UP govt allocates Rs 1,700 cr for mega expressway in Supplementary Budget

Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday tabled its second Supplementary Budget for the 2019-20 financial year on the inaugural day of the state’s legislature’s Winter Session.

The Budget, totalling more than Rs 4,210 crore, included the central grants component worth nearly Rs 330 crore.

According to the Yogi Adityanath government, the funds sought in the Supplementary Budget would be met with tax and non-tax revenue sources, apart from cutting down on “non-productive” expenses.

Together with the UP Annual Budget and first Supplementary Budget tabled in legislature on February 7 and July 23, 2019 totalling Rs 4.79 trillion and Rs 13,595 crore respectively, apart from today’s Supplementary of Rs 4,210 crore, the state’s Budget has breached now Rs 4.96 trillion mark, a little shy of the Rs 5-trillion mark as was earlier expected.

Meanwhile, the second Supplementary has allocated a sum of more than Rs 1,700 crore to the state industries department for the various ongoing and proposed infrastructure projects.

Rs 960 crore has been given to the UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) towards the prepayment of loan sourced from HUDCO for the ongoing Purvanchal Expressway project.

Besides, Rs 500 crore and Rs 200 crore have been allocated for the construction of Purvanchal Expressway and Bundelkhand Expressway respectively.

Rs 86 crore has been provided for the organisation of the forthcoming 11th National Defence Expo in Lucknow on February 5-8, 2020, which is being hosted by the UP government for the first time.

At the same time, Rs 23 crore has been given for the treatment and disposal of chromium waste in the industrial enclave of Rania in Kanpur Dehat district.

The Budget further provides Rs 30 crore for the setting up of a zoological garden in Gorakhpur, the pocket borough of chief minister Adityanath.

Besides, Rs 1,000 crore has been provided to the state energy department towards the completion of different projects and settlement of sundry liabilities.

Given the tough stance taken by the Supreme Court (SC) and National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the issue of environmental pollution emanating from the burning of stubble in some Northern states, including UP, the Adityanath government has proposed to incur Rs 25 crore towards the management of stubble in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Meanwhile, the Supplementary Budget has proposed an allocation of Rs 130 crore for the setting up Atal Boarding Schools in the state.

With the Adityanath government set to complete 3 years in office in March 2020 and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) already pulling up socks for the 2022 UP polls, the Budget has allocated Rs 50 crore for the information department for publicity purposes.

A Supplementary Budget is tabled for getting legislative approval for meeting additional expenses during the course of the financial year for ongoing or new projects.