LUCKNOW/Varanasi, Sept. 28 -- Finance minister Suresh Khanna on Saturday said that before 2017 Uttar Pradesh was considered backward. "Now, it has become a model of economic progress, security and good governance," he added. Khanna expressed these views at a session on 'Transforming Financial Landscape in UP' at the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show (UPITS) -2025 in Greater Noida. "Since the NDA came to power at the Centre and the Yogi government in UP, law and order has been strengthened and organised crime has been eliminated," he added. "As a result, the state, which was once lagging in terms of economy and development, is now writing a new chapter of progress," said Khanna. He further said the state's budget and its size have been continuously increasing. "By 2018, the budget size was Rs 3 lakh crore, which has now increased to over Rs 8 lakh crore," the minister added. He said due to the proper law and order situation, the 'Ganga of development' is flowing in UP and investments of over Rs 15 lakh crore have come in so far. "The state government is providing every possible support to investors. Apps like Nivesh Mitra and Nivesh Sarathi have been created for the convenience of investors," Khanna said. He said Uttar Pradesh leads the country in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), with Rs 3,700 crore of FDI received so far. The finance minister also pointed out that relief in GST will directly benefit the common people. "State's exports before 2014 were Rs 84,000 crore, which has now increased to over Rs 1,76,000 crore," he said. "There has been a tremendous boost in UP's economy. We have increased our budget by 133%. In 2024-25, Uttar Pradesh became a revenue surplus state with Rs 59,000 crore. Our income exceeds our expenditure by a significant margin, making UP a frontrunner in the country in this regard," Khanna said. Earlier in Varanasi, Khanna said the recently implemented 'Next-Gen GST reforms' would accelerate industrial growth and attract investment in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing a press conference, Khanna said the reforms had eased the burden on citizens by reducing GST on a wide range of products -- from bread and toothpaste to tractors and spare parts. "GST on tractors has been cut from 12% to 5%, and on tyres and their parts from 18% to 5%. This will increase people's purchasing power. When demand rises, industries will grow and more investment will come to UP," he said....