UP govt presents Rs 5,50,270-cr budget to make state 'Aatmanirbhar'

With a target of making Uttar Pradesh 'Aatmanirbhar', the Yogi Adityanath government on Monday presented a Rs 5,50,270.78 crore budget for the financial year 2021-22 in the state Assembly.

With Assembly elections in the state less than a year away, the budget includes new schemes of Rs 27,598.40 crore, with infrastructure development bagging the lion's share.

The budget presented by Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, in the presence of the chief minister, is over Rs 37,410 crore more than the previous year's budget size, making it the largest fund allocation in the state.

Reading out the budget speech from a laptop, Khanna said the target was to make Uttar Pradesh "Aatmanirbhar" and ensure all-round development of the state.

This is the Adityanath government's first paperless budget.

The budget for 2021-22, is also the last budget of the present Adityanath government before the next UP Assembly polls.

The budget makes a provision of Rs 101 crore for the under-construction airport in Ayodhya which will be named 'Maryada Purushottam Sriram Airport, Ayodhya' after Lord Ram and also earmarks Rs 2,000 crore for increasing the number of airstrips at the Jewar Airport in Noida to six from two.

There is a provision of an outlay of Rs 100 crore proposed for "Atma Nirbhar Krishak Samanvit Vikas Yojna" in the budget for doubling farmers' income and Rs 600 crore for Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana besides Rs 700 crore for free water facility to farmers and Rs 400 crore for crop loan to farmers at concessional rates.

For women welfare, the budget proposes Rs 1,200 crore for implementation of Mukhymatri Kanya Sumangla Yojana and Rs 100 crore for malnutrition of women and children under Mukhymantri Saksham Suraksha yojana.

Provisions of Rs 4,094 crore for the nutritional programme and Rs 415 crore for the National nutritional campaign besides Rs 200 crores for Mahila Samarthya Yojna are also there.

For youth development, the budget makes a provision for the distribution of tablets to eligible students under the government's ambitious Mukhyamantri Abhyudaya Yojana, for free coaching for competitive exams and for setting up model career centres in 12 other districts.

The budget provides Rs 100 crore for providing employment and self-employment to migrant workers under the Mukhyamantri Pravasi Shramik Udyamita Vikas Yojna.

In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the budget makes a provision of Rs 50 crore for vaccination scheme towards prevention of Covid-19.

Provision of Rs 5,395 crore has been earmarked for Rashtriya Gramin Swasthya mission, Rs 1,300 crores for Ayushman Bharat, besides Rs 1,073 crore for creating a diagnostic infrastructure for primary healthcare facilities.

With a view to developing medical infrastructure, Rs 1,950 has been earmarked for the construction of new medical colleges in 13 districts and Rs 960 crores for medical colleges under construction in eight districts.

The budget also has a provision for setting up of biosafety level-4 lab under the Institute of Virology and Infectious disease Lucknow.

Provision of Rs 15,000 crore has been marked for Jal Jeevan Mission (rural) scheme and with stress on infrastructural development, it proposes Rs 1,107 crore for Purvanchal expressway, Rs 1,492 crore for Bundelkhand expressway and Rs 860 crore for Gorakhpur link expressway and Rs 7,200 crore for land acquisition for Ganga Expressway and Rs 489 crore for construction works.

Under the special area programme, the budget provides for Rs 300 crore for special schemes for Purvanchal and Rs 210 crore for Bundelkhand.

Addressing media persons after the budget presentation, Chief Minister Adityanath termed his government's budget as welfare and development-oriented in which there is something for all sections of society.

The CM said that it is for the first time that a paperless budget has been presented in any state in the country and said from today the state will also go in for e-cabinet.

The budget is guided by 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas' and would prove to be a milestone in the all-round development of the state and society, he said adding that amidst the coronavirus pandemic this budget will give wings to new hopes and possibilities.

This budget gives representation to villages, the poor, farmers, youth and women. It takes the resolve of providing work to every hand, he said, adding that the beginning has been made to ensure ease of living in the state through providing basic facilities of water and power to every household, road to every village and making them digital.

Reacting to the budget, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said now the game of BJP is over in the state. "Khel khatam, paisa hajam" (game over, money usurped)," was his reaction when asked about the budget.

"Poor and farmers were expecting big relief but their expectations were not met. Now the government has no time left and people of the state have seen what they did in the past four years," he added.

Rs 5,50,270-cr budget to make state 'Aatmanirbhar'