It has been approx 60 days, since the BJP government led by CM Yogi Adityanath got elected by a thumping majority, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. A lot of decisions have been taken by the new government.
Let’s take a look at 5 such decisions, which have not only been praised by the people of UP & the country, but also have the potential to change the state & its politics, forever.
1- Topping the list is the agrarian loan waiver of upto Rupees 1 Lakh, taken in the 1st meeting of Yogi cabinet, which has directly benefitted around 2.25 Crore poor farmers. Though the decision is expected to cost the already overburdened state exchequer nearly Rupees 36 Thousand Crores. It is commendable that the government has decided against imposing any new taxes on the public, as a compensation to fulfill this electoral promise.
2- In a state which has history of governments declaring holidays on the births & death anniversaries of various public figures, basically to appease caste & religious groups which associate themselves with these personalities, Yogi government has been audacious to cancel 15 such holidays. It has also directed to hold commemorative events in schools & offices on such occasions, to educate people about the lives of these personalities.
The move is also set to promote a more productive work culture in the state, backed by installing biometric attendance system in government offices, ensuring officials coming to office on time, banning use of plastic & tobacco products inside the premises, not allowing cabinet ministers to take files outside their offices & asking them to submit a weekly report of their work.
3- Decision to immediately provide 18 hours of electricity to villages, 24 hours to cities, & 24 hours across the state by October 2018, is another game changer. To ensure the implementation, UP has signed on central government’s ‘Power For All’ agreement. Special Drive is being conducted by the authorities to stop pilferage, upgrade distribution network & give 5 lakh new electricity connections within the next 100 days.
4- Officials have been warned of strict action, if there’s any failure in implementation of this decision.
5- Determined to change the state of public education in UP, the Yogi government has planned measures like ensuring 100% attendance of teachers, distributions of books, bags & uniforms before the beginning of session, teaching English from nursery itself, proper seating facility in classrooms, formulating syllabus on the lines of the NCERT, option of studying a foreign language etc. The government has also decided to issue guidelines to those private schools, whose fees has seen a manifold increase, which will provide a significant relief to the middle class.
It is noteworthy that apart from the above mentioned decisions, closing down illegal slaughterhouses, formation of task force against land & mining mafia, & even the formation of the ‘Anti-Romeo’ Squad, are some of the moves which despite them being controversial, have been very effective. Also, there is a lot of scope for improvement on the law & order front, but there’s optimism as the government has just began with its 5 year term, & is focused on the pre-poll promises.
