LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has proposed raising the value cap to Rs 50 crore for a project to get clearance at the ministry level, an official statement said on Friday. The initiative is aimed at easing and fast-tracking the approval process for high-value projects in the state. Adityanath said that departmental ministers should be empowered to grant financial approval for projects costing up to Rs 50 crore, up from the current limit of Rs 10 crore. Projects costing between Rs 50 crore and Rs 150 crore would be cleared at the finance minister’s level, while those exceeding Rs 150 crore would require the chief minister’s approval. The chief minister directed all departments to get their annual action plans approved by April 15, warning that non-compliant departments would be reported to the Chief Minister’s Office, according to the statement. He further said that any project witnessing a cost escalation of over 15 per cent must be re-approved. Reviewing the work of the finance department, Adityanath discussed fiscal management, capital expenditure, budget control, digital financial reforms, treasury processes and pensions. He emphasised the timely payment of honorariums to low-paid workers such as ASHA and anganwadi staff. The statement said that treasury reforms would make fund transfers fully paperless through a cyber treasury by April 2026. Besides, the chief minister also called for mandatory five-year maintenance clauses in new government buildings and a corpus fund for upkeep of older structures.
