Yogi extends free ration scheme; First major decision in 2nd term

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday having held the first cabinet meeting at Lucknow's Lok Bhawan announced extending the free ration scheme by three months. All 52 members of the cabinet were in attendance.

Lucknow: Hours after having taken oath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath Saturday announced that the state would extend the free ration scheme for three more months which covers 15 crore denizens of the state. The scheme initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic by three more months and was to expire in March.

The announcement follows his firstcabinet meeting at Lok Bhawan here. "During the COVID-19 period, the prime minister had started the Pradhan Mantri Anna Yojana for every citizen, benefitting 80 crore people of the country and 15 crore people of Uttar Pradesh," Adityanath told the media.

"The state government had also started a scheme on its own for the 'antyodaya' beneficiaries and the eligible households from April 2020," he said. Under the scheme, the "antyodaya" families were getting 35 kg of foodgrains and the eligible households were getting foodgrains at the rate of five kg per unit.

Along with this, the state government had also provided one kg of pulses, one kg of refined oil and one kg of iodised salt to each family, the chief minister said, adding that one kg of sugar was also being provided to the "antyodaya" families. He said the scheme was only till March 2022 and the cabinet has decided to continue it for the next three months. The "double-engine" government has always stood by the people, Adityanath said, adding that even during the Covid period, not only free treatment, but free vaccines were also made available to them.

They should visit their districts as in-charge ministers, do physical verification of development work and also take feedback from the people, Adityanath said. The chief minister added that a special programme is organised for the ministers at IIM-Lucknow to give speed to the developmental works, he said.

After the meeting, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the swearing-in ceremony of Protem speaker Ramapati Shastri in Raj Bhawan. Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath to Ramapati Shastri in the presence of the CM at Raj Bhavan. Now Ramapati Shastri will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-elected MLAs at Vidhan Bhavan on March 28 and 29.

Shastri, an MLA from Gonda's Mankapur seat, was elected to the Sixth Assembly for the first time in 1974 and since has been a member of the 7th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th and 17th Legislative Assembly. CM Yogi also addressed the Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and top officials at the Yojana Bhawan here.

On Friday, Yogi Adityanath took oath as the chief minister of the state in a jam-packed Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium having a crowd of more than 50,000 in attendance. A total of 52 ministers took oath as ministers, including two deputy Chief Ministers. Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak took oath as the Deputy Chief Ministers of the state. The BJP retained power in Uttar Pradesh by winning 255 out of 403 constituencies, securing a 41.29 per cent vote share.