The Indian Express | Implementation of schemes picked up pace after Yogi became CM: Hardeep Singh Puri

Feb 13,2023

Union Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Sunday said the development of Uttar Pradesh and the implementation of welfare schemes like the PM Awaas Yojana have picked up pace significantly since Yogi Adityanath took over as the chief minister of the state.

Addressing the audience during a session on “Re-imagining cities as growth centres for new Uttar Pradesh” at the Global Investors Summit in Lucknow, Puri said, “The development and implementation of schemes in Uttar Pradesh have accelerated significantly since Yogi Adityanath took over as the chief minister of the state in 2017.”

Comparing the tenures of the previous Uttar Pradesh governments, the Union minister said that before 2017, governments did not have interest in the implementation of the welfare schemes launched by the Centre. “I continue to visit the city every second or third month. The previous governments had little interest in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana, which was launched by the Centre in June 2015. Only 17,000 homes could be developed under the programme in the first 17 months in Uttar Pradesh,” he added.

“However, since Yogi Adityanath took over as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2017, over 17 lakh houses were built in the next 17 months. These figures are enough to tell the success story of Uttar Pradesh. Today, Uttar Pradesh is number one in implementing the schemes of the Center,” he said.

“Our cities are the transformers of our economy. The Metro service was started by respected Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji. Currently, our Metro service ranks fifth in the world. Within the next several months, we will rank among the top three in the world based on our current projects,” Puri said.

He said, “The way the chief minister was working, I have no doubt that Uttar Pradesh is fast becoming a growth engine of the Indian economy. The world will soon see the revolutionary impact of the Global Investors Summit.”

Speaking during the session, Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister AK Sharma said he understood the importance of cleanliness for a city’s growth after being appointed a minister. “Thus, I launched a campaign to clean the city. The campaign used to start at 5am,” he said.