Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for the Kumbh Mela being held in the ‘sangam’ city of Allahabad, which is over thrice the budget of the Maha Kumbh in 2013, making the mega pilgrimage perhaps the costliest ever. “The UP government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for 2019 Kumbh Mela. The previous state government had spent around Rs 1,300 crore for the Maha Kumbh, which was held in 2013,” state Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal told PTI.

He said that apart from this, some other departments have also allocated funds for the mega event. Agarwal said this time the Kumbh Mela area has been doubled as compared to the previous years. This year’s Kumbh Mela is spread over an area of 3,200 hectare as compared to 1,600 hectare area in the previous melas. The endeavour of the UP government has always been to enhance the facilities for the public and establishing facilities at the ground level has been a big task, the minister said.