Lucknow, February 20 : Finance Minister Suresh Khanna, on Thursday, presented the 2025-2026 Budget in Uttar Pradesh State Assembly, highlighting through poetic lines, how the Yogi government, by adopting a zero-tolerance policy, took decisive action against crime and criminals to strengthen the state's deteriorating law and order situation before 2017. This approach is now being praised across the country and internationally.

Presenting details of the government's aggressive crackdown on organized crime, Khanna stated: "From 2017 to December 2024, the state successfully prosecuted 68 identified mafia criminals, leading to life imprisonment for 31, including two sentenced to death. The judiciary also delivered justice in 27,425 cases of crimes against women and minors, 11,254 cases under the POCSO Act, and 3,775 cases of dowry-related deaths. In a major crackdown on cybercrime, 13.83 lakh mobile numbers linked to fraudulent activities were blocked, securing Uttar Pradesh's top position in the country.

Between 2017 and the end of 2024, the state registered 77,210 cases, of which 66,475 were resolved, leading to action against 43,202 accused and the recovery of Rs 320.89 crore, he informed further.

The minister reported that from March 2017 to January 2025, 221 criminals were neutralized in police encounters, while 8,022 were injured during operations across various districts. He said, "To enhance forensic capabilities, the government expanded the state's forensic science infrastructure—adding eight new forensic laboratories beyond the existing four, with six more in progress across Ayodhya, Basti, Banda, Azamgarh, Mirzapur, and Saharanpur.

"The government has prioritized prison security, installing video conferencing in 74 prisons and district courts, 4,800 CCTV cameras for prison surveillance, a centralized monitoring system, and 271 mobile jammers in 24 prisons to prevent unauthorized communications," he remarked.

Under CM Yogi Adityanath’s leadership, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a model state for law enforcement, setting new benchmarks in crime control and governance.