News Brief
Nishtha Anushree
Feb 05, 2024, 03:39 PM | Updated 03:39 PM IST
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Yogi Adityanath-led government presented its eighth budget and the biggest ever to date in Uttar Pradesh's history with allocations of over Rs 7.36 lakh crore on Monday (5 February).
While new projects worth Rs 24,000 crore were announced, here are the key focus areas in the budget presented by UP Finance Minister Suresh Khanna:
1. Religious places: The budget has Rs 150 crore provision for Ayodhya airport and Rs 100 crore for development of the Ayodhya city. It also pledges to develop Kashi and Mathura like Ayodhya.
There is an allocation of Rs 1,750 crore for roads to religious places and Rs 2,500 crore for Mahakumbh Mela 2025.
2. Urban infrastructure: Development of Lucknow aerocity in an area of 1,500 acres was announced. It will have facilities like a 7-star hotel, park, world-class convention centres and others.
Rs 200 crore will be spent on PM mega integrated Textile and Apparel Park in Lucknow-Hardoi. Rs 1,150 crore is allocated for construction work of International Airport in Jewar, Gautam Budh Nagar.
3. Roads: Rs 2,881 crore is allocated for widening and betterment of state highways. Rs 3,000 crore for maintenance of roads and Rs 2,500 crore for construction of new roads are also provisioned.
Rs. 2,057 crore is allocated for the Ganga expressway and Rs 800 crore for roads of industrial-logistics parks. Rs 1,350 will be spent on railway overpasses and underpasses and Rs 1,500 on rural bridges.
4. Agriculture: Rs 460 crore is allocated for three agriculture schemes: Rajyaa Krishi Vikas Yojana, UP Agri Yojana and autonomous meteorological centres at block level.
Rs 50 crore is allocated for the CM farm protection scheme and Rs 2,400 crore for subsidised electricity for private tube-wells. Rs 500 crore will be spent on roads in sugar mill areas.
5. Education: Rs 400 crore has been allocated for medical college in Varanasi Rs 150 crore to buy land for the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Varanasi.
Rs 4,000 crore provision is for free distribution of tablets and smartphones to youth. Agriculture universities and colleges will get Rs 100 crore and Rs 100 crore is provisioned for Kushinagar Agriculture university.
Nishtha Anushree is Senior Sub-editor at Swarajya. She tweets at @nishthaanushree.