Lucknow, 23 Sept (HS): Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on

Wednesday launched two major initiatives for taxi drivers and farmers,

launching the Bharat Taxi and Chief Minister's Farmer Prosperity Schemes.

Bharat Taxi will provide taxi, two-wheeler, and three-wheeler drivers with registration

at zero commission. They will also receive social security benefits of Rs. 5

lakh. Under the Chief Minister's Farmer Prosperity Scheme, the interest rate on

loans from the Public Distribution System to farmers has been reduced from 11

percent to 6 percent.

Chief Minister Yogi said on this occasion that the success

of cooperatives depends on who holds the reins. Good leadership makes

cooperatives a vehicle for prosperity, while poor leadership can lead them to

chaos. For the first time since independence, a separate Ministry of

Cooperatives was established in the country, and its results are now visible.

Bharat Taxi will transform India's pace into progress: Chief

Minister Yogi said that previously, taxi, two-wheeler, and three-wheeler

drivers were not considered. Now, they will be registered and will be part of

Bharat Taxi at zero commission and receive social security of five lakh rupees.

This social security will allow drivers to work responsibly and with

confidence. He said that Bharat Taxi is not just a taxi that carries

passengers. It is a taxi for the whole of India, transforming India's momentum

into progress. It has been launched in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, and

Prayagraj. MoUs have also been signed with various organizations, including

Lucknow Airport, Lucknow Metro, and Lucknow Police.

The successful use of Rapido was seen in Mahakumbh: Referring

to the Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025, Chief Minister Yogi said that lakhs of young

people were transporting devotees safely to the Sangam on their Rapido bikes.

They also contributed to the transportation from the Sangam to the railway

station and airport. This prevented traffic disruptions and allowed people to

travel easily. He urged Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh to expand rural

bus services along the lines of Bharat Taxi. The Chief Minister said that if

this model is implemented, it will create new employment opportunities for

millions of youth.

Loans to five lakh farmers at six percent interest: Launching

the Chief Minister's Farmer Prosperity Scheme, Chief Minister Yogi said that

farmers used to receive loans from the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Rural

Development Bank at an interest rate of 11 percent. This has now been reduced

to six percent. Long-term loans have been established to ensure farmers do not

face shortages of funds for farming and machinery. The goal is to extend its

benefits to five lakh small and marginal farmers in the next few years. Chief

Minister Yogi said that if the farmer, who feeds us, is prosperous, India will

be prosperous. If the farmer, who feeds us, is prosperous, India will be

prosperous. The stronger the cooperative sector, the stronger the country will

be.

Loans worth Rs 36,000 crore of 86 lakh farmers waived: The

Chief Minister said that after the government was formed in 2017, loans worth

more than 36,000 crore rupees belonging to 8.6 million small and marginal

farmers were waived. Irrigation projects that had been pending for decades were

completed. The Saryu Canal National Project took nearly 50 years to complete.

Projects like the Arjun Sahayak, Bansagar, and Madhya Ganga were also moved

forward. He said that over the past nine and a half years, 2.4 million hectares

of land in the state have been connected to additional irrigation facilities.

Farmers with more than 1.6 million private tube wells are being provided free

electricity. Irrigation from canals and government tube wells is also free.

Payment of sugarcane price of Rs 3.30 lakh crore: Chief

Minister Yogi said that 122 sugar mills are currently operating in the state.

More than 100 of these mills are paying sugarcane prices on the fourth day.

Over the past nine years, farmers have been paid Rs 3.30 lakh crore in

sugarcane prices. He alleged that previous governments had closed 29 sugar

mills and sold 21 of them at throwaway prices. He said that work has been done

to provide farmers with facilities from seed to market. Pack houses have been

built, food processing units have been set up, and technical support has been

provided by agricultural science centers along with the formation of FPOs.

Through cooperatives, warehouses with a capacity of 50,000 metric tons are also

being constructed at various locations in the state.

54 lakh new members, 15 cooperative banks in profit: Chief

Minister Yogi said that before 2017, 16 cooperative banks in the state had

become inactive and their licenses were confiscated. Thousands of crores of

rupees of farmers' money were deposited in these banks. Now, 15 of the 16 banks

have returned to profitability. Work is underway to improve another bank as

well. He stated that PACS were previously provided with interest-free cash

credit up to Rs. 10 lakh, which has now been increased to Rs. 15 lakh. 5.4

million new members have joined the cooperative. Digital systems are also being

strengthened to ensure timely access to fertilizers, pesticides, and other

services to farmers.

Krishak Samriddhi Portal launched, Bharat Taxi flagged off: At

the event, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the Chief Minister's Farmer

Prosperity Portal app, UPCDC, by pressing a button. A mobile app for

fertilizers and a Cooperative Data Center were also launched to facilitate easy

access to cooperative services. The Chief Minister handed over Bharat Taxi

share certificates to five drivers and loan approval letters to five

beneficiaries of the Chief Minister's Farmer Prosperity Scheme.

Bharat Taxi CEO Colonel Himanshu and Adani Airport Lucknow

Chief Commercial Officer Shiv Mohan exchanged MoUs with various organizations.

Following this, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister of State for

Cooperation and Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, along with other guests,

flagged off Bharat Taxi.

Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol,

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Agriculture, Agricultural Education and

Agricultural Research Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Minister of State for

Cooperation (Independent Charge) JPS Rathore, Minister of State for Transport

(Independent Charge) Dayashankar Singh, Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Cooperative

Village Development Bank Dr. Vivek Kumar Singh Tomar, Additional Secretary of

Cooperation Ministry Pankaj Kumar Bansal, Vice President of Bharat Taxi Rohit

Gupta were present in the program.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi