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A few months before the 2024 Lok Sabha poll bugles are sounded, the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party government today tabled a Supplementary Budget in the Uttar Pradesh legislature of more than Rs 28,760 crore.
The Supplementary Budget comprises the revenue and capital heads of nearly Rs 19,046 crore and Rs 9,714 crore respectively.
A Supplementary Budget is tabled to get legislative approval for additional or sudden expenses during the course of a financial year for ongoing and new government projects.
Since the UP government’s Annual Budget 2023-24 tabled on February 22, 2023, amounted to nearly Rs 6.9 trillion, the state’s budget size, together with today’s Supplementary Budget, will burgeon to more than Rs 7.18 trillion for the current financial year 2023-24.
In recent years, the Yogi government has been liberally allocating funds to various sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, social, rural development, industry etc., to bolster its roadmap to achieving the $trillion economy goal.
Meanwhile, the UP Supplementary Budget allocates Rs 21,000 crore for various ongoing schemes, while new projects would receive fresh funding of almost Rs 7,500 crore.
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According to the Budget document, the supplementary grants encompass the state’s receivables of Rs 1,387 crore from the central government apart from Rs 500 crore in other adjustment heads.
Therefore, the state’s consolidated fund would accrue a net sum of only Rs 26,874 crore (arrived at after deducting the central receivables and adjusted amount). As such, the estimated expenditure of Rs 26,874 crore would be met with tax and non-tax revenues, and by cutting down on other expenses.
The UP Supplementary Budget 2023-24 was tabled in the state legislature by Finance Minister Suresh Khanna on the second day of the current winter session.
The Supplementary Budget has allocated funds for important sectors viz. infrastructure, tourism, agriculture, education, health, forest, industrial, sports, sugarcane, energy, transport, rural development etc.
For example, the sugarcane/sugar and medical departments have been allocated nearly Rs 550 crore and Rs 650 crore respectively. The urban development department would receive over Rs 1,000 crore in fresh funding.
The state public works department (PWD), which maintains roads, highways and other public utility infra, has been allocated a sum of Rs 4,250 crore in both capital and revenue heads.
In the crucial election year, when the next Lok Sabha elections are due to be held in the early months of the 2024 calendar, the UP information department would receive nearly Rs 500 crore.
