LUCKNOW, Feb. 12 -- The UP Budget 2026-27, tabled in the legislative assembly by finance minister Suresh Khanna, stands out not only for its size of Rs.9,12,696.35 crore, but also for registering the highest percentage growth in the past decade. It marks a 12.85% increase over the previous year - the sharpest rise since the Yogi Adityanath government assumed office in 2017. The previous highest increase was 12.1% in 2023-24. The 2026-27 outlay of Rs.9,12,696.35 crore follows the 2025-26 budget of Rs.8,08,736.06 crore, which reflected a 9.81% rise over 2024-25. The 2024-25 budget stood at Rs.7,36,437.71 crore, registering a 6.7% increase over the previous year, according to details from the department of finance. Experts note that rationalisation measures were undertaken this year to streamline expenditure while sustaining growth momentum. In 2023-24, the budget size was Rs.6,90,242.43 crore, marking a 12.1% increase - the second-highest growth in terms of percentage under chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Analysts observed that the expansion during that phase was significant as the state steadily emerged from the financial after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier, the 2022-23 budget was Rs.6,15,518.98 crore, reflecting an 11.85% rise over the previous year. The 2021-22 budget stood at Rs.5,50,270.78 crore with a 7.29% increase, while the 2020-21 budget was Rs.5,12,860.72 crore, registering a 6.91% rise - a period impacted by the onset of the global Covid-19 crisis. The 2019-20 budget size was Rs 4,79,701.10, with a rise of 11.97% while the 2018-19 budget was Rs 4,28,384.52, a rise of 11.36%. The year 2017-18, when Yogi Adityanath took over as chief minister of the state, the budget size was Rs 3,84,659.71 crore, 10.87% more than 2016-17 when the budget was Rs 3,46,934.78 crore....