UP cabinet holds meeting at Kumbh, senior ministers take dip in Sangam

Allahabad: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and almost all his senior ministers took a dip at the Sangam here following a unique cabinet meeting on Tuesday at the venue of the Kumbh Mela itself.

At the meeting, the BJP-led government approved the construction of a 600-km Ganga Expressway to better connect Allahabad - now renamed Prayagraj - to western Uttar Pradesh. The state government said the expressway, which will cost Rs 36,000 crore, will be the longest in the world.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said apart from all cabinet ministers and some junior ministers, 'sadhus" also took the holy dip on the historic day.

There are 25 cabinet ministers, including the chief minister, in the UP ministry which also has ministers of state.

The chief minister and members of his cabinet also offered prayers at a Hanuman temple here.

The ministers had travelled from the state capital Lucknow, where the cabinet usually meets at regular intervals. The meeting was held at the "integrated control and command centre" set up at the sprawling Kumbh Mela venue itself.

Lakhs of devotees have been visiting the Kumbh Mela, which this time happens to fall just a few months before the Lok Sabha elections.

Apart from nod for the Ganga Expressway project, the cabinet also gave the necessary approvals for the Bundelkhand Expressway and the Purvanchal Expressway which have already been announced.

The government decided to waive the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Uri: The Surgical Strike", a recently released film based on Indian commando raids in 2016 inside Pakistan-controlled territory.

Adityanath said the film is about the valour of the country's soldiers and instills a feeling of patriotism. The proposed Ganga Expressway will start from Meerut and pass through Amroha, Bulandshahr, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Unnao, Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh before reaching Allahabad, the chief minister told reporters. This expressway will require 6,556 hectares of land.

Around Allahabad, the cabinet also approved the beautification of the Rishi Bhardwaj ashram and the development of the Shringverpur pilgrim spot and the Nishadraj Park.

The cabinet gave its nod for installing the statue of Maharishi Balmiki at an ashram between Allahabad and Chitrakoot. A Ramayana research institute will also be set up, the chief minister said.

The state government gave an in-principle approval for the Bundelkhand Expressway and the development of the Bundelkhand region.