UP Budget 2021 has nothing on doubling farmers' income, job creation: Oppn

Opposition parties on Thursday said the Yogi govt had promised to double farmers' income and provide jobs to youths but the budget for 2021-22 has nothing on how it will fulfil these promises

Hitting out at the Uttar Pradesh government in the assembly, opposition parties on Thursday said the Yogi Adityanath dispensation had promised to double farmers' income and provide jobs to youths but the budget for 2021-22 has nothing on how it will fulfil these promises.

The budget would be of no help for the common people of the state, they said.

The Yogi Adityanath government presented the last budget of its term on Monday, earmarking a big slice of it for infrastructural projects and listing schemes for farmers.

Presented by Finance Minister Suresh Khanna in the assembly, the over Rs 5.5 lakh crore budget is more than Rs 37,410 crore bigger than the previous one, making it the largest in the state so far.

The budget presented by the state government is against farmers, women, unemployed people and youth. This budget will further strengthen corporate houses and not benefit the common people of the state, Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary said.

Inflation is on the rise and people are facing problems but the government is not doing anything, he alleged during the budget debate.

BSP leader Lalji Verma said the government had promised to double farmers' income, provide jobs to youths and free education for girls up to the degree level but it did not do anything to fulfil its promises in the last four years. This is its fifth budget and even this has nothing on fulfilling these promises.

The budget provides Rs 700 crore for a free water scheme for farmers and Rs 400 crore for crop loans.

Verma also alleged that the government has not been able to fully utilise the funds allotted in the previous budget.

Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party leader Om Prakash Rajbhar claimed the budget will not benefit any section of society.

With the assembly elections just a year away, the 2021-22 Budget includes Rs 27,598 crore for what are being described as new schemes and projects.

For the first time, funds are being set aside for a planned Ganga expressway from Meerut to Allahabad. The BJP government proposes to spend Rs 7,200 crore in the coming year for land acquisition and Rs 489 crore on the road's construction.