UP government releases vision document for development

Lucknow, May 17 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government Thursday released a road map - 'Samagra Vikas' - for overall development of the state, which aims to fulfil promises made by the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the recent state assembly elections.

The long-term agenda of the vision document is aimed at better facilitation in departments where the public interface is maximum, an official told IANS.

The key sectors highlighted in the document include agriculture, industries, power, education, health, social welfare and some 100 points on which state departments have been asked to "react and deliberate upon."

Officials say the focus of the document is to assimilate the promises made by the SP into governance so that these are implemented in a phased manner.

To ensure that the agenda points of developments are being implemented in true letter and spirit, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav would be holding quarterly review meetings wherein all projects and schemes would be discussed threadbare, according to officials.

The document specifically focuses on achieving revenue targets so that the funds can be utilised for various welfare and developmental projects. For the year 2012-13, the government has set a target of Rs.73,000 crore through revenue mobilisation.

The government is also working on a new and "all-inclusive and fair" agriculture policy, which it says would be on the lines of the 2005 agriculture policy initiated by the previous SP government.

Food processing and potato production are the key focus areas in the new policy, officials pointed out. Besides, issuing Kisan credit cards to farmers and strengthening the cooperative banks system in the state is also high on the agenda of the government, an official said.

The 2004 industrial policy will be reviewed and the government is likely to announce a host of incentives for the industrial sector in the state, the official added.

The government has cleared the way for more public-private partnership projects in the state and construction work would soon be started on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the northern peripheral road in Ghaziabad, a government spokesman said.

According to officials, the power sector will soon be prioritised and projects in Panki, Jawaharpur, Aanpara-D, Harduaganj extension and Obra-C would be completed in a set time frame.

In the health sector, priority would be accorded to vaccination campaigns, besides opening of state medical colleges and intensive care units in many districts across the state, officials said.

- Indo-Asian News Service

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