Lucknow: People's perception of Uttar Pradesh as a "mafia and gunda raj" has changed in the six-year rule of the BJP and the state is registering growth in all sectors under the double-engine government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Saturday.
He was speaking at an event to mark the first anniversary of his government's second term. Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, BJP's state unit president Bhupendra Chaudhary and others were present on the occasion.
Mr Adityanath has become the state's longest-serving chief minister in continuity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while attending an event in Varanasi on Friday, had congratulated Mr Adityanath on this achievement.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhileh Yadav had served as chief minister of UP for five years and four days from March 15, 2012 to March 19, 2017.
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati had staggered chief ministerial tenures.
"Today, Uttar Pradesh is known for 'mahotsava (festivals)' and not mafia," the CM said at a press conference.
"Unlike in the past, when officials were shuffled like a pack of cards, district magistrates are completing their full terms and are providing benefits of the government's schemes to all sections of society," he added.
The chief minister said "this is the same UP which was thought to have nepotism, corruption and riot every second or third day." He asserted that Uttar Pradesh has become riot-free in six years and strengthened its infrastructure.
Enumerating the achievements of the government, the chief minister said, "Today, UP is providing a yearly pension of Rs 12,000 to more than one crore women as old age pension, disabled people and others." He said "this is the same UP, where all parents were worried about how to get their daughter married, how to teach them. Today, 14 lakh daughters benefited from the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana. Marriages of 2.25 lakh daughters took place under the Chief Minister's mass marriage scheme." He said the work done in MSMEs for self-employment is visible. Vishwakarma Shram Samman is giving a new identity to the craftsmen, Mr Adityanath said.
"We could make two crore youths technically competent. UP is the first state in the country, where we have benefited 20 lakh youth by giving them mobile phones and tablets, he said.
He said the process of recruitment of 1.64 lakh police personnel was completed in a transparent manner.
"Every youth of Uttar Pradesh is a part of our family. Efforts were made for police reform. Seven police commissionerates have been formed in UP. Fire tenders were established at every tehsil level in UP," he said.
The number of women personnel in the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) has been increased from 10 thousand to 40 thousand, the chief minister said.
"Uttar Pradesh is being recognized as the state which is promoting its youth, where there is transparency in government jobs and there is a lot of scope in the private sector," he said.
Earlier, Mr Adityanath released a booklet on his six-year tenure and a poster titled 'Nai Udaan-Nai Pehchaan' and 'Expressway Pradesh'.
The booklet highlights that as part of zero tolerance policy towards crime and corruption, the UP government has taken action against 75,746 mafia/criminals illegally occupying properties worth Rs 11,841 crore which were confiscated or demolished.
It noted that payments of more than Rs 2 lakh crore were made for sugarcane purchase, while payment of more than Rs 1.4 lakh crore has been made to farmers by procuring 568 lakh metric tons of wheat and paddy.
In the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 35 lakh crore were signed with 94 lakh job opportunities, it said, adding six expressways are operational and five others are under construction.
Nine airports are operational and 12 others are under-construction, while Metro Rail Service is operational in five cities and 12 are under-construction, according to the booklet.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)