Noida, Jun 27 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday announced that the fourth edition of the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show (UPITS) will be held at the India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida from September 25 to 29, while urging the Noida Authority to digitise all its services and expedite action against allottees who have failed to develop allotted land.

Addressing a programme marking the curtain raiser of the trade show and the inauguration and foundation laying of 70 development projects worth Rs 2,479 crore in Noida and Dadri assembly constituencies, Adityanath said the Noida Authority should now move all its services online and monitor works through an Integrated Command and Control Centre.

"Now that the Noida Authority has its own headquarters, I hope issues relating to homebuyers-builders and farmers will be resolved more effectively. The time has come for the Authority to make all its services available online so that every project can be monitored through an Integrated Command and Control Centre," he said.

The chief minister also directed the authority to create a land bank by taking action against those who had obtained land allotments but failed to start projects within the stipulated period.

"Those who have taken land from the Noida Authority but have neither invested nor started work should be served notices after the prescribed time limit. Thereafter, new investors should be invited and a land bank should be created," he said.

Adityanath said Gautam Buddh Nagar had emerged as one of the country's most preferred investment destinations, attributing the transformation to improved law and order and infrastructure development under the BJP government.

He said the district now had a functioning international airport, an upcoming film city, apparel park, semiconductor unit, electronics and solar manufacturing facilities in addition to several other industrial projects.

"This was once a neglected region with poor law and order. Today, it has been transformed and has emerged as one of the country's favourite investment destinations," he said.

Marking International MSME Day, Adityanath said micro, small and medium enterprises formed the backbone of industrial growth and were critical to achieving the vision of an "Atmanirbhar Bharat".

He said Uttar Pradesh now had 96 lakh MSME units contributing to the state's economy and exports.

Recalling the COVID-19 pandemic, Adityanath said around 40 lakh migrant workers had returned to Uttar Pradesh, after which the government ensured free ration and employment opportunities for them.

He said the government had appealed to MSMEs to employ at least one or two returning workers each, resulting in more than 90 per cent of migrant workers staying back in the state and contributing in its growth.

The chief minister said Uttar Pradesh was now exporting goods worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore annually.

Highlighting the upcoming trade show, Adityanath said the event would provide a global platform for showcasing the state's manufacturing strength.

"The fourth edition of the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show will be held from September 25 to 29 in Greater Noida. Exhibitors and foreign buyers will participate, and products manufactured across Uttar Pradesh will be showcased. Business-to-business and business-to-consumer meetings will be organised and new export orders facilitated," he said.

He said the previous editions had attracted participants from across the world and generated several international business orders.

Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh had shed its earlier image as a "BIMARU" state and had remained a revenue-surplus state for the past six years.

"We have tripled Uttar Pradesh's economy over the last nine years and also succeeded in tripling per capita income. The pace of development across infrastructure, public welfare, ease of doing business and ease of living shows that we can move even faster," he said.

He also highlighted the state's expanding infrastructure, saying travel time from Ghaziabad and Meerut to Lucknow had been significantly reduced and described the Ganga Expressway and the Noida International Airport as projects built to global standards.

Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta, who also addressed the gathering, said Uttar Pradesh had set new benchmarks in industrial investment, exports and economic growth over the past nine years.

Without naming the Samajwadi Party, Gupta alleged that previous governments had prioritised the interests of particular families and communities, whereas the present dispensation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Adityanath was working for inclusive development.

He said Uttar Pradesh was moving rapidly towards achieving its target of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy. PTI KIS MR