Mulayam presents second mini budget

Till November, expenditure against allocation was less than 30 per cent

UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav presented the second supplementary budget for 2005-06 here in the assembly today.

Yadav has sought authorisation from the assembly for spending Rs 1,363 crore extra during the remaining four months of the current fiscal.

The Samajwadi Party-led government presented the annual budget of Rs 63,000 crore in February. The government's first supplementary budget of Rs 6,870 crore came in July.

Notwithstanding the poor utilisation of funds for development schemes, in the first six months of the current fiscal, the government has sought another supplementary grant. Till the end of November, the expenditure against the budget allocation was less than 30 per cent.

The lion's share of the supplementary budget has gone to Sefai, the native village of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, in Etawah. Rs 58 crore has been provided for the sports complex in Sefai, while Rs 32.37 lakh is for additional facilities at the Rampur sports stadium, Rampur being represented by Azam Khan. Another Rs 43.63 lakh has been sanctioned for a swimming pool in Sefai, now upgraded as a sub-division.

For the cultural complex at Jaswant Nagar in Etawah, Rs 2 crore has been provided. A medical college is being set up at Sefai and a provision of Rs 16.24 crore has been made. A bill for the UP Rural Medical and Research Institute, Sefai, was also introduced in the assembly today.

For the furnishing of the building of the Sefai air strip, additional funds have been sanctioned. In the past two years, over Rs 100 crore has been spent on the strip for ultimately upgrading it as an international airport.

A token provision has also been made for the purchase of land for the Mahila police station and a fire station at Sefai. Rs 80 lakh has been sanctioned for an upgraded guest house in Mainpuri. Mulayam's nephew Dharmendra Yadav is MP from Mainpuri

Nearly Rs 1.2 crore has been provided for the construction of a pathway for morning walk at the governor's house.

A Honda Accord will be purchased at Rs 17 lakh to replace the old Mercedes Benz at UP Sadan, the state government's guest house in Delhi. For a plasma TV at the chief minister's official residence at 5 Kalisdas Marg, Rs 5 lakh has been allocated, besides Rs 1 crore for the furnishing of the CM's residence.

As allowances for health and other facilities for the members of the Legislative Council, Rs 85 lakh has been provided, while Rs 3.47 lakh has been given for the purchase of a car for the chairman of the council and Rs 1 lakh for petrol expenses.