UP revenue collection surges 10% in Sep 2020

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Oct 7, 2020

Signalling the revival of economic and commercial activities, Uttar Pradesh witnessed over 10 per cent growth in its tax and non-tax revenues in September 2020 vis-à-vis the corresponding month last fiscal year (2019-20).

Compared to the revenue kitty of about Rs 8,444 crore in September 2019, the realisation in September 2020 stood at over Rs 9,334 crore – Rs 890 crore higher month-on-month, according to UP finance minister Suresh Khanna.

The state revenue collection had majorly dipped during the first quarter (Apr-June) of the current financial year 2020-21 following lockdown.

However, the green shoots of revival in the state tax and non-tax revenues had started to appear from July onwards with the gradual kick-starting of economy under successive lockdown periods.

The July 2020 revenue kitty of Rs 10,675 crore was nearly 97 per cent of the July 2019 collection, which the revenue was about Rs 10,926 crore. In August, the state posted 6.74 per cent growth in revenues compared to the corresponding month last year. Compared to a kitty of Rs 8,942 crore in August 2019, the collection in August 2020 stood at about Rs 9,545 crore, which was almost Rs 600 crore higher.

However, the state government is still facing a shortfall of more than Rs 12,700 crore in total revenue collection during the first six months (Apr-Sep) of the current financial year 2020-21 compared to last year, with the mop in Apr-Sep 2019-20 and Apr-Sep 2020-21 matching up to Rs 58,603 crore and Rs 45,890 crore respectively.

Yogi government plans to revive sick industrial units

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Sep 29, 2020

The Uttar Pradesh government is looking to revive the sick and defunct industrial units in the state.

According to sources, a policy draft has already been prepared by Pradeshiya Industrial & Investment Corporation of UP (PICUP).

The proposal policy promises to provide incentives to the ailing industrial entities for their revival and thus job creation at the local level.

Post lockdown, more than 3.5 million migrant workers were forced to return to UP from other states, prompting the Yogi Adityanath government to adopt a multipronged approach to provide them with gainful employment in the state.

A large number of ailing industrial units, which are burdened with huge outstanding pertaining to the financial institutions, are unable to restart owing to their precarious financial condition, lack of market access and debt.

The sick and defunct industrial plants would be entitled to apply under the proposed policy within a year of its notification after the policy is approved by the state cabinet. However, those industrial entities, which had already benefited under any such previous government scheme, would be outside the ambit of the new policy.

According to estimates, 80 per cent of the MSMEs, especially the micro units, still do not have access to institutional capital and they largely depend upon the unorganised players for meeting their financial needs.

UP tops India chart with 5.1 million covid-19 tests

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Aug 27, 2020

With total covid-19 testing of nearly 5.1 million samples so far, Uttar Pradesh has topped the tally among the Indian states.

While, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed health officials to increase daily testing to 150,000, the state logged 138,378 sample tests yesterday, according to UP additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi here on Thursday.

Currently, there are 52,309 active covid-19 cases in UP, of which 26,504 are recuperating in home isolation with the remaining admitted in private, semi-paid and public hospitals.

He said 152,493 patients had fully recovered, while the people have also been actively using the e-sanjeevani portal to consult doctors for their health conditions.

The authorities have collected almost Rs 70 crore in penalties imposed for the violation of the covid-19 protocols.

UP tested 70,000 prisoners for covid-19

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Aug 26, 2020

Uttar Pradesh government has conducted covid-19 sample testing on more than 70,000 prisoners lodged in different jails of the state.

The testing paced up after chief minister Yogi Adityanath issued directives to intensify efforts to curb the spread of the infection in jails and conduct testing on a war footing.

According to the state prison administration, 1,690 prisoners and 59 jail staff had so far been found to be positive after testing, and were put under medical supervision. All of them were reported to be convalescing.

To arrest the pandemic, 83 temporary jails have been established across 64 districts to lodge new inmates. They are later shifted to the permanent prisons only after they are found to be negative. However, they are kept in isolation for 14 days in the permanent jails as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, the state jails have also been producing facemasks and hand sanitiser. So far, nearly 3 million facemasks and 2,400 personal protection equipment (PPE) kits had been manufactured in these facilities, of which 14.5 million masks and 250 PPE kits were supplied to the external organisations and non-government organisations (NGO).

Yogi lauds role of startups, MSMEs during covid-19

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Aug 25, 2020

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has lauded the role played by the startups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) to support economy in the current covid-19 crisis.

He observed the world was facing a pandemic, and the startups and MSMEs were the ray of hope to strengthen the state and national economy.

Yogi was addressing a select gathering after inaugurating an MSME support centre set up by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in Lucknow.

The ‘SIDBI Swavalamban Kendra’ will aid the sector with institutional support pertaining to financing and handholding.

The CM waxed eloquent upon the stellar role played by SIDBI in national missions of Startup India, Stand-Up India, Make in India etc. “These missions kindle the entrepreneurial spirit in youth and make them to assimilate the ‘Swavalamban’ culture of being job creator as against being job seeker,” he noted.

Yogi warns against black marketing of urea in UP

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Aug 24, 2020

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath today warned against the black marketing of fertilisers in the current kharif season and ordered for slapping the National Security Act (NSA) against such culprits.

He directed concerned officials to ensure about the adequate supply of soil nutrients to the farmers and to deal firmly against elements trying to divert fertilisers to the black market.

The state government agencies have been conducting raids across the state to curb the illegal practise, which leaves the farmers high and dry. Several persons have been arrested in these raids and the authorities seized fertiliser supplies meant for the black market. A number of warehouses and dealership premises have been sealed as well.

Meanwhile, Yogi stressed upon increasing investments in the state and cultivating a close rapport with investors and entrepreneurs, so that their grievances were resolved in a time bound manner.

UP to nurture women, transgender entrepreneurs

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow, Aug 21, 2020

The Yogi Adityanath government will promote startup ventures of women, transgender and ‘divyangjan’ (differently abled) entrepreneurs under the new Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy 2020 with additional incentives and institutional support.

This is expected to bring these communities into the mainstream of the business world through startup ecosystem.

Under the new Policy, the government is targetting to set up 100 incubators covering all the 75 districts in UP with the goal of generating 150,000 employment and self employment opportunities, including 50,000 direct jobs in the state.

The new Policy was cleared by the state cabinet last month. The government is looking to break into the top three startup congenial states in India. On May 20, the chief minister had launched the UP Startup Fund to be managed by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

“The much talked about Fund has garnered interest from leading Venture Funds/AIF (alternative investment fund) of the country. SIDBI has so far received four applications from leading AIFs for an aggregate amount of Rs 285 crore to create the initial corpus,” the state government today said.

The decision on these applications will be taken by SIDBI and the Startup Nodal Agency in its first Venture Capital Investment Committee (VCIC) meeting scheduled later this month.

The funding will be disbursed in the form of sustenance allowance at idea stage, seed capital assistance at commercialisation stage and capital grant to incubators for strengthening the IT infrastructure.

Besides, a corpus of Rs 150 crore has been set up by the government with the help of Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) to fund startups at the stage of ideation, patent registration, participation in domestic and international events etc.