Ministers, other BJP lawmakers begin adopting health centres

MINORITIES WELFARE MINISTER MOHSIN RAZA ANNOUNCED HE WAS ADOPTING A CHC IN SAFIPUR

Following chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s appeal, his ministers and other BJP lawmakers began adopting primary and community health centres (PHCs or CHCs) in their regions even as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday sent three truckloads of wood to enable the poor to cremate their dead in her Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency.

In an effort to improve medical infrastructure, especially in rural areas, the CM has for the last couple of days been urging lawmakers to adopt PHCs or CHCs in their regions. On Monday, minorities welfare minister Mohsin Raza announced he was adopting a CHC in Safipur, Unnao.

“I will do my best to better the medical facilities and infrastructure in this CHC,” Raza said adding that he had intimated his decision to the chief minister. Ved Prakash Gupta, the BJP lawmaker from Ayodhya who has just recovered from Covid too, confirmed he was adopting one while several other lawmakers said they were in the process of finalising the adoption.

“I have adopted PHC of Pura Bazaar which is located at a place where an Azamgarh-Ayodhya four lane road is coming up. We also intend to set up a trauma centre there in due course,” Gupta said.

BJP MLC and party vice president Vijay Bahadur Pathak also said he had adopted a PHC in Azamgarh and informed the chief minister about it during his visit to the district earlier on Monday. “We are committed to improving facilities in health care,” Pathak said.

While Yogi ministers and lawmakers were adopting PHCs and CHCs, Congress chief Sonia

Gandhi sent three truckloads of wood to enable the poor cremate the dead in Rae Bareli, her Lok Sabha constituency.

Cremation in Rae Bareli takes place at Gokna, Dalmau and Gegaso ghats on the banks of the Ganga and many poor, mostly due to penury, are burying their dead by the riverside not just in Rae Bareli but in many other parts of the state too.

The Yogi government has sought to rectify the situation by announcing Rs 5,000 for cremation in villages of all poor while the state’s labour welfare council too has separately announced Rs 7,500 for cremation. Congress leaders said Sonia Gandhi on coming to know about the plight of the poor sent one truck wood for each of the three cremation grounds of Rae Bareli.

“Sonia ji had directed her representative KL Sharma ji to arrange wood for cremation and now the party cadres would help the poor in cremating their near and dear ones,” said party spokesman Vinay Dwivedi.