In a new year gift to state employees, the Yogi government announced a hike in the travel allowances of class III workers and sanctioned funds for the zoological park to come up in Gorakhpur. The government also announced construction of a hostel at Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow.
The decisions were taken on Tuesday in a cabinet meeting which was chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Government spokesperson and Power Minister Shrikant Sharma said the government had decided to hike travel allowances of around 1.5 lakh state employees, including lekhpals and health & forest employees.
The employees getting Rs 100 will now receive Rs 200 as travel allowance. Similarly, the travel allowance of Rs 200 has been increased to Rs 300 and those who were getting Rs 300 will now get Rs 450. The employees receiving Rs 400 will now get Rs 600 as travel allowance.
Sharma said that with the hike, the state government will have to bear an additional financial burden of Rs 20 crore annually. The hikes travel allowance will be given with retrospective effect from November 1
In another decision, the cabinet approved amendment to the excise policy for issuing licences for bhang shops. Now, there will be a lottery system and online application for allotment of bhang shops from the next fiscal, whereas earlier, it was through tender and auction.
The government also approved a sum of Rs 234.36 crore for completion of Shahid Ashfaq Ullah Khan Zoo in Gorakhpur, which is being constructed in an area 121.34 acres. The zoo, which has been under construction since 2008-09, is expected to give a boost tourism and generate employment opportunities in the region. After Lucknow and Kanpur, it will be the third zoo in the state.
The cabinet also approved construction of a 200-bed hostel for students of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow at a cost of Rs 12.15 crore. Presently, there is only a 60-bed hostel in the medical institute.
The government also approved a proposal to change the name of UP Jagat Guru Rambhadracharya Viklang University to UP Jagat Guru Rambhadracharya Divyang University with changing the nodal department from IT and Electronic to Divyang.
The divyang university has also been permitted to seek government grant. The government also allowed demolition the building of Kotwa Primary Health Centre, which has now been converted into the community health centre in Bahadurpur area of Prayagraj district. The government will collect Rs 27.86 lakh from the debris of the demolished building.