Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government tabled their first paperless budget for a whopping Rs 5.50 lakh crores (Rs 5,50,270.78 lakh crore to be exact), which is the largest ever budget in Uttar Pradesh’s history.
The budget, which was the fifth and last of the Yogi Adityanath government, is Rs 38 lakh crore or 7.3 per cent higher than the last budget of Rs 51.2 lakh crores for 2020-2021.
Presenting the budget, the Finance Minister Suresh Khanna opened the government’s kitty for farmers, women, and youth and made huge budgetary provisions for the ongoing development projects, construction of Expressways, Metros, Airports, and development of Ayodhya, Varanasi, Chitrakoot and other tourist destinations.
Besides this, the focus of the budget was on bijli, sadak, paani and makaan (power, roads, water and houses) before going to the polls next year.
The State Finance Minister Suresh Khanna claimed that the budget is aimed at achieving ‘inclusive growth’ to make the state one trillion dollar economy in the country.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who became the first BJP CM in the state to see five budgets presented during his longest tenure, said that the budget is full of democratic values aimed at welfare of all sections of the society and overall development of the state.
Many sops are offered to agitating farmers. It included Rs 700 crores to make available free irrigation facilities to farmers. A new Farmers’ Integrated Development Scheme has been launched with Rs 100 crore. Rs 3,100 for farmers’ pension, Rs 600 for Krishi Durghatna Yojana, Rs 400 crores for loans to farmers on subsidized rates, and installation of 15,000 solar water pumps in 2021-22, are other sops which are offered to agitating farmers.
Under Mukhyamatri Kanya Sumangal Yojana, Rs 1200 crore has been sanctioned for distribution of tables to eligible girl students. Besides Rs 4500 crore for state share in central schemes for women and girls, Rs 200 crore for women empowerment, Rs 32 crore for setting women power centres and Rs 100 crore for malnutrition have been earmarked in the budget.
Rs 1107 crore for Purvanchal Expressway, Rs 1492 for Bundelkhand Eway, Rs 860 for Gorakhour Link Eway, and Rs 7689 crore for Ganga Eway have been sanctioned to create infrastructure for industrial development.
For the construction of Parikarma Marg of Ram temple and beautification of Ayodhya Rs 300 crore have been sanctioned in the budget. The government earmarked Rs 101 crore for airport in Ayodhya and Rs 2,000 crore for airports at Jewar, Sonbhadra and Chitrakoot.
The state government has decided to ensure payment to labourers on hourly basis to check their exploitation and offered Rs 2,000 pension to poor folk artists. Universities in each division, model colleges in 26 districts and Atal Schools in all districts are other highlights of the budget. Rs 50 crore have been sanctioned for ongoing Covid-19 vaccination.
