‘Paperless’ UP Budget Session 2021-22 starts tomorrow

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Feb 17, 2021

The ‘paperless’ Uttar Pradesh Annual Budget Session 2021-22 of the state legislature begins tomorrow.

Just like the central government, the Yogi Adityanath government will also table a ‘paperless’ Budget on Monday. The nearly 500 members of the state legislative assembly and council will receive the digital copy of the UP Budget on their respective iPads.

For the first time, the state has not printed physical copies of the Budget, but will upload the digital version on the official website. Recently, the UP legislators were imparted digital training to use their iPads for the official and legislative works in wake of the impending sittings.

The government had earlier asked the legislators to purchase Apple iPads costing up to Rs 50,000 each, which would be reimbursed by the exchequer. The strength of the UP legislative and council is 403 and 100 respectively.

The Budget Session will commence with the address by Governor Anandiben Patel to the joint sitting of both the houses. The Budget Session is expected to last till March 10 with several holidays falling in between.

The last Annual Budget of the Adityanath government is expected to hit the historic mark of Rs 5.5 trillion, which would be nearly 7.5 per cent higher than UP Annual Budget 2020-21 of Rs 5.12 trillion tabled last year.

Meanwhile, the sittings would conform to the safety protocols with all the legislators and the staff of the two houses, including security personnel, being subjected to the Covid-19 tests.

In the backdrop of the farm protests at the Delhi borders, the opposition parties are expected to corner the Yogi government and paint the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dispensation as anti-farmer.

Besides, the issue of pending arrears of sugarcane, which top Rs 12,000 crore in UP for the current 2020-21 crushing season, is likely to be raised by the opposition. Other important issues of law and order, unemployment etc will also be highlighted by the opposition benches to attack the Yogi government, which will complete four years in office next month.

On its part, the state government is likely to provide generous allocation to the agricultural sector in run up to the coming state panchayat polls in the next couple of months.

The pandemic is expected to cast a shadow on the Budget in the form of higher allocations towards social welfare schemes, such as pension and scholarship schemes, to boost the socioeconomic firmament.

The government could soften its revenue targets to accommodate the industrial and services sectors, which are still facing the pandemic challenges in the form of slowdown in demand.

The state would need to provide funds for flagship projects, including expressways, airports, bridges, tourism etc, to ensure that the civil works are not impeded for the paucity of finances during the crucial 2021-22 election year.