The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, on Tuesday approved a series of important decisions spanning agriculture, child welfare, healthcare, science and technology, and administrative reforms. In a major move for farmers, the Cabinet approved amendments to the Pradhan Mantri Krishak Mitra Surya Yojana, aimed at providing solar pumps for irrigation. Under the revised provisions, farmers can now opt for pumps of higher capacity than previously sanctioned. Those with a 3 HP temporary electricity connection will be eligible for a 5 HP solar pump, while a 5 HP connection holder can now obtain a 7.5 HP pump. Farmers with temporary electricity connections will contribute only 10% of the installation cost for pumps up to 7.5 HP, as the government will provide a 90% subsidy.

 

The scheme, operational in Madhya Pradesh under the KUSUM-B framework since January 2025, is expected to reduce electricity subsidy expenditure and distribution losses. The Cabinet also approved the continuation of the Non-Institutional Service Scheme under Mission Vatsalya for the next five years. This includes Sponsorship, Foster Care, and After Care programs, offering financial assistance of Rs 4,000 per month to eligible children. The scheme targets children of widowed, divorced, or abandoned mothers, orphans, children with parents suffering from incurable diseases, and other vulnerable groups, including street children, child labourers, and those affected by disasters or exploitation.

 

The total expenditure is pegged at Rs 1,022.40 crore, benefiting over 33,000 children, with Rs 408.96 crore as the state share and Rs 613.44 crore from the Central Government. In healthcare, the Cabinet sanctioned 373 new posts and 806 human resource services for 50-bed AYUSH hospitals across 12 districts and a 30-bed hospital in Barwani district. The sanctioned posts include 52 Class-1, 91 Class-2, and 230 Class-3 posts, with an annual financial implication of Rs 25.57 crore. The human resources will be managed through the National AYUSH Mission. For the Madhya Pradesh S cience and Technology Council, the Cabinet approved the 2025 recruitment and service rules for scientific and non-scientific staff, lifting the recruitment ban imposed since 2015.

 

The council will continue as the nodal agency for research in remote sensing, climate change, rural technology, space science, and advanced scientific facilities, with plans to upgrade the scientific cadre to meet emerging research needs. Other key decisions include granting 7th Pay Commission benefits to officers of the Medico-Legal Institution effective from January 2016, approving amendments to the Social Impact Bond scheme with a Rs 100 crore budget transfer to the Finance Department, and creation of nine posts in the newly formed District Legal Services Authority, Agra-Malwa, with an annual financial burden of Rs 59.42 lakh. The Cabinet meeting began with the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’.