LUCKNOW, April 7 -- In a push for its Dalit outreach in the run-up to the 2027 assembly elections, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to install canopies over statues of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, construct boundary walls, and undertake large-scale beautification of sites where such statues are installed across the state.

The state government has also announced the launch of the Dr BR Ambedkar Statue Development Scheme to develop areas around these statues and ensure their protection.

Under the scheme, 10 monuments will be developed in each of the state's 403 assembly constituencies at a cost of Rs.10 lakh per monument, taking the total expenditure to Rs.403 crore.

The UP cabinet, at a meeting held on Tuesday, approved the proposal to be...