Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday, slammed the previous Samajwadi Party government, saying prior to 2017 jobs were given on a person’s influence and money power, and not on the basis of merit.

He added that despite their competence and qualifications, many deserving candidates were left out of the selection process as their families did not have the financial resources or connections.

The chief minister was addressing an event in which he gave away appointment letters to the newly recruited youths as Diwali gifts.

 He said, “In the last seven and a half years, there has been no discrimination against anyone in the selection process. Since our government took office, recruitments for government, private sector and contractual jobs have been done with complete transparency and integrity, which has contributed to Uttar Pradesh’s rapid growth in various sectors.”

During the event, appointment letters were given to 1950 youths selected for various posts, including 1,526 gram panchayat officers, 360 gram vikas officers (social welfare), 64 social welfare supervisors, by the UP Subordinate Services Selection Commission.

The chief minister expressed optimism that if appointments are made with consistent fairness and transparency, Uttar Pradesh will emerge as India’s leading economy, and India will achieve development and self-reliance by 2047.

Chief Minister Yogi pointed out that in the past seven and a half years, his government has successfully completed nearly seven lakh recruitments in government services. He attributed this success to creating a secure environment in the state, which has also opened up job opportunities for thousands of young people in the private sector.

“Earlier, many young people from Uttar Pradesh had to search for jobs across the country and even abroad,” Chief Minister Yogi said, and added, “Today, they are finding jobs in their own state, region and even district, allowing them to balance work, family and household responsibilities.”

He also pointed out that most gram panchayat officers and candidates selected for roles in the Panchayati Raj department had received appointments in the districts where they live.

The chief minister emphasised that his government has worked on a comprehensive development plan for the state, in which transparency in the recruitment process played a key role.

“If good and capable candidates are not selected, the system responsible for implementing government schemes would become ineffective,” he said, and added, “To prevent this, our government decided in 2017 that all recruitment commissions and boards must follow a fair and transparent process, adhering to reservation rules.”

The chief minister highlighted the pivotal role of gram panchayats in realising the vision of Gram Swaraj (village self-governance) laid out by Mahatma Gandhi.

Speaking on the future goals of the nation, he referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a self-reliant and developed India by 2047, the centenary of independence. “The foundation for a self-reliant India starts at the grassroots and our gram panchayats are the building blocks of this vision,” he said.

Chief Minister Yogi praised the efforts of the Panchayati Raj department, which, following the 73rd constitutional amendment, has empowered gram panchayats to undertake 29 different types of development activities.

The chief minister noted that in the past, gram panchayats lacked their own infrastructure, and many gram pradhans worked from home, often delaying or missing out on creating and implementing action plans. This, he explained, led to underutilisation of funds.

However, he pointed out the significant progress made in recent years, with over 57,000 gram panchayats in Uttar Pradesh now equipped with gram sachivalayas (village secretariats), complete with facilities like optical fiber, internet, and Wi-Fi. A computer operator, designated as gram panchayat sahayak, has also been appointed to help address village-related issues directly within the village itself, he added.

“Essential services like income, caste, and residence certificates should now be available online in the village,” Chief Minister Yogi said, urging the preparation of year-long action plans in collaboration with village heads and residents.

He emphasised that development should not rely solely on Central and state funds, and ways to generate local resources should also be explored for self-reliance at the village level. He emphasised that every gram panchayat in Uttar Pradesh has the potential to become self-reliant.

Speaking on the need for innovative development in villages, he encouraged local bodies to make use of available resources. "Every gram panchayat likely has some surplus land, and there are village markets that can be developed into rural hubs,” he said.

Chief Minister Yogi also stressed the importance of ensuring that village drainage systems do not pollute nearby rivers or ponds, suggesting indigenous treatment methods to keep water bodies clean. He pointed out that ponds could be utilised for fish farming and other activities to generate additional income for the gram panchayats. He instructed the Panchayati Raj department to prepare a proposal to optimise the use of funds.

He also discussed the concept of ‘Smart Villages’, noting that 17 cities in the state are already on the path to becoming smart. “Why can’t gram panchayats also become smart?" he asked, proposing several measures for modernisation.

The chief minister emphasised the need for gram panchayats to revive traditional methods for waste management by reintroducing compost pits, which were once a common practice in villages. He suggested construction of compost pits on reserve land, grazing areas, and cow shelters, which could also be used to care for stray cattle.

He urged village leaders to identify residents who had not yet benefited from government schemes and ensure that every poor individual received support, as this would build trust between the people and the administration.

He noted that fair price shops are being developed as models near village secretariats, where not only government ration, but also other goods can be distributed. The rent from these shops will be deposited in the gram panchayat’s account, creating another revenue stream for local development.

The chief minister highlighted a significant achievement by pointing out that a young tribal (Tharu) from Lakhimpur Kheri had also received an appointment letter, marking a step forward in tribal empowerment. He further noted that the presence of a large number of women among those receiving appointment letters was an encouraging sign of progress towards women’s empowerment in the state.

Panchayati Raj Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, Minister of State for Social Welfare (Independent Charge) Asim Arun, Minister of State for Social Welfare Sanjeev Kumar Gond, Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, Agriculture Production Commissioner Monica S Garg, Additional Chief Secretary (Panchayati Raj) Narendra Bhushan, Principal Secretary (Social Welfare) Dr Hariom, Principal Secretary (Appointment and Personnel) M Devraj, In-charge Chairman of Subordinate Services Selection Commission ON Singh and others were present.