The fourfold increase in the drinking water mission budget to Rs 10,870 crore for Uttar Pradesh (UP) announced by the Centre on Saturday makes it the biggest allocation for any scheme for the state this fiscal year. The sharp rise has happened even though the state government was unable to spend 40 per cent of the Rs 3,348-crore purse it got in 2020-21 (FY21). It had underspent in 2019-20 as well. UP will elect a new legislature in early 2022. Usually in the Budget exercise, if a state or central government department is unable to spend the money allocated, the following year’s total is accordingly adjusted downward by the Union finance ministry.