Akhilesh Yadav inaugurates 'Avadh Shilp Gram' in Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the 'Avadh Shilp Gram' in the state capital on Saturday and highlighted various achievements of his Samajwadi Party government besides announcing several welfare measures for the artisans.

The 20-acre sprawling campus of the Shilp gram houses a huge complex of shops where artisans from across the state can showcase their products. Built in red stone, the 'haat' saw thousands of people flocking there on its inaugural day.

The Chief Minister promised the artisans that the state government was committed to their development and prosperity and announced that the state would soon roll out many welfare measures for them. He also detailed various programmes and schemes of the Samajwadi Party government which were allowing the state to prosper and develop.

Public Works Department (PWD) minister Shivpal Singh Yadav lauded his nephew and chief minister Akhilesh "for bringing a turnaround in the state through his vision and development oriented mindset".

The minister also reminded the gathering of their predecessor, Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government, and said if they wanted development to continue they should vote for SP in the forthcoming state assembly elections.

Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Nitin Agrawal requested the Chief Minister to announce some sops for the weavers and said if this happened exports from the state would grow further.

He also informed that the share of the state in India's exports was at a staggering 45 per cent. He thanked Akhilesh for many policies that had led to a drastic change in the export scene.

Principal Secretary MSME, Rajneesh Dubey said the initiatives taken by the state government were yielding results and reports suggested a growth in the state's share in the country's export pie.

Akhilesh also felicitated some artisans for their work and laid the foundation stone of the UP Institute of Design besides launching a MSME portal.

--IANS

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