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Diwali fair aimed at bringing biz to small traders, says UP CM
Yogi fetes street vendors, cleanliness staff and Covid warriors, accuses previous govts of being insensitive towards the poor
LUCKNOW Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday inaugurated the grand Vikas Deepotsav Mela (Diwali fair) at the Jhulelal Park here, calling it an attempt to bring smiles to the faces of people from the lower strata of society who suffered the most during the pandemic crisis.
Highlighting the UP government as a pro-commoner government, the CM also felicitated street vendors, cleanliness staff and Covid warriors on the occasion.
“Due to Covid crisis, our people, especially those into small businesses, were grappling to meet out their financial needs for the last one and a half years. The aim of organising the Diwali fest is to bring business to these people. More than 1,500 street vendors and other small traders/artisans have been roped in for the fest in order to bring smiles on their faces this Diwali. A similar fest is being organised at around 217 places in UP, including 200 nagar palikas,” said chief minister Yogi Adityanath while inaugurating the event based on the theme ‘Vikas Deepotsav’.
The CM accused all previous governments of being insensitive towards people from the lower strata of the society.
“No previous government has felicitated street vendors and traders on such a grand platform because they were insensitive towards them. In our regime, around 8 lakh street vendors have been felicitated with ₹10,000 loan under the PM Swanidhi Yojna, around 45 lakh families have been provided accommodations, 2.61 crore people given toilets, 1.41 crore people got free electricity connections while 1.51 lakh families were given free gas connections under the Ujjwala scheme,” he said.
“During the regime of previous governments, people feared while celebrating their festivals, feared taking the name of Lord Ram or Krishna. The difference is much visible now. There have been no riots in the last four and a half years of our regime and people are free to celebrate in their own way. On November 3, we would be lighting around 9 lakh earthen lamps in Ayodhya,” said Yogi Adityanath.
He also urged people not to pollute river Gomti.
The chief minister said while other countries were still grappling with Covid and lockdowns, the situation was under control in UP.
The CM’s address was followed by a grand laser show and Gomti Arti. “It’s a historic moment for us. We haven’t witnessed any such event along river Gomti in the past. The laser show was mesmerising and the illumination at Chhattar Manzil too was beautiful,” said Saheba Hussain, a college-goer, who visited the fest.
The venue had around 1,500 stalls and a food court where people were seen enjoying Awadhi cuisines.
