Latest news with #StateFinanceCommission
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
To amp up tourism infrastructure, UP Cabinet gives nod to Homestay Policy
Aiming to provide comfortable accommodation options for devotees and tourists visiting the state's religious and tourist destinations, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Uttar Pradesh Bed and Breakfast (B&B) and Homestay Policy-2025. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. According to the Tourism Department, the new policy was necessitated as hotels at religious and tourist destinations usually get fully booked, leaving visitors with limited or no lodging options. The policy seeks to resolve this issue by enabling local residents to offer homestay accommodations, it said. Under the policy, only a small fee —ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 750 — will be charged to register homestays in rural areas. For urban and silver-category homestays, the application fee has been fixed at Rs 2,000. Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, state Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna said under the policy, any individual residing in a proximity to a religious or tourist site will be allowed to register a homestay unit consisting of 1 to 6 rooms, with a capacity of a maximum of 12 beds. Tourists can avail of the facility for up to seven consecutive days, with provisions for extension through a renewal process, he said. The registration and approval of homestays will be overseen by a committee headed by the district magistrate and superintendent of police concerned to ensure safety and compliance. With no state-level policy for homestays till now, homestay operators had to register on the Central government's NIDHI+ portal. Under the new policy, they can now register easily by getting a no-objection certificate (NOC) from local authorities. Khanna further said that the policy also includes financial support and incentives to encourage residents to offer part of their homes for tourism purposes. It will not only provide affordable and convenient accommodation for tourists, but will also create new income and job opportunities for local people, he said, adding that the move is expected to strengthen the state's economy and tourism infrastructure. Khanna said 10 of the 11 proposals presented before the Cabinet were given approval. Among these were the approval for the construction of annapurna bhawans to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) and ensure smooth availability of foodgrains to ration card holders. To speed up the construction process, the government has decided to use savings from the fiscal savings as well. The proposal gives the option of seeking funds for construction from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), State Finance Commission, MP and MLA funds, Purvanchal and Bundelkhand Development Funds, or any other state or Central government scheme that allows such construction. If funds are not available from these sources, the Food and Civil Supplies Department will arrange the money from its own savings, it is learnt. Around 75 to 100 Aannapurna Bhawans will be built in each district every year. The policy also includes provisions for maintaining these bhawans. Also, the Cabinet has approved incentive funds for five mega-category industrial units under the Uttar Pradesh Industrial Investment and Employment Promotion Policy-2017. The government has approved the first installment to these industrial units.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Own-source income incentive scheme for low-population panchayats in U.P.
Small-population village panchayats in Uttar Pradesh will now receive government assistance equal to five times the revenue they generate on their own under a new incentive scheme aimed at strengthening financially weak rural bodies. The 'Own Resource Income-Based Panchayat Compensation and Incentive Scheme,' notified by the government, targets 12,087 gram panchayats with populations up to 1,500. These include 252 panchayats with fewer than 1,000 residents and 11,835 with populations between 1,001 and 1,500 as per the 2011 Census. Additional chief secretary, panchayati raj, Anil Kumar issued a GO (government order) introducing the scheme here early this week. The scheme is aimed at addressing the long-standing funding gap that hampers the functioning of smaller panchayats, which often struggle to meet routine expenses such as sanitation, drinking water, electricity, and maintenance of community assets. Population-based fund allocation leaves these panchayats with little support despite their critical role in grassroots governance. Many of these smaller panchayats, the GO points out, face a financial crunch due to increasing responsibilities at the village level. With the expansion of rural development activities and establishment of panchayat secretariats, they are now required to meet recurring expenses such as salaries of pradhans, panchayat assistants/accountants-cum-data entry operators, caretakers as well as pay electricity bills, like for stray cow shelters and panchayat secretariats etc. However, limited fund allocation based on population often falls short of meeting these obligations by small local rural bodies. Eligible panchayats under the new incentive-based scheme will be compensated based on verified own-source revenue (OSR) collected in the previous financial year from local resources like market stalls, ponds, waste collection, community halls, common service centres and other assets listed under Section 37 of the UP Panchayat Raj Act, 1947. They can collect revenue from local sources such as taxes, fees, fines and rents. District magistrates will certify these earnings. Funds under the scheme will be routed through the State Finance Commission and can only be used for approved development activities — not for honorariums or salaries. A dedicated digital portal will be developed to monitor panchayat income and disbursal, with 0.05% of the scheme's allocation set aside for its upkeep. As per the 2011 Census, out of over 57,,691 gram panchayats in the state, nearly 25% have populations below 1,500. These panchayats often get disproportionately lower funds compared to larger panchayats due to the 90:10 allocation ratio based on total and Scheduled Caste/Tribe populations respectively. The scheme will not only reward such panchayats but also promote transparency and accountability by mandating proper documentation of income sources through the OSMARO portal. Panchayats will have to upload records of income from markets, tourism-related receipts, community hall rentals, and other services. District-level committees led by the district magistrate will assess the eligibility of panchayats and recommend the amount of incentive to be awarded. The incentive could go up to five times the panchayat's own income deposited in the designated account. The GO mandates that all incentive amounts be used strictly as per the guidelines set by the state and central governments. 'Despite having functional secretariats and sanitation infrastructure, most gram panchayats lack mobility and operational resources. This scheme marks a shift towards rewarding self-reliance and incentivising rural bodies to build their own financial base,' a senior panchayati raj official said. The initiative, he pointed out, was in line with the spirit of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, which sought to empower panchayati raj institutions and decentralise development planning to the grassroots.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
LMC plans India's ‘first' animal birth control training centre
Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has claimed that it would be setting up India's first animal birth control or ABC training centre in the city. The state government has approved ₹1.25 crore for the project, which tends to include a programme for the sterilisation of stray dogs and the construction of a dedicated facility at the veterinary hospital located in Indira Nagar's Jarahara area. LMC officials confirmed that the new training centre will not only focus on the sterilisation efforts but will also serve as a hub for training individuals in dog-catching and ABC procedures. 'This ABC centre will be the first of its kind in the country,' claimed Arvind Kumar Rao, an additional municipal commissioner. 'It will allow individuals to enroll for the training by paying a nominal fee, which is yet to be finalised. The training will cover dog-catching techniques and sterilisation procedures that can help mitigate the conflict between humans and stray animals.' The proposal for the project was submitted by Rao earlier this year and included a detailed project report (DPR) with an estimated cost of ₹2.5 crore. Responding to the proposal, the state government released ₹1.25 crore from the remaining balance of ₹15 crore State Level Fund created under the Fifth State Finance Commission for ABC initiatives across urban bodies in Uttar Pradesh. According to the government order, the released funds will be transferred following standard financial procedures. LMC has been instructed to begin the project without delay. LMC's animal husbandry officer Abhinav Verma said a private agency would operate the centre. 'The state government, LMC, and Animal Welfare Board of India will oversee the project. This will ensure transparency and adherence to national standards in animal welfare and sterilisation protocols,' he said. Officials believe that the ABC Training Centre will play a crucial role in creating a long-term infrastructure for managing the stray dog population and standardizing animal birth control efforts in the city.
Hindustan Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Nod to key urban reforms to ease financial burden on local bodies in UP
LUCKNOW In a move aimed at strengthening urban infrastructure and easing financial pressures on civic bodies, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Thursday approved two major proposals under the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme. The decision is set to provide significant relief to urban local bodies (ULBs), especially those with limited revenue sources, and fast-track delayed development projects across the state. Funding support under AMRUT 1.0 In a key decision, the UP cabinet sanctioned ₹89.81 crore from State Finance Commission grants to cover the remaining financial contributions of ULBs under AMRUT 1.0. This step is aimed at unblocking critical water supply and sewerage projects that have been stalled due to lack of funds from ULBs. The cities that stand to benefit include Ayodhya, Mirzapur, Etah, Ghazipur, Rae Bareli, and Unnao — many of which have been facing challenges due to high floating populations and limited financial capacities. The state government acknowledged that newly constituted municipal corporations like Ayodhya and religious hubs such as Mirzapur face unique fiscal constraints despite their growing infrastructure demands. Out of 328 approved AMRUT 1.0 projects, 307 have already been completed. This funding decision is expected to ensure timely completion of the remaining 21, improving public service delivery and reducing the operational burden on ULBs. Major relief under AMRUT 2.0 In another significant decision, the state cabinet approved a revised funding structure under AMRUT 2.0, reducing the financial contribution required from ULBs based on the size of the urban population. The state will now shoulder a larger share of project costs, making infrastructure development more accessible for smaller cities. Cities with population over 10 lakh: ULB share reduced from 15% to 8% and the state share increased from 60% to 67%. Cities with population up to 10 lakh: ULB share cut from 10% to 4%, state share up from 56.67% to 62.67%. Cities with population below 1 lakh: ULBs to contribute only 2%, with 48% funded by the state and 50% by the Centre. This new funding model is expected to drastically cut delays and improve execution of vital projects related to drinking water, sewerage systems, green spaces and water body rejuvenation. 'These landmark decisions reflect the government's citizen-centric and inclusive approach to urban development,' said principal secretary, urban development, Amrit Abhijat. Amendment to dairy dev policy The cabinet also gave nod to the second amendment to the UP Dairy Development and Milk Production Policy-2022 to bring incentives given to investors in dairy development industry at par with the UP Food Processing Industry Policy-2023. Briefing media persons, dairy development minister Dharampal Singh said the amendments replace the existing provisions for 10% subsidy in the industry. The incentives would now be 35% of the cost, subject to a maximum of ₹5 crore, for setting up dairy industry. He said the incentive for modernisation of existing dairy plants would be 35%, subject to a maximum of ₹2.50 crore, 35% for buying quality control equipment, subject to a maximum ₹1 crore. It will also be 35%, subject to a maximum of ₹1 crore, to buy refrigerated van/insulated van, milk tanker, bulk milk cooler, ice-cream trolley/deep freezer etc. Income of village panchayats The cabinet approved a scheme to encourage village panchayats to increase their income from organising markets or village pond fisheries etc. It decided that the state government would contribute five times of the income generated by the village panchayats. The state government would provide a sum of ₹5 lakh, if the village panchayat earned ₹1 lakh from its own sources. Panchayat Utsav Bhawan The cabinet gave nod to a proposal to set up Panchayat Utsav Bhawan in nearly 71 village panchayats. Finance minister Suresh Khanna said a provision of ₹100 crore has been made for this in the state's budget for 2025-2026. Under the Matrabhoomi Yojana, donors willing to contribute would bear 60% of the cost of a marriage home etc while 40% cost would be borne by the village panchayat. The cost of one Utsav Bhawan has been estimated at ₹1.41 crore, he said.
