Focus: Infra, tourism & cow

₹3,194 cr allocated for expressways, ₹500 cr for defence corridor, ₹100 cr for expansion of AgraLucknow expressway, ₹447 cr for cow shelters and ₹1,017 cr for religious tourism and culture

LUCKNOW : The Yogi Adityanath government’s third annual budget, presented on Thursday, makes special allocations for cows, culture and tourism to push the saffron agenda further ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The budget also focuses on infrastructure development schemes, modernization and training of police force, connecting major towns by air and expressways, education, skill development and construction of roads with reference to creation of jobs for the youth.

However, funds crunch probably compelled the government to incorporate new schemes of only Rs 21,212.95 crore in the Rs 4,79,701.10 crore budget for 20192020.

Terming the budget as the biggest in the state, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said focusing on ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’, the budget would take UP on the path of development.

“Funds have been allocated in the budget not to fetch votes but for the welfare of all,” Yogi said, addressing a press conference after finance minister Rajesh Agarwal presented the budget in the assembly.

“The budget aims at ensuring welfare of all the classes and bringing smiles to the faces of the people. The state has progressed and people are getting

› With focus on ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’, the budget will take UP on the path of development. Funds have been allocated in the budget not to fetch votes but for the welfare of all YOGI ADITYANATH, chief minister

benefits. Per capita income of the people in the state has increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 55,000,” he said.

In the assembly, Agarwal began his 37-page budget speech with a couplet of Wasim Barelvi’s poem, by which he meant to say “we keep our promises”, and went on to declare that his budget proposed no new taxes. However, the budget did not speak about measures to meet the rising deficit. Agarwal claimed the budget size this year was 12 per cent bigger than the previous one and pointed out towards allocation of a sizeable chunk of funds, of Rs 447 crore, for construction of new cow shelters.

This includes the Rs 200 crore given for Kanha Cow Shelters and other shelters for abandoned animals.

During his speech, Agarwal mentioned inclusion of the Kumbh Mela in Unesco’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Unity and referred to the birth places of Lord Rama in Ayodhya and Lord Krishna in Mathura and Kashi, the city of Shiva, to underline the state’s importance.

He announced Rs 207 crore for expansion of Kashi Vishwanath temple, Rs 16 crore for a Vedic Science Centre at BHU, Rs 101 crore for tourist spots in Ayodhya, Rs 125 crore for development of infrastructure in Braj region, Rs 27 crore for development of tourist spots in Garh Mukteshwar, Rs 120 crore for pro-poor tourism and implementation of tourism policy and Rs 5 crore for boundary walls of Ramlila grounds.

An allocation of Rs 942 crore for scholarships to students of the minority community and Rs 459 crore for modernization of Arbi-Farsi madarsas have also been made in the budget.

Agarwal’s budget also mentions measures to provide world class infrastructure, and other allocations made therein include Rs 1,000 crore for expansion of major airstrips, Rs 200 crore for development of airport in Ayodhya, Rs 800 crore for Jewar airport, Rs 10 crore for new Aayush university, Rs 175 crore each for Kanpur and Agra metro rail projects, Rs 150 crore for metro rail projects in Varanasi, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Jhansi and Rs 400 crore for Delhi-GhaziabadMeerut Corridor Regional Rapid Transit System project.

A sum of Rs 3,194 crore has been allocated for construction of expressways, Rs 500 crore for the defence corridor, Rs 100 crore for strengthening of Agra-Lucknow expressway and Rs 600 crore for implementation of Infrastructure and Industrial Investment Policy, 2012. Agarwal said the state’s growth rate, as per advance estimates for 20182019, was 7 per cent while the state’s per capita income had gone up from Rs 50,092 in 2016-2017 to Rs 55,456 in 20172018.

The state government proposes to spend Rs 4,79,701.10 crore against total receipts of Rs 4,70,684.48 crore, thereby leaving a deficit of Rs 9016.62 crore.