Lucknow, Jan 28 (Agency) Even as the state braces up for the first phase of assembly elections on February 10 when 58 assembly seats in western Uttar Pradesh go for balloting, political parties are busy vying for attention and tempting the voters with sops. However, the efforts of the opposition are left high and dry as efforts made by the Uttar Pradesh government in promoting micro, small and medium scale industries (MSMEs) have overshadowed their overtures.
As in the past five years, the government has provided loans of more than Rs 2.50 lakh crore, funding 95 lakh units for doing business in the MSME sector. This loan is given in five schemes due to which 3.28 crore people have got employment in the MSME sector. The MSME survey report has confirmed this. According to the report here on Friday, the MSME sector has become a major force in the business class of UP. And the unemployment rate in the state has come down by 17.9 per cent, due to which now the opposition parties in UP are not able to cut any ice with the MSME traders. This change in the MSME sector has happened during the tenure of the Yogi government.
This sector was completely neglected under the Akhilesh government. According to the report, loans worth Rs 27,202 crore were provided to 6,35,583 MSME units in the year 2016-17. The picture of this sector has changed under the Yogi government. Due to the industrial policies of the state government, investment in this sector is increasing continuously. New MSME units are being established in every district. Even during the global crisis of Corona, more than one and a half lakh new units were installed in this sector. Now 14.2 per cent of the MSME units of the country are in UP. During the last five years, 3.28 crore people have got employment in this sector.
Due to the special attention given by CM Yogi Adityanath, a new core vote bank of MSME businessmen in UP has been prepared for BJP. Business people are saying that this sector is also playing an important role in the upcoming elections. There is also a reason for this claim of the traders. The Yogi government has paid special attention to the development of this sector. With his efforts, emphasis was laid on providing credit to this sector for doing business as a result of which a large number of people showed interest in setting up their units in this sector. The state government did not allow any MSME unit to be closed even during the Corona crisis. This decision of the government has proved to be a lifesaver for the MSME units in the state. New entrepreneurs set up new units, showing entrepreneurship even in this tragedy.
Government figures reveal this. According to these figures, through the MSME sector, the state is exporting more than Rs 1.14 lakh crore for the last three consecutive years. This became possible only because of the attention given by the Yogi government on this sector. This can also be understood from the official figures. In the financial year 2016-17, during the SP government, a loan of Rs 27,202 crore was provided to 6,35,583 MSMEs. Whereas in the year 2017-2018, in the Yogi government, a loan of Rs 41,193 crore was provided to 7,87,572 MSMEs in the financial year 2017-18. In the financial year 2018-19, Rs 47,764 crore was given to 10,24,265 MSME entrepreneurs and Rs 62,831 crore was given to 17,45,472 MSME entrepreneurs in 2019-20. In the financial year 2020-21, 34,80,596 MSME units have been provided loans worth Rs 63,038 crore. In total, during the last five years, loans of more than Rs 2.50 lakh crore have been provided, financing 95 lakh units for doing business in the MSME sector. Due to which 3.28 crore people got employment in this sector.
Due to the employment provided to such a large number of people in this sector, the unemployment rate has come down by 17.9 per cent. This has been claimed in the survey report of MSMEs. According to this report, in the last five years, a large number of people got employment in this sector and this sector did not suffer from recession. Overall, it can be said that the efforts of the government in the MSME sector of UP have strengthened. To maintain this situation, the MSME sector has played an important role in the assembly elections.
The way state government, while paying attention to this sector, resolved the problems of the people working in this sector during the Corona crisis has left the leaders of the opposition parties are not even able to dare to make any impact among the MSME businessmen, due to the loans provided to them and not allowing the business to be closed. In view of this, people say that the development in the MSME sector has stunned the opposition.