UPITS: A Global Journey Of Confidence - Harishankar Mishra

Any idea, vision or perspective becomes meaningful when it moves from thought to practice, from resolve to results and from possibility to capability. Today, as we see the fourth edition of the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show (UPITS) taking concrete shape, we must also acknowledge its significance. It is a symbol of the fact that the vision put forward by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give India’s local strength a global identity in the form of ‘Vocal for Local’ and ‘Local for Global’ has been taken forward in Uttar Pradesh by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a mission.

Yogi has woven together MSME entrepreneurship, the local uniqueness of ODOP, and the innovative energy of startups into a single thread, giving a new direction to the state's economic strength. The Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show, beginning in Greater Noida, represents the state’s journey as the government recognises its strength and now presents it to the world. It is a global journey of the state’s confidence.

Kautilya wrote, “Kosh Mulo Dandah”, meaning that the entire strength of the state rests on its treasury, that is, its wealth. Trade and enterprise are at the root of wealth. The formula for development today is that a state should be able to take its wealth into global trade. The significance of UPITS should be understood on this very criterion. Its fourth edition will be held from September 25 to 29 at the India Expo Center and Mart in Greater Noida. Looking at its first three editions, the first was an experiment; the second and third confirmed its success, and the fourth edition now symbolises the international business community’s confidence in Uttar Pradesh.

The seriousness with which CM Yogi Adityanath has transformed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Local for Global’ into a government mission is reflected most prominently in the expansion of MSMEs. The result of government efforts over the past nine years is that nearly one crore MSME units in the state now provide employment to four crore people and strengthen Uttar Pradesh’s economy by connecting directly with the global market. The ODOP scheme is the second and extremely important branch of Yogi’s mission. Its biggest feature is that it has not confined the story of development to major centres such as Lucknow, Noida or Kanpur. It has brought forward the respective economic identities of all 75 districts.

Banaras textiles, Moradabad brassware, Bhadohi carpets, Kannauj perfume, Firozabad glass, Saharanpur wood carving, Agra footwear and Lucknow chikankari are no longer merely products but the economic and cultural capital of Uttar Pradesh. These are the same local industries that seemed to be struggling to survive a decade ago, but today they are participating in the International Trade Show with full pride. Transforming every district's identity into an organised, global brand reflects the Yogi government's policy intervention. In essence, this expands the concept of indigenous thinking, linking true independence to villages' self-reliance.

From a figures perspective, the growth trajectory of UPITS is clear. While international buyers from 80 countries participated in the third edition in 2025, that number rose to 85 in the fourth edition. It is also necessary to acknowledge that taking a local product to the global market cannot be accomplished merely by providing an exhibition venue. International trade has its own stringent requirements: quality certification, environmental and labour standards, the ability to ensure timely delivery in the global supply chain, and the efficiency to deal with complexities related to currency and duties. Preparing a potter or weaver who may have worked for the local market throughout his or her life to handle these complexities was not easy. Still, the government’s long-term, patient, and institutional policies made it possible.

The trade show's seriousness is reflected in its organisational structure. It is no longer merely a product exhibition; it now includes business dialogue, policy discussions, B2B negotiations, and investment agreements. Bringing policymakers, industrialists and small entrepreneurs onto a single platform is its greatest significance. Uttar Pradesh has moved beyond festivity in its economic policy and achieved institutional maturity. In the coming years, this event appears set to translate further into actual export value, sustainable international partnerships and structural capacity enhancement in the MSME sector, which is the core idea of ‘Local to Global’. Uttar Pradesh’s concept of ‘local’ is also changing. 'Local' no longer means only handicrafts or traditional products. A tech startup in a district is also local; a food-processing unit in a town is also local; an aggrotech solution developed by a young person is also local; and an engineering unit in a small city is also local.

The big question now is how much the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show will help take the state towards a one trillion dollar economy. First, it should be clear that the goal of becoming a one trillion dollar economy is not merely an economic figure. The state’s Export Promotion Policy 2025-30 also links the goal of a one trillion dollar economy to broader economic transformation. This directly means that a trillion-dollar economy will not be created only through large investments and large industries. To do this, lakhs of small enterprises in the state will have to become more productive, more competitive, and better able to export. If the potential of around one crore MSME units and the crores of employment associated with them are connected to global demand, this number alone becomes a vast economic force.

MSMEs, ODOP, startups, and first-time exporters will need to connect with the global market, and the trade show being held in Greater Noida has emerged as a major platform for this. UPITS is no longer merely a trade platform. It is a platform for an idea in which ODOP transforms local identity into a global brand, MSMEs transform employment into economic strength and the global market becomes a means of accelerating Uttar Pradesh’s aspiration for a trillion-dollar economy.

About the Author: Harishankar Mishra is a Senior Journalist. With decades of experience in mainstream media, his reporting focuses on political analysis, current affairs, and socio-economic issues.

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