Waqf land will now no longer be looted, says CM Yogi

Maharajganj, April 5 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday visited Maharajganj on a one-day tour, where he lauded the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament, saying it would curb illegal encroachment of land in the name of Waqf.

He said, “Now, no one can occupy lands in the name of the Waqf Board.”

He said the Bill will ensure that waqf properties are used for public welfare initiatives such as schools, hospitals, colleges, barrages, and housing projects.

Addressing a public gathering, the Chief Minister pledged to eliminate poverty from the state within the next three years and make Uttar Pradesh the number one state in the country.

Earlier on the occasion of Ashtami during Vasanti Navratri, the Chief Minister offered prayers at the shrine of Maa Banailiya Devi.

CM Yogi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 629 development projects worth Rs 654 crore, including the much-awaited Rohin Barrage. He said the Rohin Barrage in Nautanwa assembly constituency would be named after Maa Banailiya Devi.

He said the barrage, long demanded for over 25 years, would benefit farmers by aiding flood protection and irrigation, while also generating employment through tourism and related activities.

Highlighting his government’s achievements over the past eight years, CM Yogi noted that Uttar Pradesh had risen from being the seventh-largest economy in India in 2017 to the second-largest today.

He also spoke of the Saryu Canal Project, which began in 1972 and was completed only after the BJP came to power.

The Chief Minister emphasized improvements in the education sector, pointing to the construction of Atal Residential Schools for workers’ children and Chief Minister Composite Schools in each development block. “Earlier, there was 'one district, one mafia'; now, it's 'one district, one medical college',” he remarked.

CM Yogi also spoke about the change in law and order, noting that festivals, once marred by fear, are now celebrated peacefully.

“Farmers are being empowered, youth are being employed, daughters are being secured and made self-reliant,” he said, adding that diseases like encephalitis, dengue, and malaria have been brought under control.

In Maharajganj, he announced, gaushalas (cow sheds) and dairy production will be promoted, while a Kendriya Vidyalaya and a sports stadium will also be inaugurated soon.

Maharajganj, he said, leads the state under the Chief Minister Yuva Udyami Yojana, with 1,000 youths receiving interest-free loans. The district administration will also promote Kala Namak rice, Sri Anna, natural farming, dairy, and fisheries, he said.

--IANS

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