Over one lakh poor people in UP will be given keys within 100 days: Maurya

More than one lakh poor people in Uttar Pradesh will be given keys within 100 days to houses built for them under the 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana', Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said on Thursday.

The state government will also constitute 50,000 new self-help groups under the State Rural Livelihood Mission to augment women's income in rural areas within the same time period, he told PTI in an interview here.

Also within 100 days, a playground each will be constructed in 2,600 gram panchayats and 6,000 ponds in total will be restored, Maurya said.

With the aim of speeding up development in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had recently in a meeting with his cabinet members brainstormed on a 100-day action plan.

Maurya, who handled the public works department as the deputy chief minister in the first government under Adityanath's leadership (2017-2022), has now been given the responsibility of the rural development, rural engineering, food processing, entertainment tax, public enterprises and the national integration departments.

As part of the 100-day action plan, along with giving priority to poverty alleviation, Maurya has also emphasised on revival of rivers and ponds.

"We will hand over keys of houses to one lakh poor people within 100 days by constructing new houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana," he told PTI.

"Under the State Rural Livelihood Mission, 50,000 new self-help groups will be formed, and the state government will give Rs 400 crore to 80,000 self-help groups," he added.

The State Rural Livelihood Mission was started in 2012-2013 in Uttar Pradesh and its main objective is to provide employment opportunities in rural areas.

Under this scheme, 60 per cent of the expenditure is done by the central government and the rest by the state government.

The BJP had promised in its election manifesto for the 2022 assembly elections that it would provide houses to poor families.

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was launched from April 1, 2016, and in the first government led by Yogi Adityanath, party leaders claimed housing facilities were provided to more than 40 lakh poor people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in their elections rallies, prominently announced the number of houses constructed and also accused the previous Samajwadi Party government of being apathetic towards giving houses to the poor.

Now, Maurya has taken the initiative to strengthen the party's agenda by setting a target of providing houses to one lakh poor people within just 100 days.

Maurya, the OBC face of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, was defeated in the Sirathu assembly constituency of Kaushambi district in the recent assembly polls. Despite this, the BJP leadership expressed confidence in him and made him the deputy chief Minister.

When asked if he got less important departments this time, Maurya said, "I am satisfied with this department. When the charge of the department of rural development came to me, I felt that this is the work that I really wanted to do."

He indicated that he would have happily taken on this responsibility back in 2017 as well.

On how he plans to make the rural development department popular among the general public, Maurya said, "We will hold village chaupal to solve problems, conduct surprise inspections, and if any officer or employee is in any way found negligent towards the service of the public, then the harshest action will be taken against them."

Maurya said he has also sent a proposal to the central government to increase the remuneration paid under the MGNREGA.

At present, the wage rate is fixed at Rs 213 per manday and 262 different types of work are permissible under the MGNREGA.

Apart from this, manufacturing units will be established in 600 development blocks to supply nutritious food for children, he said.

Maurya informed that under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana phase-III, 5,000 square kilometre of roads will be built in 100 days, and the Ministry of Rural Development will establish 150 hi-tech nurseries, through which saplings can be made available as per the requirement for plantation.

He said 15,000 women mates (supervisors) would be selected and trained and 300 training camps organised under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Rajya Gramya Vikas Sansthan for their training.

Seventy per cent of the population of the state lives in villages, and a lot has been done for those living in rural areas in five years by the double-engine government, Maurya added.