LUCKNOW, Aug. 14 -- The Uttar Pradesh assembly began a 24-hour debate on 'Vision 2047' on the third day of the Monsoon session of the state assembly on Wednesday with the government asserting that the state will be the powerhouse that will fuel the achievement of the Viksit Bharat goal as key ministers highlighted the achievements of their departments. Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna opened the discussion that will continue till Thursday noon. "Till 2017, the GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) was only Rs 12.71 lakh crore, the per capita income of the state was much below the national income. The state's share in investment was minimal, it was at 14th place in the ease of doing business. The turning point came in 2014 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Yogi Adityanath in 2017 in UP. Transparency, an investment-friendly environment changed the picture in just eight years," Khanna said. "In 2025-26, the state's GSDP has crossed the figure of Rs 29.78 lakh crore and now the target is to take it to more than Rs 40 lakh crore.At present, per capita income has more than doubled after 50 years as compared to 2016-17," he added. State assembly speaker Satish Mahana said that there was a need to think and plan keeping in view the future. "There are short-term schemes that give immediate relief but not in the long term. So it is important to plan long term. The prime minister gave a vision for India after 100 years of independence and expected all states to plan. The UP CM and the state government also decided to conduct a debate in the House on it." "After debate in the House, it will be taken to the people and then a final vision document will be tabled in the legislative assembly. What we can achieve for the development of the state, youth, farmers shall be discussed," Mahana said. Khanna said in consonance with the Central government's vision for 2047, it is necessary for the state government to prepare a vision for the same year. In 1960-61, Uttar Pradesh's contribution to the country's economy was 14.4%, which was the highest in the country. In 2024-25, this contribution decreased to 9%. To make UP the most developed economy of the country again, the contribution of the state to the country's economy will have to be increased to more than 14%. The per capita income of the state in the financial year 2023-24 was 50.8% of the national average, which is targeted to be increased to 13% above the national average by 2047, the minister said. "Zero poverty campaign has been started in the state," Khanna said. The economy is estimated to grow from Rs. 12.71 lakh crore in 2017 to Rs 35 lakh crore in 2025, showing a growth of 175% in eight years. . The budget size of the state was Rs 3,46,935 crore in the financial year 2016-17, which increased to Rs 8,08,736 crore in 2025-26, a growth of 133% . Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak said that before 2017, UP's infrastructure and law and order were in disarray, with serious crimes enjoying political protection. Today, the state boasts of the most expressways in the country, four-lane road links to all 75 districts, and improved power supply across all regions compared to earlier. "Uttar Pradesh is number one in the country in terms of wheat, milk, and sugar production," Pathak stated. Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh said that before 2017, Uttar Pradesh was seen as a BIMARU state, but today it has won the 'Rashtriya Jal Puraskar'. He noted that irrigation now covers 1.04 crore hectares via 76,527 km of canals. Urban development and energy minister A.K. Sharma cited the poor pre-2017 power situation and noted that many villages lacked poles and wires and billing was marred by scams, whereas the state now meets a peak demand of 32,000 megawatt (mw), up from 13,000 mw in 2012-17....