A ₹3,025.49 crore budget for 2026-27 and a directive to widen the net of a flagship farmer-family scholarship — Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chaired the 172nd board meeting of the Uttar Pradesh State Agricultural Produce Market Council on Friday, 31 July 2026, clearing a slate of proposals touching farmer welfare, agricultural marketing, and mandi infrastructure.

What the 172nd board meeting approved

The session, held under CM Yogi's chairmanship, gave the green light to 'aneke mahatvapurn prastaav' — several significant proposals — spanning farmer welfare, agricultural marketing, and the functioning of the mandi system. The centrepiece was the ₹3,025.49 crore budget for the financial year 2026-27, a figure that will govern the council's capital and operational spending across Uttar Pradesh's sprawling network of agricultural produce markets.

The Uttar Pradesh State Agricultural Produce Market Council is the statutory body that regulates mandis and oversees agricultural produce marketing across the state. Its board meetings — held periodically — are the principal mechanism through which annual budgets and reform proposals receive formal sanction.

CM Yogi's push to expand the Krishak Chhatravritti Yojana

Beyond the budget, the Chief Minister issued a pointed directive: the Mukhyamantri Krishak Chhatravritti Yojana — the state scholarship programme for eligible children of farming families — must be widened so that more qualifying students can access its benefits. The instruction signals that the current reach of the scheme is seen as falling short of its potential, and the government wants active steps to close that gap.

The scholarship scheme sits at the intersection of two of the state's stated priorities: agricultural welfare and rural human capital development. Expanding its coverage would extend educational support deeper into UP's agrarian heartland, where farming households form the backbone of the rural economy.

UP's mandi network and the budget's significance

Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, runs one of the country's largest mandi networks. The council's annual budget covers physical infrastructure upgrades, market management, and targeted welfare measures for cultivators. Successive state governments have used these periodic approvals to push incremental reforms in agricultural marketing efficiency — and the 2026-27 allocation continues that pattern at a significant scale.

The combination of a large infrastructure budget and a welfare expansion directive in a single board meeting reflects the dual track UP has pursued: modernising the market system while simultaneously deepening support for the farming families who depend on it.

The test now is in execution — whether the scholarship scheme's expanded reach translates into measurable gains for rural students, and whether the mandi council's ₹3,025 crore is deployed with the speed and accountability the scale demands.