Mayawati announced 263 welfare and developmental schemes worth7312 crore

Lucknow, Jan. 16 -- Chief Minister Mayawati, celebrating her 54th birthday amid dance and music, announced 263 welfare and developmental schemes worth Rs 7312 crore on Friday.

Beaming Mayawati walked into the conference hall to receive greetings from the ministers and officers. However there was no cake-cutting ceremony.

The school kids, for the first time, sang and danced with special light and sound effect. Mayawati later lauded her Principal Secretary Shailesh Krishna for organizing beautiful cultural programme, which highlighted the performance of the government during the last two years.

The programme ended well before the solar eclipse began at 11.57 am. Addressing the gathering Mayawati said the government had launched large number of schemes for the welfare of the poor and downtrodden.

Laying stress on timely completion of the schemes the Chief Minister said instructions had been issued for full transparency in the work. In order to reach out to poorest of poor not getting benefits of centrally sponsored schemes under BPL (below poverty line) and Antyodayaya, Mayawati said the government had formulated "UP Chief Minister Mahamaya Gharib Arthik Madad Yojana" under which Rs 300 cash per month would be given to 30 lakh families in the first phase.

Mayawati said while a special cell had been constituted in Chief Minister secretariat to properly monitor the scheme, the selection of the families would be done at open meetings of gram sabha members and district officers. The six monthly installments would be directly deposited to the beneficiaries account.

In view of the past messy experience during previous regime the government now seems to be quite cautious in this cash distribution scheme. Assailing the Congress-led UPA government for not providing special Rs 80,000 crore package the chief minister said cash scheme would be fully state sponsored and at least six months would be taken in release of first installment.

She said objections would be invited before releasing the final list of beneficiaries. The projects, of which either foundation stones were laid or dedicated, included 50-bedded critical care units at Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj medical university, drinking water, sewage and drainage schemes, housing scheme for poor, trauma center at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, new building of social welfare corporation, several power sub-stations, power segregation plan for farm sector and roads and over bridges.