The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved a new policy on Wednesday known as the “Uttar Pradesh Inmate Death and Compensation Payment Policy.” This initiative aims to provide compensation to the families or next of kin of inmates who pass away due to unnatural causes while incarcerated in state prisons.
The primary goal of this policy is to protect the human rights of inmates, improve transparency in the management of prisons, and ensure that affected families receive timely assistance.
This policy aligns with directives from the Supreme Court, the Allahabad High Court, and the National Human Rights Commission.
Currently, compensation for unnatural deaths of inmates is determined based on recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). However, the government noted that the existing process involves numerous levels of approval and procedural hurdles, causing delays for the families of deceased inmates in receiving compensation.
To address this issue, the proposed “Uttar Pradesh Inmate Death and Compensation Payment Policy” aims to establish comprehensive guidelines for the effective and prompt distribution of compensation to the relatives of inmates who die under unnatural circumstances while in prison.
The policy will outline clear procedures to ensure a consistent and transparent approach is taken in all related cases, thereby enabling timely compensation and support for the affected families.
In a separate decision, the Cabinet also greenlit the Maize Procurement Policy as part of the Price Support Scheme for the Kharif Marketing Year 2025-26 (Rabi crop). The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for maize has been set at Rs 2,400 per quintal.
According to the decision, maize procurement in the state will take place from June 15 to July 31 this year, with 150 procurement centers to be established across 25 districts, including Firozabad, Agra, Mainpuri, and others.
The government has set an operational target to procure 25,000 metric tonnes of maize for the Kharif Marketing Year 2025-26. The procurement process will rely on computerized land records (Khatauni), Aadhaar identification, and photo ID verification. Additionally, land ownership and sown area will be confirmed online via the Bhulekh portal.
A mechanism has been implemented to ensure that the value of the maize purchased is transferred to farmers, ideally within 48 hours, through the PFMS portal directly into their Aadhaar-linked and NPCI-mapped bank accounts.
Furthermore, the Cabinet has sanctioned funds and expenditure proposals for the planned development of new cities in Agra, Bareilly, and Prayagraj under the Mukhyamantri Shehri Vistarikaran/Naye Shehar Protsahan Yojana (Chief Minister City Extension/New City Promotion Scheme). The guidelines for this scheme were issued on April 6, 2023.
Under this program, the state government will provide seed capital of up to 50 percent of the land acquisition costs for new city developments, with a maximum duration of 20 years. This initiative aims to assist development authorities in creating substantial urban infrastructure. A budget of Rs 3,500 crore has been allocated for the scheme in the financial year 2026-27, with Rs 355.06 crore approved for the initial development of the new cities in Agra, Bareilly, and Prayagraj, including the release of Rs 225 crore as the first installment.
The Cabinet also approved a proposal to operate 1,725 air-conditioned electric buses in 18 cities under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, aimed at modernizing urban transport and promoting environmentally friendly public mobility.
