintain the highest standards of integrity, accuracy and timeliness, Yogi said the credibility of forensic evidence could determine whether an accused was convicted or an innocent person was protected. He cited an instance involving a mafia figure who was acquitted despite electronic evidence being available, saying shortcomings in establishing the evidentiary value of the material had weakened the case. The chief minister also referred to the Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science, established on land freed from encroachment by land mafia. The institute is developing expertise in forensic science, artificial intelligence, robotics and drone technology, he said. Finance and parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, additional chief secretary (home) Sanjay Prasad, DGP Rajeev Krishna and additional director general of police (technical services) Bhagwan Swaroop were also present....