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Previous state governments patronised mafia, criminals in UP: CM Adityanath
Previous state governments patronised mafia, criminals in UP: CM Adityanath
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Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday accused previous state governments of patronising mafias and criminals, alleging that political recommendations and financial transactions, rather than merit, determined recruitment for government jobs.
Addressing the 'Youth Icon Summit' organised by the Times of India Group, Adityanath said his government had transformed the state's law-and-order situation and created new opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship.
"In previous governments in the state, mafias and criminals were patronised. Political recommendations and financial transactions, rather than merit, determined recruitment to government jobs," he said.
The chief minister claimed that Uttar Pradesh faced a crisis of identity and security before 2017, while his government had changed the situation by adopting a "zero-tolerance" policy against criminals.
Taking a swipe at opposition parties, he said they were adept at spreading misinformation, including about the Agniveer military recruitment scheme.
"Our friends in the opposition are adept at spreading misinformation. They also spread a lot of misinformation about the Agniveer scheme. Still, we have made arrangements to provide jobs to Agniveers returning after four years of service through direct recruitment in all state government departments," he said.
Claiming that the influence of mafias and criminals had declined under his government, Adityanath said, "The mafias have been reduced to dust. Uttar Pradesh no longer has 'one mafia per district'; instead, it has 'one product per district"." Referring to alleged irregularities in government recruitment under previous regimes, he claimed that appointments often followed recommendations and financial dealings rather than merit.
The chief minister said he had once come across a file containing details of appointment letters issued to people who had not even applied for the jobs. "Earlier, the sole criterion for merit in recruitment was proximity to the 'Saifai syndicate' or how much money had changed hands there, rather than the candidate's qualifications," he alleged, referring to the Samajwadi Party's traditional political stronghold in Saifai .
Adityanath said his government had distributed around 9.5 lakh appointment letters for government jobs over the past nine-and-a-half years, claiming the recruitment process was free from recommendations, financial transactions and discrimination.
"I am pleased to share that over the past nine-and-a-half years, we have distributed 9.5 lakh government appointment letters without any recommendation or financial transaction. No one has been discriminated against," he said. Reiterating his government's commitment to providing employment to young people, the chief minister said it aimed to provide another one lakh government jobs to youths over the next six months. He said the recruitment process for around 4,500 sub-inspectors was complete, and the government would distribute appointment letters next week.
He said the recruitment process for more than 32,000 police constables and 42,000 Home Guard personnel was also complete, and appointment letters would be issued soon. Adityanath said his government had also employed sportspersons under the "bring medals, get jobs" policy, with around 1,400 athletes having received appointment letters so far.
Highlighting the growth of entrepreneurship in the state, he claimed that the number of startups in Uttar Pradesh had increased from around 120 in 2017 to 25,000 at present. The government had created a ₹1,000 crore fund to encourage new ventures, he said. Adityanath said the state has around 96 lakh micro, small and medium enterprises , providing direct employment to more than 3.25 crore people.
He claimed Uttar Pradesh's economy had tripled over the past nine-and-a-half years, with per capita income also tripling. On infrastructure development, the chief minister said all 57,000 gram panchayats in the state had adequate electricity supply. He said his government had provided the necessary infrastructure to around 1.53 lakh hamlets that previously lacked electricity. Describing religious tourism as an important source of employment, Adityanath claimed that Uttar Pradesh received 156 crore tourist visits last year.
He said religious destinations such as Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan and Prayagraj generated livelihood opportunities for taxi drivers, hotel operators, shopkeepers and other small businesses. Appealing to young people to ensure their names were included in electoral rolls and to exercise their voting rights, the chief minister said citizens had duties alongside democratic rights. He urged the youth to compare the performance of previous and current governments before deciding their future.
Adityanath said young people would play a crucial role in achieving the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047. He said the youth should aspire not only to secure jobs but also to become job creators and contribute to the state's development.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
