The Yogi Adityanath cabinet, on Monday, approved 19 key proposals, including decisions related to agriculture, healthcare, industry, infrastructure and phasing out Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 physical stamp papers, replacing them with e-stamps to enhance transparency and prevent irregularities.

According to the decision, stamps worth over Rs 5,630 crore will be auctioned, with old stamps valid only until March 31, 2025.

Following the meeting, Finance Minister Suresh Khanna told reporters that all the proposals were discussed and unanimously approved. The proposals approved cover crucial sectors such as health, education, transport, urban development, and employee welfare.

The finance minister told reporters that wheat procurement in the state will take place from March 17 to June 15 at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,425 per quintal, as announced by the Central government. He added that 6,500 procurement centres will be set up across the state by eight agencies, including the Food and Civil Supplies Department.

Among the other major decisions, the cabinet approved the free transfer of 14.05 acres of land from the Ballia district jail to the Medical Education Department  for establishing a medical college in the district, named after freedom fighter Chittu Pandey.  Out of the total land, 12.39 acres will be used for the medical college, while two acres will be developed into a memorial for freedom fighter Chittu Pandey.

In another decision, 4,570 square metres of land from the Government Agricultural School in Balipura village of Bulandshahr will be transferred to the Medical Education Department for establishing a nursing college. Nursing colleges are being set up in 27 autonomous medical colleges across the state.

Furthermore, the Cabinet granted administrative and financial approval for the construction of an obstetrics and gynecology block at Uttar Pradesh Medical University in Saifai (Etawah). A pediatric block will also be included in the 300-bed hospital, with a budget of Rs 232.17 crore allocated for the project. This is an important initiative towards strengthening medical education and health services.

The cabinet also extended the State Smart City Scheme for two more years, covering all 17 municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh. Initially launched for five years, it is now being expanded under the State Smart City Mission.

The Central government selected 10 smart cities in the state in 2019-20, while the state government included seven cities: Ghaziabad, Meerut, Firozabad, Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan, Shahjahanpur and Gorakhpur. This expansion will provide new momentum to urban development.

The cabinet also approved the transfer of 451.20 acres of land from closed spinning mills under the UP Cooperative Spinning Mills Sangh Limited in Kanpur to Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) for industrial use free of cost. It has been decided to transfer 71.02 acres of land in Mahmudabad (Sitapur), 55.31 acres in Fatehpur, 85.24 acres in Mauaima (Prayagraj), 78.92 acres in Bahadurganj (Ghazipur), 82.15 acres in Kampil (Farrukhabad) and 78.56 acres in Bulandshahr to UPSIDA among the closed units of UP Cooperative Spinning Mills Association Limited Kanpur. New industrial units will be established on these lands.

The government also approved transfer of 0.8 hectares of land free of cost for setting up a Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) in Lucknow node of the Defence Industrial Manufacturing Corridor. This facility will serve as a common testing centre for defense units in the region.

To promote tourism, the cabinet approved free transfer of 0.850 hectares of barren government land to the Tourism Department to rejuvenate Maharishi Dadhichi Kund in Hardoi district.

Additionally, the cabinet decided to extend the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission to seven employees of the Science and Technology Council who have been serving for 25 years.