Yogi Adityanath govt's first budget: Rs 36,000 cr for farm loan waiver, Rs 288 cr for metro projects

The Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday presented its first budget worth Rs 3,84,659.71 crore for 2017-18, making a special provision of Rs 36,000 crore to honour its poll promise of farm loan waiver through debt redemption. Presenting the budget in the Assembly, Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal said the budget is 10.9 percent higher than last fiscal’s and earmarks Rs 55,781.96 crore for new schemes. According to Agarwal, the priority of the government is rural development as well as ensuring overall development of the state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described the budget as “progressive” and asserted that his government is determined to fulfilling the pre-poll commitments made by his party. [caption id=“attachment_3803229” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Yogi Adityanath. Image: IBNLive[/caption] Here are the key highlights of the budget: 1) A revenue target of Rs 17,458,34 crore has been set for the stamp and registration department while another Rs 5,481,20 crore is proposed to be collected through taxation on vehicles. A revenue target of Rs 20,593,23 crore has been set for the Excise Department, a major money-spinner for the state. 2) The farm loan waiver was a major promise in the BJP’s election manifesto and the fulfillment of the commitment was a big challenge before the Adityanath government, which has just completed 100 days in office. According to a report in The Indian Express, the government has discontinued some of the welfare schemes and freebies to cut the “extravagant expenses” to make provision for the loan waiver. 3) As part of the scheme for farmers and villages, the government has brought in a package for potato growers and ensured payment of cane dues worth Rs 22,682 crore in the first 100 days of coming to power. 4) For the ongoing metro project in Lucknow and the proposed ones in Kanpur, Varanasi, Agra and Gorakhpur, the budget made a provision of Rs 288 crore 5) A provision of Rs 598 crore has been made for broadening and strengthening of roads to augment infrastructure in the state. 6) Many schemes, including a Rs 300-crore Urban Development Scheme and a Rs 380-crore Malin Basti Development Scheme, have been named after the late Bharatiya Jana Sangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, whose centenary year is being celebrated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in a big way. For Deendayal Upadhyaya Nagar Vikas Yojna, Rs 300 crore has been earmarked while Rs 3,000 crore set aside for Pradhan Mantri Avas Yojna. There is also a plan to connect the backward Bundelkhand region with Delhi through an expressway. 7) A sum of Rs 100 crore has been provided for supply of free school bags to students in schools run by the UP Basic Shiksha Parishad and Rs 300 crore for shoes and sweaters. 8) The budget proposes Rs 692 crore for CM Kisan Ayam Sarvhit Bima Yojna and Rs 250 crore for performing marriages of poor girls belonging to general, SC/ST backward communities and minorities. 9) The budget also makes provisions for upkeep of cultural heritage and reiterates the government’s resolve to organise Lok Malhar and Sawan Jhoola in Gorakhpur and Ayodhya, respectively, and holding of monthly programmes under the Deendayal Upadhyaya centenary year celebrations, besides setting up the Gita research institute and Krishan museum. An amount of Rs 200 crore has been earmarked for setting up a cultural centre in Varanasi and Rs 500 crore for Ardhkumbh in Allahabad in 2019. 10) A budgetary provision of Rs 1,240 crore has been laid out for Swadesh Darshan Yojna comprising Ramayan, Krisha and Baudh circuits and Rs 800 crore for Prasad Yojna. 11) Emphasising on connecting villages with roads, a provision of Rs 451 crore has been made in the budget while Rs 251 crore have been earmarked for roads in seven districts on the Indo-Nepal border. A budgetary amount of Rs 1,000 crore was announced for Swachh Bharat mission for Uttar Pradesh cities. 12) The budget also has a provision of Rs 394 crore for madrassas and Rs 791 crore for scholarship scheme for students of minorities. Besides, Rs 712 more ‘108 ambulances’ will be introduced in state and Rs 50 crore for wi-fi in degree colleges and universities. 13) An allocation of Rs 40 crore has been made for abandoned and stray animals under Besahara Pashu Yojna, Rs 25 crore for helicopter services at tourist places and Rs 10 crore for development of tourism in the Vindhyanchal region. 14) The budget also provides for Rs 2,800 crore for safe drinking water in the Bundelkhand, Poorvanchal and Vindhya region and Rs 25 crore to develop water sports in Ramgarh Taal in Adityanath’s Gorakhpur district. 15) A provision of Rs 200 crore has gone into special schemes for Bundelkhand, Rs 300 crore for special ones for Poorvanchal, Rs 10 crore for Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya Kisan Samriddhi Yojna. 16) The UP government also proposes to recruit 1.50 lakh policemen. 17) The finance minister has announced launch of groundwater conservation mission and also said that a new textile policy is in the works. He said the government is resolved to make Uttar Pradesh open-defecation free by Gandhi Jayanti next year. With inputs from PTI and IANS