SLAIN SOLDIERS’ VILLAGES TO BE TURNED INTO MODEL ONES: YOGI

Time has come for elected representatives to acknowledge public sentiments

LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said villages of the soldiers killed in anti-terror operations or while fighting the enemy on the border will be developed as model villages. The state and the central governments will allocate funds for launch of development projects in these villages, he said in the assembly. Replying to a debate on the budget, Adityanath said the MLAs should take the initiative for development of the villages of the soldiers killed in action in 403 assembly constituencies as model villages.

LUCKNOW : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said villages of the soldiers killed in antiterror operations or while fighting the enemy on the border will be developed as model villages.

The state and the central governments will allocate funds for launch of development projects in these villages, he said in the assembly.

Replying to a debate on the budget, Adityanath said the MLAs should take the initiative for development of the villages of the soldiers killed in action in 403 assembly constituencies as model villages.

Twelve CRPF jawans belonging to UP were killed in the Pulwama terror attack on February 14.A soldier belonging to west UP was killed in an operation against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

The state government has already announced Rs 25 lakh ex gratia for the family members of each jawan, government job and naming of link roads after them, he said. Paying tribute to jawans killed in an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir, Adityanath said they laid down their life for the nation.

People were angry with Pakistan for supporting terrorists, he said, adding people across the country had hit the road to express their fury.

The time had come for elected representatives to acknowledge public sentiments, he said.

If political parties continued following an appeasement policy, people would not forgive them, he said. The chief minister said for the welfare of employees under the New Pension Scheme, the state government will open their accounts in banks and transfer 14% of the state share into the account. The chief minister also said the salary of shiksha mitras had been increased from Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,000 per month.

He announced an increase in the salary of anganbari workers, ASHA employees, cooks hired under the mid-day meal scheme, PRD jawans and chowkidars.

He said UPIDA has been tasked with preparing the detailed

project report (DPR) of the Ganga Expressway, which will connect Meerut with Prayagraj.

Once the DPR was approved, funds will be released for construction of the expressway in the supplementary budget, he added.

The expressway will run parallel to the Ganga and the government will take care of the eco system of the river, he said. The state government had allocated Rs 36,000 crore for farmers’ loan waiver and the government was ready to spend Rs 3 lakh crore on construction of the expressway, he said. The state government had launched the Purvanchal Expressway, the Bundelkhand Expressway and the defence corridor, he said.

He said as the state government respected the people’s faith, Prayagraj had undergone a metamorphosis during the Kumbh and religious spots like Ayodhya, Kashi,Vindhyavasini,SantRavidas and Valmiki’s birthplace and Naimisharainya were also being developed.

The spots associated with Raja Sulheldev and Bijli Pasi were also being renovated.

Yogi said when the SP and the BSP were in power, development funds were siphoned off, there was complete lawlessness in the

state and no one was ready to invest here.

The youths proudly say they belong to UP, they are getting good offers and placement in the government as well as the private sector, he said.

He said poor people had been allotted houses, toilets, electricity connection, cooking gas and health care.

The state government had increased the minimum support price for paddy and wheat, he said. To clear the cane farmers’ arrears, the government had released Rs 53,000 crore.

Along with soft loans, the state government was also giving subsidy to the farmers, he said.

The chief minister said the scholarship for SC/ST students had been hiked, a new university was being set up in Saharanpur and Azamgarh and a medical university in the name of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be established in Lucknow.

Besides, a satellite centre of KGMU will be set up in Balarampur district.

By reining in the copying mafia, the state government has improved the quality of the education and Sumangala Kanya yojana has been launched for the welfare of the girl child, he said.