UP Budget seeks to make state 'atmanirbhar', Opposition calls it 'directionless'

Akhilesh Yadav, who like many of his party MLAs had turned up in a ‘sherwani’, said the govt must explain how it planned to take UP economy to the $1 tn mark

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday presented a Rs 6.9 lakh crore budget, saying it aimed to make the state ‘atmanirbhar’, or self-reliant, as it headed towards becoming a $1 trillion economy.

Infrastructure projects like roads, welfare schemes for the youth and women, and efforts to develop pilgrim centre are among the focus areas in Budget 2023-24 presented by Finance Minister Suresh Khanna in the state assembly.

It sets aside Rs 21,159 crore for the construction of major roads and bridges and Rs 6,209 crore for their maintenance – in addition to other road projects. The government also plans to spend over Rs 1,000 crore in the coming year on Kanpur and Agra metro rail projects.

Yogi Adityanath’s BJP government will also shell out Rs 2,500 crore during the year on putting in place arrangements for the 2025 Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. Last year’s budget for this was Rs 621 crore.

Also Read | Budget to be presented in Assembly will be the biggest in UP history: FM Suresh Kumar Khanna

It will spend Rs 750 crore on schemes to take care of stray cattle – indicating relief for farmers worried about their crops being eaten away by abandoned cows.

The government also assured that the 50 per cent subsidy on electricity used for irrigation will be increased future, in phases.

The Budget allocates Rs 2,288 crore to fund plastic management and the construction of 6.65 lakh individual toilets in over administrative 300 blocks. The beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme will get a free cooking gas cylinder this year.

“This budget was for 'Atmanirbhar Uttar Pradesh,” Chief Minister Adityanath told reporters after its presentation. He called it a “milestone” towards turning the state into a $1 trillion economy.

“Before the 2022 UP Assembly elections, our party had made 130 promises through the Lok Sankalp Patra. With today's budget, we have incorporated 110 promises,” he said, adding that Rs 64,000 crore has been dedicated for fulfilling these assurances.

But the opposition in Uttar Pradesh called the Budget just a “bunch of promises” and “directionless”.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, who like many of his party MLAs had turned up in a ‘sherwani’, later said the government must explain how it planned to take UP economy to the $1 trillion mark.

As the finance minister began reading out the Budget, some member in the House chanted “Jai Shri Ram”. Khanna’s speech was laced with bits of poetry.

The CM told reporters that exports from the state rose to over 1.60 lakh crore from over Rs 86 lakh crore in 2017-18, and the state’s GDP and per capita income “doubled”.

Apart from the Rs 2,500 crore for Mahakumbh 2025, the Budget also provides Rs 1,000 crore for the development of 'Dharmarth Marg' (roads to religious places).

It earmarks Rs 50 crore for the development of Shakti Peeth Maa Shakumbhari Devi temple, Rs 40 crore for the "integrated development" of pilgrimage town Prayagraj, Rs 40 crore for the state's Buddhist circuit and Rs 2.5 crore for Naimisharanya Dham Teerth Vikas Parishad.

Apart from the Rs 21,159-crore allocation for the construction of the bigger roads, it also provides Rs 3,473 crore for work on bridges and roads leading to agricultural marketing facilities.

Similarly, Rs 1,525 crore has been sanctioned for rural roads.

The finance minister said Rs 1,700 crore will go on the construction of railway overhead bridges.

He said Rs 2,588 crore will be spent on new state highways or on improving the existing ones. A similar amount has been set aside for district roads.

The government will spend Rs 585 crore on the Kanpur Metro Rail Project and Rs. 465 crore on the Agra Metro Rail Project this year. The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Corridor Regional Rapid Transit System project gets Rs 1,306 crore.

The Budget allots Rs 100 crore for the implementation of metro rail projects in Varanasi, Gorakhpur and some other cities.

The Budget provides Rs 1,050 crore under the Chief Minister Kanya Sumangala Yojana to help girl children in poor families, Rs 4,032 crore for destitute widows and Rs 600 crore for the state’s mass marriage scheme.

UP will spend Rs 3,600 crore under an existing scheme to provide smartphones and tablets to eligible students.

Over Rs 12,600 crore has been allotted to programmes under the National Rural Health Mission, Rs 1,655 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojna and Rs 1,547 crore for PM Ayushman Bharat health infrastructure mission projects.

The finance minister set an investment target of Rs 10 lakh crore and the creation of 20,000 jobs in the next five years under the new Uttar Pradesh Tourism Policy 2022.

The farmers’ pension scheme gets Rs 7,248 crore and that for people with disabilities Rs 1,120 crore.