Lucknow, 07 August: The Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh has taken a historic decision to give a new direction to higher education.
In the cabinet meeting held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, “Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee-Chevening Uttar Pradesh State Government Scholarship Scheme” has been approved. This scheme will provide an opportunity to the meritorious students of the state to get higher education in the United Kingdom (UK).
State Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay informed about the cabinet’s decision. He said that under this initiative of the government, every year 5 talented students of Uttar Pradesh will be given scholarship for one year master’s degree from a reputed university of the UK. This scheme is being started taking inspiration from the extraordinary achievements of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This scholarship will be run in joint collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh government and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom.
Minister informed that the scheme will continue for three years He said that the scholarship will include academic tuition fees, examination and research fees, adequate monthly allowance for living and one-time round-trip airfare in economy class. The selection process will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner as per the agreement (MoU) between the state government and FCDO. The scheme will be implemented from the academic year 2025-26 and will remain effective for three years (2025-26, 2026-27, 2027-28). A decision will be taken on its renewal further. To continue the scheme in 2028-29, re-approval will be required by March 30, 2028.
Doors of global education will open for the students of the state. The state government will bear the expenses of about 19,800 pounds (about 23 lakhs) for each student under this scheme. The total estimated expenditure will be between 38,048 to 42,076 pounds, in which the remaining amount will be arranged by FCDO UK.
According to Yogendra Upadhyay, this scheme will open the doors of global education for the students of Uttar Pradesh and give them an opportunity to compete on the international platform.
Yogi Cabinet has approved two important policies with the aim of accelerating the industrial development of the state. MSME and Export Promotion Minister Rakesh Sachan informed about the decision. He said that both the policies will not only strengthen the industrial infrastructure, but will also create new employment opportunities for lakhs of youth. Under the UP Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Industrial Estate Management Policy, now industrial plots/sheds will be allotted through e-auction on lease/rent basis. The rate of plots has been fixed area-wise, in which the reserve price has been kept at Rs 3000 in Paschimanchal, Rs 2500 in Madhyanchal and Rs 2000 per square meter in Purvanchal/Bundelkhand. Along with this, the price will increase at the rate of 5 percent every year.
On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh Footwear, Leather and Non-Leather Area Development Policy-2025 has also been approved. Through this policy, special incentives will be provided for increase in exports, technical upgradation and employment generation. Special training programs will also be conducted for skilled workers. This policy will help in attracting domestic and foreign investment.
The cabinet has approved the “Uttar Pradesh Rural Population Records Bill-2025” to make the process of updating the documents of rural population simple and transparent. This bill will simplify the process of transfer, amendment and update in the gharouni (ownership document) prepared under the ownership scheme. With this, it will now be easy to change the name on the basis of inheritance, sale, gift, will, auction, court order or family settlement. Revenue Inspector and Tehsildar / Naib Tehsildar will get the right to update the gharouni in clean cases. Application can now be made for correction of clerical error or mobile number-address. It is worth mentioning that till now more than 1.06 crore gharouni have been prepared in the state, out of which more than 1.01 crore have been distributed.
The Yogi Cabinet has approved the establishment of two new private universities – The government has approved the proposals for the establishment of K.D. University (Mathura) and Bodhisattva University (Barabanki). These universities are being established under the Uttar Pradesh Private University Act, 2019. For the establishment of K.D. University, Rajiv Memorial Academic Welfare Society has proposed 50.54 acres of land in Akbarpur village of Chhata tehsil of Mathura.
Similarly, for the establishment of Bodhisattva University, 25.31 acres of land has been identified in Gadiya village, Nawabganj tehsil of Barabanki by Bodhisattva Charitable Trust, Lucknow. Letters of intent have already been issued to both the universities.