LUCKNOW, Jan. 26 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said in previous governments schemes like scholarships did not reach the poor due to nepotism, corruption and negligence. Addressing a scholarship distribution programme at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here, he transferred Rs.944.55 crore in scholarships and fee reimbursement to the bank accounts of 18,78,726 students in the state for the 2025-26 fiscal through direct bank transfer process. He also extended his wishes to the people of the state for the 77th Republic Day. The CM said the previous governments never paid attention to the education of poor children. "How could the 'Babua' who sleeps until 12 noon be concerned about the children of the poor? Those who wake up after sunrise will find even talk of sunrise pointless. Such people cannot be concerned about the state or the poor," he added. "When the feeling of 'family first' is there, corruption takes place, and when the feeling of 'nation first' is there, everybody gets the benefits of the government schemes without any discrimination." Yogi further said controlling corruption is possible only when the government's intentions are clear and its policies are transparent. "Earlier, scholarship schemes fell prey to corruption at several levels. Sometimes the government's intentions were bad, sometimes nepotism came in the way and sometimes departmental corruption prevented the money from reaching poor students," the CM added. "Today, through DBT, money reached the accounts of nearly 19 lakh students from all sections of the society with a single click without any discrimination," Yogi said. The CM described the event, held on the eve of the Republic Day, as a significant step towards social justice and inclusive development. He said the event is a proof that the government is working with full commitment to ensure that education reaches every last person in society. Referring to PM Narendra Modi's vision of "priority for the underprivileged, preference for the backward," Yogi said the government's goal is that no student should be deprived of education. Through technology, e-governance has been transformed into easy governance, ensuring transparency, he added. He also made a mention of the achievements of students who have benefited from scholarships. Citing the example of a student who became a computer assistant, he said the self-reliance of daughters is the government's greatest achievement. Yogi said the condition of council schools has been transformed through Operation Kayakalp. Now, schools have buildings, teachers, facilities and quality education. "The education system has been strengthened through pre-primary education in Anganwadi centres, Nutrition Mission, Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalayas, Atal Residential Schools and composite schools," he added. The CM said the government is paying special attention to skill development, robotics, drone technology and sports infrastructure. He said crores of people have benefited from schemes such as old-age pension, disability pension, the chief minister's mass marriage scheme and the national family benefit scheme....