Working to Make Uttar Pradesh SP-free: Dy CM Maurya

Lucknow: A Samajwadi Party-free Uttar Pradesh and a Congress-free India is the goal of the BJP and it is making big strides in that direction, deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday said.

"One cannot feel the change in 48 days. Once the BJP government completes 100 days in office, the people would be able to make a clear distinction between the performance of the current and the previous government," a confident Maurya told PTI in an interview.

He said a big difference "between us and the previous SP government is that the earlier regime put its self-interest ahead of the development of the state".

The deputy chief minister gave a summary of what the Adiyatnath government is planning to do and achieve on the development front in the state.

He said it is mulling action against illegal tanneries on the banks of the Ganga in Unnao and Kanpur as per the orders of the National Green Tribunal.

The government is also considering resurrecting cinema halls that had shut operations due to losses.

He said the government can also ask cinema halls' owners to disseminate information on the government's welfare schemes before the screening of films.

Maurya told PTI that the state's Public Works Department is employing new technologies for constructing roads.

"The new technology uses the remainder of the old roads as the construction material for new ones. This will ensure longevity. The average age of roads is 5 years," he said.

On how the party plans to celebrate the birth centenary of Jan Sangh founder Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, he said all BJP office bearers will reach out to people as vistaaraks, talk to them and take a note of their problems.

The government will strive to make "Antyodaya" a household name.

"We will ensure that the benefit under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana percolates to the last strata the society. Till now, a section of the society had no idea about it. Our efforts will bring smile on the face of poor people," Maurya said.

Under the scheme, identified poor families are given food grains at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 2 per kg for wheat and Rs 3 per kg for rice.

"I have a high regard for the posts of deputy chief minister and the UP BJP chief," Maurya said, when he was asked which of the two is more challenging.