Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday, said that Uttar Pradesh was the state with the most municipal bodies in the country and these bodies had become the ‘axis’ of the positive change being witnessed in the state for the last six years.
While inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of over 2,029 development projects worth Rs 8,731 crore in Lucknow, the chief minister said, “There are 762 municipal bodies in the state with a population of about seven crores and municipal bodies with more than 4.32 crore voters will go to polls in near future.”
He said historic work had been done in the last six years to improve lives of people under ‘Ease of Living’ and it would continue on a war footing in future also. He said the urban bodies had become the axis of this state's transformation.
On the occasion, the chief minister also launched numerous books, including books related to the state's urban digital mission, progress of Swachh Bharat Mission, govansh protection, and a manual to protect dogs, among others.
He also flagged off tempo tripper vehicles and handed over keys of houses to beneficiaries of the PM Awas Yojana (Urban).
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Energy and Urban Development Minister AK Sharma, and Minister of State for Urban Development Rakesh Rathore 'Guru' were present on the occasion.
Addressing the people, the chief minister congratulated everyone on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti and 43rd Foundation Day of Bharatiya Janata Party. Yogi said, “The largest political party in the world, the BJP, was founded today. Although we do not mention the name of the political party in government events, the BJP has done the work of reaching different sections of society without discrimination under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.”
The chief minister praised the efforts made by the prime minister during the COVID-19 pandemic and stated that Uttar Pradesh was now receiving the benefits of all schemes under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
“A pandemic like this had already arrived 100 years ago also in which people died not only of illness, but also of starvation whereas during the COVID-19 pandemic, free vaccinations, tests, rations, and facilities were made available to the people for the first time in the history of the country, thanks to Prime Minister Modi's leadership.”
Describing it as a successful model which was being praised by the entire world, the chief minister, in a veiled attack on the Congress party, said that “it would serve well to open the eyes of all those who divided independent India on the basis of caste, region and language and made false promises”.
He went on to say that those who seek to divide the nation along the lines of caste, creed, and religion, have nothing to do with progress. “They don't care about the underprivileged; they are only interested in themselves,” he remarked.
Stressing the importance of development projects, the chief minister stated further that the worth of the projects being introduced today in UP was over Rs 8,731 crore, which was equivalent to the annual budgets of some states.
“While we are spending money on development, countries like Pakistan are struggling for food,” Chief Minister Yogi said.
He added that all efforts were being made to transform urban life in the state, pointing out that seven municipal corporations within the state have been included in the Smart City Mission, while the process of connecting all 17 municipal corporations with the Smart City Mission is underway. “Uttar Pradesh is currently leading the nation in the Smart City Mission's implementation,” he asserted.
Lauding the sanitation workers, the chief minister said that the government had formed a committee under the supervision of the chief secretary to ensure provision of a good honorarium to them and a state-level board would also be constituted, if there was a need.
“The sanitation workers must get the respect they deserve. In particular, the government will ensure the arrangement for the security of sewers, etc. along with the provision of additional honorarium for them,” Chief Minister Yogi said.
The chief minister said that 60 cities had been approved under the AMRUT scheme. “Apart from this, the Urban Development department has also started other projects. In near future, 100 nagar panchayats will be selected, which will be developed as aspirational cities,” he added.
Yogi said that a state’s economy cannot gain momentum without urban development and no one should be deprived of development. The chief minister added that ambassadors, or any person from anywhere in the world, visiting Lucknow today clearly praised the city for its cleanliness. “Prosperity will exist where there is cleanliness on one hand and security on the other,” he said.
