Yogi inaugurates Gorakhpur Link Expressway, says U.P. is no longer a ‘BIMARU’ State

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday inaugurated Gorakhpur Link Expressway in Azamgarh built at a cost of over ₹7,000 crores.

Calling the inauguration a “game changer”, Mr. Adityanath said that U.P. is no longer a ‘BIMARU’ State, but emerging as the “Expressway State”.

‘BIMARU’ is an acronym referring to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. It was coined in 1980s to highlight the socio-economic backwardness and poor demographic indicators of these States.

The U.P. CM added that Azamgarh, which once faced an “identity crisis”, has now transformed into a “stronghold of indomitable courage”. “The change which is the result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guidance and the efforts of the double-engine government, transformed Uttar Pradesh from a BIMARU State into an ‘expressway state’,” said Mr. Adityanath.

Inaugurating the 91.352-km long Gorakhpur Link Expressway built at a cost of ₹7,283 crore, Mr. Adityanath said the expressway will provide world-class connectivity not only to Azamgarh but also to adjoining districts of Sant Kabir Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar and Gorakhpur. “After 2017, U.P. focused on strengthening its infrastructure. Coming out of its BIMARU tag, the State is playing a key role as the growth engine of the nation,” he stressed.

Touching upon the condition of U.P. before 2017, Mr. Adityanath said the State “lacked both a developmental agenda and basic amenities”. “Any scheme for the welfare of the people failed to reach their rightful beneficiaries. Traditional industries of U.P. were on the brink of extinction, and a criminal culture of “One District, One Mafia” thrived under previous governments,” added the CM.

“However, under the leadership of PM Modi, the State has undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as a mafia-free, riot-free, and conducive environment for both tourism and investment,” said Mr. Adityanath.

Highlighting the growth of expressways in U.P., the CM said the State now has 340-km Purvanchal Expressway, the 300-km Bundelkhand Expressway, and the 91 km Gorakhpur Link Expressway.