The construction of the 296km long Bundelkhand Expressway has been completed and it would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi some time next week, said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday. Work is progressing fast on Ganga Expressway, the CM added.
Addressing a press meet on the occasion of completion of the first 100 days of the second term of Yogi government, the chief minister said that Uttar Pradesh is advancing towards becoming the growth engine for the country’s economy, and realising the goal of achieving one trillion dollar economy in the next five years, to contribute substantially to PM’s vision of five trillion dollar economy for the country.
CM Yogi said that it’s because of the PM’s leadership and concern for the people, especially the poor and deprived, as well as the government’s development-oriented policies and efforts, that the people of UP are reposing their faith in him and the government, election after election. CM Yogi mentioned in this context the rout of the opposition parties, mainly, the SP, BSP, and Congress, in the recent election to the state legislative council, noting that the upper house has finally become “Congress Mukt” (free of Congress). He also mentioned the debacle of the Opposition in the parliamentary bypolls held in Rampur and Azamgarh.
CM Yogi said that after assuming office for the second time in a row, his cabinet selected 10 sectors to push growth of the state and presentations of projects were made by the ministries and relevant departments. Subsequently, PM Modi launched projects worth more than Rs 80,000 crore to accelerate development of the state.
The chief minister pointed out that, in the first budget of Rs 6.15 lakh crore in his second term, which is double the 2017 state budget, 95 pledges of the 130 made in the Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra were taken up and efforts are continuously being made to fulfill them.
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Reiterating his commitment to maintain law and order in the state, CM Yogi said that illegal property worth Rs 844 crore acquired by the mafia has either been seized or demolished in the first 100 days of his second term. He said that pursuing a zero tolerance policy against crime and criminals, the government has freed 68,784 encroachment sites and 76,196 illegal parking places from the clutches of the mafia and criminals. 2273 criminals involved in crimes against women have also been penalised under the POCSO Act, he added.
Yogi said that 1.20 lakh mikes have been removed from different places without any noise, and whether it is Ram Navami or Eid, the festivals are celebrated peacefully.
CM Yogi said that the state government’s initiatives have also led to significant increase in investments in the state and the government plans to provide direct and indirect employment to 25 lakh people in five years. He pointed out that government jobs have been provided to 10,000 youths in the last 100 days and according to official figures, the unemployment rate in UP has dropped from 18 per cent in 2016 to 2.9 per cent today.
As for farmers and the farm sector, CM Yogi said that Rs 47,265 crore has been transferred to 2.55 crore farmers’ accounts as part of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana while Rs 12,535 crore sugarcane price has also been paid to sugarcane farmers. Yogi said that crop loan of Rs 4635 crore has been distributed to 8 lakh farmers while arrangements have been made for irrigation of 21 lakh hectares of land.
The chief minister said that one lakh new beneficiaries have been added to the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana and the government has increased pension for old and destitute women, differently-abled and widows to Rs 1,000. Yogi said that Rs 400 crore has been provided as revolving and community investment support fund to 82,520 SHGs.
He also said that the government seeks to plant 35 crore saplings in five years in the state, adding that 75 saplings will be planted in each village on the occasion of Independence Day. Furthermore, Yogi Adityanath said that the state is turning into a hub for data centres. “Keeping the importance of data in the Digital India time, we will be establishing 4 data centres. In this, more than 4000 thousand youths will get jobs directly,” he said.
Yogi said infrastructural development is in full swing in UP with the construction of new expressways, highways, airports, as well as development of industrial corridors. He said that UP has also successfully controlled diseases like the novel coronavirus, kala-azar, malaria and encephalitis.
Also present on the occasion were Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya, Brijesh Pathak and Minister of Jal Shakti & Disaster Management Swatantra Dev Singh.