UP govt thanks people for maintaining communal harmony after Ayodhya verdict

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday thanked people of the state for maintaining communal harmony in the wake of the Supreme Court's verdict on vexed Ayodhya issue.

The government thanked people during a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the government's spokesperson Shrikant Sharma and Siddharth Nath Singh told reporters.

Besides approving 13 decisions of the government, the Cabinet expressed thanks to the people, taking note of their restrained reactions, aimed at maintaining communal amity in the wake of the judgement, they said.

The Cabinet members also congratulated the chief minister for his apt handling of the law and order situation in the wake of the judgement, they added.

In a historic and unanimous verdict, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Saturday paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. The bench also directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

The Cabinet, also approved the selection of firms for building the 296-km Bundelkhand Expressway and 91-km Gorakhpur Link Expressway, they said, adding the projects together are expected to provide employment to around 60,000 youths.

The Bundelkhand Expressway project is to be completed in six phases, while the Gorakhpur Link Expressway is to be completed in two phases.

The Cabinet approved the establishment of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University in Aligarh.

It also approved the revised E-Stamp rules, removing the limit on purchasing stamps worth only up to Rs 15,000 in one go.

The Cabinet also approved two power grid projects to erect 765 KV and 400 KV transmission lines at Rampur and Sambhal.

A total of 13 districts in western Uttar Pradesh will benefit from this, an official release said.

The work, to be carried out on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, aims to ease electricity-related problems in the region and will be completed by 2021.

The Cabinet also approved the expenditure burden assessment for the Madrasa Modernisation Scheme.

The Centre will contribute 60 per cent, whereas the state will bear 40 per cent of the expenditure for 7,442 madrasas running in the state. The scheme has now been renamed as 'Scheme for Providing Education in Madrasas.