CM: Empowered civic bodies can shape path to Viksit UP | Lucknow News

Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reiterated the central role of municipal bodies in transforming Uttar Pradesh. “Only empowered and modernized municipal bodies can shape the path to Viksit UP,” he said on Monday, urging the urban local bodies to increase their income and strengthen the coffers of the state.While interacting with the representatives from 17 municipal corporations, 200 municipal councils, and 545 municipal towns, the CM appealed to the public representatives involved with the local bodies to prepare an action plan to create new revenue streams. Taking the ‘Viksit UP 2047′ dialogue forward, Yogi said that all the councillors need to understand the economic vision for the state and create awareness among the local residents about it.He added that they should work as the ambassadors of the state govt to promote improved and upgraded citizen services. “Citizens should be encouraged to become active partners in the journey of the state,” the CM said.Stressing the fact that urban development should not remain limited to providing basic facilities and amenities, the UP CM said that through consistent efforts, the objective should be to improve the ease of living. Smart services, greenery expansion, better traffic management, and digital services should be our priority, but new means of income generation should be discovered at the same time, said Yogi while addressing the mayors, chairpersons, and corporators who joined the virtual meeting from various locations.During programmes and events, efforts should be made to keep the city clean. Citizens should be requested to take a pledge, and special events need to be organised in schools and colleges to teach young children and students about the importance of keeping the city clean and green. Over the past eight and a half years, many new achievements were scaled by the state, and encouraging rapid urbanisation in the state, 127 new urban bodies were created under Yogi Adityanath’s regime.The CM said that modern public transportation systems such as metro, rapid rail transit systems, ropeways, and electric buses were introduced in large numbers under the BJP govt. Govt officials implemented the action plans required to collect and treat solid and wet waste in the urban centres. Innovative steps such as municipal bonds were floated to raise funds by Lucknow and Ghaziabad municipal corporations, while Agra, Varanasi, and Kanpur also followed the same model, he added.Reiterating the ‘Panch Pran’, the vow taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yogi said that a roadmap has been laid to achieve complete development by 2047. Through the dedicated portal, urban residents should be requested to share their feedback and ideas to take the state on the path of overall progress and should be welcome to join as stakeholders, said the CM.Three best suggestions from each district would be shortlisted, out of which five best ones are going to be announced during a state-level programme dedicated to the 2047 theme. While the objective is to make the state into a USD 6 trillion economy by 2047, the USD 1 trillion goal would be achieved over the next five years. So far, 12 lakh residents have shared their suggestions.