Lucknow, Sep 26 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Friday approved a proposal for the construction of a new link expressway to connect the Agra-Lucknow Expressway with the Ganga Expressway.

In all, a total of 22 proposals were approved at the Cabinet meeting held at Lok Bhavan on Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Briefing reporters about the Cabinet decisions, state Finance Minister Suresh Khanna told reporters that to accelerate infrastructure development, the construction of a greenfield link expressway from the Agra-Lucknow Expressway to the Ganga Expressway has been approved.

This 90-kilometre-long expressway will begin in Etawah and connect to the Ganga Expressway in Hardoi via Farrukhabad.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 7,488.74 crore.

Construction is targeted to be completed in 548 days, and the construction agency will be responsible for maintenance for five years. This project will facilitate traffic flow and promote economic development, Khanna said.

The Cabinet also approved the proposal to provide two free LPG gas cylinders to 18.6 million beneficiary families on the occasion of Holi and Diwali under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. This decision is an important step towards providing relief to poor women, the UP government said in a statement.

Among others, a paddy procurement policy has been announced under the Price Enhancement Scheme for the Kharif year 2025-26. Under this policy, paddy will be procured in Western Uttar Pradesh from October 1, 2025, to January 31, 2026, and in Eastern Uttar Pradesh from October 15, 2025, to February 28, 2026.

Last year, the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for common paddy was Rs 2,300 per quintal, which has been increased to Rs 2,369 per quintal this year.

Similarly, the price for Grade A paddy has been fixed at Rs 2,389 per quintal, compared to Rs 2,330 per quintal last year. A total target of 6 million metric tonnes of paddy procurement has been set, for which 3,100 procurement centres are currently operational.

On the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, this number will be increased to 700 additional centres to provide greater convenience to farmers.

Khanna said that all procurement centres will be fully equipped with moisture-measuring devices, electronic weighing machines, and other facilities for farmers.

The Cabinet has also approved the procurement policy for coarse grains, which will be effective from October 1 to December 31, 2025.

The purchase price for maize has been fixed at Rs 2,400 per quintal, an increase of Rs 175 from last year's Rs 2,225 per quintal.

Maize will be procured in 25 districts, including Bulandshahr, Badaun, Hardoi, Unnao, Mainpuri, Agra, Firozabad, Aligarh, Etah, Kasganj, Hathras, Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, Kannauj, Etawah, Gonda, Bahraich, Ballia, Sonbhadra, Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Deoria, and Lalitpur. Seventy-five procurement centres will be established, and the target is to procure 15,000 metric tonnes.

The purchase price for bajra has been fixed at Rs 2,775 per quintal, an increase of Rs 150 from last year's Rs 2,625.

Bajra will be procured in 33 districts, including Bulandshahr, Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Mainpuri, Aligarh, Kasganj, Hathras, Etah, Bareilly, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, Kannauj, Etawah, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Chitrakoot, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Mirzapur, Ballia, Hardoi, and Unnao. 2.20 lakh metric tonnes of millet will be procured through 300 procurement centres.

The Cabinet also approved the Sant Kabir Textile and Apparel Park Scheme, which promotes employment generation. Each park will be allocated 50 acres of land, providing employment opportunities to over 1,500 people per park.

This scheme will strengthen the textile industry, the statement said.

UP's Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay told reporters that after the Yogi Adityanath government came to power, there has been unprecedented improvement in the quality of higher education. Uttar Pradesh is becoming a major hub for higher education.

He added that Letters of Intent were granted to three private universities at the meeting. These include Thakur Yuvraj Singh University, Fatehpur; Gandhi University, Jhansi and Radha Govind University, Chadausi.

Upadhyay said that this brings the number of private universities in Uttar Pradesh to nearly 50. PTI NAV MR

Infrastructure approval: new link expressway to connect Agra Lucknow and Ganga corridors, enabling traffic flow and regional development. The state approved a greenfield link expressway from Etawah to Hardoi connecting the Agra Lucknow and Ganga expressways with defined cost, completion timeline, and a five year maintenance obligation for the construction agency; authorized two free LPG cylinders for beneficiary families under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana; adopted regionally timed paddy and coarse grain procurement policies with revised support prices, procurement targets, and expanded, equipped procurement centres; approved the Sant Kabir Textile and Apparel Park Scheme allocating land and projected park employment; and granted Letters of Intent to three private universities.