UP cabinet approves setting up of Bundelkhand, Purvanchal development boards

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has given its approval for setting up of development boards for Bundelkhand and Purvanchal to be headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath or someone nominated by him.

The cabinet meeting on Monday, presided over by the chief minister, gave its nod to constitute a Bundelkhand Development Board (BDB) and a Poorvanchal Development Board (PDB), senior cabinet minister Siddhartnath Singh said.

The boards will include two deputy-chairmen, two experts, 12 official members and 11 non-government members, Singh said, adding that their tenure would be for a period of three years.

The cabinet also approved the setting up of the UP Traders Welfare Board to address the problems faced by traders in the state with regards to the GST.

It will also be headed by the chief minister and will have three deputy chairpersons and 11 non-government members, Singh said, adding that the board would meet every three months.

In another important decision, the cabinet approved the proposal for grant of "exceptional pension" to police personnel who slip into a coma as a result of serious injuries suffered during discharging their duties.

Till now, the "exceptional pension" was given only to policemen who lost their lives on duty.

The cabinet also gave its nod to a proposal of giving 25 per cent discount to TCS on the purchase of land for establishing a Rs 2,300-crore software development unit in Noida which would employ 30,000 people.

State Excise Minister Jai Pratap Singh said the cabinet also gave its approval to an excise policy for the financial year 2019-20, under which allotment of liquor vends and shops would be done on a lottery basis.

In 2017-18, the Excise Department had earned a revenue of Rs 10,118 crore, while it earned Rs 15,005 crore in 2018-19, he said.