Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the District Magistrates to ensure that the poor did get protection from biting cold in Rain Baseras (night shelters) and warned that any laxity on this part would not be tolerated.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, a government spokesman said that the CM asked DMs to visit night shelters on January 11 and 12 to ensure that the poor were getting all facilities there. “There should be adequate number of blankets and officers should ensure that there was proper facility to light bonfires,” the CM said.
The spokeaman said that funds havebeen sent to districts to ensure that state-run night shelters were running properly. “If some district needs money, they can send a request and money would be arranged immediately. People should not suffer because of paucity of funds,” the statement said.
The spokesman said that so far the government has allocated Rs 28.50 crore for purchase of blankets and bonfires. At least 43 districts asked for additional funds and which was addressed and additional Rs 9.27 crore was dispatched.
The spokesperson claimed that 5,41,645 blankets have been distributed among the poor besides bonfires have been arranged in 60,000 places in the state. The CM also asked the DMs to verify whether the poor got the blankets as per requirement.