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In historic meet, U.P. cabinet revs up Ayodhya’s growth engine
Yogi, ministers visit Hanumangarhi temple, review construction of Ram temple, offer prayers to Ram Lalla
Meeting in Ayodhya for the first time on Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet gave its nod to a host of proposals in a bid to boost the development of the town ahead of Lord Ram idol consecration ceremony that will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on January 22 next year.
The proposals cleared by the cabinet include the U.P. Inland Waterways Authority Bill 2023 to boost water transport, setting up of new pilgrimage developments boards -- Ayodhya Teerth Vikas Parishad (Pilgrimage Development Board) and UP Devipatan Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad -- for development of religious places, besides declaring four fairs as state fairs. It also decided to convene the winter session of the state legislature from November 28 and approved drone operation security policy 2024.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath who, along with most of the cabinet ministers arrived here from Lucknow in the morning and presided over the state cabinet meeting at the Ram Katha Museum on the banks of the Saryu river, called the move historic.
Yogi and his ministers rode bus to the Hanumangarhi temple, then went for darshan of Ram Lalla and reviewed construction of the Ram temple on the Ram Janambhoomi campus (birthplace of Lord Ram) before reaching the Ram Katha Museum for the cabinet meeting.
Briefing the media about the state cabinet decisions at the Ram Katha Park, Yogi Adityanath said, “Uttar Pradesh was known as a landlocked state. Those who have better waterways have progressed in the country and the world. We are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving the state its first water from Varanasi to Haldia. U.P. Inland Waterways Authority will boost water transport and thus water tourism, tourism and exports.”
He also referred to Princess Suriratna of Ayodhya who went to South Korea by waterways and became Queen Heo Hwang-ok and a memorial has been coming up in her name here.
“We will work with the Centre to provide water transport facilities on all important rivers,” he said.
The cabinet also cleared the draft of Shukratal Dham Tirth Vikas Parishad Bill 2023. The Ayodhya Research Institute will be expanded as the International Ayodhya Ramayan and Vedic Research Institute. The state cabinet gave its approval to provide 25-acre land to set up Bharatiya Vastu Kala Museum here to showcase the architecture of temples in different periods.
It decided to declare four fairs as the state fairs. These include the Makar Sankranti Mela organised in Ayodhya and the Dev Diwali in Varanasi.
Yogi said the world has been looking towards Ayodhya and both the Centre and the state government are implementing 178 development projects worth ₹30,500 crore in Ayodhya. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to develop Ayodhya as a solar city and work on the same has begun on a faster pace here.
The chief minister, along with his cabinet, watched a presentation on the progress of development works in Ayodhya.
Meanwhile, referring to the state cabinet meeting in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai told reporters, “...They (The BJP government) should have done this earlier. It is the place of Lord Ram. When the elections came, cabinet meeting is happening there. If they had faith, they would have done this meeting earlier.”
