Yogi Adityanath furnishes report card: Previous government's "Jungle raj" over
After completing six months in office, UP CM Yogi Adityanath furnished a report card detailing his state's achievements. He said that the "jungle raj" of previous governments is over and people feel safer. The 24-page "white paper" also documented the mismanagement, "anarchy" and corruption of previous regimes. But has there really been progress or is it just lip service? Know more!
Adityanath first listed the 2003-2017 SP and BSP governments' failures. He claimed only 3% of budgets were for development works. Most PSUs closed down and the state lost "over Rs. 91,000cr." Rs. 9000cr meant for minorities lapsed as it remained unutilized, he said. However, many feel that by listing failures, CM "sought to buy time" as the government has few achievements in these months.
Adityanath said the state's law and order situation has improved.He asserted that "after March 2017, there hasn't been a single incident of riot," whereas previously, "on an average there were two major riots in a week." "We gave free hand to the police," he said. As a result, 17 criminals were killed, 1,106 arrested and 668 "carrying rewards" were put behind bars, he claimed.
"Cabinet colleagues worked over 18 hrs a day" to achieve results, said Adityanath while listing government's other achievements. He claimed growth had improved and employment generated: six lakh youth trained for various skills and 47,000 policemen recruited for vacant posts. He termed loan waiver the government's biggest achievement, benefiting 84 lakh farmers. Schemes to provide farmers tube wells and solar pumps were also successful.
Adityanath took tough decisions immediately after taking office: cracking down on slaughterhouses, waiving farmer loans, creating anti-Romeo squads, etc. However, loan waiver affected state finances and thus may have affected development, especially health and education. Dalit and Muslim livelihoods were hit because slaughter-houses were closed.
Biggest blot on Adityanath's six months was death of about 290 children in Gorakhpur's BRD hospital, his LS constituency. Every year, deaths occur due to Japanese encephalitis, diarrhoea and pneumonia. However, this year about 70 deaths occurred because children's oxygen-supply was switched off due to unpaid electricity bill. The government's response was shocking: instead of immediately restoring the supply, they began a blame game.
Adityanath received a state whose debt had allegedly risen 2.5 times in past 10 years, law and order was abysmal and corruption was rampant due to which UP was stuck under "BiMaRU" states. Tasks considered normal in other states, like reaching office on time, keeping offices clean etc, are just starting to be enforced. Thus, Adityanath may need time to make a difference.
BJP won the 2017 UP polls with a massive majority. What worked for Adityanath is that the opposition is somewhat in shambles. However, he has promised people 24-hour power supply and pot-hole free roads, among other things. He might have to deliver fast to ensure that NDA wins maximum votes in UP in the 2019 LS elections, which is crucial for its Mission 350+.
