Under the revised framework, projects costing up to ₹150 crore will now be approved by the state’s Finance Minister, while proposals exceeding this amount will require clearance from the Chief Minister. Officials said the move is intended to reduce procedural delays, ensure faster decision-making, and enable departments to execute development projects within stipulated timelines.
In another major relief measure, the state government announced that Anganwadi workers will now receive their honorarium on a fixed date every month. To prevent delays, the state will make payments from its own budget without waiting for the Centre’s share. This decision is expected to bring financial stability to thousands of Anganwadi workers who have long faced irregular salary disbursements.
During the review meeting, the Chief Minister issued strict directions to all departments to get their Annual Action Plans approved by April 15. He warned that any negligence would be reported directly to the Chief Minister’s Office. Yogi Adityanath also said that if the cost of a project increases by more than 15 percent, departments will be required to seek fresh approval along with a clear justification.
The Chief Minister further announced that a mandatory five-year maintenance clause, similar to that used in road projects, will now be included in contracts for new government buildings. He also called for the creation of a separate corpus fund for the upkeep of older government infrastructure.
Officials informed the meeting that Uttar Pradesh recorded capital expenditure exceeding ₹1.10 lakh crore in the 2023–24 financial year, the highest among all states. The state spent 9.39 percent of its total budget on capital investment and reportedly spent more on development works than it borrowed. According to NITI Aayog’s Fiscal Health Index, Uttar Pradesh has improved its score from 37 in 2014 to 45.9 in 2023, placing it in the top “front-runner” category. An RBI report also ranks the state second nationally in tax revenue contribution, with an 11.6 percent share.
To strengthen transparency and quality control, the government has made third-party audits mandatory for construction works, to be conducted by reputed institutions such as IITs and NITs. Digital reforms including online budget modules, cyber treasury systems, paperless bills, and DigiLocker-based GPF slips are already in place, with plans to make the treasury fully paperless by April 2026.
The Chief Minister said Uttar Pradesh has set new benchmarks in financial discipline and now aims to build the country’s strongest, most transparent financial administration.
