Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that when the feeling of 'nation first' is there, everybody gets the benefits of government schemes without any discrimination.

He was addressing a programme in Lucknow organised for the transfer of scholarships and fee reimbursements to the bank accounts of students.

The chief minister said, "When the feeling of 'family first' is there, then corruption takes place, and when the feeling of 'nation first' is there, then everybody gets the benefits of the government schemes without any discrimination."

Hitting out at the previous Samajwadi Party government in the state, Adityanath said, "If intentions are good and policies are clear, the demon of corruption can be controlled. Just think... nine years ago, a student studying for his degree was deprived of his scholarship due to corruption.

He alleged that this was because the government's intentions were "not pure" at that time, and favouritism was rampant.

"Today, a scholarship amount of Rs 944.55 crore has been directly transferred to the bank accounts of students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, general category, and minority communities through DBT (direct benefit transfer)," Adityanath said, claiming that the "demon of corruption" can be controlled.

"The amount was transferred to the accounts of 19 lakh students simultaneously with a single click. Was the scholarship given based on someone's face? No. It was given because it was their need, as every student has the right to education.

"There is no shortage of money. Every eligible student should receive the benefit of the scholarship. The government has started providing this facility to all the people of the state without any discrimination," the chief minister added.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.