The Chief Minister of the country’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati while celebrating her 54th birthday announced welfare schemes worth Rs.7,312 crore today.

Mayawati kept the celebration low key at her official residence. The main event was the unveiling of 265 foundation stones and plaques by the minister.

The various inaugurations included foundation stone laying of new bridges, construction of new roads, installation of new ambitious power projects, drinking water and sanitation projects under development schemes while she also announced a host of schemes for the poor.  

A pension of Rs. 300 a month for the poor was also announced, and is expected to cost the government around Rs.1,100 crores. Explaining the need for the pension scheme she said the centre programmes had a cap on the number of beneficiaries and thus a large number of poor could not be covered. She said that her government has requested the centre on many occasion for increasing the cap on beneficiaries as it proposes to cover about 30 lakh BPL people who are without specified cards. The pension is to be given in six-monthly cycles.

Mayawati said, 'These welfare programmes, schemes and development projects were, in all, worth Rs.7, 312 crores.'  

She also announced the release of 25 mentally handicapped prisoners and undertrials while proposing to release 26,335 undertrials who have completed 50 percent of the jail term to which they could be sentenced for their alleged crimes.

She distributed tri-cycles to the physically challenged while also marking the start of the new pension scheme handed out some cheques to the BPL families.