Lucknow, Feb 2 (Agency) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday termed the Union Budget as inclusive and composite and said that the welfare budget which lays the foundation of ‘Developed India’ will realise the vision of New and Developed India. Talking to the reporters at his residence, Yogi said that it has been proposed to increase UP’s share in central taxes from Rs 1.46 lakh crore to 1.83 lakh crore which will prove useful in building the new Uttar Pradesh of New India. “UP which is accelerating on the path of development will be immensely benefited from the Union Budget,” he said. He said that the budget will not only help in improving the Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector and infrastructure, but UP will get maximum benefit of central schemes, like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna and PM Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojna, being run for the poor and deprived section.
The Chief Minister said that the public welfare budget will empower and enable the villages, poor, farmers, Tribals, Dalits, backward, exploited, underprivileged, disabled, economically weak and middle class people. “Extension of Anna Yojna which provides free ration to the poor will provide a big relief to 80 crore needy people of the country, including 15 crore people in UP. The budget for PM Awas Yojna has also been hiked and has been proposed at Rs 79,000 crore,” he said. He said, “In UP 45.5 lakh houses have been provided in the last five years and 10 lakh new houses have been provided by the government. I feel that UP will be saturated in the next three years and 4 lakh people, who were left out, will also get houses.” Yogi said that the setting up of 157 new nursing colleges along with 157 medical colleges set up since 2014 has been proposed in the Union Budget. “This provision will prove helpful in realizing the concept of ‘One District, One Medical College, One Nursing College’ and in strengthening the health infrastructure in the state. We expect to get 28 nursing colleges.
It will provide good employment opportunities to youth as they will get placement in nursing and paramedicals,” he said. He said, “The budget is dedicated to the overall development of the country including rural development, agriculture development, labour welfare, infrastructure development, digital infrastructure, North East and hilly regions. The dreams of the youth will come true through this budget.” The CM said that this first budget of Amrit Kaal would guide the country like Saptarishi and pave the way to fulfill the goals of aspirational India. “This budget is not just a development agenda for the year 2023-24, but a blueprint for the country to lay the foundation of a developed economy for the next 25 to 50 years, with emphasis on increasing the ‘Ease of Living’,” he said. He said that the basis of the general budget for the year 2023-24 is the goal of green development. “Rs 19,700 crore has been allocated for the National Green Hydrogen Mission. The government has set a target of producing 50 lakh tons of green hydrogen by the year 2030. A provision of Rs 35,000 crore has been made for energy transition,” he said. Yogi said that a budget of Rs 2.40 lakh crore has been given for Railways, which is nine times more than the budget of the financial year 2013-14. “The investment expenditure is being increased to Rs 10 lakh crore. Interest-free loans to states have also been carried forward for one year. Along with this, its capital has also been increased by Rs 1.30 lakh crore.
This will help the state in implementing public welfare schemes,” he said. He said that 50 new airports, heliports, waterways and advanced landing grounds would be developed to increase regional connectivity. “The government will spend Rs 10,000 crore every year for the Urban Infrastructure Development Fund. This will further strengthen the urban infrastructure. UP, which has the biggest railway network and has sent the maximum number of proposals for highways, will get the maximum benefit of this. The work done in the last five and a half years is attracting people towards the state,” he said. The CM said that a credit guarantee of Rs 9,000 crore will be given to MSMEs. “With this, they will also be able to get extra collateral free credit of Rs 2 lakh crore. This will give a new strength to the domestic economy of the state and this will also encourage employment. UP has the highest number of 96 lakh MSME units in the country. Definitely the MSME entrepreneurs of the state will benefit the most from it,” he said. He said that the Prime Minister has given a historic gift to the working people of the middle class by revising the Income Tax slabs. “Now the salaried class will not have to pay any tax on the annual income of up to Rs 7 lakh,” he said. Yogi said that India is consistently doing well on the front of producing millets (coarse cereals). “India is the largest producer and second largest exporter of millets. We are determined to make India the global hub of millets. In order to promote the cultivation, processing and consumption of millets the state government has decided to launch the ‘UP Millets Revival Programme’.
He said that the decision to start PMPBTG Development Mission to improve the socio-economic condition of backward tribal groups shows the seriousness of the central government towards tribal development. “A fund of about Rs 15,000 crore has been created for this scheme, through which basic facilities will be provided in PBTG settlements. 100 percent machine-based sewer cleaning, where on one hand the program of Swachh Bharat will move forward faster and underlines the sensitivity of the government,” he said The CM said that the country’s economic growth rate is expected to be 7 per cent in the next financial year. “This growth rate is the highest among all the major economies of the world. Under the able leadership and guidance of the Prime Minister, the Indian economy is on the right track and is marching towards a bright future,” he said.