Eyeing the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath led BJP government on February 18 presented a massive Rs. 5,12,860 crores state budget – largest to date – for FY 2020-21 which is nearly 12% higher than last year.
Crux of the Matter
In this year’s budget, a special focus is seen to be made on minority welfare where the government has been facing a lot of criticism, especially with the recent CAA protests. A provision of Rs 783 crores has been made for the Prime Minister’s Public Development Programme for Minority Welfare.
After Babri Verdict, Madrasas for Muslims Allocation of Rs 479 crore has been made for the modernization of madrasas and maktabs in the state. Recently with some from the Muslim communities taking to streets against CAA and NRC, the UP government had also issued orders to recover money from the protesters for not only damaging the public property but also for providing security. In the 2019 budget; the government had provided Rs.942 crores for the scholarship scheme for students belonging to minority communities and Rs.459 crores were allocated for modernization of Arabi-Farsi madrasas.
Spotlight on Infra and Tourism An allocation of Rs. 612.6 crores has been made for constructing gaushalas and the maintenance of stray cattle. With an aim to promote tourism in the state, Rs. 180 crore worth cultural center in Varanasi is planned and Rs. 50 crore has been allocated to the state’s tourism department. The budget provides Rs. 25 crores for water sports at Ramgarh Lake in Gorakhpur and Rs. 200 crores for the Kashi Vishwanath Temple along with Rs. 85 crores allocation to develop tourist facilities in Ayodhya where a massive Ram Mandir is expected to come up soon. On the infrastructure segment; the government’s plan includes an investment of Rs. 20,000 crores for Smart City Project, Rs.500 crores for Ayodhya Airport, Rs.2000 crores for Jewar Airport, law university in Prayagraj, Ayush University in Gorakhpur, Rs.2000 crores Ganga Expressway and Rs. 358 crores for Kanpur Metro.
Curiopedia
The economy of Uttar Pradesh is the fifth largest in India. According to the state budget for 2017–18 its gross state domestic product is Rs 16.89 lakh crore (US$240 billion). Uttar Pradesh has an urban population of 44,495,063. According to the 2011 census report, 22.76% of Uttar Pradesh’s population lives in urban areas. The state is a major contributor to the national food grain stock with nearly 18.90% contribution (50.05 million tonnes of foodgrain) in 2013–14. It is home to many industries like handloom, textile, minerals, oil refinery, livestock and agriculture. The state is witnessing massive industrialisation with booming MSME sector with a growth rate of 5-7%. More Info
Article 28 – Freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions. 1. No religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of State funds. 2. Nothing in clause (1) shall apply to an educational institution which is administered by the State but has been established under any endowment or trust which requires that religious instruction shall be imparted in such institution. 3. No person attending any educational institution recognised by the State or receiving aid out of State funds shall be required to take part in any religious instruction that may be imparted in such institution or to attend any religious worship that may be conducted in such institution or in any premises attached thereto unless such person or, if such person is a minor, his guardian has given his consent thereto. More Info
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