Uttar Pradesh Assembly passes second supplementary budget

Recently, UP became the first non-BJP ruled state to sign an agreement with the central government for reorganisation of its power distributing companies under UDAY scheme. “We have become part of the new scheme by central government. It is meant for improving power situation in the state,” Akhilesh said while addressing the Assembly.

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The amount of bond would be in addition to UP Budget Management Act 2004 as per the directives of the Centre.

Another Rs 904.52 crore has been earmarked for revenue department, proposed against fund to be received from the Centre under National Calamity Relief Fund.

“We did not know that there will be a drought in the state. We have to make arrangements for it in the budget,” the CM said.

A provision for the sum of Rs 248.86 crore has been made for co-operative department. It will be utilised for revival of 23 co-operative banks which are in bad financial health.

“These banks have closed down. Now Leader of Opposition (Swami Prasad Maurya) is not there, else I would have asked how these banks collapsed. We do not siphon away funds, it can be learnt from them (BSP). If I had brought this amount in coming budget it would have resulted in loss of Rs 143 crore,” Akhilesh said.

Earlier, Opposition BSP, BJP and Congress questioned the relevance of bringing the supplementary grant a day before the general budget for the next fiscal.

BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya termed it as waste of public money as only 35 percent of the previous budget has been utilised and the government was still seeking more funds.

“Barring milk development, sugarcane and cooperatives departments, the existing budget has not been adequately spent and in some departments up to 62 per cent budget amount remained unspent.

“How will the government be able to spend additional over Rs 27,758 crore? …this will lead to corruption, scams and result in misuse of money…this also proves lack of vision on the part of the government,” he said.

Suresh Khanna (BJP) and Pradeep Mathur (Congress) said the government will get only 40 days to spend this amount. Soon afterwards, members of these three main parties staged a walkout. However, nearly half a dozen Congress MLAs — Mukesh Srivastava, Sanjay Kapoor, Ajay Mishra, Daljeet Singh — along with RLD members remained seated in the house.

Akhilesh justified the second supplementary budget by stating that grants have been brought to meet the expenses of unforeseen calamities such as hailstorm and drought.

“The opposition, on one hand, charges us with doing nothing and on the other when we try to do something it walks out of the House,” he said, adding that UP has provided maximum relief to farmers in natural calamity compared with adjoining states.

The supplementary grant was later tabled in the Legislative Council which returned it by voice-vote within minutes after which the House was adjourned for the day.

Earlier, BSP and Congress members staged a walkout after the Chair rejected their adjournment notice on law and order situation in the state. Chairman Om Prakash Sharma, however, directed the government to take necessary action on the issue raised by the members.

The Chief Minister had previously tabled the annual budget of over Rs three lakh crore for 2015-16 on February 24 followed by first supplementary budget for Rs 19,824.98 crore on August 17 last year.