Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath claimed said his government was committed for the social and economic upliftment of the poorest of the poor and it would always follow the path shown by Dr BR Ambedkar to ensure equality amongst all sections of the society.
Remembering Dr Ambedkar on his 127th birth anniversary in lucknow on Saturday, Yogi said, “Babasaheb has made a number of provisions in the Constitution of India to remove social disparities and provide social justice to the oppressed sections. Every citizen of India will always remain obliged towards his contribution.”
The Chief Minister informed that Babasaheb struggled throughout his life for ensuring the rights of the Dalits and oppressed sections of the society.
Yogi said that the BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi had done a lot for the upliftment of the poorest of the poor which no other government had done since independence.
“The BJP government under Narendra Modi, has worked tirelessly and I can say that the real tribute to Dr Ambedkar has been extended by Modi ji, who converted five places related to him as pilgrimage,” Yogi stressed.
The Chief Minister claimed that the for the upliftment of Dalits, the BJP government ensured that even the poor had a bank account and several crore accounts were opened across the country in one year. “To extend a dignified life and a roof to every poor, the government has so far provided 8.85 lakh houses and also constructed more than 40 lakh toilets in rural areas,” he claimed.
“Modiji had said that he wanted to see at least a bulb in every Dalit house and we have issued 25 lakh free power connections so far and by 2019, each and every house of the poor, will have power connection,” Yogi promised.
Asserting that the BJP never made matters related to Dalits as a poll issue, Yogi claimed that his government was working seriously for the welfare of poor and downtrodden.
``We have already asked officials to allot land on which a Dalit or most backward person was living. If the land comes under reserved category, then some other place be allotted to them,” the CM said.
“Similarly, to facilitate education amongst the poor, my government has distributed uniform, books, and other items to 1.5 crore students in the state and taken several others measures to increase attendance in primary and middle schools,” he said.
Yogi also declared a hike in scholarship for Dalit students and said that unlike previous governments where students had to drop out due to non-payment of scholarship, he had directed that the scholarship be transferred to the student’s bank account by October 2 and January 26 every year.
The Chief Minister also said, “Some Dalit outfits came to him asking that no innocent should be punished for the violence during the recent `Bharat Bandh’. I instructed officers not to arrest or harass the innocent but at the same time, I clearly told them that the guilty will not be spared.”
Yogi also raised the issue of exploitation under SC and ST Act and said that his government was opening 25 more new courts to dispose off such cases. He also announced to set up a commission to identify communities amongst the poorest of the poor, who have failed to benefit from government welfare measures.
Earlier, Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Adityanath paid floral tributes to Dr Ambedkar in lucknow on his 127th birth anniversary. The CM later participated in the birth anniversary celebrations at Ambedkar Mahasabha in lucknow where he was honoured with the title of ‘Dalit Mitra’. Yogi also visited Naka Hindola Gurdwara to participate in Baishakhi festival.