The day Uttar Pradesh entered into a long-term partnership of community development with Tata Trusts to improve quality of life, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav declared that all poor women would get Samajwadi Pension from the next fiscal.
“The government has a plan to provide pension to the poor, eligible women of the state. We will make budgetary allocation for this in the next fiscal,” Yadav said during the function when his government and Tata Trusts inked an agreement to work in four sectors.
In the presence of the CM and the Chairman of Tata Trusts, Ratan Tata, Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan and executive trustee of the Tata trusts R.Venkataramanan signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday.
Welcoming the Tata Trusts in UP, Yadav said that a new era has begun. life of the people will change in coming days. "People look at UP with jaundiced eye. The things have changed in UP since the Samajwadi Party came to power. Much is happening but people’s way of looking at UP is unchanged,” Yadav said.
The CM said that his government has already launched several welfare programmes in the state. "There are ambulance schemes like 108 and 102 that is catering to the need of poor. The development schemes are implemented both in rural and urban areas alike. If we have metro and Agra-lucknow Expressway in city, there is lohia Awas Yojana in rural areas," he said.
“The partnership with Tata Trusts will help in improving standards of nutrition, education and employment in the state,” he said.
Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said that the MoU will certainly improve the quality of life of the people of UP with special thrust on maternal and children welfare.
The thrust of the MoU would be in the sectors of Health, livelihoods and Education. The agreement comes after the meeting between Akhislesh Yadav and Ratan Tata in Unnao last month during the opening of a sports academy for handicapped by Padma Shree, Arunima Sinha.
Tata Trusts would be providing support in the state government's endeavours in poverty alleviation, employment generation, increasing income and infrastructure development, a spokesman said.
To ensure proper execution of work and effective monitoring, a joint state-level steering committee comprising of representatives of the state government and the Tata Trusts would be constituted now.
A mechanism would be developed so that cancer can be detected at an early stage and a cancer registry would also be prepared. Both sides would work together to ensure quality education and job-oriented training in various sectors.
Under the MoU, developing off-grid solar energy as well as solar energy based irrigation system, establishing solar water lifting pumps, hi-tech plant nurseries, introduction of improved varieties and techniques of horticulture, assimilation of various varieties, agro-forestry, bio-farming and combined efforts to increase agriculture harvest, mechanisation, post-harvest management are some initiatives involved.
The MoU would also encompass safe storage, agri-marketing, encouraging micro-irrigation, developing high quality seeds, development of value chain for milk, menthol, garlic, onion, maize, pulses and banana.