Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, 29 June 2026 highlighted the transformation of Moradabad from a city once synonymous with unrest and disorder into a thriving export destination, crediting nine years of governance under the Bharatiya Janata Party for the turnaround. The Chief Minister made the remarks via a post on X, contrasting the city's troubled past with its current identity as 'Pital Nagri' (Brass City) and an emerging export hub.

Context

Moradabad, located in western Uttar Pradesh, has historically been renowned across the world for its brass handicraft industry, earning it the nickname 'Pital Nagri' — Brass City. The city's artisans produce intricately crafted brassware that is exported to dozens of countries, making it one of India's most significant handicraft export centres. However, the city also witnessed serious communal and law-and-order disturbances in earlier decades, most infamously in 1980, which left a long shadow over its civic reputation.

CM Yogi's post draws a pointed contrast between what he characterises as the chaos of nine years ago — placing the baseline around 2017, when the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh — and the city's current trajectory. The framing is consistent with the party's broader governance narrative ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.

Policy Backdrop

Since 2017, the Yogi Adityanath government has repeatedly cited improvements in law and order across Uttar Pradesh as a foundational achievement, arguing that a stable security environment was a prerequisite for economic revival. Moradabad has been positioned as a showcase for this argument, with the administration pointing to growth in brass exports as evidence of investor confidence returning to the region.

The One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, launched by the state government, identified Moradabad's brassware as the district's signature product and channelled promotional and financial support toward artisans and exporters. The scheme aimed to formalise supply chains, improve access to credit, and connect local manufacturers with global buyers. Moradabad's brass handicraft sector employs hundreds of thousands of workers, many from economically marginalised communities.

Stakeholders and Impact

The brass handicraft cluster in Moradabad is one of the largest of its kind in the world, with exports running into thousands of crore rupees annually. Artisans, small manufacturers, and exporters in the city stand to benefit directly from any sustained improvement in the ease of doing business and access to export infrastructure. For workers in the informal segment of the trade, stability in law and order and consistent policy support translate into livelihood security.

The post also carries political weight. Moradabad is a communally sensitive constituency with a significant Muslim population, many of whom are directly employed in the brassware trade. By invoking the city's economic renaissance, CM Yogi is signalling a development-first message to a diverse electorate while simultaneously underscoring the law-and-order contrast with the pre-2017 period.

What's Next

With Uttar Pradesh remaining a key political battleground, the administration is expected to amplify success stories from cities like Moradabad as part of its governance record ahead of future elections. Continued investment in export infrastructure, artisan skilling, and logistics connectivity will be critical to sustaining the city's momentum as a global brass handicraft hub. Whether Moradabad can consolidate its position as a top-tier export destination will depend on global demand conditions, domestic policy continuity, and the ability to move up the value chain beyond traditional brassware into diversified metal goods.