In May 2025, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM), Yogi Adityanath with Ajay Banga, President of World Bank(WB), jointly launched two initiatives ‘UP AGREES (Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Growth and Rural Enterprise Ecosystem Strengthening)’ and ‘AI Pragya (Artificial Intelligence Programme for Resourcefulness, Awareness, Growth, and Youth Advancement)’ to promote agricultural innovation and digital transformation at a launch event in Lucknow, UP.
- The UP-government initiatives with the WB’s assistance aims to move closer to its vision of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy.
Key People:
The launch event was also attended by other senior officials including Auguste Tano Kouame, Country Director for India, World Bank; Manoj Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary of UP; Suresh Khanna, Minister of Finance (MoF) of UP; Surya Pratap Shahi, Ministry of Agriculture Education and Research of UP; Swatantra Dev Singh, Jal Shakti Minister of UP and Baldev Singh Aulakh., Ministry of Agriculture Education and Research.
About UP AGREES:
i.UP AGREES initiative is launched with an aim to revolutionize agriculture in 21 districts of Bundlekhand and Purvanchal regions, which will enhance productivity and promote advanced, technology-based farming.
- The UP AGREES project which costs Rs.4000 crore will receive Rs.2737 crore as loan from WB for a period of six years, while the UP government will contribute Rs.1166 crore.
- The loan has a repayment period of 35 years at an interest rate of 1.23%.
ii.The programme will directly benefit farmers, fishers, farmer organizations, and agri-related Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), with 30% of the benefits are reserved for women.
iii.The initiative will benefit nearly 10 lakh farmers in the UP. About 10,000 women producer groups will be involved, and 500 farmers will be sent abroad to learn best practices in agriculture.
About AI Pragya:
i.AI Pragya aims to build a robust Artificial Intelligence (AI) talent base by training 10 lakh youths across UP, equipping them with the digital skills necessary to thrive in emerging technological sectors.
ii.The programme will provide certification in key domains like AI, Machine Learning(ML), Data Analytics(DA) and cybersecurity, which increase employment opportunities.
iii.As part of the programme, global tech giants including Microsoft, Intel, HCL, Wadhwani Foundation, Amazon, Google, and 1M1B will collaborate with the state government to launch upskilling initiatives in the UP.
iv.The programme will be implemented in collaboration with departments like education, health, agriculture, rural development, revenue and secretariat administration.
About Uttar Pradesh(UP):
Chief Minister (CM) – Yogi Adityanath
Governor – Anandiben Patel
Capital – Lucknow
National Park (NP) –Dudhwa NP.
About World Bank(WB):
President – Ajay Banga
Headquarters – Washington, the United States of America (USA)
The World Bank was established in 1944 and commenced its operations in 1946.
