Lucknow: In what can be seen as an outreach by the BJP govt to people from various communities, but with special emphasis on Dalits, OBCs etc, ahead of assembly elections in the state in 2027, the UP cabinet on Tuesday cleared a scheme to renovate and beautify statues and memorials of “icons of social justice” in all 403 assembly constituencies.Called the Dr BR Ambedkar Murti Vikas Yojana, the scheme will see an allocation of Rs 403 crore in the first phase, where 10 existing monuments in each assembly constituency will be taken up for beautification. Minister for social welfare (independent charge) Asim Arun said that even though the scheme was named after Ambedkar, memorials of icons like Sant Ravidas, Sant Kabir, Valmiki and Jyotiba Phule would also be taken up, specifying that the scheme was not aimed only at Dalit icons but those who had worked for social change.Arun pointed out that the people that BJP was trying to pay respect to through this were the same people who were insulted by the previous Samajwadi Party govt after then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav changed the names of districts, universities, medical colleges named after Dalit icons.The scheme is being launched on Apr 14, on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, where the govt will organise programmes across the state to inform people about the new scheme.Arun said that the first phase of the programme will cover those memorials and statues which were completed by Dec 31, 2025. “We have allocated Rs10 lakh per statue or memorial where other works like creation of boundary wall, canopies, seating area etc will also be made or renovated. We have identified a protocol for identification of people whose memorials will be taken up for the work, which include cultural icons, those who have worked for social justice and other great persons,” Arun said.The scheme is aimed at not just safeguarding the memorials but also to develop the area around it and generate employment at local levels. It will provide the younger generation an opportunity to learn about the contributions of great personalities and draw inspiration from them, said an official.
