Lucknow: Construction of an upper primary school in Lahuria Dah village of Mirzapur district has begun, a day after former IAS officer Divya Mittal highlighted the project’s delay while announcing her entry into politics.In a video released on Tuesday, Mittal recounted an incident from her tenure as Mirzapur district magistrate, when a woman from the remote village requested a school offering education beyond Class V instead of seeking personal benefits. Mittal said she approved the proposal after examining the rules, but alleged that even after three years, the school had not been built.“It was not a question of funds, rules or approval. There was a lack of intent,” Mittal said in the video, using the example to explain why she had decided to enter politics.On Wednesday, the Mirzapur district administration said the proposal for upgradation of Lahuria Dah Primary School had been sent during 2024-25 and approved by the state project director in 2025-26.According to an official statement, Rs 25.58 lakh has been sanctioned for construction of the upper primary school.The administration said the sub-divisional magistrate of Lalganj had made available 0.169 hectares of land for the project and the sanctioned amount had already been transferred to the school management committee.Local officials, including Haliya block education officer Prakash Chandra Yadav and village administrator Kaushalendra Kumar Gupta, visited the site on Wednesday.The land was measured and demarcated in the presence of officials, while the construction will be supervised by primary school headmaster Ganga Shankar Ojha.Mittal had cited the village while announcing her political debut, saying administrative approvals alone were not enough unless there was determination to implement them.
