Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath dedicated over 2,000 projects and civil works worth Rs 8,754 crore to state residents on Thursday (6 April).

Addressing a gathering during the event, CM Yogi announced that 100 small towns selected by the state government will become aspiring cities within the next few years.

Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of municipal bodies in the nation, according to Yogi.

He said that these municipal bodies have been the driving force behind the positive change the state has experienced over the last six years.

According to UP urban development department's senior officials, most of the upcoming projects and works will be carried out in the Nagar Palika Parishads (Municipal Councils) and nagar panchayats (Town councils), while only a few projects will be implemented in major cities governed by nagar nigams (Municipal Coroporations).

The chief minister also flagged off the motor vehicles that are deployed by the local bodies for daily operations within their jurisdiction.

CM Yogi said that 17 lakh urban economically backward families in the state have been given houses.

The CM praised the efforts made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Covid-19 pandemic and stated that Uttar Pradesh is now receiving the benefits of all schemes.

“A pandemic like this had already arrived 100 years ago also in which people died not only of illness, but also of starvation whereas during the Covid pandemic, free vaccinations, tests, rations, and facilities were made available to the people for the first time in the history of the country, thanks to PM Modi's leadership," CM Yogi was quoted as saying by the Economic Times.

Pointing out the scale of the exercise that was undertaken, Yogi said that a lot of states in the country have an annual budget worth Rs 8,700 crore.

He drew attention to the poverty rate in neighbouring Pakistan, where people are struggling to get two proper meals a day.

"Good governance can change things on the ground and the results benefit every individual of the society,” said Yogi.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also launched several books on various topics like urban digital mission, Govansh protection, Swacch Bharat Mission, and a Manual to protect dogs among others.

He also launched tempo tripper vehicles and handed over keys of the houses to the beneficiaries of PMAY (Urban) scheme.