In pictures: Uttar Pradesh gains reputation as India’s ‘failed state’

With senior members of his administration warning things could get worse unless deep-rooted social problems are tackled, the heat is on Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Uttar Pradesh government. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo

Indian helpline operators work at the women’s ‘Power Helpline 1090’ call centre in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. A series of rapes and killings have been fuelling calls for the state to be brought under central government control. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo

Some 40.9 per cent of the state’s population lives below the poverty line, according to India’s Planning Commission, while 42.4 per cent of its children are underweight, according to the UNDP. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo

Women working in the ‘Power Helpline 1090’ call centre in Lucknow. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo

Indian Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Anand Lal Banerjee, left, acknowledged there had been some “bad handling” of cases but said claims of apathy among his force were wide of the mark. Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo

Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Uttar Pradesh government, insists he would not be bowed by his critics and is determined to restore the good name of the state.