After getting all the facilities from free travel up to specified kilometres, a government accommodation, staff, a retinue of servants and vehicles, Uttar Pradesh Ministers will now be entitled to free Internet broadband facility in their official bungalows at Lucknow.

This decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday.

An official spokesman said Internet broadband facilities would be given to Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers. This facility would be available to them on their landline phone connections.

Given that the total number of Ministers does not exceed 60, an annual expenditure of Rs. 12.9 lakh will accrue on broadband connections and Rs. 2.19 lakh on broadband modem. However, the Internet and broadband facility would not be available to those who have been accorded the status of Cabinet Ministers, or Ministers of State.

The transfer of 14.3460 hectares of land in Alipur Aahana village from the Revenue Department to the U.P. Mandi Parishad free of cost for the development of a market was also approved by the Cabinet.

The village in Kannauj district is situated along the under construction Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the “mandi” along the six-lane highway would enable the farmers to market their produce. Job opportunities will also be created, an official spokesman said.

Chief Minister’s wife Dimple Yadav is the Member of Parliament from Kannauj.

The Cabinet also approved the creation of Sarojininagar as the new tehsil of Lucknow. Its headquarters will be located in Banthra revenue village on the Lucknow-Kanpur highway. The decision to create a new tehsil was taken in public interest, the spokesman said. Sarojininagar is considered the Samajwadi Party stronghold.

Wooing investments

To attract investments in the State, the Cabinet gave its nod to several incentives for entrepreneurs in the Plastic City in Auraiya district. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) would be created for developing the Plastic City through the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The other decisions of the Cabinet include increasing the retirement age from 58 to 60 of the employees of U.P. Sangeet Natak Akademi and Kathak Kendra, and entertainment tax exemption granted to films “Ishq ke Parinde” and “Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho.”

Akhilesh govt. approves creation of Sarojininagar as new tehsil