PLACING youth empowerment, skill development, and women’s welfare at the forefront of its growth agenda, the Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, has approved a massive Rs 1,14,365 crore for the continuation of the Chief Minister Ladli Bahna Yojana. In a major push toward preparing the State’s youth for future opportunities, the State Government announced free online coaching arrangements for various competitive examinations, alongside an ambitious target to impart AI skills training to one crore youth over the coming year. AI skills and competitive exam coaching for youth TO ENHANCE employability and technological proficiency among the State’s youth, the Cabinet approved key initiatives aimed at digital literacy and career advancement. Under these measures, free online coaching will be arranged to assist aspirants preparing for various competitive examinations. Additionally, a massive skill drive will be rolled out over the next year to train one crore youth in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and modern technology, ensuring they remain competitive in a rapidly evolving job market. Grassroots talent hunt for young sports prodigies IN A bid to nurture athletic potential from an early age, the State Government will launch a comprehensive talent hunt campaign across every village and school in Madhya Pradesh. Designed for children aged 5 to 15 years, the initiative aims to identify raw sports talent at the grassroots level. Selected children will be provided with specialised training and infrastructure support to groom them into outstanding national and international players. Rs 1.46 lakh crore sanctioned for key public welfare schemes THE youth-centric and sports initiatives formed part of a larger Rs 1.46 lakh crore financial allocation approved by the Cabinet at the Mantralaya on Tuesday to ensure the seamless implementation of key public welfare schemes.

 

Beyond the Rs 1,14,365 crore set aside for the Ladli Bahna Yojana - which currently provides monthly direct bank transfers of Rs 1,500 to nearly 1.27 crore women - the Cabinet approved major funds across sectors. This includes Rs 16,326.47 crore for the Madhya Pradesh Ladli Lakshmi Yojana, benefiting over 50.99 lakh girls with educational milestone incentives up to age 21, and Rs 2,137.65 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana to support pregnant and lactating mothers across two installments, including a Rs 6,000 benefit for a second child if it is a girl. ‘Naman Mission’greenlit for Narmada conservation THE Cabinet also approved the creation of the ‘Nirmal Evam Aviral Maa Narmada Mission’ (Naman Mission), an integrated, multi-departmental institutional mechanism tasked with protecting, rejuvenating, and sustainably managing the Narmada River. Considering that nearly 33 per cent of the State’s population relies on the river, the mission will operate under a three-tier administrative setup headed by the Chief Minister, with the Chief Secretary leading the Administrative Executive Committee. To ensure smooth execution, the autonomous body will receive Rs 100 crore annually from State grants and another Rs 100 crore annually from CAMPA funds, supplemented by CSR, central assistance, and PPP models. A dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) will employ AI, GIS, remote sensing, Decision Support Systems (DSS), and climate change modeling to evaluate river health scientifically.