UP Emerging as Powerhouse of AI and Future Technologies: Yogi
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is quickly emerging as one of the major centres of artificial intelligence, data centres, and next-generation technologies in India, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday. Speaking at the convocation ceremony at Babu Banarasi Das University, the CM stressed that the rise of AI, robotics, drone systems, and automation is transforming the opportunities in all sectors, and the state is leading in this technological change.
Yogi advised higher education institutions to integrate new technology in their learning systems through the implementation of specific certificate courses, short-term training programs, and diploma courses. According to him, young students need to be provided with practical experience in such areas as robotics, drones, IoT, and artificial intelligence because they are increasingly becoming important in everyday life and industry. “Technology does not eliminate jobs; it creates new avenues. When computers arrived in the 1990s, many feared job losses, but technology ended up expanding employment opportunities,” he noted.
“Technology does not eliminate jobs; it creates new avenues. When computers arrived in the 1990s, many feared job losses, but technology ended up expanding employment opportunities,”
he noted.
Emphasising the increased importance of AI, the Chief Minister added that modern technologies should never work without a human operator and should be used in a sensible manner. He encouraged engineering institutions to be proactive and embrace new changes, and according to him, India has already achieved great things in the field of AI and robotics.
“AI will prove beneficial not only for students but also for farmers, workers, and professionals across multiple sectors,”
he added.
Discussing the reinforcement of the role of Uttar Pradesh in national defence, the Chief Minister referred to the active stimulus of the state in the operation called Sindoor. Another point that came out is that the BrahMos missile is being produced in Lucknow, and the state government has offered the land at no cost. After the unit is running at full capacity, UP should receive 300-500 crore in GST revenue in one year.
“The land was allotted in 2020 and formally handed over in 2022. At that time, its developed value was ₹200 crore, but today the state is reaping returns many times higher,”
he said.
Upon looking back at the developments that have taken place in India, Yogi mentioned that the changes that have taken place since 2014 have changed the way the world views India. He attributed such efforts as Khelo India, Fit India to the empowerment of the sporting culture in India and various youth-based programmes. Remembering critics who insisted on not opening zero-balance bank accounts so that poor people can use them, he said,
“Those who contribute nothing oppose positive changes. But despite criticism, the government opened accounts, enabling direct benefit transfers to reach 50 crore families without leakage.”
He compared this with the argument of his predecessor PM Rajiv Gandhi that out of every rupee that was issued, only 15 paise of it made it to the beneficiary and that nowadays, under Digital India, every rupee is delivered right to the receiver. He also cited the example of the resilience of India in the Covid-19 crisis, where the government controlled the pandemic at the same time that it implemented the National Education Policy 2020.
Yogi observed that the Viksit Bharat dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi can only be realised by having a Viksit Uttar Pradesh, and this is only achieved by coming together. He remembered that before 2017, UP used to be one of the lowest performing states in the evaluations of the central government.
“People claimed UP would never improve. When I took office, I asked why UP couldn’t be among the top three states,”
he said. Greater public involvement and strict rule made the state to be at the top in various central schemes.
He has also indicated that many of the current investors were pulling out of the state prior to 2017. With enhanced law and order, open governance, and the slogan of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, the state of UP slowly turned out to be a model one.
“A state that once struggled to attract ₹50,000 crore in five years has now secured investment proposals worth over ₹45 lakh crore in just eight years,”
he said.
The convocation was closed with Yogi giving meritorious students medals and degrees. Pro-Chancellor Viraj Sagar Das was proud of the students who told him that developing under Yogi as the leader of the state is providing the youth with enormous opportunities.
