UP Budget 2026: Rs 1.06 Lakh Cr for Edu, Rs 50,550 Cr for Health

Lucknow, Feb 20 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday announced major allocations for education, healthcare, and agriculture in the FY26 budget of Rs 8.08 lakh crore, reflecting its priorities in the coming financial year.

The state has earmarked Rs 1,06,360 crore for education, Rs 50,550 crore for healthcare, and Rs 89,353 crore for agriculture and rural development, according to an official statement.

The annual budget was presented in the state assembly by the state's finance minister Suresh Khanna.

The highest allocation of Rs 1.79 lakh crore, 22 per cent of the total budget, has been accounted for infrastructure development. This includes Rs 61,070 crore for the energy sector, Rs 21,340 crore for irrigation, around Rs 24,000 crore for heavy and medium industries, Rs 25,308 crore for urban development, Rs 7,403 crore for housing and urban planning, and Rs 3,152 crore for civil aviation.

Besides, an additional Rs 28,478.34 crore has been set aside for new expenditure categories.

The education sector, which received 13 per cent of the total budget, is expected to see significant investments in primary and higher education, school infrastructure, and learning quality improvement.

"Uttar Pradesh remains one of the leading states in educational spending," the government claimed in the statement.

The healthcare sector has been allocated over Rs 50,550 crore, accounting for 6 per cent of the annual budget. The government has also announced free medical treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh under the Chief Minister Jan Arogya Abhiyan for home guards, PRD (Prantiya Rakshak Dal) personnel, village watchmen, Shiksha Mitras, instructors under the Basic Education Department, and personnel working on an honorarium basis.

For the agriculture and rural development sectors, Rs 89,353 crore has been allocated, making up 11 per cent of the budget.

This includes funding for agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, cooperatives, rural development, Panchayati Raj, the Namami Gange project, and rural water supply.

The state's GDP is expected to grow from Rs 12.89 lakh crore in 2017-18 to Rs 27.51 lakh crore in 2024-25.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "This budget is dedicated to the upliftment of the poor, farmers, youth, and women, in line with the concept of 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah' from Sanatan culture. Under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central theme of this budget is 'priority to the deprived.