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SP overrules Maya, renames 8 districts
Continuing with their tradition of reversing each others' decisions, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) government of Uttar Pradesh on Monday renamed eight districts that were named after Dalit icons by the erstwhile Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) administration.
Continuing with their tradition of reversing each others' decisions, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) government of Uttar Pradesh on Monday renamed eight districts that were named after Dalit icons by the erstwhile Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) administration.
The cabinet also decided to rename the Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University as the King George Medical University.
However, in an obvious bid to minimise criticism, the SP has chosen not to rename districts after popular personalities. The districts - Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Maha Maya Nagar, Kanshiram Ram Nagar, Rama Bai Nagar, Panchsheel Nagar, Bhim Nagar and Prabuddh Nagar - will instead be renamed after their district headquarters.
The Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar district - created and named after a social reformer in Maharashtra, after merging three districts of the erstwhile Sultanpur district - is now Amethi, though its headquarters would still be Gauriganj.
The Congress, which has been associated with Amethi district for long, had not approved of the BSP renaming it. The reversion, therefore, is likely to be welcomed by the party - especially its general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who represents Amethi in the Lok Sabha.
Created in 1997 in the name of Sant Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, a Dalit saint, JP Nagar is now Amroha, while Mahamaya Nagar, also created in 1997 and named after Gautam Buddha's mother, will be known as Hatharas.
Similarly, the BSP had renamed Kanpur Dehat district as Rama Bai Nagar to honour Dr BR Ambedkar's wife Rama Bai. It will now regain its old name.
The cabinet also decided to appoint those who had cleared the Teachers' Eligibility Test, 2011, and Siksha Mitras (adhoc primary teachers) as teachers in government schools, in a move that restored the old recruitment system.
Varsity in G Noida
A super specialty postgraduate pediatric centre will be set up at Noida and affiliated to the proposed Greater Noida Medical University.
“The Noida Super Specialty PG Pediatric Centre will be the first of its kind in India,” said Infrastructure and Industry Development Commissioner Anil Kumar Gupta.
An investment of R1,500 crore is planned for the medical university at Greater Noida and the pediatric centre, he added.
