LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that prior to 2017, a personal dwelling was a distant dream for poor and deprived sections of society in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) but with the formation of double engine government in UP, more than 54 lakh poor people have got a dwelling of their own.
The UP CM was handing over the keys of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-Urban) to 76 beneficiaries of the low-income group (LIG) in Lukarganj area of Prayagraj. The houses are built on land freed from the "illegal" possession of slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad.
Atiq Ahmad along with his brother Ashraf was shot dead from point-blank range by three assailants posing as journalists in Prayagraj on April 15.
Addressing the gathering, CM Yogi slammed previous regimes allegedly for patronizing the mafia when it came to freeing the land from their illegal possession.
"Six years ago, not a single person got a house under this scheme. The poor did not get houses because the state government, at that time, did not think about them. The poor were forced to erect huts here and there. The central government used to write letters to provide accommodation but the state government did not want to deliver the houses. Today, the state government is standing with the poor, providing them houses," he added.
The CM also issued directives to all the development authorities across the state to build houses for the poor on the land freed from the land mafia. He mentioned that this was in line with the spirit of good governance which was reflected in the nine-year tenure of PM Modi.
The CM informed the gathering that his government had built housing for the poor at a cost of Rs 6.6548 crore on the land freed from the mafia's illegal possession. He claimed that 54 lakh poor people in the state were allotted houses under PMAY during the last six years and 10 lakh more houses would be ready for allotment soon.
According to a Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) official, one BHK flat of the four-storey towers costs Rs 6 lakh each. The beneficiaries paid Rs 3.5 lakh, the Centre’s share was Rs 1.5 lakh while the state government paid Rs 1 lakh for every house, the official said.
Each flat has a balcony, electricity, sewage and a parking facility.
Emphasizing the fact that Prayagraj was the city of pilgrimage since ancient times, the CM said: “It is the land of religion, spirituality and culture. Prayagraj is the mother of education and justice. The double engine government is taking forward the development schemes with double speed.”
In a veiled reference to end the reign of terror of the likes of Atiq Ahmad and their syndicate, CM Yogi said that there was a rule of law in the state.
“With the mafias still operating in the state, it would not have been possible for us to attract investment proposals worth Rs 36,000 crores during the Global Investor Summit held in February this year, ” he remarked.
CM Yogi said that Kumbh 2025 of Prayagraj will be “Bhavya and Divya” (grand and divine).
“We have to be mentally prepared for this from now onwards. We must elect a government that will be led by PM Modi in 2024 once again to establish India as the biggest power on the world map. If the Indian economy continues to grow at the current pace, it will surely become the third largest economy of the world by 2027 and will emerge as one of the greatest powers globally.”