Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the ‘Atmanirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan’ through video-conference in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The scheme aims at providing employment to 1.25 crore workers in the state.

The Prime Minister also lauded the role played by Uttar Pradesh government in combating the Coronavirus pandemic and making the state ‘Aatmanirbhar’ or self-reliant.

He praised the efforts of Yogi Adityanath for showing high level of preparedness during the pandemic.

“UP has a population of 24 crore and could have multiplied the Corona crisis, but Yogi Adityanath, with his untiring efforts, managed to restrict the spread of the virus. The population of UP is equal to the combined population of four European countries, the UK, France, Italy and Spain. These four countries have reported 1.3 lakh deaths, while UP, with a similar population, has recorded only 600 deaths, which speaks volumes for the efforts of the state government,” the Prime Minister said.

“But death is death, and every life matters and it is sad that any lives were lost, be it in India or elsewhere in the world,” he added.

PM Modi said UP has shown the power of labour by combining various welfare schemes and ensuring employment for the people, particularly the migrant works.

“This is what I mean by a double-engine government. Yogi Adityanath has given a massive push, in qualitative and quantitative terms, to the schemes of the Centre and the state by clubbing them and relating them to employment and development,” he said.

Speaking on the Coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the entire global population has been affected by it.

Stating that nobody knows when the world will get rid of the pandemic, PM Modi urged the people to maintain ‘do gaz ki doori’.

“Till the time a vaccine is not developed for COVID-19, we all have to maintain ‘do gaj doori’ and wear face masks,” he said.

Earlier, Yogi Adityanath welcomed the Prime Minister and thanked him for his guidance and support during the Corona crisis. He listed the works done by his government during the crisis, especially with regard to migrant workers.

The ‘Aatmanirbhar UP Rojgar Abhiyan’ is focused on providing jobs, promoting local entrepreneurship and creating partnerships with industrial associations and other organisations to create employment opportunities.

It is in addition to the Centre’s schemes being run under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ mission to stimulate various sectors.