Bundelkhand should have got tapwater years before, PM did it: CM

Jhansi: Launching an attack on Opposition and critics in Jhansi on Tuesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the parched Bundelkhand region should have got tap water connections within the first five years after Independence, and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for coming up with the ‘Har Ghar Nal Jal Yojana’ that will finally quench the thirst of the people of Bundelkhand.
In his address at GIC ground, the CM, who is on a two-day visit to Bundelkhand, said, “The ‘Har Ghar Nal Jal Yojana’ will finally quench the thirst of the people of Bundelkhand, a work which should have been done within the first five years of Independence, but had been lingering on till now.”
“While our PM is being applauded worldwide for his accomplishments and results, some people in our own country living on funding of foreign powers keep criticising him always,” Yogi added.
The CM dedicated development works worth Rs 1,100 crore to the people of the region and laid the foundation of projects worth Rs 564 crore and said no previous government had ever launched so many projects in one go.
“The past governments only exploited the rich resources of this region to fill their own coffers and for the benefit of their families. Only PM Narendra Modi thought of overall development of this region and has made all possible efforts for it and the results have been good and point at a bright future,” Yogi said.
Lashing out at the Opposition, Yogi said, “Those who don’t know the ABCD of farming are opposing the new farm laws and misleading farmers and people of the country. The UP government has purchased 68 lakh MT of grains this year on MSP. As far as contract farming is concerned, there is no better example than the Baidyanath House in Jhansi district that has helped in increasing the income of farmers multifold through contract farming by giving orders for medicinal plants.”
CM Yogi also announced that all labourers from UP, whether working here or out of the state, will be given a free Rs 5 lakh medical insurance under Ayushman Bharat and Rs 2 lakh life insurance each year.
In addition, they will be eligible for an accidental benefit of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh under disaster management scheme, he added.
Hailing the woman entrepreneurship in the region, he appreciated the strawberry cultivation by a local law student and Balinee milk producer company, a self-help group (SHG) which has pioneered in milk production, recording a turnover of Rs 46 crore this year with a net profit of Rs 2 crore.
Appreciating the efforts, he announced that the government will launch ‘Mahila Samarth Yojana’ to help in launching such SHGs in other parts of the state.
Earlier, the CM started his trip from Jalaun where he inspected the under-construction bridge over the Yamuna as a part of Bundelkhand expressway and later went to Lalitpur to inspect a dam before landing in Jhansi where he will stay overnight before leaving for Mahoba on Wednesday.
Yogi said, “The expressway will speed up the development of the region. The upcoming defence corridor will generate job opportunities for locals while the fighter planes manufactured here will defend the motherland.”
Yogi said the upcoming bridge in Jalaun will be an engineering marvel as it is being completed in a record time of seven-eight months against the standard six years. The upcoming dam in Lalitpur will help irrigate 3,500 hectare of agricultural land of eleven villages.
He also announced that all the educational institutes, which are more than 50 years old, including GIC, will be refurbished.
CM Yogi further advised to harness more solar energy by using the catchment areas near the dam for installing solar power plants.