As many as 41 villages have been included in the municipal limits of Ayodhya (File Photo)
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Monday gave its nod for expanding the municipal limits of Ayodhya, Gorakhpur and Firozabad, state minister Siddharth Nath Singh said.
The borders of Lalitpur and Basti districts will also be expanded, he said.
"As many as 41 villages have been included in the municipal limits of Ayodhya and they will be under Ayodhya Municipal Corporation. Similarly, 31 villages have been included in the municipal limits of Gorakhpur, while one village in Firozabad has come under the Firozabad Municipal Corporation," Mr Singh, the Uttar Pradesh health minister, said.
Thirty-one villages have also been brought under the Kushinagar Municipal Corporation, he added.
In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state cabinet also decided that the forest department's permission will be necessary for cutting 29 varieties of trees, including Neem, Sal and Mahua.
"Now you have to plant 10 trees if you wish to cut one tree. If for any reason you do not have the required land, then the required amount of money can be deposited, so that trees can be planted on the land of the forest department," Mr Singh said.
The cabinet also decided to impose 5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on extra neutral alcohol, which is produced during the liquor manufacturing process.
"In the GST Council meeting, no decision could be taken as to whether GST should be imposed on extra neutral alcohol. Hence, it was left to the discretion of the state government," Mr Singh said.