Reiterating the state government's policy of zero-tolerance against crime and criminals, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that those who put the lives of common man in danger through supply of poisonous liquor were today cooling their heels in prison.
The chief minister said that the Excise Department in the last five and a half years had not only curbed supply of poisonous liquor and its black-marketing, but had also increased the state's revenue.
While congratulating 332 constables of the state Excise Department on their recruitment, Yogi said that tireless efforts were made after 2017 to curb supply of spurious liquor as a result of which the state managed to collect revenue of about Rs 42,000 crore by the end of this year, in contrast to just Rs 12,000 crore in 2017.
“I urge all the newly-recruited constables to work as transparently and dedicatedly as the government did during their recruitment,” he said.
Expressing happiness on the recruitment of about 109 female constables, the chief minister said, “It is heartening to see that 30 per cent recruitment is of females during the holy Sharadiya Navratri. The government is committed to providing employment opportunities to the youth with transparency.”
Highlighting his government’s achievements, the chief minister said that in the last five and a half years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, over five lakh youths had been given government jobs in the state, while about 1.61 crore were given job opportunities through various micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) units and the industrial sector at large. Similarly, he said, about 60 lakh craftsmen and artisans were also connected with banks to ensure their self-employment.
The chief minister also reiterated that his government would give employment to at least one person in every family in the state and would ensure self-reliance of the youth. “The government also aims to ensure that the youth become technologically advanced through the provision of two crore tablets/smartphones,” he added.
Lauding the work of the state Excise Department on the occasion, Yogi said that the department, once infamous, had set up about 33 new distilleries in five and a half years -- more than half of what were present in the state for 70 years -- for ensuring poison-free liquor as well as generating employment opportunities and more revenue. “This reflects the positive intent of the government and the hard work of the department,” he pointed out.
“Today, UP tops in ethanol and alcohol production and has also made a record payment of more than Rs 1.80 lakh crore to the sugarcane farmers, that is even more than the annual budget of many states,” Yogi pointed out.
The chief minister continued: “Under Mission Rojgar, the state government along with providing employment to the youth also carried forward the process of establishing law and order in the state which in turn brought good amount of investment leading to the creation of more employment opportunities.”
He went on to say that Uttar Pradesh also managed to bring down its unemployment rate significantly from 18-19 per cent in 2016 to about 2.6 per cent currently as per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).
