UP caught between politics and progress

Sarvesh Kumar Shukla, a resident of Bargadi village in Hardoi district, holding the picture of his deceased wife. Last year, his wife and new-born baby died in the Bharawan CHC due to carelessness of the medical staff at the health centre.

The community health centre (CHC) in Bharawan, Hardoi district. The health centre lacks most facilities-operation theatre, labour room, X-ray machine, ambulance-it is entitled to get.

Murad Pur village residents doing a community meeting during the evening hour. The village is largely inhabited by dalits accounting for some 70 per cent of the population. The village was declared an Ambedkar village three years ago under which it was to get uninterrupted power supply.

Surja Bandi (first from left) lives with his family of 20 people in the Murad Pur village. His five sons work with him at their 0.5 acre farm and also do contract farming. He says that poor power situation in the village is eating into the family's savings by increasing their dependence on diesel gensets.

Lalta Prasad, 62, is a farmer in Murad Pur village. Due to lack of employment opportunities in the village, his son has to leave the village and work as a contract labourer in Lucknow. Lalta says that almost 80 per cent of the youth move out to find employment in cities such as Lucknow, Delhi and Kanpur.

A farmer sitting inside the shed where he keeps his diesel generator and tube well pump motor in Murad Pur village, Unnao district. The erratic electricity supply in the village has left farmers with no choice but to rely on diesel gensets for irrigation.