Yogi govt tables its largest budget at Rs 7.36 lakh cr

The Yogi Adityanath government on Monday presented the budget for financial year 2024-25 in the Uttar Pradesh assembly with an outlay of Rs 7.36 lakh crore, higher from current fiscal's budget of Rs 6.90 lakh crore.

Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said that “There is ‘Ram Rajya’ in Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya has become a big tourist centre. Today Ayodhya is recognized all over the world. The state is moving towards socio-economic progress. Schemes are running for all sections of the society. We have policies for young women and farmers.”

The budget focuses on welfare schemes for the under privileged.

Khanna said that under the Destitute Women Pension Scheme, the amount payable to the eligible beneficiaries has been increased from Rs 500 per month to Rs 1,000 per month.

As many as 31,28,000 destitute women have been benefited under the scheme till the third quarter of 2023-2024.

Under the Women Farmer Empowerment Project, the target is to provide technical support by forming 200 producer groups in the financial year 2024-2025, the minister said.

Terming it as the biggest budget in the history of UP, the finance minister said that under the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, a compensation of Rs 831 crore was paid to about 10 lakh insured farmers for the year 2022-2023 till October 2023.

An amount of about Rs 63,000 crore was transferred through DBT to the accounts of 2 crore 62 lakh farmers by December 2023.

He announced, "The ban on giving new private tube well connections in the dark zone have been removed, which directly benefited about one lakh farmers."

On law and order, the finance minister said that a crime and fear-free environment is being provided. Many big events have been conducted successfully.

He said that in the year 2023, 1.10 crore people will get employment in the state. Organised crime has ended and the industrial sector is growing rapidly. The state was at 14th position in the ranking of ease of doing business but today it is at second position.

Khanna said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has implemented the slogan of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' and our policies are especially dedicated to the upliftment of young women, farmers and the poor. There has been unprecedented improvement in law and order under the leadership of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, along with significant improvement and expansion in infrastructure, resulting in investment proposals worth over Rs 40 lakh crore through the Global Investor Summit."

The minister claimed that sugarcane farmers of Uttar Pradesh were paid on time.

Punctuating his speech with poetry while presenting the budget, Khanna said, “Hausle dil mein jab machalte hain, aandhiyon mein chireag jalte hai.”

Meanwhile, the total outlay of Rs 7,36,437.71 crore for the next fiscal includes new schemes worth Rs 24,863.57 crore, Khanna said while presenting the budget.

The state's budget for 2023-24 was Rs 6.90 lakh crore that included new schemes worth Rs 32,721 crore.

For the next fiscal, the state government's budget has estimated the total receipts at Rs 7,21,233.82 crore, which includes revenue receipts estimated at Rs 6,06,802.40 crore and capital receipts at Rs 1,14,531.42 crore.

The share of tax collection in revenue receipts is estimated at Rs 4,88,902.84 crore, which includes state's own tax revenue of Rs 2,70,086 crore and its share in central tax pool at Rs 2,18,816.84 crore.

The total expenditure is estimated at Rs 7,36,437.71 crore.

Out of the total expenditure, Rs 5,32,655.33 crore has been allocated for the revenue account and Rs 2,03,782.38 crore for capital account.

After deducting the total expenditure from the receipts of the consolidated fund, a deficit of Rs 15,103.89 crore is estimated in the budget.