UP Government Allocates ₹14,953 Crore For Social Welfare, ₹2,058 Crore For Minorities, ₹2,140 Crore For Divyangjan Empowerment

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna on Wednesday earmarked Rs 14,953 crore for social welfare schemes, Rs 2,058 crore for minority welfare and Rs 2,140 crore for divyangjan empowerment in the Budget for 2026-27 presented in the state Assembly on Wednesday. The Budget, tabled ahead of the Assembly elections due next year, is being seen as the last full Budget of the BJP government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

In the social welfare sector, the allocation of Rs 14,953 crore marks an 8 per cent increase over 2025-26. Under the old age and farmer pension schemes, about 67.50 lakh beneficiaries are being provided Rs 1,000 per month, for which Rs 8,950 crore has been proposed, according to an official statement.

The Chief Minister's Mass Marriage Scheme has enhanced financial assistance for daughters of all categories from Rs 51,000 to Rs 1.01 lakh per beneficiary. An allocation of Rs 750 crore has been proposed for the scheme. Additionally, Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the marriage grant scheme for daughters of poor Scheduled Caste families and Rs 50 crore for daughters of economically weaker families in the general category, it stated.

For Scheduled Caste students, Rs 977 crore has been proposed under pre-matric and post-matric scholarship schemes, while Rs 950 crore has been allocated for similar scholarship schemes for students belonging to the general category. In the minority welfare sector, Rs 2,058 crore has been proposed. Under the Prime Minister Jan Vikas Karyakram, the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme is being implemented in 21 districts with a high proportion of minority population, for which Rs 500 crore has been allocated. A provision of Rs 391 crore has been made for pre-matric and post-matric scholarships for minority students, the statement said.

For divyangjan empowerment, the government has proposed Rs 2,140 crore, eight per cent higher than the previous year. More than 11 lakh beneficiaries are receiving Rs 1,000 per month under the Divyang Pension Scheme, compared to Rs 300 before 2017. An allocation of Rs 1,470 crore has been proposed for the pension scheme, it stated. The budget statement said to support early childhood care for children with hearing, intellectual and visual impairments in the three to seven-year age group, 'Bachpan Day Care Centres' are operational in 18 divisional districts.

The process of opening new centres is underway in seven aspirational districts, including Chandauli, Siddharthnagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Fatehpur and Sonbhadra, it added. For the welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Rs 3,402 crore has been proposed, reflecting a nine per cent increase over 2025-26. Of this, Rs 3,060.50 crore has been earmarked for pre-matric and post-matric scholarships.

An allocation of Rs 210 crore has been proposed for the marriage grant scheme for daughters of economically weaker OBC families, while Rs 20 crore has been set aside for the construction of hostels for OBC students. Under tribal development initiatives, the government said comprehensive measures are being undertaken for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) under the Prime Minister Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN).

The Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, launched on October 2, 2024, aims to saturate more than 63,000 tribal-dominated villages and tribal villages in aspirational districts across the country with schemes of 18 departments. 

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