Akhilesh Yadav rolls out freebies to students, unemployed

Fulfilling key poll pledges made by ruling Samajwadi Party, Uttar Pradesh cabinet, at its first meeting, on Thursday decided to provide unemployment allowance of Rs1000 per month to over 35 yearsof age and laptops and computer tablets to class 12th and 10th passouts respectively.

The first cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav also decided to provide unemployment allowance to all those registered with the employment exchanges above 35 years of age and class 10 pass, Chief Secretary Anup Misra told newspersons here.

In another populist step, the cabinet decided Muslim girls passing class 10 would get financial assistance of Rs30,000 for further education or marriage without any criterion of income, Misra said adding there would be about one lakh such girls and the scheme would cost Rs300 crores.

According to estimates, there are some nine lakh registered unemployed persons and they will be provided Rs1000 per month from the next financial year and this would cost around Rs1100 crores on the state exchequer annually, Misra said.

In other important decisions in keeping with the SP election manifesto, the cabinet decided to provide tablets to all girl and boy students passing out of class 10th and laptops to all those passing out of class 12th on taking admission in the next class.

This would cover students of all the boards and schools in the state, including madarsa students, Misra said adding it was estimated that some 25 lakh tablets and as many laptops would be required for this scheme which would together cost Rs3000 crores per year. The scheme would come into force from this year.

In order to check unauthorised encroachment on land of graveyards, the cabinet decided to construct boundary walls for which financial arrangements would be made in the next budget.

For proper transport movement and security purposes, CCTv cameras would be installed at all the important crossings in the state capital from next year, Misra said.

An amendment has been made in the transfer policy of constables and head constables.

According to the earlier policy, they were being posted away from their home districts but now they will also be posted around their home districts, he added.