LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday launched a Nabard project for development of terracotta artisans in two blocks of Gorakhpur. In a meeting with Nabard chairperson GR Chintala, who is in Lucknow for a two-day visit, Yogi also discussed the various initiatives taken up by regulatory body in UP in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chintala said if the PM’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ had to be fulfilled, it would have to be grounded in UP due to the sheer size of the state.
The chairperson enumerated the steps taken by the bank in UP over the past few months, including formation of 362 farmer producer organisations (FPOs), providing liquidity of Rs 1,730 crore to banks and launching of skill development programmes focussing on migrant workers back in the state.
The bank has also provided financial support to rural infrastructure projects including for major irrigation projects like Arjun Sahayak, Madhya Ganga and Saryu Nahar. “As per the central government plan, there will be an additional 1,600 FPOs in UP over the coming years. To realise the PM’s vision of making India a $5 trillion economy, UP should have a major share in projects and there is also a need to empower women by forming at least 15 lakh women self help groups,” he said.
He added that the support of the state government was required to strengthen the financial health of cooperatives and also requested it to consider the recommendation of merger of cooperatives.
Yogi said the state government has prioritised setting up of FPOs in each block. Meanwhile, work was ongoing to strengthen infrastructure in the state through expressways which would be linked to all major road of districts and improvement of basic facilities in schools by providing solar panels, toilets.
Thanking Nabard for its financial support, the CM said: “It is the endeavour of the state to provide potable drinking water to every household in three districts of Bundelkhand initially and then in villages affected by arsenic and fluoride contamination. Long pending irrigation projects like Ban Sagar have also been completed in record time for providing water to Mirzapur and Prayagraj districts. The other major projects like Sarayu Nahar, Madhya Ganga and Arjun Sahayak will be completed in the current year.”