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Minister dares SP MLA to prove no water supply claim, offers to resign
Replying to a question during Question Hour on the second day of the Monsoon session in UP assembly, Singh said: “I would ask Mohd Faheem Irfan to swear by his wife that his village is not getting water supply. I guarantee that I will resign. I know his village is Ibrahimpur and the pradhan’s name is Sajid. He may be called to ask about the water supply right away.”
While offering to resign, Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh on Tuesday dared Samajwadi Party MLA Mohd Faheem Irfan to prove that his village was not getting water supply.
Replying to a question during Question Hour on the second day of the Monsoon session in UP assembly, Singh said: “I would ask Mohd Faheem Irfan to swear by his wife that his village is not getting water supply. I guarantee that I will resign. I know his village is Ibrahimpur and the pradhan’s name is Sajid. He may be called to ask about the water supply right away.”
Singh was replying in the House to a question over the Jal Jeevan Mission by SP MLAs Irfan and Brajesh Katheriya.
On the extent of road excavation and repair for pipeline laying, Singh said 1.96 lakh km had been dug and 1.90 lakh km repaired, with the remaining work to be completed by December 31. “These figures are from the company doing the work. If they are wrong, action will be taken,” he said. During the debate, Irfan also offered to resign from the assembly, saying a probe would reveal the truth.
Meanwhile, rural development minister Vijay Laxmi Gautam informed the House that more than 13 lakh houses had been sanctioned for the poor, underprivileged and destitute in Uttar Pradesh over the last three years. She was replying to a question by a Samajwadi Party member.
“Between 2022-23 and 2024-25, as many as 10,44,876 houses were sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, while 2,62,594 houses were approved under the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana,” she said.
“A survey is underway and has covered 57.73 lakh people so far. The process of allotting houses will begin soon,” she added.
On wages under MGNREGA, Gautam said the state pays ₹252 per day and that any increase lies with the Centre. Responding to MLA Manoj Kumar Paras’s question on panchayat development funds, panchayati raj minister OP Rajbhar said ₹6,720 crore was provided in 2024-25 and ₹7,505 crore will be given in 2025-26 under the State Finance Commission, in addition to 15th Finance Commission funds.
Minister of state for basic education Sandeep Singh told the House that the state government had not closed a single school. The minister was responding to queries by SP legislators Pankaj Patel, Anil Pradhan and Prabhu Narayan Singh Yadav. Patel raised concern over “poor educational standards” and the recent merger of schools, claiming that 88 lakh children had dropped out.
The minister said children are enrolled at the age of six, while those aged three to six are encouraged to attend Anganwadi centres.
