New UP government promises development, not stones and statues

LUCKNOW: Slamming the last five-year-"jungle raj" as unparallelled in the history of the country when the people got nothing but stones, statues and memorials, UP governor B L Joshi today said the new government has formulated an agenda of development for the state.

"Owing to political degradation, several incidents took place which brought shame to the state...my government has formulated the agenda of development to take the state ahead on the path of progress in place of the plundering rampant in the last five years", the governor said in his address to the joint session of the state legislature.

"The people are pinning their hopes on the government for infrastructure facilities like roads, water and electricity and not for statues", the governor said.

Establishing peace and mutual goodwill by streamlining the law and order situation in the state was the top priority of the government, Joshi said.

The government's other priorities included fulfilment of the ruling party's election manifesto that promised to give unemployment allowance, provide laptops and tablets to 12th and 10th pass students, restart the Kanya Vidyadhan Scheme for girls, increase farmers' accident insurance scheme amount from Rs one lakh to Rs five lakh, he said.

Claiming the earlier government was non cooperative and people were unable to convey their sufferings, the governor said, the new government has made arrangements for the people to directly meet the chief minister through Janta darshan.

Emphasising the new government was committed to socio-economic development of farmers, he said, lack of preparation by the previous government was adversely hampering the wheat purchase that was currently on.