Akhilesh Yadav Government has re-launched its laptop distribution policy

In an attempt to lure youth the Akhilesh Yadav Government has re-launched its laptop distribution policy linking it with merit – now only 500 meritorious class XII pass students would get laptops.

The state cabinet that met here on Tuesday gave its assent to the proposal.Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said that instead of earlier policy of distributing laptops among all the class XII pass students, this time only the top 500 students would be given laptops. “The project this time has been linked with merit. This will ensure competition among the students,” Ranjan said while briefing newspersons about cabinet proposals.

The Akhilesh Yadav Government had scrapped this project after Samajwadi Party got a drubbing in the lok Sabha elections. A senior minister Gyatri Prajapati had gone on record in saying that youth have taken laptops from us but given votes to BJP.The decision to rescind its order drew condemnation from all quarters as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had claimed laptop distribution as the main achievement of his government.

Five months after scrapping the project, the cabinet revived the scheme and linked it with merit. “The government will not have to purchase laptops because over 1500 laptops are there in our stock,” Ranjan said.In another decision the state government amended the promotion policy bringing smiles on the faces of the employees. As per the cabinet decision employees will get their second promotion in 16 years of their job. This decision will benefit over 20 lakh employees of the state.

Under the new Assured Career Promotion (ACP), the state employees will get their first promotion after 10 years of service after December 1, 2008 and the second one will be given to them after 16 years of service from the date of their joining.Earlier, the employees were given second promotion only after six years of the second promotion. Ranjan said the new ACP will benefit the state employees and now they could get their second promotion even after two years of getting the first one.

As per the cabinet proposal state employees get their first promotion after 10 years of service, second after 16 years and third after 26 years of their services.In another important decision, the government has made the UP Small Industries Corporation as the nodal agency for outsourcing of employees for other departments. “This corporation is in red. This decision will help the department to earn some money,” Ranjan said.

The government has also approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to set up a Botanical park in Noida in 163 acres of land. The DM would make a payment, as per circle rate, to the Department of MSME and get no pobjection certificate from Nagar Nigam. Ranjan said 50 per cent of cost would be borne by the state government and the rest by the Government of India.The cabinet has also given its assent to reduce the height of the statue of lord Bufdha from proposed 500 ft to 200 ft to be installed under Maitrya project in Kushinagar.

The state government has also decided to set up a software technology park in Kanpur where the land of UPTRON of around 9,643 square yard has been handed over to the development authority for this purpose.In another important decision the government has decided to re-start the mega Kanhar irrigation project by spending Rs 2,252 crore through which 36,000 hectares of farm land would be irrigated in Sonebhadra and other districts.

For this project, NOCs have been obtained from Chattisgarh and Jharkhand government. The state government is spending Rs 200 crores for the rehabilitation of the displaced people for the project and even the families are given plot of 150 sq. meter, official said.