With a clear outlook towards the 2023 Assembly polls, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet has decided to repackage and relaunch the government's flagship and popular schemes, following a two-day 'chintan baithak' (brainstorming meet) at Pachmarhi.
The schemes have played a major role in reinforcing the 'leader of masses' and 'mama' (maternal uncle) image of Chouhan and has brought him electoral success repeatedly. Ahead of the 2023 polls, the BJP government seems to be putting its bet back on the popular welfare schemes.
Following the meeting that concluded on Sunday evening, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the various decisions taken, underlining that the meeting discussed ways of better implementation of welfare schemes and infrastructure works worth Rs 48,000 crores being taken up in the state.
The CM announced relaunch and repackaging of schemes like Ladli Laxmi scheme for girl children, Kanya Vivaah scheme for the marriage of needy girls and CM Teerth Darshan scheme (pilgrimage for senior citizens). Also some new initiatives including the CM Rise School, cyber-tehsils (online facilities for government work at tehsil level), Sanjeevani Clinic scheme for affordable medical facilities in urban areas, a new plan for rural transport, water conservation scheme, veterinary telemedicine scheme, patriotism awareness programme for youth and so on.
Chouhan said that the Teerth Darshan scheme that remained stalled for three years due to COVID-19, is being restarted with the first trip to Kashi Vishwanath from April 18. Members of the Council of Ministers including the Chief Minister will also take part in the first visit. Bus travel and in some cases, air travel will also be included in the scheme.
Similarly, the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana was discontinued due to Covid-19. Kanya Vivah Yojana will be restarted from April 21. The amount given to the beneficiaries will be hiked to Rs 55,000 from the existing Rs 51,000. The second phase of the flagship Ladli Laxmi Yojana will be started on May 2. Currently, the scheme has 43 lakh beneficiaries. Ladli Laxmi Diwas will be celebrated every year on 2 May and a fest will be organized from May 2 to May 11.
Chouhan said that after the centre extended the scheme by six months, 10 kg food grains will be given per person per month by combining Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana and MukhyaMantri Annapurna Yojana. Anna Utsav will be celebrated again on April 7 at every ration shop.
Chouhan said that Rs 24 crore will be spent on the construction of each CM Rise School building equipped with a library, lab, smart class and sports ground. Teaching work will be started from June 13 wherever buildings are currently available, on the basis of the vision of CM Rise School. In all, 350 such schools are planned.
Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that a Mukhya Mantri Sanjeevani Clinic would be started in cities with a population of 25,000 from April 22. A facility for the treatment of common diseases will be available here. These clinics will be started in all the urban bodies of the state in a year. A provision of Rs. 6000 crore has been made for the drinking water system in Jal Jeevan Mission and will be dedicated in Burhanpur on March 30.
Arrangements for veterinary telemedicine would be made for the treatment of animals in the state and telephonic consultation facilities for crop diseases will also be launched. For the first time in the country, the study of Artificial Intelligence would be started in the state from Class 8, the CM said. Similarly, Jal Abhishek Abhiyan would be started in the state from April 11 to save water.
The cyber tehsil system would be established in the state from June 1. Chouhan said that Madhya Pradesh will be the first state where MBBS education will start in Hindi from this year. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that recruitment is about to start on 6000 posts in the police. In this, 50 per cent marks will be for physical tests and 50 per cent marks for written tests.
A big event would be organized on the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar on April 14. Kabir Mahakumbh and Valmiki Mahakumbh will also be organized. Also, a programme titled Maa Tujhe Pranamwill be started again to inculcate the spirit of patriotism by taking the youth to the borders of the country.
Only an event; nothing for people's welfare
Leader of opposition and ex-CM Kamal Nath has however taken a dig at the brainstorming meet and the decisions taken therein, saying that as expected it turned out to be an event and a tourism opportunity. There was no concrete decision for the welfare of the state, no concrete plans, no discussions on important issues.
“We do not mind where the Chouhan cabinet holds its meeting. We just want the government to tell what benefits will the state and its people get out of the meeting. What decisions were made in Pachmarhi that were not possible in Bhopal? Big claims were made, but only the ways of misleading people through false promises, in view of the upcoming Assembly polls, were discussed during the meeting. This was the longest-running meeting of the cabinet, but the only outcome was to restart schemes that were stalled during the Covid-19 pandemic. A number of events and fests have been announced after this meeting. Huge funds will again be spent from the public exchequer for this and the state, which is already reeling under the loan of over Rs 3 lakh crores, will be further pushed into debt,” Nath said.
