Uttar Pradesh Unveils Rs 5.12 Lakh Crore Budget, Aims To Become A $1 Trillion Economy
UP Budget 2020 will play a major role in making Uttar Pradesh a trillion-dollar state economy, CM Yogi Adityanath says.
The Uttar Pradesh government has set aside Rs 500 crore for an airport in Ayodhya and Rs 200 crore for the beautification of Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath temple.
The outlays are part of Uttar Pradesh’s Rs 5.12 lakh crore budget for 2020-21. State Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna presented the budget document in the legislative assembly on Tuesday.
The UP Budget is big on infrastructure projects, including road, airport and metro rail projects. Rs 2,000 crore has been allocated for the Jewar airport near Delhi while the metro projects in Kanpur and Agra get Rs 358 crore and Rs 286 crore, respectively. A further Rs 200 crore will be spent on metro rail projects in Gorakhpur and other cities.
Khanna’s budget also aims set to construct of four lakh houses for the weaker sections of the city within a year and lists schemes to help the youth make a living. New universities will come up in Aligarh, Azamgarh and Saharanpur.
Addressing reporters later, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the UP Budget 2020-21 “historic”, “growth-oriented” and “people-friendly”. Opposition parties, however, termed it “directionless” and a “farce”.
The Rs 5.12 lakh crore budget is bigger than the one presented last year by Rs 33,159 crore. It has provisions for new schemes worth Rs 10,967 crore, Khanna said.
Other major proposals of UP Budget 2020 are:
- Rs 85 crore for the development of Ayodhya as a tourist spot.
- Rs 10 crore for the renovation of the Tulsi Smarak Bhawan.
- Rs 180 crore for the setting up of a cultural centre in Varanasi.
- Two employment schemes for the youth—Chief Minister's Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme and the Yuva Udhyamita Vikas Abhiyan.
- Rs 2,000 crore for the 637-km 'Ganga Expressway' from Meerut to Allahabad.
The budget estimates total receipts of 5,00,558 crore—Rs 4,22,567 crore through revenue and Rs 77,990 crore through capital receipts. It estimates a deficit of Rs 12,302 crore.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the budget focused on the youth. "The Budget will play a major role in achieving the goal of making Uttar Pradesh a $1 trillion economy and meet the target of making India a $5 trillion economy," he said.
But opposition parties slammed the exercise.
"The government is betraying all sections—be it the youth, farmers or women. The BJP says it wants to make the state a trillion-dollar economy but it is not saying from where the investment will come," Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav told reporters.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati called it a “farce”. “The promises and claims made in the Budget appear hollow and are only on paper,” she said.
UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu said the Budget is "directionless" and a mere "jugglery of figures". "The Budget has nothing for the youth, farmers, women and the poor," he said.