The objective of SASCI is to assist States and Union Territories in boosting capital expenditure and promoting key reforms
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Uttar Pradesh has received over ₹7,000 crore under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) during the first three and a half months of the current fiscal year, according to Finance Ministry data tabled in the Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, the Centre has released more than 20 per cent of the scheme's overall allocation.Total fund earmarked for 50-year interest free loan for FY27 is ₹2 lakh crore. According to data annexed with a written response by Minister of State in the Finance Ministry, Pankaj Chaudhary, over ₹44,500 crore or 22.27 per cent of annual allocation has been released. Uttar Pradesh got the maximum, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The objective of SASCI is to assist States and Union Territories in boosting capital expenditure and promoting key reforms. For FY26, total allocation was Rs 1.5 lakh crore, which was released entirely.Chaudhary said that for FY27 SASCI includes 12 parts. While part 1 related to untied fund, part 2 is deals with State/UT Share of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Central Projects). Remaining parts include incentives for achieving targets for capital expenditure, strengthening public finance IT infrastructure in States, mining sector reforms, implementation of the Right of Way Rules, 2024 under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture – AgriStack, livestock sector reforms, efficiency in financial management, fiscal discipline & fiscal consolidation, Compressed Biogas (CBG) sector reforms.New reformsMeanwhile, according to officials, ‘Right of Way’ (RoW) rules for the telecom sector and linking farmer IDs on AgriStack with fertilizer usage are two new reforms. “While Right of Way rules already exist, States must now notify and implement them to ensure their agencies comply, an official said. The RoW framework provides a standardised mechanism to expedite approvals and facilitate the deployment of telecom infrastructure while protecting public assets. These rules were notified by the Centre in 2024 and took effect on January 1, 2025.The rules aim to improve collaboration between telecom service providers, public entities, and private property owners. They balance the need for infrastructure development with public interest, ensuring safety and fairness. Expenditure Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam previously told businessline: “Standardising and streamlining these rules through SASCI will ensure the smooth, nationwide expansion of India’s telecom network.”The second new reform involves linking farmer IDs on AgriStack with fertilizer usage to improve farmer databases and support systems. The goal is to strengthen data maintenance, ensuring that support systems — such as fertilizer subsidies — are more targeted and effective.AgriStack is a federated Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) where data ownership rests with the States. It includes three key registries maintained by State governments or Union Territories: Geo-referenced village maps, crop sown registry, and the farmers registry. Using this platform will help eliminate duplicate beneficiaries and enhance subsidy monitoring.Published on July 20, 2026
