Power for all, says Yogi Adityanath in second UP cabinet meet

In his first cabinet meeting last week, Yogi had waived off farmer loans worth Rs 30,729 crores.

Lucknow, April 11: Several important decisions were taken at the second Uttar Pradesh cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. One of the most important decisions taken by the cabinet was to ensure 18 hours of power supply in the rural areas of the state.

Speaking to the media after the cabinet meeting, state minister Shrikant Sharma said that the chief minister wants transformers to be installed in the villages within 48 hours, while in for cities the time limit has been set to 24 hours. He also warned the power department officials of stern action if they fail to adhere to the set time frame.

In a bid to address the problems faced by potato farmers, the chief minister has directed district authorities to purchase one lakh metric tons of potatoes from the farmers.

Sharma said that Adityanath is committed to working towards the betterment of farmers.

He said a 'power for all' initiative would be launched in the state in presence of Power Minister Piyush Goyal. Under this initiative, the aim would be to electrify every village in the state by 2019.

The cabinet has also decided to allow those farmers with over Rs 10,000 electricity dues to repay the amount in four installments within a year.

Be Honest or Resign, says Piyush Goyal

Responding to the high level of corruption in the power department, the Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal warned Uttar Pradesh's power officials to abide by new rules.

He said that if anyone who finds it difficult to do so, is free to resign from the job. Goyal reportedly paid a surprise visit to the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) with Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Shrikant Sharma.

The video of the minister addressing the media has gone viral on social media. In the video posted by a news agency on YouTube, he is saying, "If any single person will take a bribe of even one rupee, then he will have to face the severest action, and if anyone doesn't want to work in this new system, then he can give his resignation by Monday morning and go back home."

He added that accepting even a cup of tea is not acceptable.

In his first cabinet meeting last week, Yogi had waived off farmer loans worth Rs 30,729 crores. The formation of Anti-Romeo squad in the state to tackle instances of eve-teasing and harassment of women in the state was another major topic of discussion in the first cabinet meeting.

Yogi government has swiftly followed on multiple poll promises ever since it has come to power, such as shutting down illegal meat shops, waiving off farmers' loans and banning gutkha and tobacco products in the state.

OneIndia News