Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 14 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the growth engine of India, contributing to the country's development and realising the vision of a developed India, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday.

Addressing the FICCI National Executive Committee Meeting, the chief minister said Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to have succeeded in more than doubling its GSDP and per capita income.

He targeted the previous governments, alleging that they had destroyed the state's economy, reducing per capita income to below the national average.

'Over the past 8 years, people in India and overseas have seen how the state is changing,' he said. He attributed the recent growth to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

'Uttar Pradesh is no more an ailing state. It is now the second biggest state in terms of economy,' he said.

'Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the growth engine of India for the development of the country and realising the vision of a developed India. This is probably the first state in the country that has succeeded in more than doubling its GSDP and per capita income,' the chief minister said.

He noted that this growth has only been possible due to investor-friendly policies, abolishing unwanted norms, and providing congenial law and order for investors.

He also claimed that his state has become a revenue surplus state, which, under the previous government, was unable to pay its employees' salaries on time.

'Leakages of funds have been stopped, technology has been used, reforms introduced at various points, garnered people's confidence. Uttar Pradesh is marching forward in all the fields today,' the CM told the FICCI meeting.

In his address, the chief minister also said his government is putting special emphasis on infrastructure building. Uttar Pradesh today has the longest expressway, the longest rail network, and India's first rapid metro, he supplemented.

The chief minister also announced that the Jewar Airport will be functional in 2025. (ANI)