The chief minister had issued instructions to all the DMs of the state to make adequate arrangements for the protection of the poor from cold during the winter season.
Yogi Adityanath
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sought clarifications from three district magistrates of Uttar Pradesh on the delay in the purchase of blankets for the needy.
The chief minister had issued instructions to all the DMs of the state to make adequate arrangements for the protection of the poor from cold during the winter season.
Rs 29 crore was released for the purchase of blankets and making arrangements for bonfires across all 75 districts of the state. The chief minister explicitly instructed the officials to ensure that there is no shortage of blankets and bonfires anywhere and there should be no compromise on the quality of the blankets.
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Notably, the distribution of blankets and arrangements for bonfires in districts are being monitored directly at the chief secretary level. The government has allocated a budget of Rs 27.27 crore for the purchase of blankets and Rs 1.77 crore for bonfires across all 75 districts of the state.
So far, the process of purchasing blankets has been completed in 72 districts of the state. However, the exercise is yet to be completed in Kanpur Dehat, Sambhal, and Etah, over which the Chief Minister has expressed his displeasure and has given instructions to seek clarification from the respective District Magistrates.
It is worth mentioning here that a total of 3,30,794 blankets were purchased in the state till December 20, of which 45,293 have already been distributed. Additionally, 1,199 night shelters are operational across the state. The Yogi government has allocated Rs. 50,000 per tehsil for lighting bonfires.
The chief minister has instructed the Khadi Gram Udyog Board to purchase 24,000 blankets through open bidding at the L-1 rate by Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Mirzapur, Varanasi, and Moradabad divisions. Given the cold wave in the state, a provision of Rs 120 crore has been made through the State Disaster Response Fund by the state government.
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