Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Cabinet Approves ₹266.7 Crore Seed Park in Lucknow; 5 Parks Planned To Honour Former PM Charan Singh, Boost Agri Self-Reliance

Lucknow: In a significant push towards agricultural self-reliance, the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet has approved the establishment of five advanced seed parks across Uttar Pradesh. Aimed at increasing seed self-sufficiency, the parks will operate across five agro climatic zones and will be named after former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh.

The first park, to be built in Attari, Lucknow, will span over 130.63 acres with a sanctioned investment of Rs 266.70 crore. The project will involve facilities for processing, speed breeding, and hybrid seed development. It aims to directly employ 6,000 people and indirectly support 15,000 more, connecting 40,000 farmers to seed production chains.

Approved during Thursday’s Cabinet meeting chaired by CM Yogi, the proposal also includes private sector incentives and long term land leases. Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi stated that with 162 lakh hectares of cultivable land, UP requires over 139 lakh quintals of seed annually, much of which currently comes from outside the state.

These seed parks are intended to reduce this dependency by enabling local, high quality seed production. The move is also expected to improve the Seed Replacement Rate (SRR), boosting productivity and farmers’ incomes. UP could also emerge as a seed-exporting state in the long run, establishing itself as a key hub in India’s agri-supply chain.

DGCA contractual staff to get revised pay

In a long-awaited move, the UP government has approved revised pay scales for contractual staff of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation . This includes technical roles such as pilot, co-pilot, engineer, and flight safety officials. As per Finance Minister Suresh Khanna, pilot salaries will now range between Rs 5–10 lakh, up from Rs 2.5–7 lakh, while co-pilot pay has been increased to Rs 3–7 lakh.

Additionally, existing pilot salaries will receive a 10% hike. This revision, aligning pay with 7th Pay Commission norms, will cost the state an additional Rs 5.27 crore. The decision is expected to improve morale and reduce attrition in aviation services critical to emergency and VIP transport operations.

Panchayat utsav bhawan plan gets cabinet approval

To improve rural infrastructure for social events, the UP Cabinet has approved the construction of Panchayat Utsav Bhawans community halls for marriage functions and public gatherings, in every rural assembly constituency. In the initial phase, 71 halls will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 1.41 crore each.

Funding will follow a 60:40 split between private donors and the state government under the Matri Bhoomi Yojana. A seven member district-level committee led by the DM will oversee land identification for the project. With a total outlay of Rs 100 crore, this scheme aims to enhance civic amenities in rural areas and reduce the cost burden of hosting events for villagers.