Uttar Pradesh government urges quick fund utilization

The Uttar Pradesh government is working hard to spend allocated funds before the financial year ends on March 31, 2025. Many departments have only used 60 to 65% of their funds by February and less than 70% by mid-March. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a meeting to review the situation. He pointed out that fund usage in some departments was not satisfactory. He has instructed additional chief secretaries and principal secretaries to speed up fund utilization. The chief secretary and finance officials will also monitor progress. Finance Minister Suresh Khanna emphasized the importance of not just spending the money but ensuring it's used effectively. The total budget for 2024-25 is ₹ 7.66 lakh crore, with ₹ 4.90 lakh crore already spent. The government is pushing departments to submit certificates proving how they have used the funds. This ensures that central funds for various schemes will be released before the financial year ends. There has been a consistent gap between budget estimates and actual spending in recent years, with revenue and capital expenditures falling short of expectations.