Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, fulfilling the responsibility of a brother, gave four major gifts to 3.54 lakh Rasoiyas ahead of Raksha Bandhan, around 93% of whom are women. CM made the announcement at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan on Sunday.
He said that Rasoiyas will now receive an honorarium of ₹3,000 instead of ₹2,000. In case of an incident or accident, Rasoiyas and their families will receive assistance of ₹2 lakh through State Bank of India, along with free cashless health coverage of up to ₹5 lakh annually. In addition, the amount provided for uniforms has also been doubled from ₹500 to ₹1,000.
CM said that nine years ago, honorarium of Rasoiyas was ₹1,000 and even that was sometimes paid and sometimes not. To stop the loot by SP and Congress leaders who used to rob the poor of their rights, PM Modi opened Jan Dhan accounts for 55 crore people. Now, money is transferred directly into their accounts through DBT. There had been no guarantee of social security for Rasoiyas until now. In the event of an incident, accident, disaster, complete disability or death, the family would be left helpless.
Basic Education Council held discussions with the State Bank of India and ensured that accounts would be opened with SBI, into which the entire honorarium of Rasoiyas would be credited. In case of any unfortunate incident, the bank would immediately provide ₹2 lakh. Have faith in the BJP’s double-engine government; the government will resolve all problems.
CM said that this work could not be done earlier because the poor were never on SP’s agenda. Taking a dig at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s statement, he said that ‘Babua’ has said that all members of his family are MPs, which is why SP remains SP. We are saying that people will wipe out SP forever in the next election because these people exploited poor for the sake of their family. They had turned UP into a state of goons. They used to encroach upon land and compromise safety of daughters. Riots and violence took place every day. Before festivals, people’s happiness was snatched away. Development had come to a standstill because state had nothing. Now, anyone who tries to compromise the safety of a daughter will have a one-way ticket to the house of 'Yamaraj'. SP workers even used to facilitate theft from children’s mid-day meals. Now that UP is free from riots and curfews, development is visible. Those who could do nothing are now only making allegations.
CM said that a kitchen is not merely about filling a child’s stomach with food; it is also a campaign to make childhood healthy and strong. You ensure the health of nation’s children, but there was no concern for your health. PM Modi freed you from smoke. State government has also ensured that if a Rasoiya or any member of their family falls ill, they can receive treatment at any government hospital as well as any empaneled hospital. Government will provide insurance of ₹5 lakh every year for this purpose.
CM said that progress of children studying in Anganwadi Bal Vatika demonstrates the success of NIPUN Bharat mission. The mission is now being extended up to Class 5. Before 2017, even poor children used to go to school shivering in the severe cold, but that is no longer the case. Now, government provides every child with two uniforms, a school bag, books, shoes and socks and a sweater.
Chief Minister said that we work for 18 hours. We contribute to taking each scheme and department’s work forward and that is when results come. If someone wakes up at 12 noon like ‘Babua’, gets ready at 2 pm, goes to the gym at 5 pm and starts hosting gatherings from 7 pm, then when would he work?
Rasoiyas, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, village chowkidars, Home Guards and PRD personnel are all contributing to the progress of the state. Government is working to ensure a dignified life for them and to increase their honorarium. Recently, government increased the honorarium of Shikshamitras and instructors. Along with teachers, they have also been provided cashless health security and accidental insurance cover.
CM said that at one time, SP had made cheating in examinations a birthright. Kalyan Singh, while serving as Chief Minister, had given the state an identity, but SP, in one stroke, auctioned off state’s wisdom through cheating. SP government did not listen to Rasoiyas, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, chowkidars, women or the poor because listening requires time, capability and resources. Double-engine government mobilized all these resources and today everyone is receiving facilities.
CM said that 1.42 lakh schools under the Basic Education Council have 1.5 crore children enrolled. Different types of food are to be served on different days. School kitchen should remain clean and hygienic and nutritious food should be provided to children on time and with proper hygiene, according to the weekly menu. This will enhance your dignity.
Chief Minister cautioned the Rasoiyas that there should be no negligence in this regard. There should be no cases of food poisoning. An enemy should not be able to do anything that puts you under suspicion. A lizard or insect must not fall into the food, as this would amount to playing with lives. No outsider should be allowed to enter the kitchen while food is being prepared. Under the PM POSHAN Mission, the six-day menu also includes millets, local cuisine and seasonal fruits.
CM said that before 2017, schools of Basic Education Council appeared deserted and neglected. Under Operation Kayakalp, 19 parameters were prescribed. Schools now have flooring, separate toilets for boys and girls, kitchens, drinking water facilities, digital libraries, smart classes, libraries and other facilities. As an MP, I had seen that earlier children knew very little, but now children have knowledge of letters, sentence formation, mathematics, English and science. They are progressing. As children progress, the country will progress and the dignity of every Indian will rise.
CM said that model of Mukhyamantri Composite School is also expected to be introduced by the end of this year. BJP’s double-engine government has also thought about the children of workers at the last rung of society. Eighteen Atal Awasiya Schools have been established in 18 divisions, where 18,000 children are studying.
CM praised the contribution of Rasoiyas during COVID-19 and the Maha Kumbh, saying that during the COVID period, Rasoiyas arranged food for more than one crore people who returned to the state. During the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, when crowds became very large, holding areas were established in adjoining districts including Jaunpur, Pratapgarh, Bhadohi, Mirzapur and Fatehpur. At several places, Rasoiyas from Basic Education Council schools prepared food for the devotees.
CM said that government launched the Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana for children who were orphaned during COVID-19. Such children are provided a scholarship of ₹4,000 every month for their education. An annual escort allowance of ₹6,000 has been provided to 14,000 children with severe and multiple disabilities, while more than 23,000 girls with disabilities are provided an annual stipend of ₹2,000. Assistive devices have been provided to more than 23,000 children with disabilities. From Classes 1 to 8, Basic Education Council has provided Braille textbooks to 2,793 children with complete visual impairment and enlarged-print books to 4,438 children with low vision. Bal Vatika is being operated at schools that were merged, with 10,000 special educators deployed. Basic Education Council has expanded the program to establish Kasturba Gandhi Residential Schools in all 825 development blocks. These schools will now operate up to Class 12. ICT labs are also being established there.
CM also took those showing dilapidated school buildings on social media to task. He said that these are monuments of those at whose behest this is being done. State government has replaced old and dilapidated buildings with new ones under Project Alankar in secondary education. New education system is free from cheating and enriched with wisdom. Examinations are now being conducted on time. Before 2017, three months were spent on examinations, three months on results and three months on holidays and curfews. Children did not even get three months to study. Now, examinations are completed within 14 days and results are declared within the next 14-15 days. Six months’ work has been completed in one month. Education system in the new Uttar Pradesh is working to transform scale into skill.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh, MLA Neeraj Bora, Legislative Council Member Avnish Kumar Singh, Ram Chandra Pradhan and others were present at the event.
