Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that panchayats will have to be made the focal point of development if UP has to progress. (Representational Image) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that panchayats will have to be made the focal point of development if UP has to progress. (Representational Image)

CHIEF MINISTER Yogi Adityanath on Monday said the state government is working towards the target of making Uttar Pradesh free of open defecation by October next year “with its own resources, assistance from the central government and help of non-governmental organisations”.

Speaking as chief guest at the National Panchayati Raj Convention organised on National Panchayati Raj Day at Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University campus, Adityanath said the government has resolved to make 30 districts free of open defecation by December 31, as he sought support from the representatives of state’s 59,000 panchayats.

Currently, Shamli is the only district in UP that is categorised as open-defecation free by the Centre. The CM said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target of making India free of open defecation by 2019 — Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary — has become “mantra” of his government. He added that panchayats will have to be made the focal point of development if UP has to progress.

Claiming that his government is working to end VIP culture, Adityanath alleged that only four districts used to get power under the previous regime. “What was the fault of the 71 districts that were treated unfairly? Had they not participated in formation of the government? Now, all 75 districts will get equal power supply. We have set a deadline of 48 hours for rural areas and 24 hours for urban areas for repair of transformers. A helpline will also be started for this and those responsible for delay in restoration of power will be punished,” he said.

Maintaining that his government is working to provide better services to the citizens but in return, they should also cooperate, the CM said: “In rural areas, which would not report any theft of electricity and where all people have power connections, we will give them 24-hour supply from 2018. We will provide free connections to poor families. But people will have to comply with rules and regulations, after which they would be provided the services.”

Adityanath said his government will select two gram panchayats at the block-level, which will implement all government schemes properly. Their pradhans will be honoured for this.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said: “Every village, on an average, has five main problems… If the government focuses on eliminating one problem a year, all problems of a village will be eradicated in five years.”

He added that the Centre is focusing on preparing development plans for every gram panchayat so that works and schemes can be implemented in a planned manner. As many as 67 per cent of fund allocated to MGNREGA will now be spent on water conservation, he said.

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