4 Years That Transformed Uttar Pradesh

Mother of three, Noorjahan, 32, got the shock of her life when on December 2020 she received a letter from her husband carrying the three dreaded letters: “Talaq, talaq talaq”. She was staying with her father at Basti as her husband had left her in October 2016, promising to take her with him once he had settled down in Hyderabad. The letter came instead, shattering her dreams. She tried to contact her husband. He took her call just once and uttered “talaq” thrice before disconnecting. She met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during a routine Janata Darbar in Gorakhpur and narrated her plight to him. “Yogi ji has assured help. He has asked his officer to speak to my in-laws and husband. I am happy I met Yogi ji,” Noorjahan told this reporter outside Gorakhnath temple, while her two-year-old daughter slept on her lap.

Yogi has the image (constructed by his rivals) of being a Muslim-hater. When the BJP named him chief minister, questions were raised and Muslims reacted sharply. They feared that Yogi had been selected to strengthen the party’s Hindutva raj in Uttar Pradesh.

“The mantra of this government is “sabka saath, sabka vikas” and we are sticking to it. There is no differentiation between Hindus and Muslims. The government is working for the welfare of all sections of the society,” he told this reporter recently.

In the last four years Yogi Adityanath has been able to win the hearts of the people. Perceptions about him have changed because of improvement in law and order and infrastructure facilities. As a result, the state has become number one in programme implementation and is now the most sought after destination of investors. “Today we have managed to create an atmosphere of development, trust and good governance in the state. We have set new standards of development in every field. This has helped us change the perception of the people towards UP,” the chief minister said.
 
In his speeches now the CM talks of the change in perception. This is justified because his government has implemented infrastructure development projects and how the government took strict action on criminals to remove fear from the minds of the masses. Doors of employment opportunity have been opened despite the pandemic that has delayed many projects.
 
The Yogi government has achieved what it did by working in a transparent manner. The government has  given appointment to over three lakh people in the government sector. With the investment of about Rs 3 lakh crore through first and second groundbreaking ceremonies and other events, over 33 lakh people have direct and indirect employment. No complaints have been reported regarding these appointments.
This became possible because of improvement in crime control. For better law and order, the police commissioner system has been implemented in Lucknow and Noida.

Organised crime has been effectively curbed. There has been a decrease in cases of robbery, loot, murder, rioting, kidnapping and rape compared to March 2017, when he took charge. Besides, the government has done a lot towards modernisation of the police by recruiting 1.37 lakh police personnel and setting up cyber police stations and forensic labs in every police range.
 
Not just law and order but the improvement in other sectors like health, irrigation, agriculture, power, infrastructure and industry including MSME is tremendous. The One District One Product (ODOP) scheme has shown improvement in exports. This scheme has even been adopted by the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call for “Vocal for Local”.
 
Another facet of these four years is the implementation of Central schemes as its implementation has ensured that benefits reach identified sections effectively and in a transparent manner. Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, the Swachh Bharat Mission, Saubhagya Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana have been implemented effectively.

Agriculture: • Loan worth Rs 36,000 crore of over 86 lakh small and marginal farmers waived off. • Three years’ cane dues of Rs 1.12 crore cleared. Expressways and Highways: • Biggest network of expressways. • Purvanchal Expressway would be made operational by April. • 40% land acquired for Bundelkhand Expressway. Covid Management: • UP is the country’s highest testing state. • Over 6 lakh infected cases reported of which around 8,000 have died. • Over 27 lakh migrant workers were given employment in 11 lakh units. Crime Improvement: • Incidents of rape came down to 2.8 cases /lakh against 4.5 cases/lakh. • Till December 15, 129 criminals were killed and 2,782  were injured. • Recovery of Rs 23 lakh made from rioters who damaged property during anti-CAA riots. Economy: • The government resolves to make UP a $1 trillion economy • Work begins on over Rs 2.25 lakh crore of investment. Even during Covid over Rs 57,000 crore of  investment came to UP. • UP in 2nd rank in Ease of Doing Business Airport: • Jewar airport would be the country’s biggest airport. The first phase will end in 2024. • New airports built to increase connectivity in small cities. • To boost religious tourism, work is in progress to construct airports in Ayodhya, Kushinagar, Sonebhadra, Chitrakoot and Kanpur cities.  Film City: • Greater Noida to have 100 acre Film City. • Government plans to start shooting in new Film City by 2022. • Film stars have appreciated this project, calling it the right decision at the right time. Ayodhya: • This holy city will be the centre of religious tourism • Attempt to make it a solar city. • Ram Janaki Path proposed; new hotels are expected in the city.