Kovind addresses special joint session of UP Legislature
Prabhat Ranjan Deen
Lucknow, June 6: President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday appreciated the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister for his constant efforts to establish gender equality in the state along with ensuring overall development. With the sustained efforts of Yogi Adityanath, the state will soon fulfil the goal of becoming a One Trillion Dollar economy, he said.
Addressing a special joint session of Uttar Pradesh Legislature (Vidhan Mandal), the president also exuded confidence that Uttar Pradesh will soon become ‘Uttam Pradesh’ with the efforts of all public representatives. ‘When the largest State of the country achieves all the parameters of development, then the country’s development will automatically get a backing.’
It was the first address to the state Assembly by any President, and the event was part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to celebrate 75 years of India’s independence. Governor Anandi Ben Patel, Chairman of Legislative Council Kunwar Manvendra Singh, Speaker Legislative Assembly Satish Mahana, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Leader of opposition from Legislative Assembly Akhilesh Yadav, and members of both houses were present on this occasion.
While sharing his views with the public representatives, Kovind said the Legislature is the temple of democracy and the people consider the public representatives as their ‘bhaagyavidhata’ (one who decides the destiny). UP Legislature has a glorious history of dignified amicability between the ruling party and the opposition. The people of the State have a lot of hope and expectations from you, and fulfilling their expectations is the most important work for you. The ambit of your public service must contain all the citizens, whether they have voted for you or not. Hence, it is your responsibility to work in the interest of every person, the President said.
Lauding the efforts of the state, the President said, ‘Uttar Pradesh has done commendable work in the direction of women empowerment and gender equality. Women and men have the least wage gap according to the NITI Aayog’s Index Report 2020-2021, which is an achievement in itself.’
Stating that the state of Uttar Pradesh ranks first in India in the production of food grains, the President maintained that the state also holds the number one position in potato and sugarcane production. ‘In the recent years, there has been significant progress in the construction of roads, while the state has made remarkable improvements in rail and air connectivity.’
UP is setting the paradigm of economic progress in other states of the country and abroad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have instilled confidence that in the near future, Uttar Pradesh will set new records of economic progress. Immense possibilities of tourism, food processing, information technology, and urban development are available in this state, he added.
The Prez also said that the state has the most fertile land with favourable climatic conditions for agriculture. A lot of changes can be made in the economic situation by paying more attention to the agro-based enterprises along with the production in the field of agriculture. I am Glad that the central and state governments are working together in this direction, he said.
Expressing his pleasure to address the members of the largest state legislature, he said that if we talk about three important democratic countries of Europe, the total population of Germany, France and the United Kingdom together is as much as that of Uttar Pradesh alone. The social, cultural, economic and geographical diversity of Uttar Pradesh makes its democracy even richer and stronger.
He said that with a population of more than 20 crores, Uttar Pradesh presents a very good example of unity in diversity. The President said that it is a good achievement from the point of view of social inclusion that the scope of representation of different sections of the society has become much wider in the present Legislature.
‘The first woman governor of the country, Sarojini Naidu was made governor of Uttar Pradesh. The present governor of the state, Anandi Ben Patel, is also a woman. He said that there is a huge potential to increase the representation of women in the legislature. At present, there are 47 women MLAs which is 12 percent of the total strength while there are 5 women members in the Legislative Council which is 5 percent of the total members. These numbers need to be increased,’ he stated.
Referring to the 9 MPs who became the Prime Minister from UP, he said, “What can be more proud for Uttar Pradesh in terms of politics than that 9 Prime Ministers out of the MPs elected to the Lok Sabha from this state have so far provided leadership to the country.
‘I hope that 25 years from now, when the nation will celebrate the centenary of Independence, by then U.P. would have been established as the leading state in India in terms of parameters of development, and our country would be at the forefront among the developed countries,’ Mr. Kovind said.
President Ram Nath Kovind said that the healthy political tradition of Uttar Pradesh has to be strengthened further. This year we all are celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence. One of the purposes of this festival is to remember the martyrs. The new generation should know about them. He also threw light on the freedom fighters who contributed to the freedom struggle. He said that the list of revolutionaries of Uttar Pradesh is so long that it is not possible to mention the names of all in one address. I would like to organize lecture series in educational institutions in the memory of such revolutionaries of Uttar Pradesh. People should be made aware of their life stories through other mediums. On the occasion, Governor Anandi Ben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed the President and presented a brief picture of the developments of Uttar Pradesh.
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