MP Boosts Farmers with Wheat Bonus, Waives Stamp Duty for 46 Lakh Families

In a significant boost for farmers, the Cabinet decided to provide a bonus of Rs 40 per quintal over the central Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,585 for wheat procurement, raising the effective purchase price to Rs 2,625 per quintal.

This marks the first such bonus addition by the state government and initiates a phased increase toward the manifesto commitment of Rs 700 per quintal.

Additionally, a bonus of Rs 100 per quintal was approved for black gram (urad). The state has declared 2026 as the Farmer Welfare Year, with year-long programs to promote advanced agricultural technologies regionally and ensure farmers receive fair value for their produce, building on the success of the Bhavantar (price-difference) scheme.

The Cabinet congratulated two Madhya Pradesh youths who ranked among the top 10 in the latest IAS examinations. The Chief Minister highlighted the consistent progress of the state's young talent.

Under the Swamitva Yojana, stamp duty waiver was approved for free registration of ownership documents for approximately 46 lakh identified families lacking such papers, incurring a state burden of around Rs 3,000 crore.

In a major administrative move, continuation of various schemes across seven departments was extended from 2026 to 2031, with a total approval of Rs 33,240 crore. Key inclusions are the Energy Department's RDSS scheme, professional tax exemptions for persons with disabilities (extended five years), rural road development, Panchayat asset maintenance, Poshan Shakti nutrition initiatives, post-matric hostels in tribal areas, Scheduled Caste welfare, women's empowerment programs (including Tejasvi and Narad), child welfare bodies, investment promotion in MSMEs, and startup schemes (with Rs 600 crore earmarked for startups and Rs 10,000 crore for subsidies).

Staffing approvals were granted for three ESI hospitals (Mehar, Kemur, and Nimrani), with buildings funded by the Centre.

A new civil judge post was sanctioned for the Chitangi Assembly constituency. The One District One Product (ODOP) initiative was extended, backed by a Rs 3 crore Detailed Project Report for district-specific products such as Sidhis' dari-carpets, Datia's jaggery, Ashoknagar's Chanderi handloom, Bhopal's zari-zardozi, Dhar's Bagh print, Sehore's wooden toys, and Ujjain's Batik print.

GI tagging and technological upgrades will be supported through joint efforts by the Industry, MSME, and Cottage Industries departments.

In a pioneering governance reform, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav launched the Chief Minister Young Interns for Good Governance Program (CM YIGGP). Each block will select 15 local youth for one-year internships (extendable), totalling around 4,860 interns province-wide over three years.

Managed by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance, interns will aid in digitisation, scheme impact studies, real-time feedback, surveys, awareness drives, and implementation monitoring via dashboards and portals.

A monthly honorarium of Rs 100 is provided, with an overall budget of approximately Rs 170 crore. This initiative aims to foster youth participation in transparent, efficient governance and is expected to set a national example.

The Chief Minister extended Gudi Padwa and New Year greetings. He assured no shortages of petrol and gas. Only commercial cylinders face precautionary restrictions amid global uncertainties, but domestic supplies remain unaffected, with constant monitoring to prevent any inconvenience to citizens.

- IANS