UP Announces Urban Scheme

UP Chief Minister Mayawati, on the eve of the first death anniversary of the Bahujan Samaj Party''s founder Kanshiram, unveiled a mega scheme for urban development. Of late, the chief minister launched the rural development scheme in the name of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Under the new scheme, people with a poor financial background would get basic fundamental amenities in the urban areas so that they could join the mainstream...the wards of nagar nigam and nagar palika parishad areas would be considered as a unit of development these wards would be saturated with infrastructural facilities and various programmes of social security, the CM said. A total of 16 programmes would be launched as part of the scheme in a bid to implement the programme on a fast pace, the state government has also decided to set up a Shahri Samagra Vikas department.

While Rs 2,500 crore will be spent during the current fiscal, Rs 15,000 crore will be utilised on the scheme in the next five years, the CM said. In a bid to weed out illegitimate beneficiaries of schemes run for families living below poverty line (BPL), the Cabinet also endorsed a proposal to conduct a fresh survey to prepare a new list. The fresh survey would be completed in the next three years and would be conducted jointly by rural department, food and civil supplies department and revenue department for better transparency. Until the new list is issued, the BPL and antyodya families would continue to enjoy the usual benefits.

To a poser, the CM clarified that the new surveys would be conducted on the basis of the guidelines issued by the Centre. The government has prepared a 13-point assessment format for the identification of BPL families.