LUCKNOW: Ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2022, the Yogi Adityanath government presented a supplementary budget of Rs 8,479 crore and a vote on account of Rs 1,68,903 crore in the assembly on the second day of the winter session, the last under the present dispensation, on Thursday.
Presenting its second supplementary budget in the current financial year, the UP government tried to reach out to farmers, labourers, unemployed and state workers besides opening its coffers to ensure round the clock power supply across all the tehsils, district headquarters and villages of the state.
State Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said, while presenting the supplementary budget, that the UP Power Corporation Ltd had been allocated Rs 1000 for the purpose.
While the state government made a provision to double the pension for senior citizens and farmers. For senior citizens and differently abled persons, the pension has been doubled to Rs 1000 from Rs 500 per month, it also increased the pension given to persons inflicted with leprosy to Rs 3000 per month.
The rise in senior citizen pension will benefit around 56 lakh elderly persons and 11 lakh differently abled persons. While Rs 670 crore have been earmarked for farmers and senior citizen pension fund, Rs 167 crore have been allocated for Divyangs.
For power sector, the state government has made provision of Rs 3382.50 crore of which for --'Har Ghar Bijli Scheme', Rs 185 crore and another Besides, the state government made a provision of Rs 4000 crore for the workers of unorganized sector.
The state government said that it had decided to give Rs 500 as subsistence allowance to the registered labourers of unorganised sector from December till March. The registered daily wagers would get the allowance in two installments of Rs 1000 each.
There are about 6.60 crore wagers in unorganized sector of which 2.50 crore are registered. All those who would get themselves registered till December 31, will be able to avail the benefit of this scheme.
Three days after, PM Modi inaugurated his dream project, the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi, the state government allocated Rs 10 crore for Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga. Moreover, Rs 10 crore have been allocated to sports department, and Rs 150 crore for Information department which is set to play a significant role in the image makeover of the incumbent government ahead of 2022 assembly polls. Similarly, Rs 10 crore have been sanctioned for UP Gaurav Samman.
However, increasing the pension provisions, CM Yogi Adityanath launched a scathing attack on SP chief Akhilesh Yadav without taking his name. The CM said that the BJP did not kick its elders out of homes like some political leaders, who have evicted their own father and uncle from their political outfit.
"We respect our elders and do not kick them out of their chairs, like some politicians who have kicked their own father and uncle from their political party as well as home," he said.
UP CM claimed that his government always worked on the principle of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ to help make the nation free from all social evils by 2022. "We are making Uttar Pradesh free from poverty, corruption, communalism, and casteism," he reiterated.