Opposition Leader Launches Scathing Attack on UP Government's Budget Management
In a strongly worded critique delivered on Friday, Mata Prasad Pandey, the leader of the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, accused the state government of multiple failures in governance, particularly highlighting poor budgetary utilization, stalled development projects, and inadequate focus on critical sectors like health and education.
Budgetary Concerns and Development Paralysis
"You bring a large budget, but the development resolve appears weak. Projects remain on paper," Pandey declared, pointing to what he described as a significant gap between financial allocations and actual implementation. He challenged the administration to name even one major project completed under the current regime, apart from expressways, despite having a much larger budget than previous governments.
Drawing comparisons with the previous Samajwadi Party government, Pandey noted that with a budget of approximately ₹3 lakh crore, that administration had successfully completed several landmark projects including the Ekana cricket stadium, the launch of Lucknow Metro, development of UP Police headquarters, Lok Bhavan, and various court buildings.
On economic indicators, Pandey pointed out that while Uttar Pradesh maintains its position ahead of Karnataka in Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), it trails behind states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, securing only the third spot nationally. He questioned why previously approved funds were not fully utilized, asking whether the shortfall resulted from insufficient money in the consolidated fund or faulty financial assessment.
Revenue Targets and Taxation Questions
Referring specifically to the 2026–27 budget, Pandey highlighted that the government has set an ambitious target of 47.89% higher revenue receipts. "Will you impose new taxes or adopt some other method?" he questioned, demanding transparency about how this substantial increase would be achieved without burdening citizens.
Crisis in Healthcare Infrastructure
Pandey emphasized that health services have become increasingly expensive and inaccessible for common citizens, requiring urgent government attention. He alleged that primary health centers, community health centers, and district hospitals across the state suffer from severe shortages of medicines and inadequate infrastructure.
The opposition leader strongly opposed the outsourcing and contractual hiring practices in hospitals, calling healthcare "a matter of life and death" that should not be compromised through such arrangements. He credited the previous SP government for launching essential emergency services including Dial 102 and Dial 108 ambulance services, along with the Dial 100 emergency police response system.
Highlighting alarming manpower shortages, Pandey revealed that Uttar Pradesh currently has only 0.37 doctors per 1,000 population, significantly below the standard requirement of 1 doctor per 1,000 people. The state also faces a 46% shortage of nurses and lab technicians, with particularly severe deficiencies of gynaecologists and paediatricians in rural areas.
He noted that eastern Uttar Pradesh requires special focus as it bears a higher burden of complex diseases, largely attributed to water-related health issues in the region.
Education Sector in Distress
Turning to education, Pandey described a severe shortage of teachers, especially in rural schools across the state. He called for immediate legislation to regulate arbitrary fee hikes by private educational institutions, alleging that education has been transformed into a profit-driven business rather than a public service.
The opposition leader also questioned why the quality of institutions in various universities, including the historically significant Allahabad University, has declined under the current administration.
Additional Governance Concerns
On law and order matters, Pandey stated that the tehsil and district court systems require urgent reforms, as citizens face maximum hardship and bureaucratic obstacles at these grassroots judicial levels.
Raising environmental concerns, he highlighted that nearly 3,000 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage flows into the Ganga daily, with over 1,000 MLD originating specifically from Uttar Pradesh. Pandey alleged that in major cities including Kanpur, Prayagraj, and Varanasi, several drains continue to discharge untreated sewage directly into the sacred river, despite ongoing cleanup initiatives.
The comprehensive critique delivered by the opposition leader paints a picture of systemic governance challenges across multiple sectors in India's most populous state, calling for immediate corrective measures and greater accountability in budgetary execution and public service delivery.
