Buoyant at the success of the recent Council polls where ruling party won 31 out of 36 seats Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav enters the last leg of his tenure with Samajwadi party gearing up for assembly election where Akhilesh’s report card would be put to litmus test.
Akhilesh knows it and therefore his government has initiated process to showcase the achievements of his government. “What we have done it in such a small tenure, no government could ever think of doing in 20 years. People do not know about our projects because we are good in doing work and poor in publicity. The cadre should now start spreading words,” Yadav says in his public meetings.
His party is following suit. It has launched Gaon Gaon Akhilesh campaign. The party vans with big lED screens have been dispatched to villages where people are made aware of the schemes Akhilesh Government has launched. The words have started having its impact. as people now say `ladka kaam to kar raha hai’.
Post-lok Sabha elections in 2014 the change in SP’s strategy is quite evident. The Government went slow on freebie distribution and shifted its focus on development particularly in the infrastructure sector. lucknow Metro, lucknow - Agra Expressway, power projects and affordable housing schemes became the buzzword for the government.
As per a report by Assocham India regarding the development of the state in February, 2015 titled 'Uttar Pradesh Inching Towards Double Digit Growth', the growth rate of Uttar Pradesh was better than the growth rate of the country for the year 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Under the Infrastructure and Industrial Investment Policy-2012, the state has received investment proposals worth Rs. 8700 crores. Big industrial houses like Reliance, ITC, Essel, Amity, Fortis, GAIl, Sonalika Tractors, JPl, Agro, Duncan Goenka, Sri Cements etc. have signed letters of agreement. HCl group is setting up IT city at a cost of Rs. 1500 Crores. So, industrialists are looking forward to invest here as they are feeling confident.
An Investor's Meet at Agra and Uttar Pradesh Investors Conclave at New Delhi had been organised. In the latter, MOUs worth Rs. 54,000 crores were signed. E-Uttar Pradesh organised in January, 2015 witnessed signing of MOUs worth Rs. 5000 crores.
In the 2016-17 budget, provision of Rs. 897 crore for the proposed "Samajwadi Kisan evam Sarvahit Insurance Scheme" has been made. A provision of Rs. 240 crore for Farmer Accident Insurance Scheme and Rs. 50 crore for "Aam Aadmi Insurance Scheme" has also been made in the budget 2016-17. So, the state government is providing a lot of support to the farmers.
During the past one year, UP has become the only state in the country to provide social security to 55 lakh families by giving them Rs 500 per month pension under Samajwadi Pension scheme. Government has shown its commitment to improve power supply by sprucing up distribution and transmission. It is expected that 6600 MW power stations would be set up by October this year.
While striving for improving the infrastructure, the government simultaneously paid full attention towards the poor and weaker sections of society. Consequently, people are being provided free medical services in the state. '108' Samajwadi Swasthya Seva and '102' National Ambulance Service have made an impact.
In last one year Samajwadi Party has tried to strike a balance taking care of all caste. If Samajwadi Party Government advocated reservation for 17 MBCs it also initiated schemes to please Muslims and Hindus alike. If it announced construction of boundary walls around graveyards, it initiated ‘Samajwadi Shrawan Yatra.
This is a state sponsored scheme in which elderly Hindus are taken to religious places like Hardwar, Rameshwarm and Puri Jagannath.The pilgrimage is absolutely free. Earlier, Akhilesh had announced a cash incentive for successfully completing the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.