UP Cabinet approves major policy reforms: Stamp duty relief for women, tablets for youth, expressway and polytechnic upgrades

In a major step towards women’s empowerment, the Uttar Pradesh government has approved a significant expansion of stamp duty benefits for women property buyers. Under the new policy, properties purchased in the name of women—valued up to ₹1 crore, including land or houses—will now receive a 1% exemption on stamp duty.

Previously, this benefit was limited to properties worth up to ₹10 lakh, with a maximum exemption of ₹10,000. With the revised policy, the exemption extends to properties valued up to ₹1 crore, offering substantial financial relief to women homebuyers.

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The decision was approved during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday evening. A total of 37 proposals were cleared during the session, including the announcement of the Monsoon Session of the Vidhan Sabha, which will commence on August 11.

State Labour Minister Anil Rajbhar stated that the government believes this initiative will empower middle-class women to become property owners. He added that it will not only boost their confidence but also enhance their financial strength and social standing. The measure is also expected to strengthen the state’s Mission Shakti program, which aims to promote women’s self-reliance and empowerment.

The Union Government had also proposed reducing stamp duty on property deeds in favour of women in the 2024 Budget. The Uttar Pradesh government’s move is seen as a positive and proactive step in the same direction. It is expected to encourage greater property ownership among women, improve their financial independence, and increase the number of registrations in women’s names.

In another major move toward digital empowerment, the Cabinet approved the distribution of advanced tablets instead of smartphones to the youth of Uttar Pradesh under the Swami Vivekananda Youth Sashaktikaran Yojana. The initiative aims to provide better digital tools for education and skill development.

The scheme, which will be implemented over the next five years, has an allocated budget of ₹2,000 crore for FY 2025–26 and will be entirely state-funded.

Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ highlighted that tablets offer superior features—such as larger screens, longer battery life, multitasking capabilities, and access to productivity apps like Word, Excel, and Google Sheets—making them more effective for learning and professional use. These devices will support students in academics, job preparation, and self-employment opportunities.

The Cabinet has also approved the construction of the Chitrakoot Link Expressway, estimated to cost ₹939.67 crore. The expressway will follow the Engineering-Procurement-Construction (EPC) model and span 15.172 km—from Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot to Ahmadganj village.

Initially a 4-lane road with provision for future expansion to 6 lanes, the expressway will connect with the Varanasi–Banda National Highway (NH-35/76) and further link to National Highway 135 BG. It is expected to significantly improve regional connectivity and boost tourism in Chitrakoot by offering faster and smoother travel to pilgrims and visitors.

The project is to be completed within 548 days, followed by a five-year maintenance period. It will be entirely funded by the state government and is expected to generate around 38 lakh man-days of direct and indirect employment during and after construction.

In a transformative step to align technical education with industry requirements, the UP government has approved a project to upgrade 121 government polytechnic institutes across the state in collaboration with Tata Technologies Limited (TTL).

These institutes will house Tata Technology Excellence Centres, aiming to revamp diploma-level education and skills training in Uttar Pradesh. The project has a total estimated cost of ₹6,935.86 crore—of which TTL will contribute ₹6,034.20 crore and the state government ₹1,063.96 crore. Additionally, ₹858.11 crore will be spent by the government for infrastructure and basic facilities development.

As part of the first phase, 45 institutes will be upgraded under a pilot project.