CM Yogi Buys Saffron Gamchha at Lucknow's Gandhi Ashram, Hands Chocolates to Children

Marking the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the iconic Gandhi Ashram in Hazratganj, Lucknow, leading by example to bolster indigenous handloom craftsmanship. Walking through the heritage emporium, the Chief Minister inspected an assortment of locally produced Khadi fabrics, interacted with frontline weavers, and personally purchased a handcrafted saffron Khadi towel (gamchha), paying for the handloom merchandise to underscore the ethos of Swadeshi economics. During his visit, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath distributed chocolates to young children present at the venue, enquired affectionately about their schooling, and offered them his blessings, while urging citizens across Uttar Pradesh to adopt Khadi apparel to empower rural artisans and generational weavers.

Hands-On Khadi Patronage: Cabinet Ministers and Senior Lawmakers Accompany CM Yogi

The commemorative event at Hazratganj drew senior political leaders and state dignitaries:

• Distinguished Entourage: Accompanying the Chief Minister were Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Cabinet Minister Rakesh Sachan, Rajya Sabha MP Brajlal, Legislative Council Members Dr. Mahendra Singh and Pawan Singh Chauhan, Vice President of the UP State Women's Commission Aparna Yadav, and BJP Metropolitan President Anand Dwivedi.

• Direct Artisan Engagement: The Chief Minister enquired after the well-being and working conditions of the ashram's operational staff and spinning craftsmen, asking patrons and visitors to actively purchase authentic hand-spun textiles.

• Warm Interaction with Children: Delighted to meet families inside the store, the Chief Minister distributed sweets and chocolates to visiting school children, who touched his feet to receive his blessings as he motivated them to pursue their education with diligence.

Gram Swaraj Redefined: Prosperous Villages Are the Bedrock of a Self-Reliant UP

Reflecting on Mahatma Gandhi's vision on social media platform X, the Chief Minister outlined how rural governance has undergone a structural shift:

• First Unit of Development: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasized that his administration treats villages not as the final, forgotten tier of state planning, but as the foundational unit for building a self-reliant Uttar Pradesh within a modern, developed India (Viksit Bharat).

• Ending Dynastic Exploitation: Calling out pre-2017 governance models, the Chief Minister noted that rural areas previously received mere political rhetoric and hollow promises, existing solely as transactional vote banks devoid of institutional transparency or public accountability.

• Eliminating Bureaucratic Friction: Before administrative reforms took root, ordinary rural residents were forced to run between tehsils, police stations, and district collectorates for basic administrative paperwork like caste, domicile, and income certificates.

Digital Leap Across 57,600 Village Secretariats: Local Jobs and 11,350 Rural Libraries

The Chief Minister highlighted that systemic administrative reforms over the last nine and a half years have decentralized governance directly to the village level:

• Operationalizing Gram Sachivalayas: Through 57,600 fully functioning village secretariats across Uttar Pradesh, villagers now access integrated services via e-Gram Swaraj, digital public payments, and real-time online project monitoring.

• Direct Rural Employment Creation: Transforming village secretariats into localized governance hubs has generated five to seven direct employment opportunities per village for rural youth as computer assistants, Panchayat assistants, and civic facilitators.

• Democratizing Knowledge with Digital Libraries: To ensure rural youth have access to competitive study resources, modern digital libraries are being established across 11,350 village panchayats, providing free internet connectivity and high-grade academic material to civil service and government job aspirants at the grassroots level.