Varanasi: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday said that MP and UP would together script a new model of good governance and religious tourism, drawing inspiration from shared cultural heritage and development initiatives.Yadav said the two states would explore possibilities of economic growth through religious tourism, one district one product (ODOP) and Geographical Indication (GI) tag products branding, marketing and export.Inaugurating the MP-UP Cooperation Convention-2026 in Varanasi, Yadav said the event will explore options of developing a mega religious tourism circuit by incorporating sites such as Kashi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Mathura, Chitrakoot, Ujjain, and Omkareshwar in the two states.Ahead of attending the conference, the CM visited Kashi Vishwanath temple and toured the temple corridor.“Govts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are embracing the mantra of ‘development with heritage’ and are jointly fostering a shared culture of good governance and religious tourism. This will not only strengthen the ties between the two states but also pave new avenues for public welfare,” Yadav said.He praised CM Yogi Adityanath for establishing a paradigm of good governance in the state by keeping focus on development along with law and order. In view of preparations for the upcoming Simhastha-2028 in Ujjain, the CM said that the experiences from Varanasi would be highly helpful for the Simhastha. Yadav said that studying the arrangements of the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh 2025 and crowd management model during normal days and special occasions at Kashi Vishwanath Dham will help in better management of Simhastha Kumbh. Yadav’s visit saw signing of MoUs between KV Temple Trust and Mahakaleshwar Temple Trust as well as between the two states for promotion of ODOP products.“Kashi is not only among the most sacred places in the world but it is also `karmakshetra’ (working field) of PM Modi. His leadership has made India move towards becoming the third largest economy in the world,” said Yadav. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guidance, work on the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project has commenced to benefit the Bundelkhand region of both states by providing drinking and irrigation water facilities, he said, adding that both states are jointly working on a 2,000MW solar energy project in Morena.Highlighting that the MP-UP convention will provide a shared platform for the industrial capacities, traditional crafts, ODOP and GI tag products, agriculture and food products, investment opportunities and tourism potential of MP and UP, Yadav highlighted that his govt is giving priority to industry and investment activities.Earlier, UP MSME minister Rakesh Sachan welcomed Yadav and presented the growth story of MSME in nine years of Yogi govt. UP industrial development, export and investment promotion minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi expressed the hope that the conference will prove to be a milestone for cooperation in the ODOP and MSME sectors.
