Lucknow, Aug. 28 -- Dishonest parties had made the once prosperous Uttar Pradesh a sick state in the past as corruption pushed it into an identity crisis, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday. He was addressing a gathering at a programme at the Lok Bhavan auditorium. The event was held to distribute appointment letters to 2,425 Mukhya Sevikas and 13 pharmacists selected by the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission. Before 2017, qualified candidates were victims of discrimination and corruption, the chief minister said. From 1947 till 1960, UP was the leading state of the country with an over 14% contribution to the GDP. But the decline started after 1960 and became rapid after 1990 so much so that UP's contribution to the national economy fell to less than 8% by 2017, he added. During this time, UP lagged behind in food grain production, infrastructure and investment, forcing the youth to go out of UP due to riots and family politics which made the state a den of loot, he said. The distribution of appointment letters to the newly selected mukhya sevikas and pharmacists under the aegis of the women and child development department was an opportunity for the women of the entire state, he said. Congratulating all the newly selected candidates, he also thanked the Subordinate Services Selection Commission for the fair process. The chief minister targeted the Opposition on the school merger issue in Uttar Pradesh. The effort to shift out of dilapidated buildings and improve the student-teacher ratio is a part of the National Education Policy, he said, adding that children died due to the collapse of a dilapidated building, but the Opposition spreads confusion. "We will run pre-primary and Bal Vatika in empty schools, 5000 Bal Vatikas are also running successfully," he said. Reiterating the resolution of a developed India by 2047 (Viksit Bharat), the CM said that this path starts from anganwadi centres. He appealed to the newly selected mukhya sevikas and pharmacists for discrimination-free service and said that a healthy childhood will lead to a prosperous future. "It is your responsibility to save the childhood of the country, just as mother Yashoda followed Lord Krishna," he said. He said 12,045 women were selected when 60,244 posts were filled in UP Police two months ago. There were only 10,000 women police personnel between 1947-2017, but more than 40,000 women were recruited in eight years, he said. Most of the 1,56,000 teachers in the basic education council are women, he added. He mentioned the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana, in which more than 26 lakh women got a package of Rs 25,000 each. The CM said , since 2017, anemia among women decreased by 5.1%, stunting by 6.6%, underweight by 7.4%, and dryness by 0.6%. He said that this year 19,424 Anganwadi workers, 3000 assistants were promoted and 22,290 mini anganwadis were converted into main ones. He said that posts of 1,90,000 Anganwadi workers and 1,90,000 assistants have been approved. Anganwadi centres were revived through Operation Kayakalp, he added....