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Organic cluster farming in UP increases farmer’ income

In view of the success of this three-year project in the first year itself, the state government is gearing up to start the second phase of this project soon…reports Asian Lite News.

Organic cluster farming on the banks of the Ganga river in 11 districts in Uttar Pradesh have not only reduced the cost of agriculture, but also increased the agricultural production and income of the farmers but also cleaned the environment.

The Yogi Adityanath government has launched a concerted campaign on this regard in the 11 districts of the state. Along with the objective of cleaning the river, organic farming is also being done on both the banks of River Ganga in these 11 districts under the Clean Ganga Mission.

According to a state government spokesman, under this project of the government, 21,142 farmers of the 11 districts, located along Ganga River from Bijnore to Ballia, have formed 700 organic clusters in an area of 14,000 hectares.

The farmers included in these clusters have grown various crops through organic method in the Kharif 2020 and Rabi 2020-21 seasons.

Kamta, a farmer from Ballia, said that he received all assistance from the government in growing, reaping and packing the organic products and got good price of their produce.

These products were displayed in the stalls of fairs, exhibitions and seminars organized at various occasions. Farmers have so far sold organic products worth Rs 2.76 crore from this project.

In view of the success of this three-year project in the first year itself, the state government is gearing up to start the second phase of this project soon.

Of the total project cost of Rs 71.40 crore, an amount of Rs 21.05 crore has been spent.

It is noteworthy that the state government, in order to double the income of the farmers, has created many facilities which included impetus to organic farming, switch to profitable crops and diversification in agricultural methods.

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UP likely to set record in paddy production

Due to favourable weather conditions, the yield is likely to increase by one million tonnes in the current kharif season. Last year, the production of paddy had crossed 257.04 lakh tonnes…reports Asian Lite News.

Uttar Pradesh is all set to create a new record in paddy production for the second year in a row this year.

According to an official release, the cultivation of paddy this year is on 60 lakh hectares of land against last year’s 58.92 lakh hectares.

Due to favourable weather conditions, the yield is likely to increase by one million tonnes in the current kharif season. Last year, the production of paddy had crossed 257.04 lakh tonnes.

The Agriculture Department had set a target of cultivating paddy on 60 lakh hectares of land out of 96.03 lakh hectares in this Kharif season, of which sowing had been done on 57.72 lakh hectares till August 4.

Sowing of paddy on the remaining land is likely to be completed by August 15.

Based on the data of paddy sown last year and this year, it is now being claimed that this time there will be a record production of paddy in UP.

UP is also likely to set a new record in the production of coarse cereals like millet and maize as well due to the conducive weather, according to experts.

Out of 18 divisions in the state, the production of paddy is likely to the highest in Bareilly division due to its maximum sowing.

The official spokesman said that in Bareilly division, paddy has been sown on 194.40 thousand hectares of land, followed by 175.50 thousand hectares in Moradabad division, 156.01 thousand hectares in Meerut division, 141.40 thousand hectares in Aligarh division, 73.72 thousand hectares in Saharanpur division and 25 thousand hectares in Vindhyachal division.

With record production of paddy and coarse cereals, Uttar Pradesh’s participation in the central food basket is set to increase further.

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Yogi to remain boss in UP as party gears up for assembly polls

Recent thumping victory of the saffron party in zila panchayat and blockhead elections has also established the political skills of chief minister Adityanath…reports Asian Lite News.

Words of appreciation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief J.P. Nadda have not only silenced the critics of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, but it also shows that he will be the choice of party leadership to lead in the next year’s assembly polls.

A senior party functionary of Uttar Pradesh told IANS that now all the doubts among cadres about the party’s face in next year’s assembly polls have been removed. “Recent moves of the party have shown that the central leadership have full faith in the Yogi Adityanath government and the BJP will contest the assembly polls under his leadership,” he said.

A party insider pointed out that removal of Santosh Gangwar from the union cabinet also cemented Adityanath’s position in the state even before the words of praise came from the Prime Minister and the party chief.

In May, then union labour minister Gangwar had written to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister pointing out mismanagement in handling of the second wave of Covid in his parliamentary constituency Bareilly. During a reshuffle in the union cabinet this month, Gangwar was dropped.

Recent thumping victory of the saffron party in zila panchayat and block head elections has also established the political skills of chief minister Adityanath. A senior party leader said, “Despite allegations by the opposition party of misuse of state machinery, one thing is clear that he (Adityanath) knows how to play the game. Results show that he knows all the tricks of politics.”

Words of Prime Minister and Nadda have given a boost to the Adityanath government which was facing criticism from the opposition and within the party over its handling of the second Covid wave.

A senior party functionary told IANS that back to back words of appreciation sent a strong message against the Adityanath detractors that they must get themselves ready to fight the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls under his leadership.

“Message is loud and clear that there is no change of guard in the state and Adityanath will be leading the elections under the leadership of Prime Minister and central leadership. He will be the face of the party in the state,” he said.

On July 14 during a visit to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, Prime Minister Modi lauded the efforts of Adityanath’s government in managing the second wave of Covid. He said efforts made by the Uttar Pradesh government to tackle the coronavirus situation are commendable. The Prime Minister also appreciated the development oriented approach of the Adityanath government and ensuring rule of law in Uttar Pradesh.

On July 15, addressing Uttar Pradesh BJP state executive meet, Nadda lauded Adityanath’s style of governance and said he had turned Uttar Pradesh into a ‘leading state’. “While PM Modi had given a new direction to the country, Yogi Adityanath had put Uttar Pradesh on the path to development,” Nadda had said.

Amid speculation of his removal in June, union defence minister Rajnath Singh was the first one to appreciate the works of the Adityanath government.

A senior party leader said that Prime Minister Modi and Nadda have also silenced the chief minister’s criticism on the social engineering front by giving representation of different castes in organizational appointments made recently. “All the recent organizational appointments have taken all the factors of social engineering and given representation to all the caste and region,” he said.

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Modi’s cabinet expansion has eyes set on UP polls

Of the seven ministers from the state inducted into the cabinet on Wednesday, six are non-upper castes, reports Asian Lite News

The cabinet expansion of the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday has set the roadmap for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh next year.

The selection of names inducted in the Union Cabinet from Uttar Pradesh, clearly indicates the priorities of the BJP for the UP elections.

Of the seven ministers from the state inducted into the cabinet on Wednesday, six are non-upper castes.

Four of the newly-inducted ministers belong to various OBC caste groups.

Anupriya Patel and Pankaj Chaudhary are from the Kurmi caste, while B.L. Varma is from the Lodh community and S.P. Singh Baghel is an OBC (Gadaria) but claims to be a scheduled caste. His case on this issue is sub judice.

Bhanu Pratap Verma is a Dalit and Kaushal Kishore is also a Dalit (Pasi community).

The lone upper caste is Ajay Mishra, a Brahmin.

Interestingly, the BJP has carefully chosen to opt for only non-Yadav OBCs which means that the ruling party is intentionally trying to break the OBC unity and damage the Samajwadi Party.

The cabinet expansion also makes it abundantly clear that the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, will now focus on OBCs and Dalits who from the largest chunk of voters.

“There was no need to focus on upper castes since we have a Chief Minister who belongs to the Thakur community and a Deputy Chief Minister who is from the Brahmin community. The party wants to send a clear message that it seeks participation in power of sections of society that have not got their due,” said a party functionary.

Punjab, Gujarat and Himachal in rejig

Similarly, two ministers from Gujarat (Mansukh Mandaviya and Parshottam Rupala) and one from Himachal Pradesh (Anurag Singh Thakur), were elevated. New MoS Chouhan Devusinh, is also an MP from Gujarat’s Kheda Both these states, which are ruled by the BJP now, are poll-bound in the second half of calendar 2022.

Maghubai Chhaghanbhai Patel, a tribal leader of the BJP from Gujarat, was appointed Governor on Tuesday. Darshana Vikram Jardosh, the MP from Surat, a stronghold of the BJP, and worked hard to retain the party dominance following protests from trader community against the GST implementation in 2017 state polls – has also been inducted as an MoS now.

Punjab, a state which is also set to see elections early next year, did not get any additional representation, but Hardeep Singh Puri, a Minister of State, belongs to Sikh community was upgraded to Cabinet rank. Puri, however, is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh

If Uttarakhand’s Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank lost his Cabinet post, a Brahmin leader from the state, Ajay Bhatt, has now been inducted as a Minister of State. Manipur, another poll bound state also got representation in the revamped Council with the induction of Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, as an MoS. While Andhra Pradesh, one of the two southern states the BJP leadership is keen to expand the party’s presence, has been given a representation in Tuesday’s gubernatorial appointments.

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India News

UP Law Panel framing draft bill to check population growth

Justice Mittal, former judge of the Allahabad high court, is framing a draft law for the Uttar Pradesh government to help check rising population of the state…reports Asian Lite News

The Uttar Pradesh Law Commission is mulling a proposal to bring in a la to check increasing population.

The chairman of the Law Commission, Aditya Nath Mittal, has said that there should be a check on the increasing population as it is creating problems in the state.

Justice Mittal, former judge of the Allahabad high court, is framing a draft law for the Uttar Pradesh government to help check rising population of the state.

“The draft law will be prepared in the next two months and the report will be submitted to the state government,” Justice Mittal said.

Stressing on the requirement of such a law, Justice Mittal said: “Resources are already overstretched due to increasing population. Be it medical facilities, food grains and jobs — everything is under stress due to rising population.”

“Imagine if the population of the state remains 22 crore to 23 crore even after 20 years, then what will be the state’s condition? There will be availability of everything in abundance for the future generation. There will be no scarcity of resources,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in the country with a population of around 22 crores.

UP

“While drafting this law, all aspects will be looked into and exhaustive study of all such laws will be carried out,” he added.

Justice Mittal’s report and a draft bill on Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion had played a key role in the framing of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act 2021.

The State Law Commission had also submitted a draft law to the state government for removal of religious structures from public places, recommending a three-year prison term and fine for violators.

Mittal said those who are helping and contributing towards population control in the state should continue to get the benefit of government resources and facilities. He also clarified that population control is different from family planning and it is not against any particular religion and human rights.

The Law Commission chairman’s statement comes after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced his government’s proposed population control policy.

However, the UP government has not issued any official confirmation on a law being formulated along the same lines.

It is noteworthy that Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has already announced the gradual implementation of the two-child policy for availing of government benefits in Assam.

However, tea garden workers and members of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities have been exempted from its purview.

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COVID-19 India News

UP villages get a new goddess

The women, on Sunday, lined up to offer prayers to ‘Corona Mai’ in Kushinagar district….reports Asian Lite News

Women in the villages of Varanasi and Kushinagar have now deified the Coronavirus and have started worshipping ‘Corona Mai’ to lessen her fury and save people from dying.

The women, on Sunday, lined up to offer prayers to ‘Corona Mai’ in Kushinagar district.

In Varanasi, women are coming together in groups on the Ghats to offer prayers and appease the Corona Mai.

Surili Devi of Kushinagar said that they would offer prayers for 21 days to appease the Corona Mai and were confident that the pandemic would recede.

When asked who prescribed them this spiritual method to check the deadly virus, she said, “A number of pandits have said that we should offer prayers to stop the Corona virus.”

She said that everyone was confident that the prayers would work and Corona would go away from their villages.

Women who are lining up to pray for hours, are not maintaining social distancing.

“When we are praying to Corona Mai, there is no need for anything else. The ‘Corona Mai’ will bless us and cure people,” said Ishwari, another devotee.

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