Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is positioning itself as India’s robotics capital with an ambitious proposal to establish PRAGATI – the country’s first integrated robotics and artificial intelligence innovation campus – in Noida.The move is aimed at reducing import dependence, accelerating advanced manufacturing and creating a globally competitive robotics ecosystem.The proposed 75-acre robotics cluster — led by the department of IT and electronics through UP Electronics Corporation Limited (UPLC) — is envisioned as a public-private partnership that will bring together robotics manufacturers, AI startups, research institutions, testing facilities and component suppliers under a single campus.The first phase will be developed over 10 acres and is expected to become operational within 12 to 16 months after project approval.The proposal comes at a time when the global robotics market is projected to reach nearly USD 135 billion by 2030, while India’s robotics market is expected to grow to around USD 4.1 billion. Despite the rapid expansion, nearly 85% of robots used in India are imported.The PRAGATI campus would feature India’s first robotics testing and certification centre, AI compute infrastructure, GPU clusters, rapid prototyping facilities, motion capture laboratories, physical AI data collection centres, drone testing zones, outdoor robotics testing tracks, incubation spaces and dedicated R&D infrastructure.Officials stated that Noida offers a natural advantage for such an initiative. The city already hosts one of India’s largest electronics manufacturing ecosystems. The region also benefits from world-class connectivity through expressways, the Noida International Airport, the Dedicated Freight Corridor and proximity to premier academic institutions.“The future of manufacturing will be driven by intelligent automation, robotics and artificial intelligence. Uttar Pradesh has already emerged as India’s leading electronics manufacturing destination, and our next goal is to build a globally competitive robotics ecosystem. PRAGATI is envisioned as a national platform that will bring together industry, startups, academia and govt to accelerate innovation, strengthen domestic capabilities and position India as a global hub for advanced robotics,” said Alok Kumar, principal secretary, IT and Electronics, UP.According to the proposal – approved by chief minister Yogi Adityanath — the project is expected to generate over Rs 2,000 crore in gross value addition within five years, while creating over 1 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities.The financial model also projects operational break-even by the third year and a sustainable operating surplus by the fifth year.The governance framework envisages a special purpose vehicle (SPV) led through a public-private partnership, with participation from Centre and UP govts and industry partners.State would provide land along with partial capital support, while private partners would contribute investment, operational expertise and technology capabilities.UP now plans to submit the proposal to the ministry of electronics and information technology for policy and fiscal support, alongside initiating land allocation and the process for onboarding industry partners.
