Press Information Bureau

Information and Public Relations Department, U.P.

Lucknow : 28 July 2010

On the directives of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati

a delegation of BSP M.P.s met the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh

today and requested him to sanction special economic package of Rs.

80,000 crore and also allocate 06 coal blocks at the earliest.

Ms. Mayawati said that she had discussed state

recently concluded meeting with all the MPs held at her official

residence on July 20, in which she had directed all the MPs to meet PM

and other Union Ministers, so that projects pending at the Centre for

approval could be cleared at the earliest. In this light, the delegation

requested the PM to sanction Rs. 80,000 crore special economic

package demanded by the UP Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati at the

earliest to remove the regional imbalances. The MPs informed the PM

that the Central Government had not taken any constructive initiative so

far in this regard. They said that the Rs. 3506 crore drought relief

package sanctioned for the Bundelkhand region was very little

considering the geographical conditions of the region.

The delegation apprised the PM that the UP Government had

requested the Ministry of Coal, Government of India to sanction coal

linkages for thermal power plants to be set up at Etah, Sonbhadra,

Lalitpur and Yamuna Express Way Authority Area. Besides, they also

requested that 06 coal blocks should be allocated for UP considering the

proposed increase in the power generation capacity of the State.

The delegation apprised the Prime Minister that owing to the

shortage of coal, the existing power plants could not use their full

capacity. They said that the Centre should change its policy and

decrease the linkages allocated for coastal States and it should provide

requisite coal as per the linkage to the States like UP. The MPs said that

the power projects based on imported coal should be set up in coastal

areas and if the cost of the imported coal was higher, then the Centre

should compensate the loss of these States.

The Prime Minister lent a patient hearing to the delegation and

assured that full help would be extended for sanctioning Rs. 80,000

crore economic package and allotment of coal linkage blocks.

******

Lucknow : 28 July 2010

On the directives of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati,

a delegation of BSP M.P.s, met the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh

at Sansad Bhawan New Delhi today and requested him to take personal

interest for setting up of Taj International Airport (T.I.A.) being

established by UP Government at Jewar in Greater Noida and sanction it

at the earliest. The MPs said the Government of India (GOI) should

promptly approve the TIA near Greater Noida to enable rapid

development of infrastructure facilities and creation of better avenues

for direct and indirect employment in the State.

Ms. Mayawati had discussed state

all the MPs held at her official residence on July 20, in which she had

directed all the MPs to meet the PM and other Union Ministers, so that

projects pending at the Centre for approval could be cleared at the

earliest. They had done the same thing during the previous session as

well. She said that even though these projects had not been cleared so

far despite that meeting. Yet, the MPs should meet the Prime Minister

and request him to give Centre

blocks and sanctioning of Rs. 80,000 crore special economic package for

the rapid development of the State.

The delegation apprised the PM that TIA

been pending about last 07 years. The technical approval had been

accorded by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, GOI on 09 April 2009 to

establish an International Airport near Jewar at a distance of 72 kms.

from IGI Airport.

The delegation further apprised the PM that only one condition was

imposed while taking approval of Central Government

case of establishing another International Airport within radius of 150

kms.,

shall have to be given to Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), the

promoter of IGI Airport. Same provision was also made by the GOI,

while entering into the State Support Agreement (SSA) with DIAL.

Government of UP has already consented on this condition in May 2007.

While according sanction on TIA by the Central Cabinet, Government of

UP was also asked to participate in the SPV to be made for the

development of TIA. The State Government made it clear that Yamuna

Expressway Authority shall be the nodal agency for TIA project and will

also represent the State Government and participate in the said SPV.

The delegation apprised PM that the Government of UP has

already complied in the year 2007 with the conditions imposed by the

GOI for sanctioning of International Airport. Therefore, sanction for Taj

International Airport be accorded by GOI without any delay. The

delegation pointed out that the Air traffic of Delhi Airport can no longer

be handled by IGI Airport only, so it had become imperative that

another International Airport at Jewar near Greater Noida be sanctioned

immediately for Delhi. Only after sanction of the TIA, the air traffic

congestion of Delhi can be reduced by the 2015-16.

The delegation apprised PM that during the last three years growth

of air traffic has been far more than it was estimated, and any person

using IGI Airport had to face the traffic congestion of Delhi Airport. A

study report of traffic projection was sent to GOI by Government of UP

in the year 2007, according to which air traffic of IGI Airport was

estimated to be more than 100 million by the year 2016. Same is the

traffic projection of Airport Authority of India. Expert study says that on

development of Taj International Airport, the air traffic of NCR shall be

161 million by the year 2021, in which the share of Delhi Airport will be

136 million, which was far more than the designed capacity of 100

million fixed for DIAL. Air traffic of TIA is projected to be 25 million by

the year 2021.

The PM was apprised by the delegation that it was unnecessary to

talk about trigger point or traffic-study for establishing TIA. There was

no such mention of any trigger point or traffic-study while giving initial

technical clearance to the Government of UP in 2003. Attorney General

of GOI has specifically opined that DIAL

not create any legal impediment in sanctioning of International airport

at Greater NOIDA.

Otherwise also, a big post-bid-benefit has already been given to DIAL,

in terms of

‘

The delegation apprised PM that the delay in sanction of TIA is, on

one hand, unnecessary delaying mitigation of traffic congestion and, on

the other hand, overlooking the interest of UP by impeding the efforts of

the State Government to rapidly develop the infrastructure facilities.

The delegation apprised PM that all the major cities in the world

such as New York, Washington, London, etc. had more than one airport.

These cities had concept of satellite airport to avoid traffic congestion.

TIA would be a second such airport for NCR. This airport would be

important for cargo in view of its location within the proposed Delhi

Mumbai Industrial Investment Corridor and Delhi-Mumbai Freight

Corridor. This would provide multi modal connectivity facility which

would not only contribute to the all-round development of the State but

also of the country.

The delegation apprised PM that upon the repeated request of

GOI, the project consultants appointed by the State Government were

asked to prepare a supplementary TEFR in association with DIAL. Here

it is to be pointed out that DIAL being an interested party, its

association in the activity would involve a conflict of interest. The

Government of UP provided the supplementary TEFR to GOI vide letter

dated 16 June 2010. According to the report, the revised traffic

assessment makes only marginal changes in the immediate future

where the projected traffic would be lower than that presented in the

earlier report submitted in January 2008. The traffic scenario in the long

term perspective does not show any appreciable change.

The delegation apprised PM that to quote the figures, the

passenger traffic at Delhi with TIA in the year 2021 would be 155

million, in which the fraction of DIAL

would be again much more than the designed maximum capacity of 100

million. In the year 2016 and 2021, the TIA traffic is projected to be 11

million and 28 million respectively. Thus, both airports were expected to

grow on the basis of their own markets. The Taj Airport traffic would

increase essentially due to additional traffic on account of transit traffic,

higher economic development in its vicinity and major activities in the

catchment area. Therefore, there would be enough traffic for Taj

International Airport from 2016 and there would be no adverse effect on

the traffic of IGI International Airport.

The delegation apprised PM that it was worth mentioning that GOI

has accorded approvals within a radius of 150 kms. of existing airports

namely Mopa airport which is 65 kms. away from Goa Airport; Kannur

Airport which is 80 kms. away from Callicut Airport and125 kms. from

Mangalore Airport and a Cargo Airport (Virat Nagar) which is 63 Kms.

away from Jaipur Airport. In addition to this, Navi-Mumbai Airport,

which is 35 kms. away from Mumbai Airport has also been accorded

approval. The case of Mumbai Airport and Navi-Mumbai Airport and

Delhi Airport and International Airport at Jewar is exactly similar

wherein both the existing airports have been given on lease to private

companies.

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh heard the delegation

seriously and said that the Group of Ministers (GoM) had been studying

the matter and assured the delegation that their points would be

considered seriously. Besides, he also assured that the demand of Rs.

80,000 crore special economic package and allocation of coal linkage

blocks would also be considered seriously.

*******

Lucknow : 26 July 2010

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has termed Union

Human Resources Development Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal

regarding the implementation of Right to Education (RTE) Act in UP as

irresponsible and misleading. She said that the Congress led UPA

Government formulated new laws from time to time just to mislead people,

but when the time of their implementation came it just shied away from its

responsibilities and put entire onus on the State Governments. She said that

this was not happening for the first time. She said that the UPA Government

formulated laws and legislations in the name of development, but it never

did its homework before their implementation. She said that the Centre

shoved its half cooked programmes on the State Governments to take their

political mileage. Owing to it, the State Governments were facing difficulty

and RTE Act was a good example of it.

The Chief Minister said that the task force constituted for the judicial

impact assessment in the light of the Hon

clearly recommended that if the Central Government formulated any Act on

the subject included in the Union list and in the Concurrent list, then the

Central Government should bear the full cost required for the

implementation of the Act. Since, education is included in the concurrent list,

therefore the Union Government should not pass on financial burden of the

implementation of RTE Act on the State Governments.

Ms. Mayawati said that the State Government had been according top

priority to education especially the basic education. She said that the budget

for basic education was being increased continuously if compared to previous

year. She said that Rs. 8613 crore had been allocated for basic education in

the year 2007-08, Rs. 9700 crore were earmarked for the same head during

the year 2008-09 and Rs. 12412 crore had been allocated under the same

head during the year 2009-2010. She said that keeping in view the

implementation of RTE Act, a provision of Rs. 15175 crore had been made

for the year 2010-11 for basic education. It was 10 per cent of the total

budget of the State, she said . These facts indicated that our government,

despite heavy odds and limited resources, had decided to spend 10 per cent

of the total budget on basic education, she added. She said that if the said

central assistance was compared, then it would be clear that the Central

Government had been misleading people regarding the RTE Act and it was

trying to ignore the efforts of the State Government regarding the

implementation of the RTE Act. She said that Mr. Kapil Sibal should have

checked out facts before airing his views on the issue.

The Chief Minister said that the State Government had requested to

the Central Government from time to time regarding all the circumstances,

affecting the proper implementation of the RTE Act. In this regard, she had

written letter to the Prime Minister to sanction an additional amount of Rs.

22868 crore in the first three years for the proper implementation of RTE

Act. But, it was unfortunate that Mr. Sibal, instead of making arrangements

to provide the requisite amount needed for the implementation of RTE Act,

had been making cheap comments. It was clear that the Central

Government did not intend to make education available to one and all

according to the provisions of the RTE Act. It was just taking political

mileage through this Act, she pointed out.

The Chief Minister said that U.P. was not the only state to ask

additional funds for implementing RTE. She said that states like West

Bengal, M.P., Karnataka, Punjab had expressed their inability to bear the

financial burden needed for its implementation. Likewise, Chhatisgarh, Orrisa

and Congress ruled Andhra Pradesh Government had also asked for

additional funds for implementing this Act. She questioned whether Mr. Sibal

had toured these states and given similar statement against these

Governments. She said that it was clear that the Congress-led Central

Government, which is out of power from the State since last 20 years, had

adopted a negligent and partisan attitude against Uttar Pradesh. It is evident

from the fact that during the last three years, since BSP Government came

to power in the State, the Central Government had not released central

share of Rs. 17492 crore, payable to the State Government, thus hampering

the development works. She said that Mr. Sibal should not shift the

responsibility for failure of the Central Government, but should sincerely

think about implementation of RTE Act and should arrange funds for all the

State Governments according to their demand.

Terming the statement of Mr. Sibal regarding construction of

memorials, museums, statutes and parks in honour of the Saints, Gurus and

Great men of SC/ST and backward classes as very unfortunate, she said that

the people were well aware of the reality that the fund spent on the

construction of these monuments in the last three years was less then one

per cent of the budget. She asked why, Mr. Sibal does not remember

hundreds of memorials, museums, statutes and parks constructed in the

name of Gandhi-Nehru family and billons of rupees were being spent every

year on their maintenance. She said that the stupendous amount of public

money spent on the construction of memorials of Gandhi-Nehru family, can

very well be ascertained from this fact. Therefore, Mr. Sibal

regarding the memorials constructed in the memory of great-men born in

SC/ST and OBC sections were uncalled for and very cheap.

———–

Amount to be provided to villages selected under Pradhan Mantri Adharsh Gram Yojana inadequate

Adopt policy of allocating 75 per cent power to states instead of Gadgil formula

Lucknow : 24 July 2010

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati, during a meeting

of the National Development Council (NDC) presided over by the Prime

Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and held at New Delhi today, said that

the Central Government should come forward to bring the poor and

exploited people back to the mainstream of development and also

remove the regional imbalances. She demanded from the Centre to

sanction various projects pending with it. She further demanded that

the Centre should also release various amounts payable to the State

under different heads. She expressed the hope that the Central

Government would extend all possible cooperation to the Uttar

Pradesh.

The meeting of the NDC had been called to review the situation

arising out of the midterm appraisal of the 11

to review various important points. The U.P. Parliamentary Minister Mr.

Lalji Verma represented the Chief Minister at the meeting and

presented her statement. She said that the midterm appraisal pointed

out that the backward states and all the sections of the society were

not getting equal opportunities. To provide equal opportunities to all

the sections of the society and to ensure their progress and prosperity,

action should be taken by putting aside political jealousy.

Expressing gratitude towards the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan

Singh for holding such an important meeting, the Chief Minister said

that all of us should give serious thought to give development a new

direction on the basis of midterm appraisal. She said that during the

11

conceived so that all round development of all the sections and regions

of the state could be ensured.

The Chief Minister said that special mention of global meltdown,

drought etc, had been made in the midterm appraisal. Allocation of

necessary resources needed for the development works of Uttar

Pradesh had been given top priority. Owing to it, the growth rate of

the state stood at 7.9 per cent during 2007-08 and 7.2 per cent during

the year 2008-09, even though the conditions were adverse. But, the

ever rising inflation had made life difficult for the poor people. She said

that keeping economic condition of the poor, the Central Government

should make proper arrangements to provide relief to them.

The C.M. said that the Centre had kept the BPL list of 2002

intact so far and it was adversely affecting the poor families. She said

that the U.P. Government had requested the Centre several times to

include such families in the list. But, any action in this regard was still

awaited. The Uttar Pradesh Government, with an objective to improve

the economic condition of such poor families, had decided to

implement UP Mukhya Mantri Mahamaya Gharib Arthik Madad Yojana

through its own limited resources. As many as 30 lakh families would

be benefited by this scheme during the first phase.

The Chief Minister said that the midterm appraisal pointed that

the share of the Central assistance, being provided to the States, had

been dwindling gradually. She said that the banks should prepare their

schemes to accelerate the disbursal of loans. They should also

cooperate in the implementation of the schemes being conducted by

the State Government.

The C.M. said that the removal of regional imbalances should be

given top priority. She said that the imbalances present between the

states and within the State would have far-reaching ramifications. She

said that Rs. 80,000 crore special economic package had been

demanded from the Centre to remove imbalances, but the Centre had

not taken any step in this regard. She said that a drought relief

package of Rs. 3506 crore had been sanctioned for Bundelkhand

region, which was very little amount considering the geographical

conditions of this area.

The C.M. said that despite high growth rate, the condition of

poor and farmers was precarious. The farmers were not getting

remunerative prices of their produce, she pointed out. The agriculture

growth rate, fixed for the 11

was lagging way behind. There were immense possibilities of

development of agriculture in the country and the Centre should come

forward to translate them into reality.

The Chief Minister said that her Government had accorded top

priority to the development of agriculture. The farmers were being

provided 90 per cent subsidy on gypsum and zinc sulphate for land

reclamation to encourage organic farming and bio fertilizer. She said

that there was a need to increase the limit of subsidy payable on

hybrid paddy varieties from Rs. 40 to Rs. 100 or 50 per cent of the

cost. She said that any differentiation between the development of

agriculture of various states cannot be accepted. She said that under

the Dalhan evam Tilhan Gram Sthapana Yojana, only 5400 villages

had been selected in Uttar Pradesh, while 10200 villages had been

selected in Maharashtra for this scheme. She demanded from the

Centre to take at least 5 projects as national irrigation projects to

meet the challenges of a large state like Uttar Pradesh.

Expressing her views on MNREGA, the C.M. said that this scheme

should not be confined to merely providing employment of 100 days

only. She said that the problem of unemployment cannot be solved

without providing permanent source of employment to the people. She

said that it was being emphasised to arm panchayats with all the

power, so that they could be made self-reliant. She said that an

amount of Rs. 10 lakh per village, being provided under the Pradhan

Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, was inadequate. Emphasising the need to

accelerate the pace of development in the naxal affected areas, she

demanded from the Government of India that Sonbhadra, Mirzapur

and Chandauli should also be included in the list of 33 districts affected

by naxalism.

Underlining the important role of power, roads and transport for

the development of infrastructure facilities of the state, the Chief

Minister said that the Central Government should extend its

cooperation in this regard. She said that efforts were being made to

set up about 5000 MW new projects during the 11

25000 MW new projects between 12

the Ministry of Coal to sanction coal linkages for thermal power plants

to be set up in Etah, Sonbhadra, Lalitpur and Yamuna Expressway

Authority Area. She emphasised that the policy of allocating 75 per

cent power to the States should be adopted instead of the Gadgil

Formula.

The C.M. said that all the villages/majras having a population of

1000 or above had been linked under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak

Yojna. She said that the scheme to link villages/majras having a

population of 500 or above was not being sanctioned on the pretext

that the scheme to link villages/majras having a population of 1000

and above was not still fully implemented in other states. On the other

hand, electrification of majras was not being sanctioned under the

Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna, while the electrification of all

the majras of other states had been completed. She said that the

Centre should bear 90 per cent cost under the Right to Education Act.

She demanded that Rs. 22868 crore should be provided to UP for the

development of education infrastructure in the short span of three

years. Welcoming Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, she said that

UP was being discriminated under this scheme. She said that there

was a need to amend this scheme.

The C.M. requested that all the beneficiaries of the widow

pension and disabled pension scheme should also be covered under

National Social Assistance Scheme like the beneficiaries of old age

pension. Besides, she also emphasised that Central assistance should

be provided, so that the students of the pre-10

provided scholarship like the post-10

assistance for the ICDS program should be made 100 per cent as

earlier. She said that the SC should also be given right to get forest

land like the STs under the Forest Rights Act.

The Chief Minister also demanded 90 per cent subsidy on the

projects of those areas which were often hit by drought, besides the

DPAP declared development blocks. Terming the amount of Rs. 57

crore allocated for 27 districts of eastern U.P. for the green revolution

project as inadequate, she said that at least Rs. 10 crore should be

provided for each district. She emphasised that the limit of refinancing

for NABARD set for providing loan facility to the farmers under the

cooperative sector, should be raised from the existing 40 per cent to

75 per cent. She also requested the Centre to sanction 15 lakh houses

per year annually under the Indira Avas Scheme for the 11

Plan.

The C.M. requested that Rs. 9700 crore should be sanctioned for

projects for the electrification of 1.37 lakh majras and Rs. 5962 crore

should be sanctioned for projects proposed under PMGSY.

The Chief Minister demanded that the International Airport and

Aviation Hub Project proposed to be set up at Jewar should be given

agreement in principle. Besides, the airport, being set up at

Kushinagar on PPP basis, should be given NOC at the earliest. Besides,

she also demanded that Rs. 2000 crore amount for the scholarship of

the OBC students should be released immediately. Besides, one-time

additional central assistance of Rs. 83.31 crore should be released for

Aganbari centres. She also demanded 50 per cent increase in the basic

structure of the courts and to provide 50 per cent of the estimated

expenditure of Rs. 772 crore for the new building of Lucknow Bench.

The C.M. also demanded special encouragement for the states to

upgrade the arms and ammunition of the police force and to provide

them latest equipment. The Chief Secretary Mr. Atul Kumar Gupta,

Infrastructure Development Commissioner and Principal Secretary

Finance Mr. Anoop Mishra and Principal Secretary Planning Mr. Manjeet

Singh participated in the meeting on behalf of the State Government.

———–

C.M. enquires about the health of journalist and gunner injured in Allahabad incident and wishes for their speedy recovery

Lucknow : July 20, 2010

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati enquired

about the health and well-being of Indian Express Correspondent

of Allahabad Mr. Vijay Pratap Singh and Mr. Sanjay Singh,

gunner of Institutional Finance, Stamp and Court Fee Minister of

U.P. and wished for their speedy recovery. It may be recalled

that they became injured in the bomb blast incident of Allahabad

on July 12 last.

The Chief Minister was informed that according to her

directives, Mr. Vijay Pratap Singh was admitted to Jeevan Jyoti

Hospital and all the necessary arrangements were ensured for his

proper treatment. After the improvement in the condition of Mr.

Singh, he was shifted to a Delhi hospital for his further

treatment, where his condition was improving.

The Chief Minister has directed the Resident Commissioner,

Delhi to enquire about the health of Mr. Singh personally in

regular manner.

The treatment of the gunner, Mr. Sanjay Singh is going on

in SGPGI, who became seriously injured in this incident. The

Chief Minister has also wished for his speedy recovery. Ms.

Mayawati said that she is with the family of Mr. Singh during this

hour of crisis.

******

C.M. announces Rs. 5 lakh financial assistance to dependents of Vijay Pratap Singh

Lucknow: 21 July 2010

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has

announced Rs. 5 lakh as financial assistance to the

dependents of Mr. Vijay Pratap Singh who became

seriously injured in bomb blast incident of Allahabad on

July 12 last and died yesterday night.

It may be recalled that the treatment of Mr. Singh

was going on in Army Hospital at New Delhi, where he

died yesterday night.

*******

Recruitment process for 1413 vacant posts of jail guards in jail department should be started immediately

C.M. reviews the works of jail department

Lucknow: 22 July 2010

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has directed the

officers to take necessary steps immediately for strengthening the

security system of jails. She has also directed that vacant posts of

1413 jail guards should be filled by completing the process of

recruitment soon with full transparency and impartiality. Besides, she

also directed that the jail department should remain free from the

Government’s transfer policy.

The Chief Minister was reviewing the works of jail

administration department in a high-level meeting at her official

residence here today. She directed that the height of old jails’ main

boundary wall and circle wall should be extended up to 22 feet and

18 feet respectively as an immediate step to strengthen the security

system. She directed the officers to complete the works of 10 jails

under construction soon.

The Chief Minister has also directed the officers for 10 per cent

increase in the account of food expenditure. She said that effective

action should be taken in the cases of releasing the convicts before

the scheduled time period. She has also sanctioned the posts of 848

personnel as per needs of present jails and recruitment of 3000 home

guards in jails.

The C.M. has directed the officers to set-up the separate jail for

each district as a long term step, besides establishing five additional

central jails. She directed that the facilities of camera, CCTV,

electronic surveillance with control room should be provided for

improving the security system of jails. She also directed that sewer

and sewer treatment plant facility should be developed at every jail.

She directed the officers to issue necessary orders to ensure the

strict implementation of directives issued during the review meeting.

********