Yogi Adityanath keeps major portfolios; trains guns on gutkha, slaughter houses and ‘Romeos’

Keeping the key Home ministry with himself to improve the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath allocated portfolios to his ministerial colleagues. He also kept the Mining department, which was in news for allegedly being mired in corruption during the previous Samajwadi party regime, an issue which the BJP had raised vociferously during the election campaign. It was then headed by the tainted Gayatri Prajapati, who is presently in jail. 

Adityanath, who was reported to have discussed the allocation of ministries with the BJP's central leadership in Delhi yesterday, has kept over three dozen departments with himself which might be distributed later. The crucial Finance ministry has been allocated to Rajesh Agarwal, a six-time MLA and former deputy speaker of UP Assembly. Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya has been given the Public Works Department (PWD), Food Processing, Entertainment Tax and Public Enterprises Department.

The other Deputy CM, Dinesh Sharma was given Higher and Secondary Education, Science and Technology, Electronics and IT departments. Sidhharth Nath Singh has been assigned the charge of the Medical and Health while Surya Pratap Shahi got Agriculture, Agriculture Education and Agriculture Research. Another senior minister Suresh Khanna will look after Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development.

Young face Shrikant Sharma will handle the Power department, while Swami Prasad Maurya has been entrusted with Labour portfolio. The lone Muslim face in the council of ministers, Mohsin Raza been made the Minister of State for Science and Technology, Electronics, IT, Muslim Waqf and Haj. Among the ministries that the chief minister has kept are the Information, Housing and Urban planning, Food and Civil Supplies, Personnel, Institutional Finance, Estate etc according to the list released by Governor Ram Naik . The Adityanath government, having 25 cabinet ministers, nine ministers of state (independent charge) and 13 ministers of state, was sworn in on Sunday. 

No pan and tobacco products in government buildings

Livid at the sight of betel juice stained walls of the building that houses his office, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today banned the use of pan and tobacco products in schools, colleges, hospitals and other government buldings.
On his first visit to the secretariat annexe building here, the chief minister gave a piece of his mind to officials there asking them to stop chewing pan and pan masala when on duty.

He was visibly put off when he saw betel-juice stained walls of the building which is known as Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhawan and houses the chief minister's office and his secretariat, offices of the state chief secretary, principal secretary (home) and other senior IAS officers.

A few hours later, the chief minister directed officials to enforce a ban on the use of pan and tobacco in schools, colleges, government hospitals and hospitals. He also prohibited the use of plastic in government offices.

"The chief minister visited all the floors of the annexe building and met officials posted there. After detecting betel stains on walls, he asked employees not to consume pan or pan masala during duty hours and ensure cleanliness," Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who accompanied Yogi, said.

Anti-Romeo Squads across UP

Police crackdown on 'eve-teasing' (PTI)

From Gorakhpur to Meerut, "anti- Romeo" squads of policemen fanned out across Uttar Pradesh on the orders of new chief minister Yogi Adityanath, fulfilling a pre-poll pledge of the BJP to check eve-teasing.
But the police campaign aimed at ensuring safety of women, especially young girls. was reportedly marked by some stray cases of harassment of innocent youths amid concerns that it could spawn moral policing.

Special squads comprising cops from local police stations kept a vigil at markets, malls, schools, colleges, coaching centres, parks and other crowded places to see if women were being harassed.
The squad detained five persons in Pilibhit today, UP police said in Lucknow. At a few places in the state, some youths were made to do sit-ups at busy crossings holding their ears and taking pledge not to indulge in eve-teasing.
 

"The idea is that there should not be any harassment to women," Senior SP Barabanki, Vaibhav Krishna said, making it clear that it should not be construed as moral policing amid suggestiosn that the way the squads functioned blurs the line between crime control and moral policing. "Safety of girls/ladies is the sole intent of the anti- Romeo squads. No moral policing," UP DGP Javeed Ahmed tweeted.

According to Inspector General of Police, Meerut zone, Ajay Anand, the squads have been formed on the directives of Chief Minister Adityanath, who was sworn in on Sunday. The squads have undertaken intensive checking drives in Lucknow, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Mirzapur and Rae Bareli, UP police tweeted.

"Superintendents of Police of all 11 districts under Lucknow zone have been instructed to constitute squads to be deployed at vulnerable points," IG Lucknow Zone, A Satish Ganesh said. The squads will also check consumption of liquor at public places as it often leads to instances of eve-teasing, he said.

Since the commencement of the squad's functioning, the police detained five youths, quizzed 934 others and checked 176 spots in various parts of city yesterday when the drive was launched. Superintendent of Police (Lucknow East) Shivram Yadav said that in Lucknow 23 anti-Romeo squads have been formed. Each squad consists of a sub-inspector and four constables (which include two women constables as well).

The members of the squad would be deployed both in plain clothes and uniform. Giving details of the type of action which could be initiated against roadside Romeos, Yadav, said, "If a woman is not registering any police complaint, then the eve-teaser may be let off after counselling. If the eve-teaser is below 18 years of age, then Juvenile Act would be applicable." But, if the eve-teaser is above 18, then the person would be tried as per provisions of IPC and POCSO (in case the victim is a minor).

Anand said the squads will conduct 'Operation Romeo' outside Colleges and their functioning will be monitored by the city SP. While campaigning in the state, BJP President Amit Shah had said that the BJP, if voted to power, would form anti-Romeo squads to check eve-teasing.

In Meerut, some boys reportedly involved in alleged eve teasing near schools, colleges, cigarette stalls, pan shops and even pastry shops were picked up for questioning and they were allowed to go after police called their parents to inform them about their children's activities.

SP City (Meerut) Alok Priyadarshi denied charges of harassment. "The only job (of the squads) is to ensure safety of women and to ensure that eve-teasing does not takes place." Police explained that the modus operandi of the squads will be similar to the infamous 'Operation Majnu' in 2005, in which boys at crossings and markets were pulled up and some couples were roughed up.
The BJP Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra(manifesto), which the party released ahead of the UP assembly elections, categorically mentioned that to stop instances of eve-teasing, anti-Romeo squads would be formed.
 

Apart from this, three women police stations would be established in every district of Uttar Pradesh. Three new women police battalions would also be formed -- Avantibai Battalion, Jhalkaribai Battalion and Udaa Devi Battalion, the BJP document had said.