Develop my village, tweets lady gram Pradhan. Done, tweets back Akhilesh

LUCKNOW: When Nitika Shukla, gram pradhan of Nagwasi village in Mirzapur district, replied to a tweet by UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on creating industries in villages, she had no idea it would lead to a windfall for Nagwasi. The official Twitter handle of the CM’s office tweeted back on Saturday, declaring her village the first beneficirary of the “smart village” scheme declared by the CM in his Budget speech on Friday. “The state government aims to establish 3,000 rural industrial units, which will provide employment to 60,000 people: #UPCM,” the tweet from the CM’s official handle said while the Budget was on. To this, Nitika had replied: “Great news sir, I being gram Pradhan, want to start business units in my village to provide jobs. Kindly help.” What got her ecstatic was a reply from the CM’s official handle. “Considering the exemplary motivation to develop her village, CM @yadavakhilesh has asked DM to make I-sparsh village,” the post, tweeted on Saturday evening, said. On Friday, Akhilesh Yadav, in his state Budget, had allocated Rs 300 crore for a scheme to develop “smart villages” known as I-sparsh. “Entire Nagwasi is thrilled and celebrating Diwali,” Nitika tweeted from her handle, @GrampradhanN. Nitika Shukla, a post graduate in political science, fought the recent gram Pradhan elections with a dream to develop her village where there is hardly any development in terms of electricity, roads, potable water and schools. “I discussed these issues with other villagers on reading the CM’s tweet and replied. WE are so happy to get an immediate response. Hope this will change the fate of Nagwasi,” Nitika told TOI over phone. A senior officer in the CM’s office said Akhilesh Yadav was impressed with her tweet and her decision to approach directly. “The CM reacted immediately and tweeted back that her village would be adopted under the scheme,” said the officer.