After being sworn in as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive time, Yogi Adityanath had his first cabinet meeting in Lucknow on Saturday, 26 March.
The meeting took place in Lok Bhawan, Lucknow at 10 am and was aimed at discussing operations for the coming term.
At the meeting Adityanath said that the state government's free ration scheme has been extended for the next three months and this would benefit 15 crore people in the state. "This decision is dedicated to the people," he said.
Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak, and Cabinet ministers Suresh Kumar Khanna and Swatantra Dev Singh were present at the press conference held after the meeting.
Free ration was one of the BJP's most successful schemes in the state over the last five years. Several experts said that 'raashan-shaasan' and this scheme actually translated into votes for the BJP and brought Yogi back into power.
"We have decided to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana from March 31 till June 30."Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh
For the extension of this scheme, Maurya also said that the government will spend Rs 3,270 crore on the extension of this scheme.
Yogi Adityanath Takes Oath as CM for 2nd Consecutive Time
Adityanath took the oath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for a second consecutive term at the Ekana cricket stadium in Lucknow on Friday, 25 March.
Former deputy chief minister KP Maurya also took the ministerial oath, retaining his deputy CM position. BJP minister Brajesh Pathak took his third oath on Friday, replacing Dinesh Sharma as the second deputy CM of the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also present for the mammoth ceremony, where over 50 ministers of the newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government were sworn in.
Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda, and the chief ministers of several BJP-ruled states were also among the attendees.
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