UP govt to set up residential schools named after Vajpayee

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday announced that the state government will set up residential schools named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee in all 18 divisions and a memorial in Bateshwar, the former prime minister's native village in Agra.

Paying tributes to Vajpayee on his first death anniversary here, the chief minister said the BJP stalwart's views inspire everyone even today.

"He worked on transparency in politics. He had dreamt of 'akhand bharat' and by removing provisions of Article 370, the government has paid homage to him," Adityanath said.

He said the countrymen have immense respect for Vajpayee.

"He never considered anyone big or small. He used to say that he is not afraid of death but of earning a bad name," Adityanath said.

Announcing a number of projects named after the former prime minister, the CM said residential schools will be set up in all 18 divisions, besides a 25-foot-tall statue at the Lok Bhawan on Vajpayee's birth anniversary on December 25.

"The state government is also setting up a memorial in his name in Bateshwar," he said, adding that Rs 5 crore have been allocated for a 'Centre of Excellence' in DAV college in Kanpur.

Adityanath said the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow has been named after Vajpayee. The work to set up a medical university in Lucknow is underway and a satellite centre of KGMU is being set up in Balrampur, from where Vajpayee had contested elections in 1957.

Earlier, deputy chief ministers Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya also paid tributes to Vajpayee.

Several BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit, Cabinet Minister Suresh Khanna, UP BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh were also present at the prayer meet.