Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday hit out at previous governments, saying a lack of political will had kept the state backward and contributed to lawlessness, turning the state known for its festivities into one plagued by unrest.

Addressing a regional workshop on transforming training institutions under Mission Karmayogi here, Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh had immense potential due to its fertile land, abundant water resources and large young workforce, but alleged that previous governments had failed to convert these strengths into achievements.

The programme was also attended by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh.

"It was not that Uttar Pradesh lacked potential. The possibilities were there, but the political will required to build capacity, convert those possibilities into achievements and lead that process was missing. This lack of political will was responsible for Uttar Pradesh's backwardness and lawlessness, and was one of the reasons a state known for its festivities came to be seen as one plagued by unrest," he said.

The chief minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for the changes in the state and said Uttar Pradesh had overcome the "problem of identity".

"In the last nine-and-a-half years, we have succeeded in increasing the state's GDP, budget and per capita income threefold," he said.

Citing infrastructure development, Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has expanded its expressway network and now has five international airports and 17 domestic airports. Metro services are operational in seven cities, while India's first rapid rail service is also running in the state, he said.

The chief minister alleged that before 2017, governance had been centred on those in power rather than citizens, eroding public confidence in the system.

Adityanath also highlighted welfare measures, saying the state government had provided houses to 65 lakh poor people and toilets to more than three crore households. More than 15 crore people were benefiting from the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, he said.

He claimed that access to drinking water and electricity had also improved, with the Har Ghar Nal scheme benefiting areas such as Bundelkhand and the Vindhya region, where water had earlier been transported by trains and tankers.

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The chief minister was speaking at a two-day northern regional workshop, 'Sadhana Series', organised by the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Uttar Pradesh Administration and Management Academy and the Capacity Building Commission, Government of India, on October 23 and 24.