Lucknow, Aug 9 (IANS): Strengthening the party's focus on rural areas, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has written a letter to block pramukhs (kshetra panchayat chiefs), asking them to prepare an exhaustive action plan to expedite development at the block level.

In the letter sent to all 825 newly elected block pramukhs, the chief minister said that the state government would be releasing a fund of Rs 2,500 crore which could be utilized for development of the kshetra panchayats.

He said that 50 per cent of the funds earmarked to the blocks need to be used on solid and liquid waste management.

The chief minister further said that the state government hoped that the block level dispensation would utilise the financial and human resources. He also underscored the fact that the kshetra panchayat is a key unit of the panchayati raj system and therefore the responsibilities of the block pramukh in accelerating development in the rural areas is manifold.

The development also gains much political significance even as the ruling BJP seeks to strengthen its rural footprints in the run up to state Assembly elections, due next year.

On Saturday, BJP national president J.P. Nadda had felicitated the newly elected zila panchayat chairpersons and block pramukhs and the event was seen as a move to put the focus on rural voters.