Akhilesh scraps over two dozen of Mayawati's schemes

UP cabinet also does away with SC/ST quota in govt contracts

The SP government in Uttar Pradesh on Friday scrapped 27 schemes and programmes launched by former Chief Minister Mayawati, majority of which were named after Dalit icons including her mentor Kanshi Ram,besides doing away with reservation in government contracts for the SCSTs.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who took over the reins of the state in March, decided to abolish reservation in government contracts implemented on June 30, 2009 by Mayawati government, an official spokesman here said.

Twenty-one per cent and two  per cent reservation was given respectively to members of the scheduled castes and tribes in government contracts worth under Rs 5 lakh. Later through a government order, the Mayawati government had increased this limit to Rs 25 lakh.

The spokesman said the cabinet decided that all sections should be given the equal rights in government contracts so as to maintain competition and quality in construction works. In the other major decision, the cabinet today scrapped the earlier Samagra Gram Vikas Yojna and Dr Ambedkar Gram Sabha Vikas Yojna and replaced it with Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Samagra Gram Vikas Yojna, the spokesman said.

The cabinet decided to stop 26 other schemes and programmes, the majority of which are named after various Dalit icons, in 13 departments on the basis of zero budgeting. Stopping of these schemes and programmes would save around Rs 4861.72 crore in the current financial year and this amount would be utilised in other programmes of priority basis, the spokesman said.

The schemes which have been stopped include Manyawar Kanshiram Urban poor housing scheme, construction of Kanshiram gree (eco) garden, beautification and maintenance of parivartan chowk and Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Prateek Sthal, Mahamaya Garib Balika Ashirvad Yojna, Mahamaya Avas Yojna, Savitri Bai Phule Balika Shiksha Madad Yojna, financial aid to the students of Gautam Budha university for foreign education and Dr Ambekar Nalkoop Yojna.