UP Assembly Winter Session: The Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh presented the supplementary budget for the financial year 2023- 24 in the Assembly on Wednesday. A supplementary budget of Rs 26760.67 crore was presented in the House by Finance Minister Suresh Khanna on the second day of the winter session.
In this supplementary budget, provisions have been made by the government for many new projects.
Rs 26,760.67 crore supplementary budget
During the presentation of the supplementary budget in the House, Finance Minister Khanna said that the proposed size of the supplementary budget for the financial year 2023-24 is Rs 26,760.67 crore. Within this, the expenditure on the revenue account is Rs 19,46,39 crore, and the capital account expenditure is Rs 9,714 crore. The proposed supplementary demand encompasses proposals for a total new demand of Rs 7,421.21 crore, including proposals worth Rs 21,339.46 crore for ongoing schemes.
Additionally, the supplementary budget includes provisions for farmers, allocating Rs 900 crore for free electricity to farmers and Rs 400 crore for clearing dues of sugarcane farmers. Furthermore, there are provisions in the supplementary budget for the development of the state capital region.
The supplementary budget of the Yogi government
- Allocation of Rs 2000 crore for the Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana.
- Rs 510 crore for the establishment of the PM Mega Integrated Textile Zone and Apparel Park in Lucknow-Hardoi under the PM Mitra Scheme.
- Rs 100 crore for the implementation of the Uttar Pradesh Data Center Policy
Samajwadi Party MLAs wear black clothes
With a new set of rules prohibiting legislators from carrying phones, political posters or flags in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly coming into force, Samajwadi Party members continued their protests against the government on the second day of the session too. Several SP MLAs attended the session wearing black clothes.
Shivpal Singh Yadav, the national general secretary and veteran leader of the Samajwadi Party, has raised significant concerns about the Yogi government's supplementary budget. Shivpal alleges that more than 50 per cent of the budget allocated to any department in the state has not been utilized. He accuses the Yogi government of being fixated on numbers without effective implementation.
While addressing the UP Assembly, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned whether the government procured wheat or let private companies handle the purchases. He highlighted that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on farming equipment ranges from 12 per cent to 18 per cent. Akhilesh Yadav inquired whether the government, with its dual power structure, would lower the GST to support farmers or provide assistance directly from the state treasury.
"Did the government buy the wheat or did the private companies buy it? I want to say that the GST on farming equipment is 12% to 18%. Will this double-engine government reduce the GST to help the farmers?" he asked.
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly session which began on November 28, will conclude on December 1.
