Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday took a dig at opposition parties, alleging that leaders of these parties had “plundered” UP’s wealth and stashed it abroad and that is why they were worried when missiles fell on their “ill-gotten gains” during the US-Iran war.
Without naming anyone, he alleged that some politicians had amassed huge amounts of money in Dubai for their children and future generations, believing they could flee there if they faced any danger.
“Those missiles were striking their illegal earnings. And this is exactly what happens to those who engage in such plunder,” he said addressing a programme of Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD) personnel at the Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Auditorium here.
“Those who could not do anything when they had the opportunity are today raising questions over development. When someone is delivering results, their biggest pain is that they could not do it. They ask how we managed to do it and then engage in allegations and counter-allegations,” said the chief minister.
Adityanath said his government was working with the objective of transforming Uttar Pradesh into a $1 trillion economy while creating employment and business opportunities for the youth.
{{/usCountry}}Adityanath said his government was working with the objective of transforming Uttar Pradesh into a $1 trillion economy while creating employment and business opportunities for the youth.
{{/usCountry}}He claimed that the state’s economy had nearly tripled over the past nine years, rising from around ₹12 lakh crore to ₹36 lakh crore. He also said the influence of mafia and organised crime had been pushed to the margins.
Yogi says youth faced ‘identity crisis’ earlier
Painting a grim picture of UP before 2017, the CM claimed that the state’s youth had faced an “identity crisis”, while farmers suffered and roads and electricity infrastructure deteriorated.
“The economy of UP has become nearly three times bigger in nine years, while the mafia has been pushed into the abyss,” he said, contrasting UP’s current situation with that under previous governments.
Taking a swipe at the previous Samajwadi Party government, Adityanath alleged that development in the state had earlier been confined to the interests of the “Saifai syndicate”. He said the progress achieved since 2017 was the result of collective efforts and inclusive governance.
CM slams previous UP governments
Adityanath alleged that previous governments had failed to act against mafia because of corruption and administrative failure.
“They surrendered before mafia and patronised every kind of mafia, turning a prosperous state like Uttar Pradesh into a Bimaru state,” he alleged.
He said UP had fertile land, a large young population, progressive farmers, educated women and a strong business community, yet poor governance had given the state an image of backwardness.
“Today, roads are better, electricity supply has improved, mafia have disappeared from the state and riots have ended. Rioters and mafia have gone towards the abyss forever, and UP has moved from being a Bimaru state to becoming a growth engine of the Indian economy,” he added.
He further claimed that the state’s per capita income had risen from around ₹43,000 to ₹1.20 lakh, while the annual state budget increased from approximately ₹3 lakh crore to ₹9.70 lakh crore.
The CM said the changes in infrastructure, law and order and economic indicators reflected the transformation of Uttar Pradesh under his government.
Giving a “Nation First” message while addressing the programme, Adityanath said all Indians must have a single objective of putting the nation first.
“All of us Indians must have a single objective: ‘Nation First’. No one should be allowed to compromise the country’s security, cause harm to the nation, or shatter India’s unity and integrity. No one should dare to breach India’s security,” he said.
“Some individuals would make malicious attempts to divide society based on caste, region, language or other divisive ideology; it is essential to remain alert and vigilant and cautious against such people,” he said.
The chief minister announced welfare measures for Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD) volunteers in UP, including an increase in the daily duty allowance from ₹500 to ₹600 and cashless healthcare facilities.
He launched the ‘Chief Minister PRD Cashless Medical Scheme’ by distributing cashless medical facility cards to PRD volunteers. The CM also virtually laid the foundation stone for a multi-storey PRD barracks in Lucknow, to be constructed at a cost of around ₹23 crore.
The CM said the PRD was established in 1948 and that its volunteers were receiving a daily duty allowance of only ₹250 until 2019. His government increased the allowance to ₹375 in 2019, ₹395 in 2022 and ₹500 in 2025.
“We are now going to increase the allowance for PRD volunteers from ₹500 to ₹600 per day,” Adityanath said.
He said there was a shortage of PRD personnel today despite the force’s volunteers rarely receiving duty assignments before 2017.
“PRD volunteers perform their duties with a spirit of dedication, supporting the police and administration to establish the rule of law in UP. Yet, prior to 2017, they rarely received duty assignments,” he said.
“Today, their importance is so well realised that there is actually a shortage of jawans to meet the demand for their services. Whether during disasters, the Mahakumbh, Deepotsav, Rangotsav, traffic management, election duty or any other task requiring cooperation with the administration and police, PRD jawans have consistently worked with discipline, dedication and a spirit of service,” he said.
Elaborating on the benefits of the new healthcare scheme, the CM said more than 31,000 PRD volunteers would be covered under it. Volunteers and their family members would be entitled to cashless treatment of up to ₹5 lakh per year at government and government-empanelled hospitals. The scheme will benefit more than 1.55 lakh people, he added.