Even as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav maintained silence on being nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “Swachh Bharat” campaign, the Samajwadi Party has said that clean environment and pollution control figured in the Chief Minister’s development agenda.
“Being sensitive towards the cause of cleanliness, health and environment, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has given a ‘clean and green’ ( swachh and hariyali ) slogan to the country and the State,’” Samajwadi Party spokesman and Political Pension Minister, Rajendra Chaudhary said in a statement on Saturday.
Mr. Yadav is among the nine persons from Uttar Pradesh nominated by the Prime Minister to participate in the “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”. Mr. Modi announced the names of the nominated persons in Varanasi after participating in the Clean India campaign at Assi Ghat on the Ganges on Saturday.
Stating that schemes have been implemented for giving a facelift to the villages and towns, the spokesman added that since the formation of the Samajwadi Party government, the Chief Minister had emphasised on massive aforestation and protection of tree cover.
In this context, Mr. Chaudhary mentioned the development of Fisher Forest spread over 1,000 acres in Etawah district and tree plantation drive undertaken on 1000 acres in Babina Cantonment in Bundelkhand.
The SP spokesman mentioned the Lohia Park, the Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow and the Lion Safari in Etawah district as measures for environment protection and development of ‘Green belts’.
Referring to the steps taken to clean the rivers, Mr. Chaudhary said work was under way to clean the Ganga, Yamuna, Varuna and the Gomti. The Chief Minister has deep interest in cleanliness ( swachhta ) and extension of green cover in the State.
