The restoration of rule of law is why domestic and foreign industrialists, scared of investing in UP earlier, are willing to invest in the State today
On September 19, the day Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath completed four and half years in office, Samajwadi Party national president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted that the booklet released by the Government on its achievement was a bundle of lies. He called the achievements of the BJP Government as “solahaanejhoot (a complete lie)”. Yadav is a senior opposition leader. So, his criticism didn’t come as a surprise. What, however, did surprise me was his ostrich-like approach of burying his head in the sand and refusing to see the reality.
What goes without saying is the fact that the motto of Yogi Adityanath’s government has been ‘sabkasaath, sabkavikas, sabkavishwas’. That is why Uttar Pradeshhas emerged as the most transparent and growth-oriented government in the state’s history.
Can Akhilesh Yadav deny the fact that UP which carried the image of being a BIMARU state has now emerged as the second-strongest economy in the country? Can he deny that over 4.5 lakh youth received government jobs in the last four and a half years? Can he deny that the recruitment of youth was based completely on merit and in compliance with reservation rules? Akhilesh should ask those who have been recruited and they will tell him that under Yogi’s watch there has been no involvement of middlemen.
With schemes like Mission Shakti and campaigns like Anti-Romeo Squads, the government has worked towards safeguarding women and making them self-reliant.
For better understanding, one should look at some figures.This government did cancel 40 lakh ration cards issued during the previous Akhilesh Yadav government. But it wasnot vendetta politics. The beneficiaries issued those cards were not poor. So, our government made new ration cards for those who deserved it. Meaning, the real poor.
As many as 15 crore people got free ration during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This government provided insurance cover for three crore migrant workers. Nobody could raise a finger at our working. This has been possible because of the commitment and transparency shown by the government. Even the UP covid management model has received laurels from all across the world including the World Health Organisation.
Furthermore, 1.38 crore poor people have got free power connections while 2.61 crore toilets have been built in the last four and a half years. Apart from this, six crore people are benefitting from the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Is this a ‘jhoot’ that pride was restored to women by giving them ‘Izzat Ghar’ in the form of toilets? Almost all the villages across the state have toilets.
The state has written a new era of development through the construction of 341 km-long Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Gorakhpur Link Expressway, Ballia Link Expressway, and 594 km-long Ganga Expressway connecting western Uttar Pradesh with eastern UP. The state now boasts of landmark work in the aviation sector. We will soon have one more international airport at Kushinagar. Ongoing construction work of international airports at Jewar and Ayodhya will give wings to aviation in the state. The state currently boasts five international airports and eight domestic airports while work is underway on 10 airports.
Among the biggest policy triumphs of the Yogi Government has been its resolve to transform the lives of farmers and making them self-reliant and prosperous. In its 4.5 years of governance, over Rs 2.94 lakh crore have been transferred directly to the account of farmers. Over 45.74 lakh sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh have been paid a record cane price payment of more than Rs 1,44,000 crore between 2017-2021 which indicates the pro-farmer stance of the government. This initiative yielded unimaginable results and the state recorded over 476 lakh metric tonnes of sugar, which is a record to date. Besides, the government has waived off loans worth Rs 36,000 crore of about 86 lakh farmers to help them get back on their feet.
The pro-farmers approach of the state government played a huge role in the production of 2,399 lakh MT of food grains. The government has also provided compensation of Rs 2,376 crore to the farmers under Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana. Addressing the issue of farmers’ crops rotting in the warehouses, the Yogi government procured 435 lakh MT of food grains, and also cleared payments of Rs 79,000 crore.
The change is perceptible now as big investors are ready to invest in UP today. This is because of the prevalence of rule of law in the state, which had been missing from the state for the past several years. During Akhilesh Yadav’s regime, riots were a routine affair as it took place every three to four days between 2012 and 2017. Not a single riot has taken place in the last four and a half years of the BJP government due to the zero-tolerance policy against crime and criminals. That is why, the state has realised the dream of ‘Apradhmukt Uttar Pradesh’ in the Yogi regime. The crackdown against a large number of criminals and gangsters and confiscation of their property worth over Rs 1800 crore and the demolishing of their Illegal properties have helped the state stamp its authority.
While the previous governments were protecting and patronising criminals and dreaded gangsters, this BJP government is taking action against each of them, irrespective of caste or creed. Therefore, criminals surrendering and saying that they are afraid of the police has become a common sight. In contrast, Akhilesh Yadav’s tenure witnessed terrorists being offered clemency and innocents being punished.
This is the reason why the domestic and foreign industrialists, who were scared of investing in UP due to lawlessness and bureaucratic red tape during previous governments, are willing to invest in the state today due to the restoration of rule of law. This has made UP number two in ease of doing business in the country. Industrialists are investing over Rs 3 lakh crore in the state in different fields. Even the MSME sector, which had been lying defunct in the state for the past several years, is currently exporting goods worth Rs 1,21000 crore. No wonder then, that UP is well on the way to becoming an export hub of the country.
If Uttar Pradesh can boast of its achievements, it is because of the out-of-the-box thinking of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the perfect implementation of the Central government schemes in Uttar Pradesh by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This is the benefit of a double-engine government, fruits of which people are harvesting now. If Uttar Pradesh is at the top position in schemes like PM Kisan Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, Ujjwala Scheme, and Ujala Scheme or food grains production, it is all because of the coordinated efforts of the double engine, and the same party in power both in the state and at the centre. In the education sector, seven new universities are being built, including Atal Bahari Vajpayee Medical University and the Police and Forensic Institute in Lucknow under the new education policy.
Uttar Pradesh has changed and the change is perceptible. The government has achieved this because of transparent work culture with a dedicated and committed workforce. This is the hallmark of this brand new Uttar Pradesh.
(The writer is an MLC and vice-president, Bharatiya Janata Party, Uttar Pradesh. The views expressed are personal.)