India News | Previous Governments Destroyed Rural Economy by Neglecting Traditional Industries: UP Minister

Lucknow, Dec 7 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh minister Siddharth Nath Singh on Tuesday accused previous governments of destroying the rural economy by neglecting traditional industries of the state.

Singh said that after the formation of the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in 2017, the work on reviving traditional industries in the state started.

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Today, the situation is such that 80 per cent of the state's exports are traditional products, the Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) and Export Promotion said.

"The rural economy was destroyed during previous governments because of neglect of traditional industries. The situation was such that the traditional industries, even of the seats from where the Samajwadi Party chief and his family members were elected as MPs and MLAs and held power, had come to the brink of ruin. The world famous perfume of Kannauj is a great example of this," Singh told reporters at the BJP office here.

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He said after the BJP government was formed, deliberations began on the rural economy and the vision of gram swaraj.

The BJP government worked with full commitment and framed a policy. The result is that the unemployment rate which stood at 18 per cent in 2017 has come down to five per cent today, he said.

The government focussed on small cottage industries to strengthen the rural economy and the 'One District One Product' (ODOP) scheme was started which is being discussed not only in the country but all over the world, Singh said, adding that the exports which were worth Rs 88,967 crore in 2017 increased to Rs 1,20,367 crore in 2019-20.

The minister said that under the ODOP scheme, artisans were provided training, in addition to access to a wider market through packaging, branding and marketing facilities.

ODOP products are in great demand all over the world and account for 80 per cent of the state's exports today, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)