Ajay Kumar, Lucknow
The slogan “Garibi Hatao” (Eradicate Poverty) is one of the oldest and most frequently used phrases in Indian politics. Generations have grown up hearing it, yet poverty remains. Indira Gandhi coined this slogan in 1971 and returned to power using it as a campaign plank. Since then, every government has used it to suit its convenience and political needs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also positioned poverty as an answer to caste-based politics, and now Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has vowed to make the state poverty-free. He made this claim in Maharajganj, stating that within the next three years, poverty will be eradicated from UP, and the state will become the number one in the country. This declaration came just a week after he said he didn’t intend to have a long political career. However, this new pledge indicates that he is not planning to go anywhere soon.
The resolution taken by Yogi Adityanath is being portrayed not just as a political promise but as a personal commitment. He has stated that even politics should have a time limit, and to achieve this goal, he has set a deadline of three years. Although technically only two years remain in his current term, it is not difficult to infer that he intends to stay in power beyond 2027. Like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yogi Adityanath is also presenting the ‘poor’ as a distinct category. When Modi, following the caste census in Bihar, mentioned OBCs, SCs, STs, and the ‘poor’, Yogi is now trying to make this ‘poor’ class the focal point of his politics.
Given Uttar Pradesh’s socio-economic landscape, an anti-poverty campaign is extremely challenging. But the Yogi government launched the initiative on October 2, 2024, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, when he announced the goal of making UP a “Zero Poverty State”. According to the government, 25 of the poorest families from every gram panchayat will be identified and provided benefits from 17 central and state government schemes. The aim is to raise their annual income to ₹1,25,000 so that they can move above the poverty line. To achieve this, the government will coordinate the delivery of food, clothing, housing, education, healthcare, and employment schemes to these families.
According to a NITI Aayog report, the multidimensional poverty level in Uttar Pradesh was 42.59% in 2013–14, which fell to 17.40% in 2022–23. This means around 5.94 crore people have come out of multidimensional poverty in the past nine years. This data indicates that the government’s schemes have had some effect. However, eradicating poverty completely in a vast and diverse state like UP remains a major challenge. According to Yogi Adityanath, his government has provided housing to over 55 lakh people under the Pradhan Mantri and Chief Minister Awas Yojanas in the past six years. Additionally, over three crore families have been given toilets, and nearly all villages have been connected with electricity and water supply.
The government claims that employment is a top priority. Under the ‘Mission Rojgar’ (Employment Mission) campaign, the government plans to connect two crore youth with jobs or self-employment over the next 3–4 years. Under the Chief Minister Apprenticeship Scheme, 7.5 lakh youth will be trained to help them earn a livelihood. The objective is to directly guide the youth from poor families towards self-reliance. Schemes like MGNREGA are also helping in generating rural employment.
The Uttar Pradesh government claims it is ready to wage a decisive battle against poverty. This pledge will not remain limited to government documents but will be implemented in mission mode. According to the government, poverty alleviation progress in all blocks of the state will be audited by 2025, and by 2026, most of the selected families will have risen above the poverty line.
However, Yogi Adityanath’s resolution has not gone down well with opposition parties. The Samajwadi Party and the Congress have dismissed it as merely an election stunt. They argue that the government had earlier made big promises in areas such as employment, education, and healthcare, but the results have been far from ground reality. The opposition contends that if the government were truly serious, the state’s social indicators would have shown more improvement by now. For instance, according to NFHS-5, issues like malnutrition, anemia, and infant mortality rate are still major concerns in the state.
On one hand, Yogi Adityanath claims he will make the state poverty-free, but on the other hand, challenges like the state’s massive population, lack of resources, and administrative corruption make this campaign difficult. Also, in backward districts like Ballia, Shravasti, Sonbhadra, and Chandauli, basic amenities are still lacking. If the government truly wants to eliminate poverty, it must go beyond planning and focus on concrete implementation on the ground.
At present, if the schemes announced by the UP government are implemented honestly, the results could be positive. But the success of these schemes depends on how vigilant and accountable the local administration remains. Corruption, negligence, and political interference have previously derailed many government initiatives.
There are also reasons to link Yogi Adityanath’s pledge with political strategy. As he himself stated that politics should have a time limit, if he intends to fulfill this promise even by 2027, it’s clear that he aims to win the next election and remain in power. He is preparing to present a ‘UP Model’ on the lines of the Gujarat Model, but transforming UP to match Gujarat’s development standards is no easy task.
In any case, it’s not wrong to say that the slogan “Garibi Hatao” is once again in the spotlight. But this time, limiting it to just a slogan will benefit neither the public nor Yogi Adityanath’s political career. If he fulfills this promise, the face of Uttar Pradesh could truly change, and the ‘UP Model’ could become a new benchmark. But if it remains just another political tool, public trust will erode further. Therefore, this is a time to move beyond promises and deliver on them. For Yogi Adityanath, this is not just a pledge it is a test of the credibility of his entire political career.
