LUCKNOW, Feb. 12 -- The state budget carries a pronounced environmental focus, with Rs.194 crore earmarked for the Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Project (UPCAMP), a multi-sector initiative supported by the World Bank. The government has also proposed Rs.800 crore for social forestry plantation and Rs.220 crore for nursery management to expand green cover. The World Bank Board had in December 2025 approved financing for Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to improve air quality for nearly 270 million people. The UPCAMP will build on the state's Clean Air Plan by investing in transport, agriculture and industry. The total outlay of UPCAMP is USD 304.66 million, which includes a loan of USD 299.66 million and a grant of USD 5 million. The project will be implemented in a phased manner over a six-year period. It focuses on key sectors such as industry, transport, agriculture, road dust, waste management, and clean cooking, enabling a coordinated and effective strategy for emission reduction, according to a press statement. The primary objective of the project is to strengthen air-shed-based air quality management and reduce emissions across multiple sectors. Under the project, clean cooking solutions will be provided to approximately 3.9 million households. Additionally, clean mobility will be promoted through the operation of 15,000 electric three-wheelers and 500 electric buses in Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Gorakhpur, along with incentives for the replacement of 13,500 polluting heavy vehicles. Through social forestry, the government aims to raise green cover to 15% of the state's geographical area from the present 9.23% over the next few years. The state has been conducting large-scale plantation drives, planting over 240 crore saplings between 2017 and 2025, and plans another 35-crore plantation drive in July this year. The budget has also set aside Rs.207 crore for the Kukrail Night Safari project, billed as the country's first nocturnal zoo-style facility, and proposed a Rs.50-crore corpus fund for the Ranipur Tiger Foundation....