Uttar Pradesh to release report card on ‘Double Engine’ govt benefits

The Uttar Pradesh government led by chief minister Yogi Adityanath is set to release on Sunday a “report card” of its achievements so far, officials in the know of the matter said.
The report card, a copy of which ET has reviewed, highlights how enhanced central assistance to the State and better implementation of schemes have led to better governance.

The BJP will organise outreach programmes in 75 districts on Sunday to publicise the "report card."

According to a senior party leader, ministers will hold press conferences and senior party functionaries will participate in "gram chaupal" events across 27,000 shakti kendras in the state, with a target of reaching at least 5 million people.

In the 18-page report titled “Vikas ki lehar, har gaav har shehar (wave of development, in every village, every city), the government says it has received central assistance worth Rs 1 lakh crore more than what the previous Samajwadi Party government got. This, it says, has helped the state achieve top rankings in 44 centrally monitored schemes, including ones on urban and rural housing.

The document comes at a time when senior party leaders are evaluating what to include in its manifesto going into assembly elections slated for the first half of 2022.

The report card showcases as government achievements the deaths of 150 alleged criminals in police encounters, injuries caused to 3,427 and the arrest of 44,757 people, as well as the crackdown on anti-CAA protesters and seizure of their properties.

It claims that incidents of murders and abductions have come down by 30% and 35%, respectively, under Adityanath, while incidents of rape are down by 52%.

The state government's crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses, the anti-religious conversion Bill and anti-Romeo squads have also been shown as successes and as being essential for people's safety.

A special section of the document praises the state government's efforts in organising the Kumbh mela in Prayagraj, the building of the Ram temple and organising an annual Deepotsav in Ayodhya, Rangotsav in Barsana and Krishnotsav in Mathura, and Dev Deepawali in Varanasi – all of which hold cultural and religious significance for Hindus.

It has also highlighted the government’s “development missions” for places such as Braj, Chitrakoot and Vindhya Dham.

The government has claimed credit for five international airports, a film city in Noida, and projects such as the Ganga Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway and Balia link expressway.

UP's massive Covid-19 vaccination programme and the state government’s plan for a probable third wave also find praise. The document lists steps taken to increase the quality of education and police recruitment and its policy to start a medical college in every district.

The attempt is to reiterate the “abilities of Yogi Adityanath as an administrator," said BJP spokesperson Chandramohan. "Most importantly, he has made the state safe and government transparent, which is what we want to talk about."

The document claims that 86 lakh farmers of the State were given a waiver of Rs 37,000 crore. Irrigation measures taken specifically in Bundelkhand have been highlighted, as are job opportunities given to 4.5 lakh youth, as claimed by the government under its Mission Rozgar scheme.

In March, while releasing a document on his four-year-old government's performance, Adityanath had said that successive UPA governments had sidelined Uttar Pradesh and kept it bereft of Central schemes for decades.

Samajwadi Party leader Naved Siddiqui said the ground reality is starkly different from what the Adityanath government was trying to show. While the government's handling of Covid-19 had angered people, its fallout on livelihoods had not been addressed at all, he said.

“From teachers to health workers, everyone is angry but the government cracks down on dissenters so they will speak with their vote. If there was so much emphasis on development, why is there such large-scale unemployment, despite all their summits and expos,” he said.