After the success of UP Investors Summit where 15000 MoUs were signed, entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh were hopeful with the promising future.
Not only this, many entrepreneurs from outside Uttar Pradesh also marched to the Nawabi city (Lucknow) to know what opportunities can be there in Uttar Pradesh if they chose to expand in the state.
One District One Product Concept
Amidst many proposals and announcements that were made at the UP Investors Summit, one of the prominent concept which the UP government rolled out was - One District, One Product.
As a part of this concept, the government highlighted its concern and will to uplift various skilled districts in Uttar Pradesh, which are known for a specific product.
For example, Lucknow is famous for Chikan work (also known as Chikankari).
Under the One District, One Product concept, Lucknow Chikan work will be promoted and its production will be scaled up. By this, the Uttar Pradesh Government aims to generate employment for the local population.
Not only this, the One District One Product concept will also raise the standards of living of these artisans and strengthen the economy of the UP state as a whole.
Districts Enrolled Under ODOP Concept:
There are 75 districts enrolled under the ODOP concept including Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar and Kanpur Dehat.
The list of districts enrolled under ODOP concept has been prepared by keeping in view the traditional MSME hubs (Micro, Small and Medium scale industries) in Uttar Pradesh.
Nobody can deny the fact that we have exported unique products, such as Banarasi sarees, Kanpur leather and Lakhnavi chikan, to various parts of the world.
It should come as no surprise that the names of these products have the district’s name attached to them. They are the speciality of the district ever since they became famous.
Due to negligence, lack of access to modern facilities and absence of funds, the traditional MSME hubs were losing their lustre. However, the ODOP concept aims to light up all the dark houses once again.
A few of the districts, that will be first benefitted with the One District, One Product concept are listed below:
Lucknow - Chikan handicraft
Auraiya - Milk & milk products
Kanpur Nagar - Leather Goods
Aligarh - Locks
Moradabad - Brassware
Meerut - Sports goods
Saharanpur - Wooden goods
Bhadohi - Carpets
Eta - Ghungroos & bells
Varanasi - Banarasi silk sarees
Kannauj - Itar (perfumes)
Ghaziabad - Mechanical instruments
Ghazipur - Jute wall hangings
Gorakhpur - Terracotta
Chitrakoot - Wooden toys
Jhansi - Soft toys
Kanpur Dehat - Zinc utensils
Peelebheet - Bansuri
Farrukhabad - Block painting
Fatehpur - Bedsheet
Firozabad - Glass bangles and products
Faizabad - Jaggery (gud)
Baliya - Bindi
Barabanki - Hand woven sarees
Banda - Shajar stone handmade articles
Bulandshahr - Pottery
Agra - Leather footwear
Unnao - Zari & Zardosi handicraft
Rampur - Patch work
Amroha - Dholak
Allahabad - Moonj (grass fibre) products
Azamgarh - Black soil artwork
This is an incomplete list of districts under ODOP in Uttar Pradesh, but you must have got an idea of how diversified skills are possessed by locals in the state.
This is why Uttar Pradesh contributes to 44% of the total handicrafts exported by India to other countries.
It is expected that if the ODOP (One District, One Product) concept is implemented in the right way, the traditional MSME (Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprises) will generate employment for 25 lac people over a span of 5 years.
But only if, it works in the right way. And trust me, there are fewer chances of its failure. ODOP is a tried, tested and flourishing concept, coming from Japanese Business Development model.
Inspiration Behind One District, One Product Concept
In 1979, Japan came up with the concept of focusing on one area, which had the potential for a specific type of product. The Japanese business model was built in such a way that each area’s wealthy skills were converted into profits.
Japan called it One Village One Product. Japan promoted competitive and staple product of an area to push sales and improves the standards of living. This helped the local population with fund generation, employment and modern facilities.
After this was successfully implemented in Japan, which is a very disciplined and dedicated nation, it was replicated in various Asian countries. However, not many succeeded.
This time, it is replicated in India as ODOP. Thus, it is a tried and tested concept for economic and social growth. However, we must not forget that if we don’t channelize the energies well like Japan did, it will fail miserably.
Service Sector Startups Feel Neglected
Having said so much about the One District One Product concept, which focuses on the development of goods industries in Uttar Pradesh, the potential service sector industries emerging in Uttar Pradesh feel neglected.
One District One Product might be taking Uttar Pradesh towards a product based startup ecosystem but there is a long list of service based startups emerging in the city. If the UP government chooses to ignore the potential service sector in the state, they shall regret it in the future.