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UP budget for FY19 focuses on capex, infrastructure

The Yogi Adityanath government on Friday tabled a `4.28-lakh-crore budget for FY19 — 11.4% higher from last year’s — that primarily focuses on infrastructure.

UP Budget allocates massively for electricity
UP Budget allocates massively for electricity

The Yogi Adityanath government on Friday tabled a `4.28-lakh-crore budget for FY19 — 11.4% higher from last year’s — that primarily focuses on infrastructure. Presented by state finance minister Rajesh Agarwal, the budget included provisions worth `14,342 crore for new schemes, `29,883 crore has been set aside for various energy sector schemes and `28,394 crores for construction and maintenance of roads and bridges. This, more or less, sets the stage for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

With the massive investment in the power sector, the government is planning to give electricity connections to about 1.50 crore new households by March 2019 under the Centre’s ‘Saubhagya Yojna’. It has also targeted to set up solar projects of 10,700 MW by 2022, earmarking `25 crore for the grant scheme for setting up grid connected roof top power plants on private houses and a provision of `30 crore has been made under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Solar Street Light Scheme.

Apart from this, the budget earmarks `1,000 crore for Purvanchal Expressway, `650 crore for the Bundelkhand Expressway project, `550 crore for the Gorkahpur link expressway project and `500 crore for the residual work of Agra-Lucknow expressway. The fiscal deficit target of 2.97% of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) for FY18 has been nearly met and the deficit is projected to be kept at roughly the same level next year as well. The state proposes to increase capital expenditure from this year’s `57,343 crore to `74.243 crore next year. Indebtedness of the state is projected at 29.8% in 2018-19 against 28.6% this year.

For the basic education department, `18,167 crore has been earmarked for the Sarv Siksha Abhiyan, `76 crore and `40 crore, respectively, for providing free books and uniforms for all students of class 1-8th. For mid-day meal, `2,048 crore and `167 crore for distributing fruits to students have been allocated in the budget. Another `500 crore has been provisioned for furniture, drinking water facilities, electricity and construction of boundary walls in primary and upper primary schools of the basic education board. To improve secondary education, `480 crore has been allotted. The state has set aside `26 crore for Deen Dayal Upadhyay government model schools.

Some proposals appearing as window dressing in the social sector have been shown as highlights, including budgetary provisions of `30 crore for an e-office system in all government offices, a start-up fund of `250 crore, `100 crore to provide fertilisers to farmers and `100 crore towards the national livestock health and disease control programme. The state government also plans to spend `2,757 crore on minority welfare, `404 crore to modernise madrasas, and `3,780 crore to provide nutrition to children under women and child development, `250 crore for regional rapid transport, among others. The budget has projected total receipts of `4,20,899 crore in the next fiscal.

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First published on: 17-02-2018 at 00:50 IST
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