LUCKNOW: Ahead of the upcoming UP Assembly polls, the Yogi Adityanath cabinet renamed Jalalabad city in Shahjahanpur district as Parashurampuri.
The proposal got the cabinet approval on Monday, with the Jalalabad Nagar Palika Parishad also becoming the Parashurampuri Nagar Palika Parishad.
While briefing the media persons, State Finance Minister Suresh Khanna, who himself hails from Shahjahanpur and has been representing the Shahjahanpur assembly segment for the last nine consecutive terms, said that the renaming of Jalalabad is a demand that has been pending for years.
Khanna said that the city was renamed Parashurampuri as it is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Parashuram, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu.
The state government had received the proposal to rename Jalalabad on April 24, 2025. Subsequently, the state government approached the Centre on June 27, 2025, seeking permission for the name change.
The centre responded with a 'No Objection Certificate' (NoC) to the Uttar Pradesh government on August 19, 2025.
Union Minister Jitin Prasada, who hails from Shahjahanpur, welcomed the state government’s move.
Meanwhile, the UP cabinet approved 28 proposals in all. It approved the establishment of a Startup Mission Directorate, along with the Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy and the Data Centre Policy.
A livestock insurance scheme for farmers was also approved, which will be implemented across 75 districts.
Under the scheme, the state’s share will be 85 per cent, while farmers will contribute 15 per cent of the premium.
Cabinet Minister Dharmpal Singh said this will reduce the financial burden on farmers. Amendments to the direct recruitment rules for international medal-winning athletes (2022) were also approved, allowing such athletes to be directly appointed by the government. This will result in the direct appointment of medal winning sport persons on the posts of nine sports officers, three district youth welfare officers, and 23 joint sports officers.
Approval was also granted for three private universities, including Maharishi Mahesh Yogi International Agriculture University in Bilhaur, Kanpur; Ajay Kumar Garg University in Ghaziabad; and Thakur Yugraj Singh University in Fatehpur.
Approval was given for the establishment of a Horticulture College and Research Centre in Rae Bareilly, with 20 hectares of land allotted and Rs 50 crore sanctioned for its development.
