Adityanath slams anti-CAA protests for sullying India's image abroad

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath today underlined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ideology of “Nation First” and slammed arson and violence on the issue of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Speaking on the floor of the house in UP assembly, Adityanath blamed the opposition parties for peddling lies and creating confusion in the country on the issues of CAA, and proposed National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

He claimed the anti-CAA protests were being intensified at a time when the country was progressing towards becoming an economic powerhouse.

“We have never tried to clamp down upon anti-CAA protests, which should be held peacefully. However, the government will not allow arson, violence and destruction of public property under the garb of opposing CAA,” he said adding the damages would be recovered from the culprits.

He said his government believed in the dialogue process to resolve issues, and not taking away the democratic rights of voicing dissent.

The CM asked the opposition parties to clarify their stand on the issue and explain their basis of opposing CAA, which he claimed was legislated by the Congress government at the Centre in 1955, while only minor changes had been effected in the recent amendment.

“What does the opposition parties seek to achieve by sullying the image of the country on the issue of CAA and targeting the innocent people,” Adityanath said while referring to the Prime Minister’s assurance that the CAA would not take away the citizenship of any Indian.

He observed that legislature was the perfect platform to voice dissent on the issue and asserted the state was committed to implementing all the central laws passed by Parliament.

Adityanath maintained his government would not allow anyone to take law into their hands and create public disorder or disrupt the law and order situation, and warned the state government would deal sternly with such situation.

During the anti-CAA protests in December 2019 in some places of UP, including Lucknow, Varanasi etc, several people were killed following clashes with the state police, although the government claimed none died in police firing.

Later, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and UP Human Rights Commission (UPHRC) had separately issued notice to the UP Police regarding the action taken during the anti-CAA.

Taking a suo-motu cognisance, UPHRC had directed the state chief secretary to make a “detailed enquiry of all the related incidents” and sent a report within four weeks.

“Allegations are raised at certain quarters including the media that these deaths, scores of injured persons and the consequent violation of human rights, was the result of police excesses and reckless handling by the police. The Commission finds it a fit case for an inquiry by taking suo-motu cognisance,” the UPHRC order had said.

UP's image has changed, has got Rs 2 trn in investments: CM Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said his government had fetched Rs 2 trillion as investments in his tenure yet, helping the state's aim to become a trillion-dollar economy.

“The biggest achievement of my government has been to change the perception about UP (Uttar Pradesh), which is now reckoned as a fast-developing state,” said Adityanath at a press conference on the half-way anniversary of his government.

Adityanath said his government had prepared a plan for five priority sectors--infrastructure, industries, agro exports, urban development, and human resource development--to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambition of making India a $5 trillion economy by 2024.

He claimed UP faced an identity crisis when he came to power in March 2017, but his government had restored the state's credibility with good governance and economic development.

Adityanath said 2 million private and 250,000 government jobs had been generated in the state under his regime even as the target was to create additional 2.5 million private sector jobs for the youth over the next 5 years.

“The remaining 2.5 years of my regime would be dedicated towards accelerating the various programmes for achieving the $1 trillion target,” he said.

Adityanath said his government had ensured sugarcane payments worth Rs 73,000 crore, while the defunct public sector sugar mills were being revived.

“We have recruited 75,000 policemen and the process for more recruitment is on,” he said mentioning his government had hiked the home department budget from Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 24,000 crore for providing better amenities to the state police force. He noted the police had played a major role in restoring law and order in UP and changing the doing business perception.

Adityanath referred to the flagship projects of Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Ganga Expressway and Defence Corridor to underscore the pro-development agenda of his government.

“The state clocked more than 28 growth in MSME export during 2018-19 compared to 8-9 per cent growth rate by other states,” he said.

Adityanath govt to launch 'angel network' for mentoring, funding startups

Yogi Adityanath government is planning to launch an angel network for mentoring and funding of startups in Uttar Pradesh. The move is aimed at making UP a $1 trillion economy by 2024.

The incubator ‘UP Angel Network’ will be unveiled at a startup conclave being organised by the state IT and electronics department and likely to be inaugurated by vice president Venkaiah Naidu in the presence of chief minister Adityanath here on Saturday (Sep 14).

The incubator is touted to be one of the largest of its kind in India for handholding, financing and scaling up of new ventures in order to boost entrepreneurship and create jobs opportunities.

A member of the proposed angel network told Business Standard the incubator will have representation from industry, government, incubators and angel investors for creating a holistic ecosystem for mentoring startups.

Meanwhile, Lucknow Management Association (LMA), an affiliate of All India Management Association (AIMA), is also part of the organising committee of the startup conclave.

LMA executive director Anant Jauhari said the day-long conclave would comprise panel discussions, networking sessions and awards ceremony to encourage startups and facilitate early stage funding to such ventures. “The objective of the event is to strengthen the startup eco-system and provide them with an opportunity to develop an interface with various stakeholders, who can help in developing the desired incubation environment,” he said.

In fact, the Adityanath government recently decided to set up a Rs 200 crore venture capital fund to promote micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) startups, especially pertaining to indigenous industries in the state.

The state will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in this regard. The fund would give preference to MSMEs which are involved in the manufacturing of traditional products and crafts under the aegis of state’s flagship One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme.

While, 25% or Rs 50 crore would be provided by the Yogi Adityanath government, the larger share of 75% or Rs 150 crore would be contributed by SIDBI for creating the venture capital fund to handhold and finance startups and enterprises.

SIDBI would also function as the venture capital fund manager and facilitate credit flow to the MSMEs, startups and artisans by coordinating with different microfinance institutions, non banking financial companies (NBFC) and other such integrators.

The central refinance bank will also share the database of state ODOP enterprises and artisans for chalking out future roadmap pertaining to their training, capacity building, credit requirement and growth.

Launched in January 2018, ODOP is aimed at scaling up traditional industries associated with each of the 75 districts in UP. For example, the Adityanath government had already tied up with ecommerce major Amazon to market ‘UP Khadi’ products over its online platform apart from handholding artisans.

UP govt to crack down on tax evasion, eyes over Rs 1.4-trn revenue in FY20

Uttar Pradesh government will crack down on Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaders to improve its tax and non-tax revenue collection.

The state is targetting a tax mop-up of Rs 1.4 trillion in the current financial year, 4.4 per cent higher than the revised budgetary estimates of Rs 1.34 trillion in 2018-19.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the commercial tax department to employ technology tools to identify tax evaders for taking action. In a review meeting held in Lucknow recently, he underlined that UP was the largest consumer state and, as such, it should top the GST collection tally as well.

He directed the state taxman to take "effective steps" to improve the state tax collection by rooting out chronic tax evasion, and noted that a bigger GST kitty would boost state revenues and provide greater leverage to the government to invest in public welfare schemes. 

During April-July 2019, UP tax revenue, comprising GST, Value Added Tax (VAT), excise, stamp and registration, transport, energy and land revenue heads, stood at Rs 41,202 crore. Similarly, the state clocked a non-tax revenue of Rs 1,982 crore during the first 4 months of the current financial year under the heads of mining, minerals, irrigation, forest and wildlife, police, public works department (PWD), housing, and employment, etc.

Adityanath also exhorted the excise department to pull up its socks for posting higher excise revenue in the current financial year. Meanwhile, the CM directed the transport department to develop bus terminals on the pattern of airports, so that they could be harnessed for commercial use and to boost income.

During 2019-20, UP has projected total revenue receipts of more than Rs 3.91 trillion, including tax and non-tax revenue, both emanating from state collection and its share from the tax and non-tax revenue of the Centre, apart from the central grants of Rs 68,000 crore. Of the tax revenue of about Rs 2.93 trillion, Rs 1.4 trillion would accrue from own resources, while Rs 1.53 trillion would come as the state's share in the central taxes.

According to the UP Budget 2019-20, tabled in the state legislature on February 7, 2019, the state government has estimated a revenue of Rs 77,640 crore from State GST (SGST) and VAT, while excise kitty has been pegged at Rs 31,517 crore.

The Budget had projected total expenditure of Rs 4.79 trillion, including Rs 3.64 trillion and Rs 1.15 trillion under revenue and capital heads, respectively. It reflected receipts of Rs 4.7 trillion, including Rs 3.91 trillion and Rs 79,000 crore by way of revenue and capital receipts, respectively.

Earlier, CM Adityanath had directed the UP commercial tax department to take strict action against bogus firms operating in the state. Till June, the enforcement wing of the department had identified nearly 317 bogus companies/trading firms, while first information reports (FIR) had been lodged in 45 cases.

Yogi govt to retire non-performing cops, asks officials to prepare list

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked all DGs, ADGs, IGs, DIGs and SSPs to identify officers who are not performing at the optimum level and to submit the list of their names by the end of June.

These officers, a government spokesman said, will be compulsorily retired.

"Such officers can be told to hang up their boots and go home by serving them a notice of three months and not citing any reasons for the move.

"This order is being seen as Adityanath's first big move to clean up the bureaucratic machinery. The centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been carrying out such a review of central officers above the age of 50 and retiring some in public interest," the spokesman added.

Replication of this exercise in Uttar Pradesh could ruffle the bureaucracy in the state which is already facing a spate of transfers. The normal age of retirement is 60 years.

An earlier order issued last year by the then Chief Secretary, Rajiv Kumar, said: "Under Fundamental Rules -56, the competent authority at any time can serve a three-month notice to an official above 50 years of age and send him on compulsory retirement. No reasons need to be cited in the said notice."

He said in the order that though the provision has been there in the rule books for long, the same has not been implemented in Uttar Pradesh.

The Modi government has been serious in taking action against non-performing officials to cut out deadwood or black sheep from their ranks.

Mandate for creating new India's new Uttar Pradesh, says Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath says the massive mandate in the Lok Sabha polls was a mandate for creating

"new India's new Uttar Pradesh" and gave a befitting reply to those parties which cheated the poor in the name of social welfare and relied on caste politics.

Adityanath says his government's focus on development helped him secure another term in the politically important state.

"While the opportunistic coalition of the SP and BSP were relying on caste politics, I kept toiling for development of citizens rising above caste, creed or religion. This is the reason people voted for the BJP," the chief minister told PTI, giving full credit for the massive mandate to PM Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

"The massive mandate received in Uttar Pradesh in favour of the ruling party is the mandate for creating new India's new Uttar Pradesh. The mandate is against nepotism, casteism, corruption. It is a befitting reply to those hypocritical parties which cheated poor in the name of social welfare. It is a victory over goons of SP who were harassing our mothers and sisters by collecting goonda tax from traders and industrialists," Adityanath said.

During the poll campaign, while Modi talked about 55 years of Congress and his five-year tenure in rallies, Adityanath presented the report card of his two-year rule.

Noting that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh was earlier bad, the chief minister said, "Crime had become a business in the state because of nexus of criminals, corrupt police officers and politicians. But today the same group is running for cover due to zero tolerance' policy of the present government against criminals".

"In last two years, for the first time in the history of Uttar Pradesh, stringent action was taken against criminals without looking at their caste, religion and political inclination. The police department, which had become infamous for its poor work culture and behaviour towards people, is now going through drastic changes," he said.

On the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently ordering Punjab and Haryana governments to uproot emerging gang culture and look at the measures adopted by UP, he said, "This is the result of commitment of our government that in a very short span of time, the UP law and order model has set an example for other states to follow."

According to data provided by Adiyanath's aides, in the 3,539 encounters during the BJP government, 8,135 criminals were arrested and 75 killed in self-defence.

Besides, 2,764 most wanted criminals were arrested, while 13,886 surrendered after their bail was cancelled.

Adityanath said, "There has not been a single incident of riot in the past two years".

As per statistics given by his aides, there were 227 riots in 2012, 247 in 2013, 242 in 2014, 219 in 2015 and the year 2016 also witnessed the killing of innocent people in more than 100 riots.