LUCKNOW: All praise for Yogi Adityanath government for the way it has been handling COIVD-19 in country's largest state,
PM Narendra Modi on Friday applauded the way UP CM Yogi Adityanath has been handling COIVD-19 in country's largest state. He said the CM's team has saved the lives of around 85,000 people by restricting the toll to just 600 through their diligent, sustained, and appropriate efforts to tame the virus.
While addressing a virtual meeting after launching 'Atma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan' through video conferencing in Gonda district on Friday, PM Modi said if the state government would not have taken right steps at right time, the toll tally of Uttar Pradesh would have soared to around 85000 by now.
The campaign launched by the PM would provide employment to 1.25 crore migrants who had been working in other states and lost their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic. UP has received around 33 lakh migrants who returned in distress after losing their livelihood in bigger cities during the Covid-19 driven lockdown from March 25 to May 31.
This initiative aims at creating job opportunities across 31 districts which are among 116 districts encompassed in 'PM Gareeb Kalyan Rojgar Yojna' for migrants across six states launched on June 20. Notably, these 31 districts of UP have over 35,000 migrant workers who would be benefitted by the scheme.
Applauding the efforts of state government, the PM said the achievements of UP were massive as it was not only a state having a population of 24 crore but bigger than many countries across the world. "UP has managed the pandemic effectively. The figures surprise even the world experts," said Modi while referring to four nations - UK, Spain, France, and Italy – with a combined population equal to UP.
"Given the combined population – around 24 crore-- of those four nations, their combined toll stands out at around 1,30,000 while UP, equal to them in terms of population, has lost just 600 lives to COIVD-19, " said the PM adding that the loss of even one life was painful but the comparison reflected the way UP government had handled the challenge. He claimed even the US with a population of 33 crore recorded 1.25 lakh deaths while the situation in UP was well in control.
The PM complimented the people of Uttar Pradesh and commended CM and his team for making bravery their weapon to fight the pandemic. "I salute the people of Uttar Pradesh as they have set an example for the world out there showing how to face and fight a pandemic like COIVId-19," he said. "UP has presented an example, an inspiration for other states to follow," averred PM Modi.
However, he did not forget to take potshot at the previous state dispensations, saying the present results would not have been possible, had the state been ruled as earlier.
Modi said UP CM had converted the calamity into opportunity by clubbing Grameen Kalyan Rojgar scheme with Centre’s Atama Nirbahr Bharat and had created 1.25 crore jobs of which over 60 lakh in rural areas under MGNREGS and over 40 lakh in MSME and other sectors to benefit the migrants who were worst hit by the pandemic. Besides this, the state government was engaging workers in various construction and expressway projects.
"In addition to this, around Rs 10,000 crore has been allocated to thousands of entrepreneurs under Mudra Yojna of self-employment. This is commendable. Simultaneously, UP has improved a lot on the law and order front. So the state at present is a potential destination for fresh investment to come in and
robust efforts are being made in this direction," he maintained.
On the occasion, the PM even interacted with around half a dozen migrants in different districts including Jaluan, Bahraich, Gonda, Siddharthnagar asking them about their well being and the work and facilities they were provided by the state government on their return.