Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Bareilly to honour village watchmen and acknowledge their role in maintaining security in rural areas. During the programme, he spoke about law and order in the state, the importance of vigilance at the village level and the measures he said had contributed to changes in the situation during festivals.

Addressing the gathering, Yogi Adityanath said that before 2017, disturbances would begin whenever a festival approached. He claimed that the situation had changed and that people had now forgotten such disturbances. The Chief Minister presented this as an example of the changes in Uttar Pradesh and referred to Bareilly while discussing the state's law-and-order situation.

His remarks focused on maintaining peace during festivals and ensuring that local security arrangements remain alert. The Chief Minister's comments reflected his government's position on improvements in law and order. These statements were made during his address at the event and represent his assessment of the situation.

Yogi Adityanath also emphasised the importance of village watchmen in the local security system. He said that vigilance must begin at the grassroots level and that even a person positioned at the lowest level of the social and administrative structure can contribute to security by remaining alert. According to him, awareness and timely communication at the village level are important for preventing problems from escalating.

The Chief Minister urged village watchmen to remain in regular contact with the police. He said that coordination between village watchmen and police personnel could help ensure that information about potential problems reaches the authorities in time. Maintaining communication with local police, he indicated, is an important part of their responsibility.

Comparing the role of village watchmen to CCTV cameras, Yogi Adityanath said they help keep an eye on activities taking place in villages. The comparison was intended to underline their role in observing local developments and passing relevant information to the police. Their presence and familiarity with the local community can help authorities remain informed about developments at the village level.

The Chief Minister also discussed financial support and facilities for village watchmen. He stated that their monthly honorarium was ₹1,500 in 2017 and was increased to ₹2,500 in 2019. He referred to these changes while discussing the government's efforts to improve the support available to village watchmen.

Yogi Adityanath further said that the government was increasing their honorarium and providing cashless facilities. He also mentioned annual health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh. These benefits, as described during the address, are intended to provide additional support to village watchmen, particularly in relation to healthcare expenses. The precise eligibility conditions and implementation details would depend on the applicable government guidelines.

Village watchmen perform a local role in rural security by helping maintain communication between communities and the police. Their knowledge of village conditions can assist authorities in receiving information about local developments. During the programme, the Chief Minister stressed that greater vigilance and coordination could strengthen security arrangements and help police respond more effectively to emerging concerns.

Yogi Adityanath also referred to figures relating to gram panchayats and revenue villages. He said that Uttar Pradesh had 68,000 gram panchayats before 2017, while the number was now more than 57,600. He also mentioned the presence of several revenue villages. However, the detailed administrative context of these figures was not provided in the available information.

The programme in Bareilly brought together the issues of rural security, police coordination and welfare facilities for village watchmen. The Chief Minister reiterated his claim that the law-and-order situation during festivals had changed since 2017. He also highlighted the importance of village-level vigilance and discussed the honorarium, cashless facilities and health insurance benefits available to village watchmen.
a