Lucknow, Aug. 9 -- Jaunpur has topped the state in distributing loans to youth under the Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan (Chief Minister Youth Entrepreneur Development Scheme), followed by Azamgarh and Lucknow in second and third place, respectively, according to a press statement issued by the state government on Friday. The statement said that approximately 2 lakh applications have been received in the first four months of the 2025-26 financial year, surpassing the government's annual target of 1.5 lakh applications. Jaunpur led the state with 1,385 loans disbursed, followed by Azamgarh and Lucknow. As of now, 1,96,004 applications have been submitted across the state. Of these, 1,58,595 applications have been forwarded to banks. Acting promptly, banks have approved 45,463 applications, with 42,128 youth having already received loan amounts. In comparison, during the previous financial year 2024-25, the government received 1,78,662 applications against a target of 1 lakh. Of these, 1,44,273 were forwarded to banks, resulting in over 40,000 approvals, and more than 28,000 youth received loans. The MSME Department had allocated a budget of Rs 113 crore as margin money to support this initiative. Azamgarh, which secured second place in the state, received 3,565 applications against a target of 2,200. Of these, 2,919 were forwarded to banks, and 1,256 youth have received loans. Lucknow, with a target of 3,000 applications for the current financial year, received 3,421 applications in the first four months. Of these, 2,258 were forwarded to banks, with over 1,008 applications approved and 920 loans already disbursed....