GORAKHPUR/LUCKNOW, April 6 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said poverty in Uttar Pradesh will be eliminated within the next three years and asserted that it will become the number one state in the country.

"In 2017, U.P. was the seventh largest economy in the country, but today it is the second largest," the chief minister said, addressing a gathering during his visit to Maharajganj where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 629 development projects worth Rs.654 crore, including the inauguration of the Rohini Barrage.

The newly inaugurated barrage will be named after Maa Vanailiya Devi and is expected to benefit over 16,000 farmers.

Highlighting the achievements of his government over the past eight years, Adit...