'Centre meting out step-motherly treatment to UP'

Lucknow, Aug 30: Accusing the Centre of meting out "step motherly treatment" to the state in dealing with dengue, the UP government today blamed it for not providing long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) as promised.

"Union Health Minister JP Nadda had promised 65,000 LLINs but the state got only 3,500," state health minister Shankhlal Majhi said while replying to a question in the Assembly. "The Centre is meting out step-motherly treatment to the state," he added.

The minister, while giving figures on swine flu and dengue deaths in the state, said, "In 2015, 33 deaths were reported due to swine flu and 10 from dengue and in 2016, there were 16 deaths due to swine flu and two due to dengue."

The minister said the state government has taken all necessary measures to check breeding of mosquitoes and also cited data of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana to drive home the point that the situation was not as bad in the state.

The BSP, however, alleged that the SP government was "not serious on the issues". "The government is citing data of other states and shedding its responsibilities," Leader of Opposition Gayacharan Dinkar said.

PTI