By deciding to set up an aviation university and a women’s university in Rae Bareli, the Centre has added two more major projects to the long list of announcements to the United Progressive Alliance chairperson, Sonia Gandhi’s constituency.
The Government had sanctioned the projects worth Rs 702 crore last week, with Congress Vice- President Rahul Gandhi also showing special interest in the aviation university, named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The women’s university will be named after Indira Gandhi.
In the last Assembly elections, Congress lost eight of the 10 constituencies in Rae Bareli and Amethi.
A section of the Samajwadi Party was keen to field candidates in Rae Bareli and Rahul Gandhi’s constituency Amethi, as the State Congress leadership had declared that party will contest against Mulayam Singh Yadav’s family members in the next general elections.
The new announcements are seen as the Congress’s effort to keep the voters in good humour.
Rae Bareli has seen more projects coming its way after the change of regime in the State. In contrast to its predecessor Mayawati’s regime, the SP Government has welcomed such initiatives by the Gandhi family.
Rail Wheel manufacturing project of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) worth Rs 1,000 crore will soon start production.
A Rs 600-crore project was initiated to convert Rae Bareli-Lucknow road into four lanes. All India Radio has planned a new FM radio station at an investment Rs 10.5 crore. Soon after the State election, a spices park was also announced for Rae Bareli, with an initial investment of Rs 19 crore.
The Uttar Pradesh Government has already found land for an AIIMS-like institution in Rae Bareli. Amethi got an Indian Institute of Informational Technology (IIIT) and a Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) recently. An Institute of Hotel Management will start functioning very soon in Rahul Gandhi’s constituency.
The National Thermal Power Corporation is funding the setting up of Rajkiya Balika Inter College and Solar Lights project at Kila Bazar in Rae Bareli. The State’s first Protector of Emigrants (POE) office is located in Rae Bareli.
Apart from this, 14 branches of the State Bank of India and UCO Bank have been opened in March this year. A pavilion of Khadi and Village industries has also been started.
Rae Bareli got several projects from the Railways too. An executive lounge at Rae Bareli station, computerised train reservation ticketing system at Dalmau and work for new rail lines such as Rae Bareli-Akbarganj-Faizabad (116 km), Utaratia-Rae Bareli (66km) and Rae Bareli-Amethi (60km) have started.
Doubling of the rail line between Rae Bareli and Amethi has also been launched. A Rail Coach Factory, worth Rs 1,800 crore, was inaugurated in November 2012.
Also, there are proposals to set up 140 food processing units and cold chains in the Jagdishpur Industrial Area and a paper mill in Jagdispur area of Amethi. Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology has already started functioning. A Group Centre of CRPF has also been established in Rahul Gandhi’s constituency.