Uttar Pradesh has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade, emerging as a powerhouse of infrastructure development and a key driver of India's growth story under the "Viksit Bharat" vision. The state's strategic focus on capital expenditure has yielded unprecedented results, with spending on critical projects reaching historic highs.
Massive Surge in Capital Investment
The most telling indicator of this transformation is the state's capital expenditure. It has witnessed an astronomical rise, climbing to a staggering Rs 1.47 lakh crore for the fiscal year 2024–25. To put this in perspective, this figure is a monumental leap from the mere Rs 1,178 crore spent in 1990–91. The growth momentum has been particularly intense in recent years, with capital outlay more than doubling from Rs 69,789 crore in 2016–17. This massive infusion of funds has been strategically channeled into roads, transport networks, irrigation, power supply, and social infrastructure.
Revolution in Connectivity: Roads and Aviation
The impact of this investment is most visible in the state's connectivity landscape. Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, rural road connectivity expanded from 51,549 km in 2013–14 to 77,425 km by 2024–25. Officials credit the accelerated pace of implementation post-2017 for this achievement.
The expressway network has been completely revolutionized. From just three expressways in 2017, Uttar Pradesh now boasts 22 expressways by 2025–26, including ongoing and proposed projects. The total length of expressways has exploded from approximately 450 km to over 3,000 km. Furthermore, the length of national highways in the state more than doubled from 5,599 km in 2004–05 to 12,292 km by 2023–24, constituting about 8.4% of India's total national highway network.
The aviation sector has taken off in tandem. The state now has 16 operational airports, which include four international facilities, with five more under construction. Passenger traffic has grown exponentially from 4.79 lakh in 1999–2000 to 1.42 crore in 2024–25. This growth trajectory is expected to steepen further with the operationalization of the Jewar International Airport near Delhi NCR.
Financial and Industrial Expansion
The infrastructure push has catalyzed broad-based economic growth. The state's banking sector reflects this dynamism, with the Credit-to-Deposit ratio rising healthily from 43% in 2016–17 to 60% in 2024–25. Uttar Pradesh's financial network is robust, with over 20,400 bank branches, nearly 4 lakh banking correspondents, and about 18,700 ATMs.
Outstanding credit surged from ₹3.54 lakh crore in 2017 to ₹9.24 lakh crore in 2024. Significantly, industrial credit more than doubled during this period, jumping from Rs 82,800 crore to Rs 1.68 lakh crore.
This financial vitality has directly fueled industrial development. The number of registered factories under the Factories Act, 1948, increased to 27,295 in 2024–25, compared to 14,169 in 2016–17. This represents a 93 percent rise in just eight years, a pace faster than any previous period. Officials attribute this expansion to increased investor confidence, vastly improved infrastructure, and supportive changes in industrial and business regulations.
The data paints a clear picture: Uttar Pradesh's focused capital expenditure under the broader Viksit Bharat framework has not just built roads and airports; it has laid the foundation for sustainable economic growth, making the state a central pillar of India's infrastructure and industrial future.
