LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday handed over letters of lease for agricultural and residential land to 63 Hindu families who were displaced in 1970 from Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). They have also been given Rs 1.20 lakh for construction of houses under the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana.
At a programme organized at Lok Bhawan, Yogi said, “The long wait is over. In 1970, about 407 families came to India from East Pakistan (Bangladesh). Most were resettled in different parts of the country, but 65 families kept waiting for resettlement. Out of these 65, two families are nowhere to be found.”
"We worked on a plan for rehabilitation of the remaining 63 families and have given them two acres of land for farming besides residential land for houses in the Rasoolabad area of Kanpur Dehat district. Each house will have a toilet," he added.
Launching a scathing attack on the state governments before 2017, Yogi said they were insensitive and neglected the refugees and deprived communities like Musahar, Vantangia, Tharu, Kol and others.
“When we came to power in 2017, there were many challenges before us as these communities were not getting the benefits of government schemes. Our government gave them houses under PMAY and CMAY,” he added.
"It was the first time when a government thought of the deprived Musahar and Vantangia communities in the state. About 38 villages of Vantangias were awarded the status of revenue villages, and these people exercised their franchise for the first time after independence in the recent assembly elections," Yogi said.
The CM directed the revenue department to develop the land given to the 63 families as a smart village with a school and hospital.
He also asked officials to take steps to make these families self-reliant with women forming self-help groups and men engaging in animal husbandry.
Lauding PM Narendra Modi’s efforts for extending support to the needy refugee families, the CM said, “People who suffered harassment in their own country were given shelter in India. This is a wonderful example of India’s service to humanity.”
The two deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, cabinet ministers, and state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh were also present on the occasion.
