UP Data Center Cluster: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed UP Data Center Cluster, Project Ganga and wheat processing policy. Preparations are underway to make UP a big center of AI hub and digital infrastructure, a big project can start from Bundelkhand.
Uttar Pradesh is now preparing to create a new economy not only on the basis of population or agriculture, but on the strength of Artificial Intelligence and digital infrastructure. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday conducted a high-level review of three big schemes related to the future of the state, UP Data Center Cluster, Project Ganga and wheat processing policy. There was a clear indication in this meeting that the government wants to develop Uttar Pradesh as a big center of technology, digital services and food processing in the coming years.
The Chief Minister said that the UP Data Center Cluster will not be just a project, but will be a model for creating the basic structure of the AI mission of the state. He instructed the officials that this scheme should not be limited only to NCR, but should also be extended to other parts of the state. Yogi Adityanath suggested starting this project from Bundelkhand Industrial Development Authority i.e. Bida area, where land is available on a large scale.
Preparation to make Lucknow “AI City”
In the meeting, the Chief Minister talked about increasing communication with big tech companies including Tata Group and stressed on developing Lucknow as “AI City”. Officials said in the presentation that the Uttar Pradesh Data Center Cluster aims to make the state the largest AI compute power center in India and the Global South. Under the government’s long-term strategy, a target has been set to develop an economy of 5 trillion dollars, more than 1.5 lakh direct employment and 5 GW AI compute corridor by the year 2040. It was also informed in the meeting that the future global economy will revolve around sectors like AI, cloud computing, cyber security, robotics, semiconductor, electric vehicles and space technology.
Why can UP become a big tech hub?
Five major strengths of Uttar Pradesh were highlighted in the presentation. These include the state’s geographical location, large youth population, vast land availability, rapidly developing infrastructure and strong administrative leadership. The government claims that UP’s inland location is safe from the risk of sea storms and cyclones. Besides, expressways, airports, logistics networks and power infrastructure are continuously getting strengthened. There is no dearth of technical talent due to more than 50 engineering institutes including IIT Kanpur, NIT Prayagraj. It was also informed in the meeting that most of the major fiber networks of the country pass through UP and the state is connected to all the submarine cable landing points of India. This is the reason why Uttar Pradesh was described as “Asia’s Most Secure, Scalable and Connected Inland AI Territory”.
High-speed internet will reach villages through Project Ganga
The Chief Minister also reviewed “Project Ganga”. The full name of this project is “Government Assisted Network for Growth and Advancement”. Its objective is to provide high-speed broadband network to rural areas. Yogi Adityanath directed that the youth selected as digital entrepreneurs should be given quality training and adequate incentives should be provided to them from the beginning. He also stressed on rapid expansion of optical fiber network and ensuring transparency in the entire process. According to the government presentation, under this scheme more than 10 thousand youth will be developed as Digital Service Providers (DSP). It is expected to generate about 50 thousand direct and more than 1 lakh indirect employment.
Fiber network will reach 20 lakh homes
Under Project Ganga, a target has been set to connect more than 20 lakh houses with high-speed internet. Every DSP will be able to connect 200 to 300 houses in his area. The special thing is that women entrepreneurship is also being given priority in this scheme and preparations are being made to include about 50 percent women digital entrepreneurs. It was told in the meeting that only limited services are possible through mobile internet, whereas strong broadband infrastructure is necessary for facilities like AI-based agriculture, telemedicine, virtual labs, drone monitoring and smart villages. According to the government’s plan, DSPs will not be just internet service providers, but they will create a complete network of digital services in the villages. These will also include services like IPTV, OTT access, CCTV solutions, public Wi-Fi and cyber security. There is also a plan to provide interest free loan up to Rs 5 lakh to each DSP.
Government also focuses on wheat processing
The Chief Minister also discussed in detail the strategy to promote in-house processing of wheat. He gave instructions to improve the market fee system and make the mandis modern, clean and attractive. The Chief Minister talked about giving priority to arrangements like cleanliness, painting, lighting during festivals and removal of encroachments. Referring to the possible impact of El Nino, Yogi Adityanath said that crops may be affected in the coming years, hence the food grains reserves of the state should be strong and adequate.
Highest wheat production in UP, yet profit is going out
It was told in the meeting that Uttar Pradesh is the largest wheat producing state in the country. Wheat production in the state is estimated at 372 lakh metric tonnes in the year 2025-26, while the total availability reaches 407 lakh metric tonnes. About 2.88 crore farmers are associated with this production. Despite this, due to limited processing capacity, a large quantity of wheat is sent in raw form to other states. Due to this, the benefits of employment, GST revenue and value addition go out of UP. At present there are 559 roller floor mills in the state, whose total capacity is 218.4 lakh metric tonnes, but the actual utilization is much less than this. The government believes that if wheat processing is increased on a large scale within the state, then huge expansion in food industry, electricity consumption, employment and revenue is possible.