Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday described Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a dynamic chief minister in the true sense of the term.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the new Income Tax Department Building during her maiden visit to Gorakhpur, Sitharaman emphasised the significance of the word “dynamic” in the context of Chief Minister Yogi saying, “Please correct my number if it’s wrong, Mr Chief Minister. There are 75 districts in the state and there are 52 weeks in a year. Yogi ji visits each of Uttar Pradesh’s 75 districts at least once, if not twice, within the span of 52 weeks.”
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was also present at the event.
Highlighting Chief Minister Yogi’s tireless efforts in traversing the state like a well-oiled engine, tirelessly working in every district, she further underscored the futility of seeking appointments with him in Lucknow, suggesting instead to meet him wherever he may be during that week.
Regarding her first visit to Gorakhpur, Sitharaman said, “First impression is the best impression and I found Gorakhpur more beautiful than I had ever imagined.”
The finance minister said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi guarantees inauguration of all the projects whose foundation stone was laid. She mentioned four major projects of eastern Uttar Pradesh to substantiate her point.
The finance minister elaborated that the foundation stone of the fertiliser factory and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) of Gorakhpur were laid in July 2016 and both were inaugurated in December 2021.
“Similarly, the foundation stone of the Regional Medical Research Centre of the Indian Council of Medical Research in Gorakhpur was laid in 2018 and it was inaugurated in December 2021. The Saryu Canal Project, pending since 1978, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in December 2021. This project is providing irrigation facilities to 29 lakh farmers living in 6,200 villages of nine districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. With the commencement of this project, irrigation of 14 lakh hectares of land has become easier,” she pointed out.
Discussing the achievements of the Income Tax Department, the finance minister said that the gross direct tax collection had increased by 16.77 per cent. “Along with this, tax refund of Rs 2.48 lakh crore has also been made from April 2023 to January 10, 2024. In cases of old tax claims from the sixties-seventies till the year 2009, relief of an amount of Rs 25,000 has been provided. Besides, owing to the faceless system, there has been a 60 per cent reduction in complaints,” she informed.
The Income Tax Department makes 1.66 crore assessments every day while the process of 3.43 crore income tax returns is completed in a week, she added.
