The Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh presented its maiden Budget on Tuesday and allocated Rs 36,000 crore to fund farm loan waivers. Another Rs 660 crore was set aside to revive cooperative sugar mills in the state.
UP Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal has earmarked Rs 450 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna, Rs 261 crore for a soil survey and Rs 968 crore under the Agriculture Development Scheme. The Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state also announced a numer of initiatives for farmers and the marginalised sections of society.
For students
The Cabinet has allocated Rs 5.66 crore for the construction of hostels for poor students. Unemployed students from economically backward classes will also be provided “O” level computer training, for which Rs 11 crore has been set aside. Rs 551.28 crore has been allocated to reimburse the fees of such students, while Rs 50 crore has been granted to provide free WiFi connection in colleges.
The government will also give out free bags for students at primary and senior primary state-run schools. Such students will also be provided with free books, uniforms, a pair of shoes, two pairs of socks and a sweater, for which the Cabinet has allocated more than Rs 420 crore.
Under the Ahilyabai Free Education Scheme, girls will get free education up to the graduate level, for which Rs 21.12 lakh has been put aside. Rs 394 crore will go towards madrassas in UP.
For women
The UP Cabinet has granted Rs 100 crore for Women Development and Maternity Benefit Programme. It has also allocated Rs 262 crore for Shabri Sankalp Abhiyaan which focuses on eliminating malnutrition among pregnant women and children below the age of five. Rs 1,129 crore has been granted for the upliftment of poor women.
Other announcements
The government allocated Rs 40 crore for abandoned and stray animals under a new scheme, the Besahara Pashu Yojna. Helicopter services will be provided at tourist spots in the state, for which the government has allocated Rs 25 crore. Another Rs 10 crore has been granted to boost tourism in the Vindhyachal region.
Agarwal said Rs 1,000 crore would be spent on the Swachh Bharat Mission in the city areas of UP. Another Rs 3,225 crore was allocated for the construction of toilets in the state.
Rs 150 crore will go towards providing cashless medical facilities for the treatment of incurable diseases, though this applies only to state employees and pensioners.
Ruckus in Assembly
As the Adityanath government presented its budget, the Opposition was protesting the law-and-order situation in the state. Leaders from the Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party trooped into the well, displaying placards that accused the state government of being “anti-farmer”, “anti-minority”, and of telling lies.
The Speaker adjourned the house for more than 20 minutes while waiting for the protests to ease. “Do you want us to start the tradition of frisking members before entering the House,” Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit said.
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