UP’s supplementary budget focuses on infra projects

The Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday tabled the first supplementary budget of Rs 13,594.87 crore for 2019-20 with a focus on funding ongoing infrastructure development projects and meeting other commitments like developing major towns as smart cities.

Earlier in February, the state government had presented a budget of Rs 4.79 lakh crore for the current fiscal.

The supplementary budget has proposed Rs 2,175.46 crore for urban development, Rs 2,093.08 crore for infrastructure, Rs 850 crore for the Purvanchal Expressway, Rs 1,150 crore for the Bundelkhand Expressway, Rs 905.36 crore for the energy sector and Rs 834.84 for the irrigation department.

The Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), the implementing agency for the infrastructure development projects, will be provided Rs 58.97 crore to pay interest on borrowings from financial institutions for construction of the Bundelkhand Expressway and the Purvanchal Expressway.

The allocations made in the supplementary budget include Rs 175 crore for the development of Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Mathura, Shahjahanpur, Firozabad, Ghaziabad and Meerut as smart cities. An additional Rs 349 crore has been earmarked to clear dues for the works carried out for the Kumbh Mela, which was held at Prayagraj from January 15 to March 4. The other allocations include Rs 100 crore for sewerage and water evacuation works and Rs 60 crore for development of parks, which will have pathways, benches, gymnasiums, drinking water, yoga and playing space for children.

Rs 2 crore has been allocated for facilities at Raja Rao Ram Baksh Singh Park in the Unnao district.

For the detailed project report (DPR) of the proposed Ganga Expressway -- from Prayagraj to Meerut -- Rs 15 crore has been allocated.

An additional Rs 220 crore has been proposed for the Agra water supply project.

The funds earmarked to push the saffron agenda include Rs 10 crore for remodelling of Ram Ki Pairi and Rs 6 crore for organisation of Deepotsav in Ayodhya.

Gorakhpur, the seat of the Gorakhnath temple where chief minister Yogi Adityanath is the mahant (head priest), gets Rs 20 crore to set up a zoo and another Rs 10 crore to buy medical equipment for a 500-bed paediatric hospital there.

The state government has also sought additional funds needed to match the grants the Centre provides for Centrally-sponsored schemes. These include funds for minority welfare schemes under the Centre’s multi-sectoral development programme.

A sum of Rs 20 crore has been proposed for modernisation of madarsas and Rs 40 crore for construction of ITI buildings in minority dominated districts of the state.