Asserting that Uttar Pradesh has undergone a complete transformation under his government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that there have been no riots since 2017, strict action has been taken against the mafia and the State ís in the frontline of implementing welfare schemes, ensuring the ease of doing business and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Making public his government’s report card months before facing the Assembly polls, the Chief Minister also hit out at the opposition, saying they were busy building their houses when they were in power, indulged in corruption and nepotism, caused suffering to the sugarcane farmers and used to see centres of faith like Ayodhya from a communal point of view.
“In the 2022 Assembly elections, BJP will cross 350 seats (out of 403 seats), and there should be no doubt on this,” the Chief Minister said at a press conference and stressed that his government has fulfilled every promise mentioned in the Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra in 2017.
“The opposition should read it. Had the opposition attended our training camps, they would have learnt something, and would have got wisdom,” he remarked.
Uttar Pradesh is now number one in implementing 44 central schemes be it the PM Awas Yojna or construction of toilets in the households and its image is no longer liked with riots and lawlessness due to effective and transparent governance, Mr. Adityanath said.
“Unlike them (previous governments), we did not make luxurious houses for ourselves. Our government focused on building houses for the poor,” he said, taking a veiled dig at his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav.
“Government bungalows were demolished, and there was a competition to build houses for themselves as well as huge ‘havelis’ (mansions). But the four-and-half years were dedicated to good governance. And we did not build houses for ourselves, but for 42 lakh poor people of the State,” he said.
He said criminals were firmly dealt with irrespective of their caste, religion and social status to provide a safe and secure environment in the Sate.
“Uttar Pradesh remained free from any riots during four-and-half years, unlike in the past when there used to be communal clashes every 3-4 days,” the Chief Minister said.
He also claimed the government displayed sensitivity at every level.
Facing criticism over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chief Minister pointed out that the State has the highest number of tests and vaccinations and is among those with the lowest positivity rates.
He said the investors’ confidence in the State is growing and U.P. has emerged second in the country in terms of ease of doing business.
Accusing the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) government of shuffling officials frequently, Mr. Adityanath said, “Transfer and posting had assumed the shape of an industry in the previous (SP) government. Every post was sold.
“Earlier, the officials were shuffled like a pack of cards. But in the past four-and-half years, no person can level allegations of exchange of money for posting.” A booklet titled ‘Vikaas kee lahar, har gaav har shahr’ which listed achievements of the U.P. government was also released on the occasion. Among other things, it claimed that 4.50 lakh youth have been given government jobs.
“U.P. which was considered an obstacle in the path of development, the same U.P. is number one in implementing 44 central schemes,” Mr. Adityanath said.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said the centres of faith were given due honour under his government.
“However, the opposition parties used to see them from the communal point of view. They always remained apprehensive about organising Deepotsav in Ayodhya, and thought that if they do it, they will get the label of being communal,” he said.
He also said that Uttar Pradesh is among the leading States in the country that have prepared a plan to implement the National Education Policy.
Opposition parties like the Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the Congress, however, dismissed the Adityanath government’s report card as “lies”. Some of the achievements of the BJP government mentioned in the booklet are loan waiver worth ₹36,000 crore to 86 lakh farmers, payment of ₹1.44 lakh crore to sugarcane farmers and free ration to 15 crore people under Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Ann Yojana.
The State has emerged as a new export hub, he said adding that there is an environment of safety in the State now.
“Before the BJP came to power in the State, there were deaths due to hunger in the State. After coming to power, the verification of ration cards was done, and it was found that nearly 40 lakh poor people did not have ration cards. Now, 80,000 ration shops have been linked to ePOS machines,” he said.
He also said that in the period from 2007 to 2017, many sugarmills were either closed or sold at throwaway prices, thereby making the lives of the sugarcane farmers miserable.
The previous governments did the work of ruining the condition of farmers where they were forced to commit suicide, he said.
“In the previous governments, the crops were purchased through intermediaries, but our government purchases them directly from the farmers,” he said.
The current Uttar Pradesh government has cleared over 84.29% of dues of sugarcane farmers of the State, making it the highest and fastest payment in a season in the past 50 years.
The sugar mills have procured 1,028 lakh tons of sugarcane worth ₹33,025 crore of which dues of ₹27,837.52 crore have been cleared.
“Over 45.22 lakh sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh have been paid a record cane price payment of more than ₹1,42,889 crore between 2017-2021 which indicates the pro-farmer stance of the government.”
“From 2017 till now Rs 1.43 lakh crore has been paid,” said the Chief Minister.
During Mayawati’s tenure from 2007-2012, 30 lakh cane farmers were paid ₹52,131 crore and during Akhilesh Yadav’s regime from 2012-2017, a payment of ₹95,215 crore was made to 33 lakh farmers, the U.P. government later said in a statement issued here.
The payment made by the BJP-led U.P. government is twice the amount that was made by the former Bahujan Samaj Party government, and 1.5 times more than the Samajwadi Party government, the statement said.
It also pointed out to the implementation of ration card portability in the entire State, and demolition/seizure of illegal property of the mafia worth over ₹1,866 crore.
As many as 150 criminals have been killed in encounters; 3,427 criminals have been injured, National Security Act has been slapped on 630 people and 44,759 have been booked under the Goonda Act, it said, also noting that work on Police Forensic University has commenced in Lucknow.
Uttar Pardesh has also become the first State in the country to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to nine crore people.
In 59 districts of the State, at least one medical college is operational, while work is under way on a PPP model to construct medical colleges in the rest of the 16 districts.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, 42 lakh houses have been built, while under the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana ( grameen ), over 1.08 lakh houses were built.
Under the Ujjwala scheme, free gas connections have been given to 1.67 crore women.
In the State, 4.50 lakh youth have been given government jobs.
Both the Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, U.P. BJP Chief Swatantra Dev Singh and BJP’s U.P. in-charge Radha Mohan Singh were present on the occasion.
