Key highlights of UP Budget 2023

Suresh Khanna, the finance minister of Uttar Pradesh, presented the state's annual budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 and the second budget for 'Yogi 2.0' on Wednesday. Khanna announced that the state GDP increased by 16.8%, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath presided over a state cabinet meeting to give a nod to the budget.

As expected, the annual budget of approximately 7 lakh crore focused on infrastructure development, welfare schemes, and the empowerment of youths and women in the state.

Here is a section-wise roundup of key takeaways:

• Students: Rs.3,600 crores allotted for the provision of tablets and smartphones to eligible students of the Swami Vivekananda Youth Empowerment Scheme
• Women: Rs.1,050 crores under Chief Minister Kanya Sumangala Yojana, which offers financial assistance to the guardians or parents of two girl children in one family

• Rs.4,032 crores for destitute widows
• Rs.600 crores for the Samuhik Vivah scheme for the marriage of all girls of all classes
• Rs.150 crores under the marriage grant scheme for daughters of poor people belonging to other backward classes
• Infrastructure: An outlay of Rs.21,159 crore has been announced for the construction of roads, and bridges; Rs.6,209 crore for maintenance
• Khanna said Rs.3,473 crores is proposed for the work of bridges and roads for agricultural marketing facilities and Rs.1,525 crores for roads in rural areas.
• While Rs.1,700 crores are proposed for the construction of railway overhead bridges and Rs.1,850 crores for other bridges, the budget proposed Rs.2,588 crores for widening/strengthening and new works of state highways.

With religious tourism in mind, the budget proposed Rs.1,000 crores for the development of 'Dharmarth Marg' (roads to religious places).

• Khanna said that the budget also proposed Rs.3,000 crores for the maintenance of roads and Rs.2,500 crore for construction from the State Road Fund.
• A provision of Rs.100 crores for the implementation of the metro rail project in Varanasi, Gorakhpur and other cities

For Gorakhpur Industrial Corridor, set to be established near the Gorakhpur Link Expressway, the state government has proposed an outlay of Rs.200 crore

• Rs.1,306 crores set aside for the Delhi-Ghaziabad Meerut Corridor Regional Rapid Transit System project
• Rs.200 crores for the Unity Mall where One District One Product (ODOP) products are sold
• Health, Jobs, Research: A budget provision of Rs.7,248 crores proposed for the old age/farmer pension scheme; Rs.1,120 cr for the Divyang Pension Yojana
• Rs.12,631 crore outlay for various programmes under National Rural Health Mission, Rs.400 crores for implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme
• Rs.20 crores for the State Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development
• Rs.401 crores has been set aside for the implementation of the Uttar Pradesh Electronics Manufacturing Policy, Rs.85 crore 89 lahks for state Data Centers and Rs.60 crore for Information Technology and Startups Policy
• Rs.20 crores have been earmarked for the Agriculture Accelerator Fund to encourage agritech startups in rural areas

Creation of 20 thousand jobs in the next 5 years under UP Tourism Policy 2022 with an investment target of Rs.10 lakh crore

• Other highlights: Rs.1,000 crores for the development of residential facilities for cops
• Rs.10 crores allocated for the purchase of vehicles by the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)
• Rs.850 crores set aside for new police commissionerates