Adityanath 2.0: Of 100-day plans, $1-trn economy & 2024 poll battle

Within a few hours of taking oath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for a second consecutive term on March 25, Yogi Adityanath was delivering a pep talk to his fresh council of ministers. The theme of the meeting was to goad the new ministers for making a concerted effort to fulfil the BJP’s pre-poll promises. But, the subtle message of ‘perform or perish’ was loud and clear, given that many high-profile names didn’t find a place in Adityanath’s new team.

Adityanath has tasked his ministers with preparing 100-day action plans for different departments, which have been categorised under 10 broad sectors — agricultural production; infrastructure and industrial development; social security; medical and health; rural development; urban development; tourism and culture; education; revenue; and miscellaneous. 

All the departments have been clubbed under these 10 broad sectors. For example, agricultural production would comprise agriculture, agricultural marketing, agricultural education and research, horticulture and food processing, sugarcane, animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, silk development, irrigation, etc.

Similarly, infra and industrial development would include industrial development, MSME and export promotion, handicraft and textile, energy, renewable energy, IT and electronics, civil aviation, khadi, etc.

The process of the presentation of the 100-day agenda before the CM would starrt this week itself, giving little respite to the new ministers or officials.

The 100-day plan shall be synched with the overarching target of the BJP government to make UP a trillion-dollar economy in five years.

The proposed action plans would talk about tangible targets to be achieved within the first 100 days of the new dispensation.

Recently, UP chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra had given a detailed, yet tentative presentation to the CM of the general 100-day agenda. In his message, the CM had said the action plan should be both practical and economically feasible and conform to the underlying principle of promoting the ‘ease of living’ index.

“The Yogi Adityanath government 2.0 will continue with its development agenda. In the agricultural domain, we will further strengthen the farm scheme, fortify farmers’ bodies, and promote natural farming techniques,” UP Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi told Business Standard.

With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections just two years away, the ruling BJP has started the groundwork for the big poll battle. 

Although the saffron party trumped anti-incumbency and a resilient Samajwadi Party (SP) in UP to return to power in the recent Assembly polls, the rising inflation, costlier fuel, and pandemic-related economic challenges could still weigh on the BJP’s chances in the upcoming polls.

As such, the Adityanath government is striving to stay ahead of the curve by proactively fulfilling the populist promises it made in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly polls, while dexterously moving towards the goal of doubling the farm income, creating jobs and self-employment opportunities for youth, promoting tourism, and attracting private investment.

The CM has coined the catchphrase ‘Team UP’ for the ministers and officials so that they work as a cohesive unit. “The departments have started preparing their respective 100-day action plans. The sectoral presentations are likely to start from April 13 onwards,” said Navneet Sehgal, UP additional chief secretary, information, MSME and export promotion.

The departments have been asked to not only prepare a 100-day agenda, but also a roadmap for the next six months and 12 months to keep the momentum going. 

“It is imperative that officials ‘memorise’ each point of the ‘Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra’ (BJP manifesto) and start working towards achieving the desired goals,” the CM had earlier said in his communication to top bureaucrats.

Meanwhile, he also stressed increasing the state revenue by mobilising resources and optimum utilisation of budgets by the different departments.

The Adityanath government 2.0 would require more than Rs 50,000 crore to fulfil the populist promises made in its 2022 manifesto. This would be in addition to the outgo on general government schemes and programmes.

Therefore, the UP government would require a massive mobilisation of financial resources and allocations to deliver the goods. As such, the CM has also directed officials to start preparing the Full Budget for the current 2022-23 fiscal year.

In December 2021, the Adityanath government 1.0 had tabled an Interim UP Budget of more than Rs 5.45 trillion for 2022-23.

According to sources, the Full UP Budget for 2022-23 is expected to be to the tune of Rs 6.50 trillion.