On 20th September, 2019, around 1500 farmers marched towards Delhi from Saharanpur in Western Uttar Pradesh. Among their demands are that their unpaid sugarcane dues be cleared immediately, that they be given a one-time unconditional loan waiver and that the tributaries of the Ganga in western Uttar Pradesh be cleaned.
Sugarcane dues in the state have crossed Rs 6000 crores for the season of 2018-2019. The Yogi Government had set a deadline of August 31 for sugar mills to clear the unpaid dues of the farmers. However, the deadline came and went, and the dues remain unpaid. The administration is yet to take any action.
According to the law, the sugar mills are expected to clear the dues of the farmers within 14 days of them depositing the sugarcane. If there are delays in payment, an interest of 15% per annum for the period of the delay has to be paid to farmers in addition to the principal. But these laws are yet to leave the confines of the papers they are laid out on. The reality is stark different from the provision that has been made. Sugar mills are notorious for delaying payments for more than a year. The administration does not do much.
Now, why is this issue important?
In a state like Uttar Pradesh that is so short on funds that it can’t pay its farmers its proper dues is now hosting the Deepotsava, the budget for which has been increased from ₹24 Cr to ₹133 Cr. This controversial event Deepotsava has obviously been in news for its extravagance but this article is not about it. This article is about the Deepotsava and the mammoth amount of budget that is being spent on lighting diyas in a state where farmers are yet to be paid their dues and home-guards and para-medics have not got their salaries.
The government’s priorities are being questioned because as recently as last month, the government mentioned that it did not have the money to pay its employees. UP has a dismal employment record. According to Ashish Awasthi, a labor rights activist, of nearly 400,000 labourers across Lucknow’s labour hubs, only an estimated 40% find work today on Deepotsava .
Home to 200 million people, Uttar Pradesh is India’s second poorest state by per capita income. It ranks 29 of 35 states by literacy, according to the 2011 Census, but because of its size it has more illiterates than any other state. It is home to India’s largest youth population, around half of which is largely unemployed. Such is the state of unemployment in the state that PhD holders, doctors, and engineers routinely apply for positions as peons and sweepers.
We are sure that Yogi government could have had better uses for the money they set aside for Deepotsava.
In a state so severely suffering from employment crisis, the UP government, last week, decided to cut down the duties and number of Home Guard Jawan citing lack of funds to pay them. It claimed that since it did not have the money required to pay them, they wouldn’t be able to take their services any further.
The Yogi Government also decided to Uttar Pradesh Karamchari Kalyan Nigam because the employees have not been paid for the past 11 months. At a cabinet meeting that happened early in this week, the Yogi Government made a three-member committee to resolve the issue of Deepotsava. The committee was formed to recommend whether to give VRS to the employees or place them in other departments.
The health department of the UP Government has no money to pay its para-medic staff including Non-Medical assistants. They have not received their salaries for the past three months. Not only this, but also the school students of class VI to VIII have not received their course material and text books because the UP Education department has no money to print them.
When Yogi Aadityanath met with the finance department, he was told that the government was going through a severe money crunch. The tax collection was poor in Deepotsava, and excise and GST had failed the provide the required boost to the already sick economy. The chief minister had advised them to opt for austere measures. That’s why when we hear about money being blown on such festivals, it, to be put bluntly, sounds quite hypocritical.
According to a Superintendent Engineer associated with the Public Works Department UP, the money spent on this festival could have been used to construct a 133 km long road. However, this money at Deepotsava would be spent on lighting the lamps, decorating the city, and showering flower petals on actors playing Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana, as the arrive in the city on their helicopters.
The Chief Minister has no money to spend on development of the already crumbling Uttar Pradesh but has money to spend on temples and such events. This year, the Government at Deepotsava bestowed the status of a state government function to Deepotsava. Last year the money spent on it was ₹24.27 crore. But this time there has been more than 500% increase and the budget allocated for this event has gone up to Rs 133 crore.
This has been done to ensure that Ayodhya breaks the Guinness World Records. 5.51 lakh earthern lamps will be lit up on the banks of River Sarayu, illuminating the entire city, however, only superficially. Uttar Pradesh, a state that constantly suffers from power woes, these dimly lit diyas at Deepotsava will offer only a semblance of light to the distressed residents.
During elections, it was reported that Uttar Pradesh was getting uninterrupted power supply. However, after 2019 elections, which by the way were all about power, were over, Uttar Pradesh started to reel under the impact of power shortages. Amidst this, the lighting of diyas seem a little hypocritical.
If the Government really wants to put Uttar Pradesh on a global map, then this façade to enter the Guinness World Book won’t help. They really need to work on improving the infrastructure, state of education, and women safety here.