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Yogi Adityanath says Uttar Pradesh has potential to feed the world
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath hits out at previous state government for corruption, discrimination in recruitments
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday hit out at previous state governments over corruption and discrimination in recruitments, alleging that these twin factors had made youngsters distrust the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) in the past regime.
He made the remarks at a programme at Lok Bhavan where he distributed appointment letters to 431 candidates recruited by UPPSC for the state agriculture department under the Uttar Pradesh government’s “Mission Rozgar”.
Congratulating the newly recruited candidates, Yogi Adityanath said, “Knowledge of the candidates will benefit the farmers of the state.”
“Uttar Pradesh has enough potential to feed not only the entire country, but also the world. If the state’s agricultural capacity is improved with concerted efforts, it will soon become the ‘growth engine’ of the country’s economy and lead the food grain production globally,” he said.
“Usage of technology, availability of quality and certified seeds, innovation and progressive farming will boost the state’s agricultural capacity by about three times,” he said.
To ensure that the state becomes a $1 trillion economy, the government had identified particular sectors having the best possibilities for growth while agriculture remained a priority, he added.
“Uttar Pradesh’s fertile land, abundant natural resources, and agriculture being the prime source of income for a large population in the state made it essential to strengthen the agriculture sector for U.P. to progress,” he said.
The chief minister said efforts were being made jointly by the central and state governments to increase possibilities in agriculture in the state. He said there were six agricultural universities in the state working to bolster the agricultural produce. “With the assistance of the central government, 89 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (one each in small districts, two in big districts) are functional in Uttar Pradesh,” he added.
Uttar Pradesh, along with the Centre, had made efforts to benefit farmers, he added.
After taking reins of the country in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured the inclusion of farmers among the government’s priorities. About 2.54 crore farmers in Uttar Pradesh are benefiting from Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi and various other schemes, the chief minister said. An additional irrigation facility was provided for 22 lakh hectares of land in U.P. through the PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, he said.
“Various pending projects, including the Saryu Canal Project and the Arjun Sahayak, have been completed and operationalised in a time-bound manner. Many farmers from Barabanki, Varanasi, Saharanpur and Bulandshahr were honoured with Padma awards,” he said.
“As a part of the initiatives taken by the central government under natural farming, 27 districts on the banks of the Ganga and all seven districts of Bundelkhand have been selected. Testing labs are being set up and facilities being made available,” Yogi Adityanath said.
The chief minister urged the newly-recruited candidates to communicate with the farmers and ensure they are benefitted in every possible way, from making them aware of technology to ensuring availability of quality seeds to them.
The government has selected 100 aspirational development blocks in the state with the help of NITI Aayog and to get these at par with other development blocks, the youngsters must contribute responsibly, he said.
The chief minister advised them to ensure that their talent helps in the growth of these blocks on six parameters, including agriculture, education, health, skill development and employment.
