With an eye on the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan Tuesday offered several sops, a soil testing laboratory to the people of Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Addressing Kisan Panchayats in Amethi, Irani, who had lost to Rahul in last year’s Lok Sabha polls, said she will ensure registration of at least 5,000 Below Poverty Line (BPL) category people in Pradhan Mantri Surakasha Beema Yojna from each Assembly segment. [related-post] Irani, who said she will again visit Amethi on May 26, said she will pay the insurance premium for the first one year for all beneficiaries. She also directed the BJP district president to immediately start identifying the BPL families and collect their details. Irani also announced that farmers of Amethi will not face fertilizer shortage in future. Fertilizer consignment sent by Centre will be unloaded at Gauriganj railway station in Amethi from now onwards, she said, adding that the step has been taken as she had received complaints from farmers that fertilizer stock was unloaded in Rae Bareli and Sultanpur and they hardly got anything. “If Rahulji wants politics of change in Amethi, I assure him that I will support him. if he shares the stage with me in my programme on May 26,” Smriti added. She said she “was with Amethi people” despite the fact that they did not elect her, but the person (Rahul) whom they elected, “has no time” for them. A local, Ramesh Kumar, requested Smriti for financial help to get his heart surgery done and she told him to meet her in Delhi. Meanwhile, Balyan announced the setting up of a science centre in Amethi very soon so that local farmers would get information and training about latest farm technology. He also announced that a soil testing laboratory will come up in the district for the benefit of farmers.
