Delivering the keynote address at the afternoon session of a 'Development Conclave' organised by the Hindustan Times group in Lucknow, Akhilesh said, "When I walked into the chief minister's office for the first time I was quite shocked not to find a single computer there."
"Can you imagine how in today's modern system of governance the top office can function without a computer" he asked.
The 38- year-old Sydney University environment engineering graduate said, "We hope to develop a full scale IT system to improve the quality of governance in the state for which I have already issued necessary directives."
As far as his own office was concerned, Akhilesh hoped it to be equipped with the necessary gizmos over the next two weeks.
While expressing deep concern over the multiple ills that he had inherited from the previous Bahujan Samaj Party regime, he sought to look at the positive side. "Despite the odds and the pitfalls, UP still has tremendous potential. I am aware of the big challenge that lies before us and will leave no stone unturned to do our best to turn this state around," he assured.
Terming the shortage of power as the biggest hurdle in industrial growth, he said, "We are giving the top priority to the power sector because no development can be achieved without availability of power."
He lamented, "Nothing concrete was done to augment power generation during the previous regime; only land was allotted to some entrepreneurs but not
a single unit of power was generated."
He urged the central government "to be generous in allotting coal blocks to enable UP to increase it power generation."
Earlier, while speaking on the occasion, Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal observed, "We have a lot of hope from the youngest chief minister who has a special advantage because of the huge public mandate that was given to him by the people of the state."
While assuring all cooperation of the Union government, Sibal expressed hope that Akhilesh would chart a long term 20-year development road map for UP. He stressed upon the need for promoting skill development, which he felt, was the "best way to utilise UP's demographic dividend -- high population."
"Now a time has come when there are jobs but not enough suitably trained people to fit into those slots."
Lamenting the sliding economic condition of UP, Sibal pointed out, "Until the 80s, UP's par capita income stood just about 17 per cent below the national average, but today it was more than 50 per cent lower than that."
Former Border Security Force director general Prakash Singh, who had also headed the UP police, sought to give top priority to law and order. "Unless there is good crime control which can be possible only through good policing and until an effective mechanism is brought about to combat the rampant corruption in the state, any improvement on economic or governance issues would remain a distant cry," he declared amidst much applause.
Prominent among others who spoke on the occasion was Planning Commission member BK Chaturvedi. The conlave was inaugurated by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
