Uttar Pradesh govt plans to bring out a booklet to highlight achievements

The Uttar Pradesh government, under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (pictured), has completed three years in office. To mark the occasion, the state government plans to bring out a booklet to highlight its achievements. But its plan to crowdsource a title for the booklet via social media doesn’t seem to be working too well if one were to go by the suggestions it has received. One user suggested “Teen saal bemisaal (three matchless years)”, another suggested “Teen saal; UP behaal (a damaged UP in three years)”. One even went to the extent of suggesting the title “Uttar Pradesh bana hatya pradesh (Uttar Pradesh becomes a land of murders)”. Observers are wondering whether there was a need to solicit people’s opinion when the UP government has a full-fledged public relations department and also some private agencies to manage its social media presence.

 
AAP-Congress-AAP
Within days of some senior Youth Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh jumping on to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) bandwagon, the Congress has paid the party back in its own coin by inducting prominent state AAP leaders into it. Those who recently left the Congress to join the AAP included former Youth Congress UP unit president Nadeem Ashraf Jaisi, who hails from the Congress’ pocket borough of Rae Bareli and is considered close to the Gandhi family. This development was quite disconcerting for the Congress, which has been working hard to revive itself under AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. On its part, the AAP has been looking to consolidate its position in the state after its victory in Delhi. AAP leaders who joined the Congress included its national supervisor Sanjeev Kumar Singh, who moved with a large number of his supporters. Many AAP functionaries of several Eastern UP districts, including Varanasi, also joined the Congress.

 
New tourist hotspots in MP

The Madhya Pradesh government is planning to develop a village tourism network and promote it online. The tourism department has shortlisted 60 villages for that purpose. These villages are situated in proximity to famous tourist spots like Sanchi, Orchha, and Khajuraho. The state’s panchayat and village deployment department will develop home stays in these villages with the help of self-help groups. Some MGNREGA funds will also be used for this. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Managing Director Faiz Ahmad Kidwai says that the scheme is getting a positive response. A few of such home stay facilities are doing well near Orchha and this has encouraged the state government.