Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that Uttar Pradesh was changing rapidly towards progress along with Purvanchal.
“Earlier, there was fear of goons in the people, now it is vice-versa. With the consistent efforts of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to improve law and order, now goons are terrified of government action. This is the law and order system of the state,” he claimed.
Maurya said Uttar Pradesh was fast becoming the preferred destination for investment and marching ahead consistently on the path of development.
“We will soon be connected to all the metros of the country through Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Ganga expressways. The world will be accessible to us through Jewar, Kushinagar, Ayodhya greenfield international airports and other airports,” deputy chief minister pointed out.
Presiding over the seventh technical session of the manufacturing sector at the national webinar and symposium on ‘Sustainable Development of Purvanchal’ at Gorakhpur University on Saturday, the deputy chief minister said due to the changed environment, better infrastructure and investment-friendly policies, Uttar Pradesh had jumped to the second rank in ease of doing business and had emerged as a favourite destination for investors.
The deputy chief minister said after coming to power, 67 state highways were constructed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government.
“We are also making eco-friendly roads. Herbal roads and roads made of plastic and other waste materials are proof of this. We will connect each lane with the main road nearby. To motivate the people, roads are being built in the name of martyrs, topper students and famous people,” he said.
Maurya also referred to the social concerns of the Public Works Department. He said the outcome of the three-day churning in Gorakhpur would present the ground reality and by following the results, the progress of Purvanchal would be further accelerated.
Meanwhile, Forest and Environment Minister Dara Singh Chauhan said that there was immense potential for development and employment in the field of eco-tourism in Purvanchal and with special interest of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Gorakhpur would become its hub.
“The chief minister has rejuvenated the neglected vast natural lake Ramgarh. This lake will lead to eco-tourism of Purvanchal in the coming days,” he said.
Chauhan was presiding over the eighth session of the primary sector on the last day of the three-day webinar and seminar organised under the joint aegis of the Planning department and Gorakhpur University on the Gorakhpur University campus on Saturday.
The forest minister said that ecotourism would be promoted in Ramgarh lake in Gorakhpur, Bakhira Tal of Sant Kabir Nagar, Sohagi Barwa of Maharajganj, waterfall of Sonbhadra, etc.
He said a Tiger Rescue Centre and Vulture Conservation Centre were being established in Maharajganj and with the efforts of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Gorakhpur zoo, which was going to open for visitors in January, was increasing the chances of eco-tourism.
Chauhan said the state government’s plan was to promote rural tourism and increase income of forest dwellers by making tourists stay in forest areas. He said that in the last three years, the tourist footfall had increased up to 20 times at eco-tourism sites in the state.
Referring to the record tree plantation on the environment, the forest minister said that a new record would be created next year.
Principal Secretary (Forests) Sudhir Garg, who was the keynote speaker of the session, said that by giving the status of revenue village to the forested villages, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had connected the forest dwellers to the mainstream of society and development.
“A new door to income generation can be opened for the residents here by developing the facility of stay home in these Vantangia villages of forest area,” he said.
Garg also said that there was a lot of potential for eco-tourism and adventure tourism in Purvanchal, which was rich in natural beauty of pools.
The principal secretary also stressed the need to be vigilant about the effects of climate change. He said that the need of the hour was to plant more and more trees to reduce the risks of climate change.
Prior to this, the seventh technical session of the primary sector focused on the issue of employment in agriculture.
In this session CGM S Pandey of NABARD, Dr Umashankar Singh, Director, International Potato Centre of South Asia, Potato Quality Improvement Technique in Purvanchal, Dr RK Mittal, Vice Chancellor of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Pallavpuram Meerut Boon for Organic Farming, Dr Prabodh Kumar Trivedi, Director, CIMAP Lucknow, expressed the integration of farming of aromatic plants with tradition in the rural economy of Purvanchal and Dr Ramchet Chaudhary of PRDF spoke on increasing income from agricultural farming of Kala Namak rice, included in the ODOP programme.