Madhya Pradesh Cabinet meets in tribal queen’s capital on her 500th birth anniversary

The Cabinet has approved additional assistance of up to ₹3,900 per hectare to farmers under the Rani Durgavati Shri Anna Protsahan Yojana, over the minimum purchase price

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday (October 5) chaired a meeting of the State Cabinet in Damoh district’s Singrampur in honour of the 16th century tribal queen Durgavati on her 500th birth anniversary.

Singrampur was the capital of the Gondwana kingdom, and Rani Durgavati ruled over it from 1548 to 1564 as the queen regent while her son was young.

Cabinet Minister Prahlad Patel, who briefed the media on the decisions taken at the meeting, said that the Cabinet approved additional assistance of up to ₹3,900 per hectare to farmers under the Rani Durgavati Shri Anna Protsahan Yojana, which was started to promote millet production in the State. This amount will be provided to farmers in addition to the minimum purchase price.

The State government launched the scheme in January this year and currently gives an additional ₹1,000 per quintal through direct benefit transfer (DBT).

The Cabinet also approved the formation of a committee to develop Rani Durgavati Memorial and Garden in Jabalpur at a cost of ₹100 crore.

“The Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, Public Works Minister, Tribal Affairs Minister, and Culture and Tourism Minister will be members of the committee. A plan is afoot to develop a 24-acre area of Madan Mahal hill located in Jabalpur as Rani Durgavati Memorial and Garden at a cost of about Rs 100 crore,” the government said in a statement.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to constitute a three-member Madhya Pradesh Jain Welfare Board, aimed at the economical, social, and educational empowerment of the community in the State. Members of the Shwetambar and Digambar sects will head the Board for two years each alternating between the two sects, the government said.

“This will be the first of its kind in the country. The decision has been taken to effectively implement various schemes of the government regarding the education of talented children and youth of the Jain community, social concerns like the migration of Jain Munis, security during Chaturmas (a four-month period of spiritual observance from July to October), better education and improvement in conditions etc. with special reference to the Jain community,” the government said. 

The government also decided to continue providing short-term crop loans to farmers at 0% interest rate through cooperative banks in the year 2024-25.

Published - October 05, 2024 11:01 pm IST