Ahead of the festival of lights, Lord Ram’s city is witness to another historic moment. A state cabinet meeting was held in Ayodhya on Thursday under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

During the cabinet meeting, 14 important proposals were approved for the city. CM Yogi himself informed about the proposals passed by the cabinet.

Ayodhya remained the focus of the cabinet meeting with proposals regarding the formation of an Ayodhya Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad, the construction of a Temple Museum on 25 acres of land, the status of an international research institute to Ayodhya Research Institute, and giving status of state recognition to various fairs along with the temple city getting its approval.

On the occasion, CM Yogi said as many as 178 projects worth Rs 30,500 crore are already running with the cooperation of the Center and the State for the overall development of Ayodhya. “Ayodhya is moving towards a new era. Today the whole world is getting attracted towards Ayodhya. Keeping this in mind, the Council of Ministers has taken important decisions”, he said.

The first proposal that was approved by the cabinet was to form an Inland Highway Authority for the first time in Uttar Pradesh. “It was said about Uttar Pradesh that it is a land-locked state. Those countries of the world which have waterways have progressed. Even within the country, those states were progressing which had waterways, as it provided export facilities. We are all grateful to Prime Minister Modi who started the country’s first inland waterway between Varanasi and Haldia. Inland Waterway Authority will help in promoting water transport in Uttar Pradesh,” Yogi remarked.

Besides, he said the waterways would promote water sports, increase tourism facilities and also help in developing Uttar Pradesh as an export hub.  “Ayodhya is very important from this point of view because it is said that 2000 years ago, the princess of Ayodhya had gone to South Korea by waterway, got married to the prince there and became a part of the important dynasty there,” he added.

The chief minister pointed out that there are about 12 rivers in UP which are very important for water transport, which he said, could be developed in all the rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Saryu, Rapti and Gomti. Therefore, this authority will work together with the Government of India and facilities will be developed to supply Uttar Pradesh’s traditional products to the world market.

CM Yogi said keeping in mind the large number of devotees who are going to visit Ayodhya after the construction of a grand Ram temple, a proposal for the formation of Shri Ayodhya Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad has also been passed. He added that for a smooth holding of festivals and better facilities for visitors, help should be sought from the Central Government and charitable organizations.

Furthermore, the proposal for the process of formation of Maa Pateshwari Dham Devipatan Teerth Development Council was also passed by the Cabinet, he informed. This is an important pilgrimage site, where devotees from Nepal come here in large numbers especially on the occasion of Navratri, the CM pointed out.

Apart from this, the proposal of Shukratirtha Development Council was also passed, he said, adding: “We all know that in this pilgrimage site located in Muzaffarnagar district, King Parikshit first heard the story of Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran, due to which he attained salvation. Our government has succeeded in bringing the flow of Ganga there and now we are working to take it forward through Tirtha Vikas Parishad.”

CM Yogi further informed that the proposal to give 25 acres of land in Majha Jamthara of Ayodhya for the Temple Museum has been approved. CM Yogi said that the devotees visiting Ayodhya will not only have ‘darshan’, but also learn about the rich architecture of India.

“This proposal has been passed so that we can present the history of all the temples, built in different periods, before everyone through the Temple Museum. Along with this, it has been decided to expand the Ayodhya Research Institute and give it the status of an international research institute. The expanded institute will incorporate the story of Ramayana, as it is seen in different countries of the world including India, and link it with the tradition of Vedic knowledge to present a comprehensive vision of life”, he remarked.

CM Yogi said that the Cabinet has also passed the proposal to accord state status to several fairs held in the state. The Cabinet has decided to give the status of state fair to the Dwar Dehri Lakhi fair of Braj, held in Hathras in the memory of Dauji Maharaj, in addition to all the fairs that are organized in Ayodhya, be it the fair of Kartik Purnima, Ram Navami, and Deepotsav, or Makar Sankranti and Vasant Panchami, CM Yogi informed.

“All these have been given the status of state fair, so that in the coming time, money will be spent in organizing them, ensuring there is no shortage. Apart from this, the Kartik Purnima fair to be held in Anupshahr of Bulandshahr and the Dev Diwali program in Kashi have also been given the status of the state fair. It has been decided to provide basic facilities to tourists to increase eco-tourism in Sohgibarwa Wildlife Division located in Maharajganj district”, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the state cabinet has also approved the drone policy. CM Yogi said that drones have become very useful today, being used in the fields of photography, videography as well as agriculture and security.

“However, there is also a possibility of its misuse. Hence the state government is implementing a manual for this policy at the state level under the Civil Aviation Act of the Government of India. Under the rules, the activities of drones can also be monitored from the police station level to see how many drones are present there and for what kind of use. Action will also be taken to determine Red, Green and Yellow zones within the state. Red zones are no-fly zones, where no activity can be conducted. In the Yellow Zone, the administration can decide what kind of activity should take place here and what kind should not. Similarly, remaining activities can be conducted in the Green Zone,” he added.