 Hello and welcome to NewsClick. According to the latest data available with the Reserve Bank of India, UP state government debt has reached Rs 6.5 lakh crores in 2021-22. This is an increase of nearly 40% since Yogi took over in 2017. UP government was borrowing heavily, presumably because they needed money to spend on the state's development. Strangely, under Yogi's leadership, four of the five years have seen a revenue surplus, that is, the government is spending less than what it receives. Over five years, the surplus adds up to Rs 1.32 lakh crores. So, they borrowed 1.8 lakh crore in five years and yet ended up with unspent funds of Rs 1.32 lakh crore. Is this bad planning? Where did the money go? Let us look at the two heads where public spending is most essential, education and health. Spending on education was 14.8% of total revenue expenditure in 2017-18 when Yogi took over. It has dipped to 12.5% in the current year as per budget estimates. There was a miniscule increase in health expenditure from 5.3% in 2017-18 to 5.9% in 2021-22 as share of total revenue expenditure. Reports based on official data show that the healthcare system in UP remained tragically ineducated to deal with the pandemic. Just before elections, PM Modi and CM Yogi went on a spending spree inaugurating or laying foundation stones of medical colleges, research centers, distributed tablets to students, open expressways and irrigation systems. All estimated at over 1 lakh crore. Depriving the state's vast population of basic amenities for four and a half years and then trying to win them over by spending at the last moment shows a macabre sense of opportunism. The upcoming polls will reveal what the people think about this diversity.