In a bid to woo back voters, UP CM Akhilesh Yadav on Friday presented the state budget with no provisions for his pet projects that had helped him ride to power ? free laptops and unemployment allowance ? and instead, put the thrust back on increasing outlays for core infrastructure such as power, roads, bridges and irrigation.
The budget tabled in the state assembly for FY15 is to the tune of R2,74,705 crore with a deficit estimated at R4,132 crore, showing an over 24% increase from last year’s level of R2,21,201 crore.
A provision of R49,108 crore has been made for strengthening and upkeep of infrastructure facilities, which is 82% higher than in the previous year. Apart from this, a provision of R23,928 crore has been made for power projects in the state, of R95 crore for the Lucknow Metro, allocation of R3,280 crore for the six-lane Lucknow-Agra 300-km expressway, besides proposals for schemes in Purvanchal and Bundelkhand.
For the 11.11 km extension of the Metro rail project in Ghaziabad, ground work for which has already begun, the government has made a provision of R1,838 crore.
The CM, who is also handling the finance portfolio, said in his budget speech that while the government had begun some programmes like unemployment allowance, laptop distribution and kanya vidhyadhan (girl child education) in the first phase, in the second phase, the government will lay emphasis on providing basic facilities in rural areas, especially slums.
To spruce up law and order, the government has earmarked R12,400 crore for modernisation of the police.
According to highly placed officials, the decision to move away from distributing sops came immediately after the ruling SP got appalling results in the Lok Sabha polls. Changing tack quickly, the CM, who represents the youth within the party, is said to have persuaded the bigwigs that it was time to change priorities and lay their pet projects aside for a while.