UTTAR PRADESH

The supplementary budget of the which was supposed to be of Rs 35,000 crore is now set to be scaled down considerably after UP government’s decision to seek budget only for those projects which are due to be completed in the next six months after which the state would go to the polls.

The new estimated size of the supplementary budget is approximately Rs 10,000 crore, said a highly placed source. Along with it, the government is likely to table a few ordinances to be made into laws. A few new bills are also expected to be tabled in the House.

The supplementary budget could also earmark additional funds of Rs 250 to Rs 300 crore for Purvanchal and Bundelkhand expressways. Sources said the government could make provision of a supplementary budget under Adhivakta Kalyan Nidhi.

Supplementary budget might also be earmarked for the family members of those who died on duty during Panchayat Elections. A total of around Rs 600 crore could be earmarked for the compensation.

As many as 12 backward districts of Uttar Pradesh are on the path of progress and development, aNITI Aayogreport released by its vice-chairman Suman Bery claimed.

The findings of the Aayog’s ‘national multidimensionalpovertyindex: a progress of review 2023’, based on the national family Health survey, said that the condition of 11 out of the total 12 districts where more than 50% of the Population was suffering from POVERTY has improved considerably over the past five years.

The survey, which provides an overview about the population’s health, Education and the standard of living, was conducted during 2019-21. The release of the report got delayed owing to the pandemic.
While during the last family health survey which took place during 2015-16 the maximum deprivation among families and individuals for basic necessities and Services was noticed in Shravasti (74%), Bahraich (72%), Balrampur (69%), Lakhimpur Kheri (60%), Gonda (59%), Siddharthnagar (57%), Badaun (57%), Sitapur (57%), Kaushambi (56%), Chitrakoot (52%), Hardoi (51%) and Shahjahanpur (50.5%), in the latest survey, poverty has gone down significantly in all these districts except Bahraich.

As per the latest survey, more than half the population has access to better basic services, amenities and now in 11 of the 12 districts. In Bahraich, 54% deprivation was noticed during the latest survey as compared to 72% in the last.

Eight districts in UP were brought under the programme and both central and the state governments had started focusing on strengthening healthcare, education, Nutrition, power, water, sanitation and other basic facilities.

The Uttar Pradesh government will set up RRR centres in 11 municipal corporations. The RRR Reduce, Reuse and Recycle centres are part of the Meri Life, Mera Swachh Shahar’ campaign.

In these facilities, being hailed as Na Throw-Na Throw (a pun on Natu Natu song),waste materials such as clothes, books, toys, electrical and electronic equipment and machinery, among others, will be collected from the homes of people and distributed to people in need.

The municipal corporations where these RRR centres would come up include Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi, Meerut, Agra, Ghaziabad, Prayagraj, Aligarh, Bareilly, Moradabad and Saharanpur.

According to Urban Development Minister AK Sharma, a Na Throw-Na Throw chariot will be run in all the selected 11 municipal corporations.

Besides, the RRR centres will be developed as banks for clothes, books, utensils, and toys. The municipal corporations will operate them through various voluntary organisations, self-help groups and other organisations.

The Plants, in sizes of 0.5 MW, 1 MW, 1.5 MW, and 2 MW (AC), are to be set up on a build-own-operate basis and will come up on barren or agricultural lands, pasturelands and marshlands falling within a 5 km radius from the identified 24 numbers of 33/11kV substations of four power distribution companies (Discoms) which are subsidiaries of UP Power Corporation Limited. The respective Discom will sign a 25-year power purchase agreement with successful bidders.

The tender document mentioned that the solar power Generator may be operated by an individual farmer, group of farmers/cooperatives/panchayats/farmer-producer organisations/water user associations or project developers to whom the land has been leased by farmers. The individual project capacity to be developed in a particular substation shall be a minimum of 0.5 MW and a maximum of 2 MW per bidder. A bidder may participate for all 24 substations, but it will not be allowed to bid for more than a single solar power plant of 0.5 MW, 1.0 MW, 1.5 MW, or 2 MW capacities at a particular 33/11kV substation.

According topmost priority to Women welfare, the Yogi Adityanath government has been taking dedicated steps ensuring all-round Empowerment and uplift of women. In line with the vision, with Rs 150 crore, the government will solemnise the marriage of poor girls belonging to Other Backward Classes.

It may be mentioned here that the has been allocating funds and provides grants for the marriage of poor girls of Backward Classes. The grant is provided by the State Backward Classes Welfare department on applications submitted by any family belonging to the Backward Class seeking to avail of the grant amount. So far, the state government has provided grants of Rs 771 crore to 3,85,514 beneficiaries under the marriage grant scheme.

In the order issued by the department, it has been stated that the benefit of the scheme should be provided as per the prescribed rules and following the instructions completely. The officials must inform the government by the 10th of every month that the amount has been spent under this head. Non-compliance with this will be treated as an irregularity.

Also, the sanctioned amount will not be used for any other work under any circumstances and the remaining amount will have to be deposited in the treasury at the end of the financial year.

In this regard, instructions will be given by the director, Backward Classes Welfare department to the officers concerned in all the districts and divisions to take necessary action.

The total debt burden on the Uttar Pradesh government is estimated to touch Rs 7.84 lakh crore by the end of next fiscal 2023-24 commencing from April 1. The exceeds the size of the annual budget of 2023-24, which is Rs 6, 90 lakh crore. The Reserve Bank Of India has flagged the state governments against the rising debt burden.

Although UPs debt burden has fallen to 32.1% of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) in 2023-24, compared to 34.2% in revised estimates for 2022-23, the sovereign debt in absolute terms is estimated to jump from Rs 7 lakh crore to Rs 7.84 lakh crore during the period.

According to the UP Annual Budget (2023-24), the nominal UP GSDP has been estimated at Rs 24.39 lakh crore in 2023-24.

Interestingly, the estimated public debt of Rs 7.84 lakh crore exceeds the UP Annual Budget of Rs 6.90 lakh crore by Rs 94,000 crore or nearly 14%. In 2022, the RBI had raised concerns over a built-up financial Stress in several states and suggested corrective steps in the five most indebted provinces.

Although UP does not figure among the top indebted states in India, the state witnessed its public debt ratio shoot past 30% of the GSDP during the pandemic years, owing to difficult economic conditions and muted tax collection, a phenomenon which was pan-Indian as well as global following Covid-19 exigencies.

While UP had successfully tamed the public debt ratio below 30% till 2020-21, it increased to 33.4% and 34.2% during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 (revised estimates) fiscal years, respectively, due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, UP is estimated to receive about Rs 71,200 crore (2.9% of GSDP) in loans from the Centre during 2023-24, compared to Rs 51,860 crore (2.5% of GSDP) during 2022-23.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that Uttar Pradesh had emerged as a preferred destination for investors at the Global Investors Summit-2023 (GIS-2023) as the government had extended all help to the entrepreneurs.

Earlier, Chairman, Vinamra Agarwal, CEO of Technical Associates Industries Ltd. and Chairman of the CII Uttar Pradesh State Council, said that the Netherlands orange and saffron were similar. The Netherlands has a high trade surplus. It is a leading manufacturer in Food Processing, refining and engineering. In the food processing , the Netherlands and UP share many similarities.

A Population of 17 million and the fifth largest GDP in the European Union (EU) make the Netherlands a major international player. We are working together in many sectors, including Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and food processing. There is a PARTNERSHIP of $ 23 billion between the two countries and the Netherlands is a major Investment partner of India, he added.