Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday hinted at an increase in the annual pension being given to destitute women while speaking in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly during the budget session debate on the Governor’s address. He said the state government is currently providing pension to 1.06 crore destitute women, who receive Rs 12,000 annually, and indicated that the amount would be increased soon. He added that Finance Minister Suresh Khanna would make the formal announcement in due course.Referring to the Shankaracharya matter during the Magh Mela, the chief minister said that no one is above the law and that the same law applies to everyone. He said the state functions under the rule of law and even the chief minister is bound by the same legal framework as an ordinary citizen. He said everyone is expected to follow limits and decorum.Taking a swipe at the Samajwadi Party, he said their government had resorted to lathi charge in the past in similar situations, and now its leaders were speaking about morality. He said a responsible person can never indulge in undignified conduct and that his government knows how to follow the law and ensure it is followed.
On women empowerment, Yogi said the state has focused on giving jobs to women over the past nine years. He said around nine lakh government jobs have been provided during this period, including about 1.75 lakh to women. He added that women have also been recruited in large numbers in the police force.
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Earlier in the House, the chief minister referred to the slogan Vande Mataram and alleged that MPs of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress had opposed it in the past. He said Vande Mataram cannot be insulted and that those who benefit from the country but refuse to respect national slogans have no moral right to question patriotism, triggering protests from the opposition benches.The chief minister also made a remark directed at Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey, saying he often raises valid points but appears to have differences with Sanjay Nishad. The comment came after a heated exchange between the two over the reservation issue earlier in the session.