Yogi pens story of new Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has stated that his government had laid the foundation of a new Uttar Pradesh in the past three years.

Lucknow, March 18 Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has stated that his government had laid the foundation of a new Uttar Pradesh in the past three years.

In an article written by the Chief Minister and released to the media, Yogi Adityanath said that when he assumed power, his biggest challenge was to bring the marginalised and poor into the mainstream.

The other challenge was to tackle the problems of illegal mining and illegal slaughter houses, essential to preserve our natural habitat. There was also the other major issue of reforming law and order.

"On a larger canvas, we needed to change the work culture in the state. For this, we scrapped needless holidays and kick-started a more robust work ethos. One major focus of my government was to change the madrasa system and upgrade education for Muslim students," he said.

The Chief Minister further stated that his government promoted infrastructure development, initiating projects such as the Poorvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway and Ganga Expressway.

"Air connectivity is high on our priority, and our government is working on 12 new airports. The Jewar International Airport has the potential to generate a substantial number of jobs and afford Uttar Pradesh global recognition. Improved connectivity and better law and order have resulted in an 18.6 per cent increase in investor interest in the state," he said.

In the article, the Chief Minister said that his most difficult task was dealing with the agrarian distress.

The state has waived pending dues of more than Rs 92,000 crore. Two-thirds of the state's population is engaged in agriculture. Working on the target set by the Prime Minister of doubling farmers' income by 2022, the state government has implemented several schemes such as providing soil health cards to more than 40 million farmers.

Under the Namami Gange project, the Sisamau sewer in Kanpur, from which 140 million litres of sewage was discharged into the Ganga daily, has been closed.

Under the Yogi government, Uttar Pradesh has set up seven new medical colleges and have got approval for 13 more. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences has been set up in Gorakhpur and Rae Bareli.

The number of encephalitis infections has also decreased by 56 per cent and the death rate by 90 per cent.

In the education sector, the Chief Minister said that under 'Operation Kayakalp' , basic facilities such as providing boundary walls, toilets, drinking water, and electrification have been undertaken in 92,000 primary schools. In these schools, 45,383 teachers have been recruited and the recruitment of 69,000 teachers is in its last phase. Similarly, 55 new government inter-colleges have also been approved in the secondary education sector.

He further pointed out that the Vantangia, Kol, Musahar and Tharu tribes, which had been marginalised for centuries, were brought into the mainstream when the government extended all public welfare schemes to their villages.

In order to improve law and order, the Police Commissionerate system was introduced in two cities Lucknow and Noida. By adopting a zero-tolerance policy towards crime and corruption, the police system has been streamlined.

Yogi Adityanath said that his government had shut down illegal slaughterhouses. Unnecessary government holidays were scrapped and victims of triple talaq were given due respect and necessary government help.

The mantra of "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas" was turned into a ground reality with changes in the madrasa education system for Muslim students.

For the farmers, the Uttar Pradesh government got soil health cards issued to more than four crore farmers.

Thousands of farmers have been provided 40 to 90 per cent subsidy through a custom hiring centre for purchasing agricultural machinery. This apart, 14 new Krishi Vigyan Kendras have been established and six new science centres are proposed.

Under the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Yojana, Rs 12,000 crore has been sent directly to farmers' accounts and their loans of Rs 36,000 crore have been waived.

In Bundelkhand, more than 8,000 ponds have been built on private land under the 'Khet Talab' scheme. This year, 6,000 local ponds will be constructed. Aami river in Gorakhpur, the Odi in Lalitpur, Gomti river in Ayodhya and the Ganda in Pilibhit have been revived.

"We have started organising 'Mukhya Mantri Arogya Mela' at primary health centres for active and enhanced medical services as a more constructive experiment to make the state healthy.

"Since February 2, lakhs have received free medical facilities in these fairs. Today, our health department is fully prepared to deal with any emergency like coronavirus infection. From launching awareness campaigns to the setting up of isolation wards, from blocking border areas to the installation of thermal analyzers, no effort has been spared," he said.

The Chief Minister said that in opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act, some anti-social elements unsuccessfully tried to disturb law and order, but this too was later effectively controlled.

"After identifying the miscreants, the damage done to property was recovered from them. This effort of governance also gained widespread support throughout the country," he said.

The Chief Minister said that his first resolve now was to take the holy land of Lord Shri Ram and Shri Krishna to the highest glory with the inspiration of the Prime Minister. "I am confident that the remaining two years will be in the direction of progress, public welfare and democracy," he said.

This incidentally, is the first time that a Chief Minister in the state has penned an article, marking the achievements of his tenure.

( With inputs from IANS )