Summary:
The focus on cow underlines the challenge faced by the government in dealing with the burgeoning tribe of unproductive and abandoned bovines. LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath government, on Thursday presented its third budget with a mammoth Rs 4.79 lakh-cr expenditure outlay, just weeks ahead of Lok Sabha polls by doing a deft balancing act between development and issues bordering on Hindutva . While infrastructure and welfare got a push, a big sum has been allocated for religious tourism, Vedic schools and a first-time-ever bonanza for cow protection.The Budget for 2019-20 fiscal allocated Rs 622 crore on protection of stray cattle even as the last budget, interestingly, had no mention of funds for cow protection or gaushalas. While Yogi, in his interaction with media immediately after tabling the budget by finance minister Rajesh Agarwal, described it as all-inclusive, the ruling party welcomed it as “reflection of BJP’s commitment to cultural nationalism”.Agarwal too termed the Budget as one aimed at inclusive progress of all sections of society, while focusing on infrastructure. The debt burden of UP has, however, escalated to over Rs 2.50 lakh crore, an all-time high.What drew attention of economists and political observers is the manner in which the Yogi government brought cow to the budgetary centre-stage by allocating nearly Rs 622 crore under various heads — Rs 248 crore for new cowsheds and their maintenance, Rs 200 crore for Kanha Gaushala and stray animal homes in urban areas and Rs 165 crore for unproductive and abandoned cows..