NEW DELHI: The BJP is seeking to reap electoral dividends through the infrastructure projects taken up by the NDA government in Uttar Pradesh. The party has armed its workers with a list of 71 schemes being implemented by the Central government to buttress the claim of the development agenda of the party.
Besides the new highways and rail projects, the BJP is hopeful that the successful implementation of the Ujwala and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) would help the party boost its agenda.
With Union Minister for Surface Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari having taken up projects worth more than Rs 6,000 crore, the BJP has armed its workers with their specific list to drum up support. Gadkari has taken up more than 2,400 km of roads under the NH projects. “The detailed project reports for 1,000 km of NH have been finalised and the works on the ground will begin soon; works on another 1,400 km are underway,” said a senior BJP leader, adding that massive road works are being undertaken around Varanasi (PM’s constituency), Gorakhpur and Meerut-Bulandshahr etc.
The BJP, which claims that Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu is working to change the face of the rail networks in the state, says the Railways is spending more than Rs 4,000 crore on over 15 big projects for new rail lines, against Rs 1,000 crore spent during the 10 years of the UPA. The Railways has also undertaken 123 projects of road under-bridges, which will significantly benefit the people, added the BJP leader.
The party is also armed with the PMFBY figures in which about 27 lakh farmers took the benefits against 17 lakh last year by paying just 2 per cent of the premium for the higher sum assured. The Ujwala scheme under which the government is distributing free LPG connections to the BPL families is also being stated as a big success.
The BJP also claims that the Centre is also taking up works of revival of five lakh ponds and wells in the state. It is also projecting the Namami Gange scheme as its top campaign material with claims that UP will be mostly benefiting from the ambitious programme to clean the river. The party workers are also equipped with the data on the beneficiaries of the Jan Dhan scheme (21 crores) and the Mudra Bank scheme, which claims to have disbursed Rs 131,000 crore so far. The BJP is also projecting the Pradhan Mantri Sansad Gram Yojna.