Revision summary
UP Data Centre Policy 2021 was the State’s first DC-park policy (IT and Electronics). Objectives: preferred destination, about Rs 20,000 crore, about 250 MW, at least three private parks. It aimed to store more Indian data inside India and to feed Digital India cloud. Green parks, dual-grid power, and extra incentives for Purvanchal and Bundelkhand were part of the design. Jobs and ease of doing business sit beside the megawatt target.
Model answer
Introduction
The Uttar Pradesh Data Centre Policy, 2021, notified by the Department of IT and Electronics, was the State’s first dedicated policy for data-centre parks and units. Its objectives are investment, megawatts, parks, data kept in India, and jobs—not a generic IT policy.
Body
Stated targets
- Make Uttar Pradesh a preferred Indian destination for the data-centre industry, aligned with the then draft national data-centre thinking and with Digital India cloud demand.
- Attract investment of about Rs 20,000 crore and build a data-centre industry of about 250 MW in the State.
- Establish at least three state-of-the-art private data-centre parks, with units inside parks, not only standalone sheds in Noida.
Ecosystem objectives
- Localise storage: India generates a large share of the world’s data but then stored little of it at home; the policy treats UP parks as an answer to that sovereignty gap after the 2019 data-protection debate.
- Plug-and-play infrastructure—land, dual-grid power, water, broadband—under ease of doing business, because data centres fail on electricity more than on software.
- Push Green Data Centre parks and solar parks so the 24×7 load is not only thermal; promote cloud for e-governance access.
Regional and employment discussion
- Incentives were made more attractive in Purvanchal and Bundelkhand so parks would not stop at Noida–Greater Noida.
- Direct and indirect employment, skilled manpower, and an MSME/startup layer around parks are stated growth-driver aims.
- Discussion: the objectives are infrastructure-industrial, not privacy law; success depends on cheap reliable power and on whether three parks actually leave the western expressway belt.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD V[Preferred DC destination] --> T[20000 cr 250 MW] V --> P[Three private parks] V --> L[Data localisation] V --> G[Green power jobs] T --> UP[UP DC ecosystem]
Conclusion
Key 2021 objectives were to brand UP as a data-centre destination, draw about Rs 20,000 crore and 250 MW, raise at least three private parks, localise data, green the power, and spread jobs beyond Noida. The policy is an industrial location tool for IT-electronics, not a substitute for national data-protection statute.
Quick related
Students also ask
-
How much has the ‘Operation Kayakalp’ been significant in the efforts of converting the primary and upper primary schools into model schools? Analyse.
Next question in the 2023 paper (Q10). View answer →
-
Is this the same as a software-export policy?
No. It is for data-centre parks and units: power, land, and storage halls, not BPO seats.
-
Why did UP write a DC policy in 2021?
To catch national data-localisation demand and to industrialise power-and-land advantages, especially along the western expressway and, on paper, in the east and Bundelkhand.
PYQ trend
When UPSC asked this
Related PYQs from other years, newest first. Open a question to read it.
-
2025 · Q5 · UPGS5 · 8 marks
Comment on the role of the Governor of Uttar Pradesh as a Constitutional Head. -
2025 · Q15 · UPGS5 · 12 marks
Describe the Constitutional provisions related to Centre-State relations in Indian Constitution and throw light on its relevance in the context of Uttar Pradesh. -
2025 · Q16 · UPGS5 · 12 marks
Discuss the composition, powers and functions of the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh. -
2025 · Q19 · UPGS5 · 12 marks
Evaluate the role of Uttar Pradesh Science and Technology Policy, 2025 and the Council of Science and Technology (CST-UP) in building a resilient R&D ecosystem. -
2024 · Q2 · UPGS5 · 8 marks
Write about the major republics located in Uttar Pradesh and their political system in the 6th century B.C. -
2024 · Q15 · UPGS5 · 12 marks
"If a Second Chamber dissents from the first, it is mischievous; if it agrees, it is superfluous." In the light of this famous statement, discuss the utility of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. -
2023 · Q12 · UPGS5 · 12 marks
Examine the role of the Chief Secretary in the administration of Uttar Pradesh.
More from this paper
Q1 · UPSC Mains 2023 · UPGS5 · 8 marks
Critically examine the process of appointment of the Advocate General and his functions in Uttar Pradesh.
Public service and constitutional bodies in UP
Article 165 lets the Governor appoint a High-Court-qualified Advocate General for Uttar Pradesh. Ministers advise the choice; tenure is at pleasure, with no fixed term. Functions are advice, court appearance, and a non-voting voice in the Legislature. Prayagraj and the Lucknow Bench make the office large and politically close to government. The critical gap is independence when the State itself is the litigant.
Q2 · UPSC Mains 2023 · UPGS5 · 8 marks
Discuss the nature of regional parties in Uttar Pradesh. Throw light on their importance in the politics of the state.
Public service and constitutional bodies in UP
UP regional parties are State-facing social coalitions, not thin copies of national ideology. SP, BSP, and RLD are the main types; smaller caste parties join as allies. They governed the State from the 1990s through 2012 and still structure opposition. Importance is Assembly arithmetic, social justice language, and federal bargaining. Leader-centric organisation is both their strength and their limit.
Q3 · UPSC Mains 2023 · UPGS5 · 8 marks
Describe the major stages in the formulation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) in Uttar Pradesh.
Local self-government in UP
UP GPDP follows the People’s Plan Campaign through Panchayati Raj and eGramSwaraj. Stages start with IEC and PRA situation analysis, including ward and mahila sabhas. The draft matches gaps to Finance Commission, MGNREGA, and converged schemes. Gram sabha approval is the statutory heart under the UP Panchayat Raj Act. Block–district sanction and portal upload finish formulation.
Toppers' copies
Toppers' copies for this question will be uploaded soon.