The Hindu : New Delhi News : Focus on infrastructure in U.P. budget

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Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008
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Focus on infrastructure in U.P. budget

Special Correspondent

Priority given to development of drought-hit Bundelkhand region of the State

LUCKNOW: With its emphasis on capital formation and infrastructure development, particularly rural infrastructure, the Uttar Pradesh budget for 2008-2009 was presented by Finance Minister Lalji Verma in the Assembly on Tuesday.

The presentation of the budget was boycotted by the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Vote on Account and Supplementary Grants for April and May 2008 was also presented by the government.

Considering the Bahujan Samaj Party government’s focus on Bundelkhand, priority has been accorded to the development of the drought-hit region.

Besides, 212 new schemes have been proposed.

A budgetary provision of Rs. 1,12,472.72 crore has been made and the fiscal deficit is estimated at Rs 11,698.61 crore, which is Rs. 785.79 crore less than the fiscal deficit estimated in the Budgetary Estimates of 2007-2008. The estimated fiscal deficit as a percentage of the Gross State Domestic Product is 2.98 per cent in 2008-09, as compared to 3.60 per cent in 2007-08.

Budgetary announcements on Bundelkhand have incorporated all the schemes announced by Chief Minister Mayawati in her Jhansi rally on January 29.

These include the decision to waive interest on farm bank loans, weather insurance scheme, construction of tube wells and a provision of Rs. 700 crore for the programmes under the Backward Area Grant Fund.

The National Health Insurance Scheme would be introduced for the workers in the unorganised sector and the budget proposes to set up about 1.10 lakh units in the first phase of the Ambedkar Dairy Self-Employment Scheme.

In addition, it is proposed to build 2500 new primary and 4000 new senior primary schools, besides, constructing 15,000 additional classrooms.

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