After Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave instructions to officials to make adequate arrangements for protecting the needy and the poor from growing cold, clarifications have been sought from three district magistrates for the delay in the purchase of blankets.

On the instructions of the chief minister, Rs 29 crore was released for the purchase of blankets and for making arrangements for bonfires across all 75 districts of the state. The chief minister has explicitly instructed officials that there should be no shortage of blankets and bonfires anywhere and there should be no compromise on the quality of blankets.

The distribution of blankets and arrangements for bonfires in districts are being monitored directly at the chief secretary level. The government has allocated a budget of Rs 27.27 crore for the purchase of blankets and Rs 1.77 crore for bonfires in all 75 districts of the state.

Till now, the process of purchasing blankets has been completed in 72 districts of the state. However, the exercise is yet to be completed in Kanpur Dehat, Sambhal and Etah, over which the chief minister has expressed his displeasure and has given instructions to seek clarification from the respective district magistrates.

A total of 3,30,794 blankets have been purchased in the state till December 20, of which 45,293 have already been distributed. Additionally, 1,199 night shelters are operational across the state. The Yogi government has allocated Rs 50,000 per tehsil for lighting bonfires.

The chief minister has instructed the Khadi Gram Udyog Board to purchase 24,000 blankets through open bidding at the L-1 rate by Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Mirzapur, Varanasi and Moradabad divisions. In view of the cold wave in the state, a provision of Rs 120 crore has been made through the State Disaster Response Fund by the state government.