The UP government is set to seek approval of yet other supplementary grant for the current year, during the monsoon session. | |
| The state government has already obtained approval from the legislature for two supplementary grants of Rs 4,500 crore during the current fiscal. The budget of Rs 82,850 crore for 2006-07 was passed by the state legislature in February. The size of the third supplementary is expected to be close to Rs 2,000 crore. |
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| The finance bill for the third supplementary is likely to be introduced in the assembly on September 14, when the house reassembles after a gap of two weeks. |
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| Official sources said the finance department had been asked to prepare the third supplementary bill in ten days. |
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| The government is in a hurry to get legislative approval for additional grants to finance a series of sops announced by it for the teachers, former legislators and other weaker sections of society including weavers, who belong to the minority community. |
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| The items likely to be included in the third supplementary budget are: the inclusion of 1,000 junior high schools in the aid list, which would entail an additional expenditure of Rs 1,500 crore. |
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| The chief minister on August 30 announced hiking the monthly pensions of ex-MLAs and had also increased annual free railway coupons from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 in a year. |
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| Moreover, the government is likely to extend the cover of the "Kanya dhan" scheme, where Rs 20,000 is being given to every school girl up to the 12th standard. Now the one-time grant of Rs 20,000 is proposed to be given to all the girls enrolled in colleges. For the current fiscal, a provision of Rs 600 crore has been made in the budget. |
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| Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, who also holds the finance portfolio, has sought the approval of the first supplementary budget of Rs 1,629 crore on May 15, while the finance bill for the second supplementary of Rs 2,883 crore was passed by the assembly on August 24. |
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| In the second budget, a provision of Rs 250 crore was made for the distribution of free sarees to women living below the poverty line. Besides, Rs 125 crore has been provided for purchasing a helicopter and an aeroplane, land acquisition for the construction of new air strips, and expanding and strengthening the existing air strips. |
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| The other significant provisions made in the second supplementary included Rs 28 crore for the state's information and public relations department for special publicity campaigns ahead of the assembly elections. Also, the government has provided Rs 2 crore to press clubs and media centres in different districts in Lucknow. |
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