Partnership with the Government of Uttar Pradesh on economic growth

Decision-maker’s challenge

The Government of Uttar Pradesh is pursuing an ambitious target: transforming the state into a trillion-dollar economy, so that its 240 million citizens have access to improved employment and livelihood opportunities. To achieve this milestone, senior government officials require timely and reliable insights on policy reform, public spending priorities, and private investment attraction at scale. However, existing systems were fragmented, slow, and not designed to support decision‑making at the pace required for this transformation.

Impact opportunity

Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state, with policies and investments affecting over 240 million people. It also has the second-lowest per capita income among large Indian states (₹1,08,572 in 2024-25 at current prices). Targeted improvements in flagship schemes, budget allocation, or investment facilitation could translate into transformative economic and social gains—improving livelihoods, accelerating growth, and strengthening governance systems statewide.

Our approach

Since March 2024, with support from Veddis Foundation, IDinsight embedded a multidisciplinary advisory unit within the Planning Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Under the guidance of the Principal Secretary and the State Nodal Officer for the One Trillion Dollar (OTD) Mission, the team supported officials to deliver rapid evaluations, build user‑friendly data systems, and institutionalise tools for budget monitoring, policy review, investment facilitation, and district‑level economic planning. Our focus is on practical, decision‑ready insights and systems built to be handed over to the state for sustained use.

The results

Over two years, the partnership contributed an estimated $12.6 million in social value at a cost of $1.3 million (a 9.5x return). Key results include: 

• Enabled monthly expenditure reviews of growth-oriented schemes and projects across the Government of Uttar Pradesh’s Rs. 808 billion state budget to boost infrastructure development, attract investment, and expand employment opportunities; 
• Expedited over $1 billion in private investment through frameworks and a database for Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, the Government of India’s flagship scheme to expand India’s manufacturing base and generate meaningful employment; 
• Recommended design improvements in flagship schemes such as PM-KUSUM (an initiative to promote solar energy use in the agricultural sector) and Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangla Yojana (a program that provides girls and women with social security and opportunities for development), reaching more beneficiaries at critical moments in their lives when intervention can create lasting change;
• Boosted district-level development planning and participation in the state OTD mission by institutionalising systems such as the District Growth Toolkit and refining the measurement strategy for district domestic product;
• Institutionalised a Rapid Evaluation & Monitoring Unit for demand-based analytics on flagship government schemes to boost growth.

Looking ahead

In the next phase, the partnership aims to achieve higher impact per dollar by deepening reforms in priority departments and scaling successful tools to other states. Planned initiatives include expanding rapid evaluations, upgrading budget and investment dashboards, and piloting a factory‑level ID system.