Lauding the Uttar Pradesh government for creating a “correct” environment with focus on delivery, World Bank (WB) president Ajay Banga said on Friday that they were ready to work with it to create jobs and alleviate poverty.
Banga, who arrived on a one-day visit to the state capital, spoke with chief minister Yogi Adityanath at a high-level meeting and praised him for his achievements.
“A ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India) cannot happen without ‘Viksit U.P.’ and what the state has achieved begins with the determination to create correct environment in terms of law and order and business regulations. It requires, determination, it requires energy, it requires constant follow-up,” he said.
“A single important thing we can all do together is create jobs. Creation of jobs is the best way to destroy the illness of poverty. Poverty is not only about the money, but the poverty of mind that comes from not having hope and not having optimism, not having the future you deserve,” Banga said.
He said the best way to create jobs was to build the infrastructure: highways, railways, airports, logistics. The jobs could be created through the private sector by creating infrastructure and allowing the private sector to grow, he added.
“You are doing all the right things. Besides this, ease of doing business and speed of doing business is important. The state is also focusing on healthcare and the World Bank is willing to help the government in this sector,” Banga said.
Appreciating the efforts for reforms in healthcare and education sectors, he said that the state government was already focusing on healthcare and that readymade meals for mothers was a model initiative for maternal nutrition and health.
Pointing out that there were also opportunities in tourism and manufacturing, Banga said that the state government’s business-friendly policies helped in ease of doing business.
He also said that artificial intelligence was also an important tool, but there was no alternative to leadership. He lauded the chief minister for the government’s focus on youth empowerment through skill development.
Banga said his wife belonged to Uttar Pradesh and that was why he felt at home while visiting the state. “It feels like I have come back home,” the World Bank president said, adding he was visiting U.P after 12 years, and the state had undergone a remarkable transformation across all sectors.