To ensure adequate protection to the poor, destitute and homeless in view of the extremely cold weather conditions, more than 1,200 night shelters have been set up in Uttar Pradesh on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Additionally, the government has purchased 4,96,883 blankets for distribution in the state's 75 districts and so far, more than 2.86 lakh blankets have been distributed to the poor and those in need.
The chief minister, in a high-level review meeting on Monday, said that the district magistrates should make surprise inspections of the arrangements at the night shelters. “No one should be seen sleeping on the road in cold weather. Every needy person should be accommodated in night shelters,” he said.
As many as 1,220 night shelters with the capacity to accommodate about 29,228 people have been set up to protect people from the cold wave. In addition, 14,043 locations across the state have been marked for bonfires. At about 12,594 public locations in the districts of UP, bonfires are lit every day. The chief minister himself visited Gorakhpur recently to inspect the night shelters.
The chief minister said, “It should be ensured that the distribution of relief materials like blankets, etc. is done by the local MP/MLA/local body chairman, and public representatives only. Administration officials will be present for assistance on the said occasion. There should be proper arrangements for bonfires at public places.”
Amid the cold wave, the Yogi Adityanath government provided a maximum of 16,379 blankets in Hardoi and more than 9,894 in Prayagraj. For Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as many as 10,988 blankets were purchased out of which 7,065 blankets have been distributed so far. The Yogi government distributed blankets to 4,320 persons in need in Ayodhya.