UP Budget 2026-27: Significant Allocations for Social Welfare and Minority Empowerment

Uttar Pradesh's Finance Minister, Suresh Khanna, has allocated Rs 14,953 crore for social welfare in the 2026-27 Budget. This budget, presented before the upcoming Assembly elections, is likely the last full budget of the BJP government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The allocation for social welfare reflects an 8% increase from the previous year.

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For minority welfare, Rs 2,058 crore has been set aside. The Prime Minister Jan Vikas Karyakram's Multi-Sectoral Development Programme is active in 21 districts with significant minority populations, receiving Rs 500 crore. Additionally, Rs 391 crore is designated for pre-matric and post-matric scholarships for minority students.

Social Welfare and Pension Schemes

The old age and farmer pension schemes benefit around 67.50 lakh individuals with Rs 1,000 monthly payments. For these schemes, Rs 8,950 crore has been proposed. The Chief Ministers Mass Marriage Scheme now offers increased financial aid for daughters across all categories, raising assistance from Rs 51,000 to Rs 1.01 lakh per beneficiary with a proposed allocation of Rs 750 crore.

Scheduled Caste students will receive Rs 977 crore under pre-matric and post-matric scholarship schemes. Similarly, Rs 950 crore is allocated for general category students' scholarships. For Scheduled Caste families' daughters, a marriage grant scheme has been proposed with Rs 100 crore earmarked. Another Rs 50 crore is set aside for daughters of economically weaker families in the general category.

Empowerment and Development Initiatives

The government has proposed Rs 2,140 crore for divyangjan empowerment, marking an eight per cent rise from last year. Over 11 lakh beneficiaries receive Rs 1,000 monthly under the Divyang Pension Scheme, which previously offered only Rs 300 before 2017. An allocation of Rs 1,470 crore supports this pension scheme.

Bachpan Day Care Centres are operational in 18 divisional districts to aid early childhood care for children with hearing, intellectual and visual impairments aged three to seven years. New centres are being established in seven aspirational districts including Chandauli and Siddharthnagar.

OBC Welfare and Tribal Development

For Other Backward Classes (OBCs), a budget of Rs 3,402 crore is proposed, showing a nine per cent increase over the previous year. Of this amount, Rs 3,060.50 crore is allocated for pre-matric and post-matric scholarships. Additionally, Rs 210 crore is designated for marriage grants for daughters of economically weaker OBC families and Rs 20 crore for constructing hostels for OBC students.

The government is implementing comprehensive measures under tribal development initiatives for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) through the Prime Minister Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN). The Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan was launched on October 2, 2024. It aims to cover more than 63,000 tribal-dominated villages with schemes from 18 departments.

This budget reflects a significant commitment to social welfare and empowerment across various sectors in Uttar Pradesh. By increasing allocations in key areas such as pensions and scholarships, the government aims to support vulnerable groups effectively.

With inputs from PTI