Taking a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India campaign Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav mooted the idea of Make in UP and said Union Government should help the state in improving infrastructure so that investors can set up their shops in Uttar Pradesh.
“The State Government is ready to extend all help to Modi in his Make in India campaign. In turn he should help us in our Make in UP drive, Why notIJ We have Prime Minister, Home Minister and Defence Minister from Uttar Pradesh. Besides, many small union ministers belong to this state. This is their responsibility too to take the state to the path of development,” Yadav said while replying to a debate on general budget hereon Thursday.
He said Prime Minister is asking investors to invest in India. Uttar Pradesh should get its share too. “With our efforts many investors have shown their willingness to invest in Uttar Pradesh and we are moving in this direction,” he said.
Yadav said that his government was setting up market hubs in the state so that farmers and traders could sell their products directly to the consumers. We have many sectors where UP excels. There are small weavers’ hamlets which need attention. In farm sector we are numero uno in potato and wheat production. The government has done excellent work in dairy production. Besides, we are working to improve infrastructure,” he said.
“If the Centre can moot for Make in India then why can’t we launch Make in UP campaign,’ he asked. Chief Minister revealed that he has written letter to all the MPs from Uttar Pradesh to take up state’s cause in the on-going Budget session in lok Sabha. “We have ideas. We need Centre’s help to implement them,” he said.
In his over 50 minute speech, that won applauds from even opposition leaders, Yadav talked about his government’s efforts to improve infrastructure by building highways and linking district headquarters with four-lane roads. He spoke at length about introduction of metros in big cities to de-congest main city arteries from heavy traffic. He talked about his government’s commitment to improve power generation and provide over 16 hour electricity in rural areas and 22 hours in cities by 2016.
“I know transport and communication are two vehicles that can speed up development. If we can double the speed, the economy will treble in no time. Therefore, we are going for lucknow-Agra Expressway,” he said and added that he had asked the Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to carry out renovation of National Highways which are in bad shape.
The CM, who is also the state finance minister, spoke about steps government had taken about farmers. We are celebrating this year as Kisan Varsh (Farmers’ Year). Yadav said that his government has provided Rs 2000 crore as subsidy so that mills can clear the cane dues.
He also lambasted the principal opposition BSP for ditching the people by misusing the public fund on parks and statues. “The BSP Government constructed parks of stones but we built parks full of greenery. The last government came 2500 hectares of land as land parcel to private developer for construction of 60 kilometer long Yamuna Expressway but we refused that sop to private companies while constructing lucknow-Agra expressway. We are building the same road with our own funds. This project will be over by 2016 as we have given just 22 months time to the engineers to complete the project,” he said.
Yadav also spoke about Samajwadi Pension scheme. This will benefit over 45 lakh poor families while in BSP regime only 25 lakh families got the benefit that too for 18 months.
Yadav had tabled the budget for the next fiscal on February 24 last and his reply ended the debate on the general budget. Now the departmental wise budgetary grants approval would commence while the appropriation and related bills is expected to be adopted on March 27, the day when the budget session ends.