Green Municipal Bonds & Urban Development:

o Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation is the first in India to issue a

certified Green Municipal Bond under the Swachh Bharat Mission–
Urban for sustainable water management.
o It successfully raised Rs 150 crore to build a modern tertiary sewage
treatment plant (TSTP).
o Ghaziabad also won the 2024–25 Best Municipal Treated Water
Award.

o The Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) was launched in 2014,

aiming for cleanliness, hygiene, and proper waste management. SBM-U
1.0 achieved open defecation free (ODF) urban India. SBM-U 2.0 (2021-
2026) focuses on ODF+, ODF++, and making urban India garbage-free.

o Kanha Gaushala in Agra is set to install a 2 MW solar power plant,

making it the first Gaushala in UP to produce and use large-scale
renewable energy. It also uses cow dung for cow dung cakes to prevent
deforestation and has a dense forest developed using the Miyawaki
technique.
 Industrial Development & Economic Growth in UP:

o The Uttar Pradesh Leather and Footwear Policy-2025 aims to boost

production, exports, and make the state an "enterprise state".
o Kanpur will be a central hub, alongside Agra, Unnao, Lucknow, and
Bareilly. UP holds a 46% share in India's total leather exports.
o Uttar Pradesh secured first place in the country for factory
registrations in 2024–25, nearly doubling its numbers since 2020–21.
o UP's industrial Gross Value Added (GVA) reached Rs 1.3 lakh crore
in 2022-23, contributing 6.1% to the national industrial GVA, a step
towards the CM's goal of a USD 1 trillion economy.

o Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the NSE and

the UP Government to facilitate capital-raising for UP's 96 lakh
MSMEs through IPOs on the NSE Emerge platform.
o UP's industrial development authorities are crucial: UPSIDA
(Kanpur, 1961), NOIDA (Gautam Buddh Nagar, 1976), BIDA
(Bhadohi, 1981), GIDA (Gorakhpur, 1989), SIDA (Sathariya/Jaunpur,
1989), Greater Noida (Gautam Buddh Nagar, 1991), YEIDA (Yamuna
Expressway/Gautam Buddh Nagar, 2001), LIDA (Lucknow, 2005),
UPIDA (Lucknow, 2007).
o UP's first and India's second waste-to-CNG plant is being set up in
Prayagraj, producing biofuel from straw, poultry litter, cow dung, and
wet waste on a PPP model.
  Energy & Renewable Resources:
o Uttar Pradesh has topped the country in ethanol production. Asia's
largest ethanol plant is in Gonda district.
o Solar power generation in UP increased 10 times in the last 8 years.
The total installed capacity is expected to reach 2653 MW in 2025 from
288 MW in 2017.
o Under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, the UP government aims to double
the solar rooftop plant installation rate, targeting 8 lakh plants by
March 2027. The scheme aims to provide 300 units of free electricity
monthly to 1 crore households.

o UP became the first state in India to adopt an 'Agrivoltaic' project,

where solar panels are installed on agricultural land to produce
electricity while growing crops. This project received USD 0.50 million
in technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB),
making UP the first state to receive such aid.
o The first floating solar plant in UP has been installed in Dibiyapur
(Auraiya), with a 1 GW plant planned for Lalitpur.

 Governance & Public Welfare:

o The 'Zero Poverty Programme' in UP will be named after Baba Saheb
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, aiming to ensure all poor and marginalized
communities have access to basic facilities and government schemes.
o UP secured first place in digital transactions in India. Under the
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, Rs 1,11,637 crore was
transferred directly to beneficiaries, saving Rs 10,000 crore by
eliminating middlemen.

o The Investigation, Prosecution and Conviction Portal developed by

the UP Police received the Scotch Award for monitoring serious crime
investigations and expediting judicial processes.

o The Chief Minister’s Mass Marriage Scheme in UP has increased

assistance to Rs 1 lakh for poor and needy families, distributed in three
parts (Rs 75,000 to the girl's account, Rs 10,000 for gifts, Rs 15,000 for
organization).

o The ODOP (One District One Product) 2.0 policy for FY 2025-26 aims
to expand the scheme into statewide self-employment, skill
development, and entrepreneurship by focusing on branding, packaging,
and marketing. The original ODOP scheme was launched in Jan 2018
and covers all 75 districts.

 Environment & Conservation:

o A campaign against illegal encroachment along the Indo-Nepal
border in UP was conducted in April 2025 to strengthen security.
o The UP government is developing dams and reservoirs as eco-
tourism destinations in seven districts, including Chitrakoot, Mahoba,
and Sonbhadra, to promote water and adventure sports.
o A rare snake, Ahaetulla longirostris (long-snouted vine snake), was
discovered in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Lakhimpur-Kheri.
o The Jatayu Conservation & Breeding Centre has been opened in
Maharajganj.

 Education & Skills:

o In the India Skills Report 2025, Uttar Pradesh topped in
mathematical skills and computer proficiency and also in critical
thinking. It ranked third in English proficiency and second as a preferred
state for internships.
o The IIT (BHU) research team in Varanasi won the Forensic Hackathon
2025 for developing a glycan-based forensic technique for accurate
age estimation using biological fluids, even without DNA.
o Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow,
received a patent for bio-plastic technology using cow dung and
bacteria, significantly reducing production costs.
o The 'One KGBV, One Game’ Scheme was launched to enhance the
sporting talent of girls in Kasturba Gandhi Residential Girls Schools
(KGBVs), aiming to prepare them for national-level competitions.
o CM Abhyudaya Composite School has been opened in Lucknow.
o India's first Film University is being established in Greater Noida. The
first Semiconductor Park in UP is in Noida.
o The first Dr. Digital Clinic in Uttar Pradesh has been established in
Sitapur.
 Infrastructure & Connectivity:
o Dassault Aviation will set up a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul
(MRO) facility for Rafale and Mirage-2000 fighter jets at the Noida
airport complex, along with a Centre of Excellence and a university.
This aims to reduce foreign dependency and promote self-reliance in
defense.
o The Rohin Barrage Project in Maharajganj was inaugurated to provide
irrigation facilities to over 7,000 hectares of cultivable land in eastern
UP.
o Development projects worth over Rs 3,880 crore were inaugurated in
Varanasi, including road infrastructure, power substations, rural
education upgrades, and the establishment of an Ekta Mall.
o The Mathura Heritage Corridor Project is planned to promote tourism
and improve regional connectivity, including a 6 km mini link expressway
connecting Banke Bihari temple with Yamuna Expressway.
o A special device developed in Noida for tracking stolen vehicles by
installing wireless chips in key parts like chassis, engine, and number
plate has been patented.
o First Digital Highway in UP is being built between Barabanki and
Bahraich (101 km).
  Culture & Heritage:
o Uttar Pradesh is the top state in India with 77 GI tags for traditional
products. The Kashi region alone has 32 GI tagged products.
Recently, Varanasi’s Banarasi Shehnai and Banarasi Tabla secured
GI tags.
o The 15th Hockey Senior Men National Championship 2025 was held
in Jhansi, where UP finished third. The National Junior Girls
Handball Championship was won by Uttar Pradesh for the first time
in Lucknow.
o The Sansad Khel Maha Kumbh was organized in Lucknow to promote
sportsmanship and indigenous sports, aligning with the Khelo India
campaign.
o The India-Nepal Literature Festival was organized in Vrindavan
(Mathura) to promote literary and cultural heritage between the two
nations.
o A brass statue of Buddha in Sarnath style was gifted by PM Modi to
the King of Thailand. The Sarnath style emerged during the Kushan
period and is characterized by a deep sense of peace and the
Dharmachakra Mudra.
o The UP Fire Department was honored by the Goa Government for its
excellent services in Mahakumbh 2025, Prayagraj.
o Kumudini Lakhia, a renowned Kathak dancer and choreographer from
Ahmedabad, passed away at 95. She founded the Kadamba Dance and
Music Center and received numerous awards, including the Padma
Vibhushan (2025).
o The 103rd birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar,
the legendary sitar player born in Varanasi, was celebrated on April 7,
2025. He popularized Indian classical music in the Western world.

 Social Aspects:
o The Child Mortality Rate in Uttar Pradesh remains among the highest
in India, with 43 out of every 1,000 children dying before their fifth
birthday, despite some improvements.
o The CM Yuva Sathi Yojana in Uttar Pradesh will launch 3,304 women-
led solar-powered shops to economically empower women, with four
shops opened in each of the 826 blocks.
o UP's CM stated a plan to eradicate poverty in the state within three
years.

 Key Locations & Specifics:

o Ballia: Crude oil reserves discovered by ONGC in Sagarpali village.

o Kanpur: Hosted Techkriti 2025, Asia's largest inter-college tech and

entrepreneurship festival. It is also becoming a Robotics Hub and is

constructing a Textile Machine Manufacturing plant.

o Lucknow: Designated as an AI & Machine Learning Hub. Also the

location for a BrahMos Missile Unit, a National Inspiration Site, and

the largest Titanium & Super Alloy Material Plant in India.

o Prayagraj: Home to the first waste-to-CNG plant in UP, the first

floating restaurant in UP, and the location for Kalagram and the

Samvidhan Gallery.

o Varanasi: Identified as an Engineering Research Hub and the first

Ropeway City in India. Also home to the Swarved Temple, first Hindi

Literature Museum, and a Dolphin Safari Park.

o Noida/Greater Noida: Emerging as an IT & ITS Hub. Greater Noida

hosts the first Film University in India, and Noida has India's first 3

Nanometer Chip Design Centre and is where Dassault Aviation will

set up its MRO facility.

 Sambhal: Location for Kalki Temple and the recently reopened

Bhasma Shankar Temple. Also, Neja Mela has been banned here.

 Jhansi: Hosted 15th Hockey Senior Men National Championship

2025, and has a new Space Museum.

 ◦
 Mathura: Birthplace of Lord Krishna. Location of the India-Nepal

Literature Festival in Vrindavan, Mathura Heritage Corridor

Project, Central Goat Research Institute, and Peacock

Conservation Center. The first women's military school in UP

opened in Vrindavan.

 ◦

 Agra: Footwear capital, home to Kanha Gaushala's solar plant,

and proposed site for a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial. The

Taj Mahotsav 2025 theme was "Dharohar".

 ◦

 Sitapur: Location of the first Dr. Digital Clinic in Uttar Pradesh and

Naimisharanya, a significant pilgrimage site.

 Sonebhadra: India's energy capital, and a district touching the

maximum number of states (Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,

Chhattisgarh). It is also home to the Obra and Anpara Power

Plants.

 Shamli: Uttar Pradesh's westernmost district and location of the

first private Textile Park.

 Hathras: Known for Asafoetida (Heeng) and the birthplace of Raja

Mahendra Pratap.

 Muzaffarnagar: Famous for jaggery (gur), with its first consignment

recently exported to Bangladesh.